ridgerunner914 Options

[preach]

ridgerunner914 is my social media name if it isn't preach. It is also my new to me 1974 2.0 that I bought from the classifieds here.

This is the start of our story. It has trials, tribulations, swingers, and pirates!

Due to recent life events and too many projects for my age/health I needed a change. I did not really want to but a few weeks ago it got solidified.

My dad owned a repair shop when I was young, so I got into cars. His second location was run by an air-cooled VW guy that had a 356 Speedster as well. This is where I got into VWs and, of course Porsche. While doing research on these and could not get my license yet, I read about the 1970 24h of Le Man and the #40 car that broke hearts. Well it won mine. A 914/6 that dominated it's class and came in 6th overall beating many bigger classes as well. I swooned. I'd seen them driving around as this was the early 1980s, now I loved them.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662460.1.jpg)

Now it's the 2000s and I finally buy one, I got it for $700 but it was a complete 1974 914 1.7l. Had dreams and dreams of rebuilding it and speccing out this way and that, but life always got in the way. It is also a piece of crap needing a ton of work.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662460.2.jpg)

So I would not rush that build and get my fancy tickled I bought a 2007 Cayman S. That I love still, but it is not an air-cooled VW that my heart desires. No pic for that it is in my profile and not a 914.

Welcome to two weeks ago. I had just come off of a long work trip and made decent money, 46-ish days straight 10-16hrs a day. So I called work and said I am taking the week off. They said OK, understood. Now, at the end of that week, I did something I tried like hell not to do which is look at the cars FS here. But I did. Well sheet. Friday I called up work and said I needed another week off to buy a car and get it home, a more hesitant OK this time.

Mine is the one in the back.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777662461.3.jpeg)

I answered the ad and sent a DM. Ends up being a guy named Brad, and he is basically brokering the deal for the seller. He also built the car as it sits. he also has a very good reputation by name and by his old shop name. We talked on the phone quite a while about this car, that car, this other car, oh and this one, don't forget that one, etc. This was Friday. I said I'd buy it, sight unseen. We negotiated a price and after a few phone calls the owner accepted my final counter offer. I'd be there asap. But there was a storm brewing. Midwest got whacked with their last storm of the year (I hope anyway).

So I secured financing and a one way flight from Boston to Peoria Thursday at 0800 to fly out about noon. I packed a backpack with 2 changes of clothes, a sandwich bag of toiletries, and a stack of cash. I knew the car had no heat so I put on flannel lined Carharts and an Arborwear hoodie, not to mention my fuzzy lined Vans. I headed to Boston and grabbed the flight. A few hours and a couple of beers in Chicago I landed in Peoria. I was pretty spent at this point so I called up Debbie, the owner's wife, and told her I was in town and would just take an UBER to a hotel for the night. Both Brad and her had graciously offered to get me from the airport. I think this was about 5pm local so -1h from mine.

Continue next post.

[preach]

I had told her I'd be in touch the next morning and she replied around 0800 so she and her husband George could have breakfast done and whatnot. So I called about 0815 and she said that Brad would pick me up from the hotel as it was 10 mins from his house and on the way to theirs. Brad calls and says give me a few as I think I need gas. I said OK, so I check out and wait in the lobby. I had no clue what he'd be arriving in as I knew he has a 1 series BMW and a Cayenne GTS. Then I see on the approach to the lobby a red 914 (the one in this threads first pic with the booby bumpers) and I knew it was him. We meet in person and I hop in, off we go to the car.

His 2.0 is a hot rod, so we rip to their house with the top off and stowed in the trunk. Damn he could drive that thing.

So now I've met Brad, a wicked nice guy. Got a ride in his hopped up 914 and off to see another that he built and the current owners. We will come back to Brad, although he was there the whole time.

We get to George and Debbie's and hang out in their parking area a bit in front of the garage. And Brad tells me the owner's story as we wait for them to come out. Well, sadly, George has dementia/Alzhiemers and cannot drive his car any more. Debbie had no clue what to do with the car so she called Brad. And being faithful customers/friends of his he said he'd take care of it for them. If I had to bet Brad has 20 years on me and G&D in their 80s. She actually made fun of me for crying old at 55, I loved it.

The garage door opens in auto mode from the house and there is the car. DAMN! Debbie comes out and we meet and she is a lovely nice lady. Brad goes in and starts the car after a sec and pulls it out into the sun. DAMN!!! I can see it is not perfect immediately, but I am a driver, not a concours guy. A bit of paint runs and I knew there was traces of rust in places. We chat for a bit. Seems George wouldn't let Debbie drive this much, but they also owned a Pantera that she drove almost daily. Well, I am in heaven with car people. She named off a few others that they had owned and we were joking, laughing, et cetera.

She goes and gets George, and he comes down the the car smiling. Very sadly I see he is on a sine wave of coherence. We talk about cars and I hear some good stories from him and he helps us lube the trunk lock and other little things. It was hard to see a fella in this shape. When I told him what I own and have owned it brought a smile to him.

Having a look at the car, but no test drive yet, I hand her an envelope of the Bens that make the deal and told her to go count it while Brad and I went for a test drive. Brad tells me about all the things done to the car and chuckles at me learning the shifting, by the time the test was over I had a good grasp on the shifter and almost had it.

So we make the deal. Both parties happy.

I am ready to start rolling East.

Brad says otherwise. He says to follow him up to his house so he can give me some spares and check some things before I head out 1000+ miles away. So I do. Seriously I cannot say enough about this dang guy.

We get to his garage and he packs some fuses and relays and some other stuff in a little box for me and looks for a 12v compressor to give me for the inflatable spare but could not find one of his many. He checks the tire pressures while I check the oil, we make sure all the lights work, on and on. Finally I am ready, and itching to roll, but it was getting late. I had hoped to be on the road by 0900 and meet some folk from Grass Roots Motorsports since I was in the area, but it was getting close to noon. They come in briefly later.

Next time, the trip begins...

[preach]

So it's midday Friday, time to get on the road and put some miles down. Work pretty much told me to be there Monday and I am 1000k from home in a 52yo car. I can't see anything that could possibly go wrong.

Many trips across country in my Cayman and that is about a day and a morning. Probably just a long day. I'm not in my Cayman anymore.

It's late, I am tired from the trip, so I tell the GRM folk, sorry man would have loved to

I hop on I74 heading East, car is phenomenal at a speedo of 80ish, but a GPS of 71. I cruise through IA no problems in a coulple of hours and decide to have a pee as soon as I got into Indy as I had to go. First rest area I stop, take care of business and hop back into the car. Hit the key and not even a click, gen light dim. Well crap. Call Brad, who was having medical issues with a doctor all day, text a GRM guy. Say screw it, did not want to wait. I asked for a jump from another traveler, got me to 12v on the gage but still nothing on the starter. Well crap x2. Finally I see some decently rugged kid get out of a car and say hey bud mind giving me a push start. He did and RAWR I was off.

I made Dayton, OH that day hot (running) filling the car that had no fuel gage (thanks VW as usual). I stayed there that night at a hotel (I have mad points for many different ones).

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This is when things got hilariously weird. The hotel gave me a 10% off card for the Texas Roadhouse just behind my car in that pic. All right I am in! I belly up to the bar after very few miles wanted but spent and get a beer and a steak. Just as I order a second beer before I go to my room I realize that everybody including the bartenders know each other, intimately. Haha. So I watch the scene while I sip my beer and chuckle the whole time. Clearly this one has been with that one and this one has been with both of them at the same time etc. Holy Crap I was dying laughing. The STDs...I don't want to know. I go back to the hotel.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777663337.2.jpeg)

The size difference is amazing.

I don't sleep much and I was a bit stressed out about how the rest of the trip was going to go due to the starter issue and got to hear the noises of many swingers apparently staying at the same hotel but finally got some sleep and got up the next morning. This is when I had to make a hard decision. I only had one more set of clothes and at least one more night on the road. We'll save the clean ones for the last morning...ugh. After a push from another nice person, it only takes one since with me in it may be 2100lbs maybe, and off I go.

Saturday, <48h until work. Long haul today. Dayton, OH to Port Jervice, NY was my plan. With another opportunity lost, I had to pass my siblings in Pittsburgh, PA. I wanted to make that my first night, then home the next day. And since I was from PGH I forgot how freaking long I80 in PA is since we'd lose a chunk of it due to the starting point not being at the border.

I'll pause here a second to complain about the roads up to here, PA is not known for good roads really but I80 is a massive trucking route that gets attention. From Peoria to here I already had a front end shimmy that was not there when I bought the car. Worse turning right. I80 was a breeze but I could feel the wobble. I was not happy but I knew this could happen. Sad as this car was so tight when I bought it but pot holes and poor paving fixes take it's toll.

Anyways, as when I go across country in my Cayman and they get to know you, my trucker buddies started taking care of me here. I speak their light flick language and respect them and I am 99% sure they say a rocket is coming their way to their brothers up ahead. Either car if I am burning a lot of gas and there is a LEO in front of me oddly two trucks block both lanes until we get by, then let me pass. Is it right? I don't care it is cool as hell.

No real speedo and a fuel gage that reads a little over half all the time I had to make some guesses. 5th gear and the tach at the turn signal, about 3300rpm, light was about 70 per my phone. Can't say much more than that but the MSD is set to 7500, I never hit that and would not have the gears to go fast but...

So I am cruising down the highway in my 2.0, smacking the...uh...nothing, hoping for no problems. Guessing my gas and a clue on my speed, Making miles. This portion of the trip I estimated that I am getting about 25mph! Not bad really.

In heaven. I cannot tell you how good this car drives, may ride like an autox car and kill my back each day but so nice.

Hit Port Jervice about 7pm. Time for a hotel.

[preach]

Pull into a hotel I got with points, yay. 2 restaurants, good. Saturday night though, not good. I have spent enough long stays in hotels that I do not like weekends. Even though I know I am only here for one night, I know what is up. I was that guy and parked next to a C8 'vette. I actually tried to find the Corvette guy and looking like one I wanted to play a redneck that hit his car while backing my shit pickup next to him then go out and he'd see what I brought to the table. He must have been on the white collar side because I didn't see any jorts.

Both restaurants are jamming. I feel like $5digits is enough so far so my cheap side kicks in. I go to the bar and I can't even remember what I ate I was so smoked from the long day. My back was killing me, I was still stressed out from a possible failure, but I was freaking alive and so wasn't my car! I actually live for this stuff, grab a set of unknown keys in one hand and your fellas in another and GO!

So, parties all around, but I am used to that. They tend to fall off between 12 and 2. Each night I have also been on high alert since car and thieves.

About 1am the Pirates show up. I am on the first floor abutting the elevator. Well they were after my gold! As you know, 914s have a grill behind the rear window and the only place a US /4 would have any indication it was a Porsche was on that grill with PORSCHE letters in either gold or silver (not sure why, maybe 2.0 gold and 1.x silver, or trim, or???), well mine are gold.

So I hear 2 couples, drunk, heading to the elevator and the guys are expounding about the car next to the Corvette, neat. Then one of them goes I want those letters, you'd not even get a fingerprint off of that grill. The other three talk him down for now but I am on high alert. I'd fall asleep for a bit, check the window to see my car, repeat.

If you were to pop them off from the top they probably would have broken the plastic dongle and the metal clip would have fell into my engine top x14. It my fan would suck them up and one wedge in a cooling fin and create a hot spot... I would have bought him a set online instead.

Anyways, they were still there the next morning and, honestly, it was cool to hear my car was cooler than a C8 (I love Corvettes).

I get up, ask for a push. Seriously, I never had to ask 2x really. Today was rough though. I don't know the Webbers and it was cold. I gave it the normal 2-3 pumps for fuel and choke and the first 3 times it tried like hell and did not want to start. The night before I had already asked a friend to be ready for a 10hr day with his f150 and trailer.

My first guy gave it hell 3x, then I went in for another guy. RAWR, I was on my way.

I had thought that I filled up before I got the the hotel so I'd be ready for the day but was hesitant. I stopped and looked at my bank and could not tell since even dinner did not show up yet. So I drove about 100 miles and said I better fill up even if it is a couple gallons. It was 9! I guess I did not fuel up last night.

Cruise up through NY on I84 and into CT. First thing I see in CT is a burning Subaru Forester on the other side of the highway, just like a friends last year...weird. After Hartford was the next cool thing, and the coolest yet.

I see a GT3 up ahead of me, I casually step up until he sees me but I messed up and made him skittish so he took off. I gave chase and we ripped to the maximum speed limit in the state! I did not keep up great but well enough that he backed down to my side and I could see him say WTF? I just shrugged. He gave me a thumbs up and took off.

Now, remember George? He was the owner I bought this from. He had a dog, I can't remember it's name, but a Bully, he barked and barked at me from his cage until I turned around and said hi then all wiggles, then repeat. George had many bulldogs in his lifetime and, well my first impression of George was a bulldog. Big man to my 6'2" 200# and due to age had jowls. This car had a bulldog sticker in the back window and is pretty much a bully.

The next bit sucks and is scary.

[preach]

I get through CT into MA, it's probably 45* and I am having no problems, loving life. Then I get almost to the NH border (40mins from home) on 495 and my ass end keeps kicking out when I accelerate. I take a quick look at my phone and it's 38*. Well shoot.

Then 5 mins later it starts raining...well freak.

This car and these tires are not meant for this at all. Date codes on the tires were like 15 years old.

By the time I got into NH I was thinking I may stove up this awesome car just after I bought it and had an epic trip in it.

I had a good heart to heart with the car and, both being idiots, we decide to forgive AAA and head on.

50mph to the Portsmouth traffic circle I had 3 adams apples and decided to get off the highway and take the back road home.

Much better and we pulled in about 1230 Sunday.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777663707.1.jpeg)

[preach]

So since my shop is full of torn apart Opel Gt and has a currently dead Cayman in front of it I had to send the 914 to the shop for a starter and ball joints.

It's back and rowdy as ever.

Cold Start!

[preach]

Forgot I bought this years ago for my rusty 1.8. Now it has a proper home.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777664247.1.jpeg)

Starter was just old and not burned up by the headers as I thought. Since it was on a lift and they could get a swing with a hammer it started a couple of times, then nothing. New Bosch installed.

Front ball joints were smoked. They were old and the rough ride home finished them. OEM installed. Tight.

Shifter is just rugged due to the linkage and the short shifter installed. I was actually happy with it on the drive home. I also could, for comfort, install my stock shifter from my other '74 if I want to.

It is a sweet running project car.

Been enjoying it is the still cold NH weather.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com-11513-1777664247.2.jpeg)

Just picked up a set of Fuchs for this car in (2) 15x7 and (2) 15x8. They have some old 205/60s on them so I can get a test fit as I am a little worried about the 8" rears. Currently have 7" square and a spacer so I may be OK, the fenders have been pulled too. Super stoked.

I will refinish them this summer into RSR spec paint as I love that look and it should look great with the red.

I remember when 911/944 Fuchs were $500 for a set of 4...not anymore. But I did get a front aftermarket air dam in new condition thrown in with the deal. I can't remember the kit but I will get a pic at some point. Has an oil cooler opening and holes for brake cooling hoses, I will get a pic at some point of all of it. Doubt I will use it but for free? Yup.

[preach]

Wheels and air dam. Don’t mind the lightening hole in the Tacoma it will be addressed this summer…

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[emerygt350]

Looks like a great car and a fun drive.

[Chad911sc]

Love a Good story!
Quite a trip for a new 50 year old car.
Well done and wonder how that little 2.0 carried such big balls…lol.
I had a 69 Opel Gt as well. It had a 347 stroker stuffed in it. Never got to drive it. Sold it to my neighbor and he still hasn’t finished it yet.

[emerygt350]

There is one for sale near me and it is tempting... Here is my old 72. Sold it back at the turn of the century.