aualexa2

I appreciate everyone's input while I was looking at this car and deciding if I should proceed with the purchase. It wound up working out and I got a very reasonable deal on the car. I'm starting this thread to introduce the car, document the projects that I undertake, and to also have a place to ask for the forum's collective knowledge when I can't figure something out!

Some of you have seen the PO's for sale ad on 914world, and I've edited it and attached it below. This car is a survivor - no restoration, mostly all original. Solid car overall. I received the original owners manual, documentation of services performed over the years, original window sticker, original radio, and some spare parts.

The car was purchased new and kept by the original owner until around 2008 when he passed away. The car then sold to an older gentleman that never really drove the car. He kept it for around 2 years and then it was sold to a gentleman who took the car to Translog in York, PA to have it completely gone over, checked for rust, resolve any issues, etc. (See the work orders in the album). It was then purchased by the person I bought the car from and he owned it for approx. 5 years. During his ownership, he did the following:

Replaced the carpet
Replaced fuel pump
Installed stainless steel fuel lines and all new rubber lines (just as a "preventative" to get rid of the plastic fuel lines)
Installed LED turn signal and brake lights (purchased from forum member Spoke - they use the original connectors, can be switched back to regular bulbs simply by taking the LED out and putting in regular bulb)


The "bad":
Has some nicks here and there on the paint that have been touched up...typical little marks you'd expect for a car that is 44 years old. Drivers seat has a tear on the seating surface and also on the bolster. There was surface rust under the battery but before it got any worse the previous owner painted over it with a brown rust preventative paint. Hell hole is solid.

Here is an album of pictures:
http://s294.photobucket.com/user/jba...eshow/914%20FS

A few things I noticed on my drive home today:
1) There's a clunk coming from the front while going over small bumps. I'm going to have to do some digging to figure out exactly what the cause is. Additionally, the steering is a little loose. In addition to what I find re: the clunk, I plan to go through the front end, update to turbo tie rods, replace the shocks, replace the wheel bearing, etc.
2) I'm going to have the seats recovered/repaired
3) All the weather seals/trim needs to be replaced as it is cracked.
4) The rubber boot that connects to the air filter was all cracked. The original part number is 022129971. I looked on autoatlanta and found a replacement part that fits my model and looks like the right part. On their website, the part number is B022129967P. Can anyone confirm this is right? I attached a picture of the torn boot that I removed.


Best,
Alex

Petza914

Congratulations. 914s are a blast to drive and are now much more appreciated as actual Porsches thank they used to be. Finding a survivor in this condition is pretty rare these days. Excited for you.

dr914

we make a repro of that boot, but it is not that necessary as there is no vacuum in the boot like the 1.8 models

aualexa2

Already ordered the part. . The original is so cracked that it is basically bypassing the air filter with the size of the holes in it.

PelicanParts.com

Hello Alex and congrats on the new ride! I'm attaching a helpful link in case you're going to be doing the maintenance and repairs yourself. Please let us know if you have any questions!

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/914tech_articles.htm

dr914

and do not forget the book "tech tips 700"

aualexa2

Planning on changing the struts and shocks. Has anyone changed strut inserts while leaving the struts attached? I'm going to try to do it this way. I'm worried that it is going to be a PITA to get the new strut back under the fender and into the mounting hole. Any tips for doing it?

Besides the strut insert (Bilstein hd) and a new lock washer for the top of the strut, I shouldn't need any other parts, right?

bkrantz

I think I remember doing it that way at least once. Compressing the strut insert gets harder with any gas-charge model of course. And watch out for stretching or kinking the brake hose.

But if you want to "do it right" and enjoy some quality wrenching time, then removing the struts completely is not that much work. Plus you may get to buy some new tools.

skl

Changing inserts can be done, but as noted it can be a PITA to keep the shock compressed long enough to get it in the strut. Almost impossible to do by yourself...

Good luck!!

BillC3

I have changed the front struts on a couple of 914s without removing the strut housings, and it can be done without too much difficulty. But it does require some muscle.

First thing you'll need to do is protect the fender. Put a layer of masking tape on the top of the fender opening (outside and wrap all the way around inside). Then, put several layers of duct tape over the masking tape. This way, the duct tape protects the fender from contact and the masking tape protects the fender from the duct tape adhesive.

You may need to unbolt the brake caliper and hang it inside the fender well. However, both of the cars I worked on had brake hoses just long enough to get the top of the strut outside the fender.

You will also need a large wrench to get the top nut off the strut housing. Some people use a pipe wrench to get the nut off. If you don't care about damaging the nut, the pipe wrench works. Otherwise, look for a large adjustable wrench or an adjustable pin wrench, depending on the nut design.

Having a helper while you're doing this is recommended.

Probably the hardest part is getting the strut back into the top hat. You may need to unbolt the top hat from the fender to get the strut up through the hole. If you mark the bolts before unbolting the top hat, it'll make it much easier to get the top hat back in the right place (I like to use masking tape to mark around the bolts).

Before you start, inspect your ball joints. If either are damaged, this would be a good time to replace them, and would also make replacing the struts easier.

aualexa2

My tie rods came with these (see pic) instead of a castellated nut and I want to be sure they don't back off. Does anyone know what order these nuts go on and if there is a certain torque? I also attached a pic of the inner part of the old tie rod. Definitely time to replace them!

Alex

BillC3

Don't know why the turbo tie rod kits come with two nuts for each of the tie rod ends, but they are both lock nuts, so no cotter key needed. Pick one and put it on -- when installed, there's only room for one nut. When I did mine, I used the gold colored nut you have on the tie rod end in your picture.

aualexa2

Thanks, Bill!

skl

Mine as well came only with the gold nut, no where for a cotter pin. I check them every so often, and they have not come loose luckily. I put them on tight, but not with a specific torque.

aualexa2

Picture update! New tie rods and ball joints are in. Still need to separate the old ball joints from the strut housing. Had to cut the ball joint nuts to get them off, but otherwise, everything went well.