I stumbled across a '75 914 for $500 that supposedly ran great 5-6 years ago but has been sitting since. Are parts insanely expensive because its a Porsche? Can VW parts be used? Are they difficult to work on for a beginner?
My intent would not be to restore it, but turn it into a auto-x car with just enough street legality to get me to events and the occasional 'for-the-hell' of it drives.
Rust is the enemy. I'm sure others will chime in about specific areas to watch out for. Parts aren't too bad as they share the type IV engine with the VW Bus.
Cool cars with horrible shift linkages.
Parts aren't bad, but like any ther car, speed costs money.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/914world.htm
Poke around here for help, there are GRMers there too. Advice is free and flame free. Used parts aplenty.
http://www.914world.com/index.php
They are no more difficult to work on than a VW except that you have to lay a blanket on the trunk, climb in the engine hole and work with one hand. It's fun.
Dan
Didn't one of the magazines do a whole series on restoring a 914?
http://classicmotorsports.net/articles/porsche-914/
Here's the 914 project:
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/1973-porsche-914/
On the right side, there is a list of the magazines it appeared in featuring its restoration.
BTW, many of the parts are VW based and in fact overseas it was sold as a VW not a Porsche.
It isn't really a Porsche.
They marketed it as what it really was, a VW, everywhere else and called it a Porsche for North America only.
The 914 - 6 actually would have warranted the Porsche name, mind you.
Look for excessive rust 1. on the right rear suspension mounting points and chassis just below the battery box. 2. Front suspension mounting points.
If bad, run away. You are looking at a money pit.
The shift linkage can be vastly improved with bushings and rebuild, but it will never be Honda like.
Type IV engines are good and Jake Raby can make them into very powerful engines for their size and weight. $$$$$
Wonderful handling car with some minor mods.
Ditto on the rusty right front corner of the engine compartment being a deal killer. You have to really get down in there with a flashlight and look carefully, removal of the battery is a must for proper check out. Here's what the area looks like from the top:
Then jack the car up and check the same area thoroughly from underneath. The battery box is just above that area and a leaky battery is the source of the majority of the woes in this area.
Otherwise, since it's a '75 the sore spots of the earlier cars should have been fixed, like the 'rear shift' transmission. It's easy to tell; look on the drivers' side of the transmission and you should see a big plastic cover about halfway down the side of the case, that's a side shift.
If it's been converted to carburetors, that will save you much hassle and $$ getting it going. Having said that, the stock FI is pretty simple and easy to work on, just be warned that some FI stuff can be pricey. Which is why so many were converted to carburetors.
I had a '71 1.7 car, slow as molasses in February but it handled like a dream even on crappy Western Auto tires.
My 914 never slept outside and only got rained on five times since 1974. With all that, the battery box corner against the firewall where the rear suspension bolts up, was not pretty. The hinges for the rear deck lid usually go south, mine just tore like paper, no rust though.
Mine is a FI 2.0 1974, dead stock except for the aftermarket muffler. Plenty fast.
Dan
My 1.7 liter 914 had 911 and koni suspension, monza exhaust and 47,000 miles. The only time the car was spun out was when a guy ran a redlight and hit me so hard it spun me so fast the guy hit me a second time. I still miss that car.
914Driver wrote: Mine is a FI 2.0 1974, dead stock except for the aftermarket muffler. Plenty fast.
73/74 2.0 is the one to have. Best engine, best shifter and lighter bumpers than the 75/76 cars, without all the extra emission controls.
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