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Restoring The Paint On Our 1974 Porsche 914 Project!

We’ve been bitten by the 914 bug, so when this bright red example came up for sale just a few days ago with a low asking price, we snatched it up! It took us all of about 4 hours to adjust the valves and detail the paint, but it now runs and looks great. Obviously, there’s still lots to be done to make it a great driver, but we wanted to share our progress. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if we doubled its value with just the little we’ve already done to it. I documented the process of restoring the paint in the video above, so be sure to watch it and let us know what you think of the finished product! And be sure to subscribe to our channel here on YouTube for more videos.

Comments

  1. Avatar Todd Fitch Staff

    Looks great! Years ago I’d have been surprised to hear a car person pronounce Porsche as one syllable. Has that become OK? Just ribbing you, though. Great job on the paint restoration. I’ve been color-sanding and rubbing out my daughter’s car this week. She helped me spray the 1x Urethane and now she’s helping with this fun as well. So this is a timely video for sure. Keep up the good work!

    Like 0
    • Avatar Josh Mortensen Staff

      I knew someone would call me out on that! Haha!
      I figure, I can make this car run and look great or I can figure out how to pronounce “Porsha” correctly, but not both. Clearly, I went for the later! It sure did turn out great and it was a blast putting the video together.
      Good luck with your daughter’s car! Let me know how it turns out.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar On and On Member

    Thank you Josh, coincidently just looked at a red 1964 car today with original red paint in great shape that will need this exact refurbishing. Great education.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Josh Mortensen Staff

      On and On, send me photos of it (mail@barnfinds.com)! I hope the video really does help out with the job of polishing it up. If you have any questions or need specific advice, let me know!

      Like 0
      • Avatar On and On Member

        I will, haven’t bought it yet, but I think I will. It’s a 1964 Corvair Monza coupe, 110 engine, 4-speed. Shows 38,000 mi and looks it too but we’ll see. Seats, pedal pads, dash all look great. Black vinyl upholstery with no wear marks or cracks. Has stickers from an Air Force base in California. No rust, No rust. I can get it for $3000. Hmmm. I’ll look it over better in a couple days. Will send pictures and keep you posted. Ordered my black plate T-shirt today. Good times.

        Like 1
      • Avatar Josh Mortensen Staff

        Sounds like a great find! I’ve been tempted a few times to buy a Corvair! They seem like fun and afford classics. I look forward to seeing it! And thanks for supporting the site, we truly appreciate it!

        Like 1
  3. Avatar Tom Fitch

    Great video, Josh. Did the wheels come painted like that or was that an owner mod? Do you plan to take that paint off? IMHO the car would look better without the red wheels.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Brian

    I use lacquer thinner to help get off the overspray paint on a lot of rubber. However you have to be very careful of getting it on the good paint as it will “burn” through layers quickly. Sometimes you can use a dull knife or I occasionally us a razor blade to lightly scrape the rubber of the overspray but you gotta get used to scraping the right way. In some rare cases you can use wax or buffing compound on a rag to get the lighter overspray off if it’s weaker paint. Some old paint from the 70’s and 80’s is very tough and not so easy to get off.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Louis Q Chen

    Y’all were very lucky to find such “rust” free example. I used to own a ’73 914. Sadly, the “cancer” slowly ate it up even though we lived in Houston, Tx.
    It was also red! Why can’t VW/Porsche make a retro of these 914 like they did with the NEW BEETLE?

    Like 1
  6. Avatar #69pacecar

    Great job with paintwork, Josh and with the video. I have a 83 firebird that has sat for about 20 years, but it has been in my garage and the paint gets dull and occasionally I polish some of it. This video has given me some good ideas on how to bring the paint back to how it should be and I am hoping to get the car back on the road next year. Thanks for the tips.

    Like 0

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