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I have researched some of the common issues relating to rust (hell hole) on these cars but I was wondering if anyone could point me to a easy reference guide for all the possible areas of concern. In addition to rust maybe some guides as to what else to look for during inspection. From the limited pictures I do have a question on the pictures showing the rear trunk area? There seems to be more than normal seam filler product (welding?) shown and there are a couple of weird weld areas on the left and right (towards rear) of the floor. I have looked at other cars online and I see no such weld areas on other cars. Thanks in advance for any help or opinions. Tom
Typical rust spots: hell hole, inner and outer longitudinals (especially behind side jack points), rear suspension consoles (esp. right side), rear trunk floor (esp. trailing edge), passenger floor, firewall (behind sound insulation pad), front trunk floor, cowl at base of windshield (esp. at junctions with front fenders), where the targa hoop sides meet the upper rear fenders, bottoms of doors, etc.
Other issues: worn out suspension bushings, electrical gremlins from aged or hacked wiring, fuel system leaks (if not already done, original plastic lines in the center tunnel must be replaced), corrosion in brake system components, dried-out rubber body seals (that leak and lead to rust), etc.
Plus the usual things that determine value: general condition, collision and body repair history, originality (e.g. stock fuel injection vs. carbs)
Test #1 on a 914 is to remove the roof and then check the door gaps at the top of each door toward the rear to see if they close up due to body sag. The photos in the ad aren't great, but it looks like maybe the driver's side door gap is already closed at the top even with the roof installed. I think there's also rust at the rear of the passenger door. Also, 1972 is the year before the upgrade in the transmission shifting. What you really want is a 73 or 74 2.0L car.
Without looking at it, I don't think that's a $12k example - maybe half that, and if the body is sagging, unless you're looking for a full rotisserie restoration, I'd walk away.
Here's what you want door gaps to look like with the roof removed. I can take you a better close up photo if you can't blow these up well enough to see them clearly, just let me know.
Thanks for the info guys. I am planning on taking a look tomorrow. The seller did send some photos of the underside and there is quite a bit of rust in the floor boards. He was going to take some pictures of the "hell hole" for me. I asked him if he was ok to remove the rocker cover on the passenger side but he has not committed to that. I would agree that the top door gaps look closed from the limited pictures but I will make sure to take a close look here. It also seems that is is a 1972 based on the VIN but the engine is a 2.0L with fuel injection. Well one of the things I need to confirm. It does not look like a 1.7L with fuel injection. Seems this was swapped at some point prior to his ownership. What would I want to look for if it also in includes the upgraded shifting? At the moment I would agree that this is not a $12K example. I am not against some rust repair but the purchase price would need to reflect the severity of rust repair. I will look at the car and see how flexible the seller is on price? I do see a plus that this is a 2 owner car which is rare for any car that is approaching 50 years old. Repair part availability is also pretty good from my limited research. I am also interested that this car is my birth year 1972. For some reason the supply of 1972 914's is fairly limited. But I will refrain from making any emotional decision based on that : ). Will report once I have taken a look. Tom
I would stay away from this one, has had a 75 76 front end clipped on to it
Hi Dr.914. Can you clarify what this means? I think the 2 large bumper over riders are not 1972 for sure. The seller did tell me that the previous owner had a 1970 parts car that he sourced some parts from for this one but the bumper would not make sense in that case.
I have decided to pass on the car. I figure in the middle of Winter and pandemic taking on a car that could be a bit of a project is not the best idea. In addition I have limited garage space. I am finishing a Rover V8 swap into my MGB. I figure maybe I will see if the car is still available in the Spring maybe I can take a look in person. The owner did send me some more pictures one of which from the hell hole and it did have a rust hole in that area the size of half a dollar bill so based on what I have seen online I suspect the adjacent area is likely in bad shape. I am not opposed to doing welding repair and it does seem that 914's are fairly easy to work on but how much rust repair one might encounter is the tricky part. Not like a BMW2002 that has rust in the sill area where it can be a real nightmare to properly fix it based on how the cars were assembled and welded from the factory.
I figure I will keep looking for a more solid car. Tom
Hi Dr.914. Can you clarify what this means? I think the 2 large bumper over riders are not 1972 for sure. The seller did tell me that the previous owner had a 1970 parts car that he sourced some parts from for this one but the bumper would not make sense in that case.
I have decided to pass on the car. I figure in the middle of Winter and pandemic taking on a car that could be a bit of a project is not the best idea. In addition I have limited garage space. I am finishing a Rover V8 swap into my MGB. I figure maybe I will see if the car is still available in the Spring maybe I can take a look in person. The owner did send me some more pictures one of which from the hell hole and it did have a rust hole in that area the size of half a dollar bill so based on what I have seen online I suspect the adjacent area is likely in bad shape. I am not opposed to doing welding repair and it does seem that 914's are fairly easy to work on but how much rust repair one might encounter is the tricky part. Not like a BMW2002 that has rust in the sill area where it can be a real nightmare to properly fix it based on how the cars were assembled and welded from the factory.
I figure I will keep looking for a more solid car. Tom
if you have not yet looked at 914World, you can scan through dozens of rebuild threads while you wait to find a 914. Lots of examples of where people found rust and how they repaired it. IMO (having restored both) 914 sills are perhaps harder to dissect than those on a 2002, and much more important to the 914 structural integrity.
12-27-2020, 01:48 PM
914 Purchase Question
