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Posted by: fastfingers Mar 13 2011, 10:31 AM

This is my first post.

First a little history.

I'm a long ago Porsche 914 owner and long time Porsche enthusiast, having owned two 914s, a 924 and an amazing '91 911 C4 Targa. I once owned 2 914's at the same time. One was a '73 2.0 and the other was a '74 2.0. The '73 had an interesting history. It was originally black from the factory and had the anti-sway bars, chrome bumpers, fog lights and appearance group. It also had those wonderful Fuchs. Very fast and fun to drive car. I loved it and miss it to this day. Didn't realize until many years later that the '73 2.0's were the coveted 4-bangers.

About the history of that car; I purchased it used from Century Porsche Audi in Dayton Ohio in 1975 or 1976. The previous owner was a Priest, believe it or not. The car had been repainted Corvette gray metallic and looked fabulous. The dealer told me that the car was a pace car driven by Mark Donohue before it was sold to the original owner. Not sure about that part but it seems possible. I had the car for maybe 160,000 miles and it proved to be a very reliable car. I had to replace the clutch twice (I think) and even rebuilt the heads on it once.

Recently I started looking at restored 914s and found this place. Hope to own one again some day.

On to my question. Both my 914s had fog lights and a yellow knob to activate them. I remember I modified both my 914's so that you could turn them on with only the running lights active too. On some of the pictures of 914s I see a green knob instead. Are those driving lights or what? Were they a substitute for the fogs? Just curious. I don't remember a driving lights option for 914s back when I paid attention to them.

- Steve

Posted by: Sleepin Mar 13 2011, 10:40 AM

Green switch should be rear window defrost IIRC.

Posted by: MDG Mar 13 2011, 10:47 AM

Yep, rear window defroster. Here's a pic of it in my '73 during disassembly

Posted by: McMark Mar 13 2011, 11:40 AM

Aren't the early car foglight knobs green as well?

Pretty sure they are.

Posted by: underthetire Mar 13 2011, 11:48 AM

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 13 2011, 11:48 AM

I knew about the green knob for the rear defroster, although neither my '73 nor '74 had one. The rear defogger knob has that looping wire icon.

But that's not what I'm talking about. These knobs clearly show a light icon.

Posted by: jgara962 Mar 13 2011, 11:52 AM

It's for the driving/fog lights.

Posted by: MDG Mar 13 2011, 01:16 PM

The amber knob in my '73 pictured above is also a driving light switch. As Mark said, the earlier cars from 1970, '71 and maybe '72 had the green bezel like yours.

Or is it the other way around? Maybe they started off amber and switched to green part way through '73? Can't remember but I'm sure someone will chime in. Either way, it turns on the lights in your bumper

Edit: just checked - '70-'72 had the green bezel; '73-76 had the amber.

Posted by: markb Mar 13 2011, 02:01 PM

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 15 2011, 06:23 AM

I beleved the explanation until I saw this:


That is not a rear defogger knob. I'm wondering, did the '75 & '76 have dual bulbs in those bumper mounted lenses?

Posted by: MDG Mar 15 2011, 07:15 AM

No - the '75-'76 did not have any kind of twin light set up. I'll go out on a limb here and say that was added by a previous owner - not factory original. I've never seen a 914 with four switches on the left of the column like that. And besides, why would the factory use both the later amber and the earlier green?

So left to right you have the black headlight switch, the red hazards switch, the amber fog light switch . . . and what appears to be an early fog light switch mounted next to it

Maybe the PO had a set of auxiliary lights mounted and wired them independently? Those top mounted Cibies or some such.

Posted by: Sparky Mar 15 2011, 07:20 AM

Ejection seat?

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 15 2011, 07:22 AM

I think this was from a photographic series taken from a concourse winner. Wouldn't that mean the car had to be original equipment only? I'll see if I can find the link for the site where this car was being shown. I saved the pictures to my library because of how beautiful that white interior looks.

Posted by: MDG Mar 15 2011, 07:23 AM

Ah. Forgot it was a '75-'76.


Yes, ejection seat. The 'light' icon on the bezel was just to lull passengers into a false sense of security. The intial icon was a pair of legs exiting through the targa but it didn't make it to the final design.

Posted by: MDG Mar 15 2011, 07:27 AM

Well, after 30 years with these cars I'm the first to admit I still learn new things about them. But if that's factory it would certainly be the first one I've seen.

I'd love to see the other pics you have. And I agree, the white interior in that blue looks fantastic!

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 15 2011, 11:56 AM

Yea, that white interior is amazing. I keep hoping the answer is that those rectangular lights in the '75, '76 models have the option of dual bulbs.

I'll see if I can find the original link to that car. I think, it was from a car that was for sale here on this web site.

As minimum I'll see if I can find the other pictures and repost them.

Posted by: jt914-6 Mar 15 2011, 02:11 PM

Fog light centers were green until "72, after that they were gold... A pic from a 914 guide to authentcity...four switches on left of steering wheel....it doesn't say what the fourth one is....

Posted by: MDG Mar 15 2011, 03:44 PM

Cool. That extra switch looks like it has a blank bezel and is obviously not a dark green one. The switches are in a different order as well.

Just throwing this out there; what switch turns on the rear fog on some of the Euro cars?

Posted by: flat4tom Mar 15 2011, 04:44 PM

I was thinking maybe a rear fog light switch too. Never seen one either.

Just my .02

Posted by: Drums66 Mar 15 2011, 05:02 PM

.....Fog light switch?...mine's amber!!

Posted by: Dave_Darling Mar 15 2011, 05:38 PM

What does the 70-71 wiper switch look like? Weren't those on the dash somewhere instead of on the stalk on the column?

--DD

Posted by: MDG Mar 15 2011, 05:56 PM

I'm sticking with ejection seat.

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 15 2011, 06:37 PM

I found a total of 3 pictures of the car in question:




If I remember correctly this car was for sale and advertised on this very web site. So someone here owns, or did own, this beauty. I think there was a YouTube video too.

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSbB1K0x5CA

I think the theory of a rear fog light switch sounds promising. I'm very curious about this knob.

Posted by: markb Mar 15 2011, 06:58 PM

I'm pretty sure the 4th knob was for the rear window defroster.

Posted by: jt914-6 Mar 15 2011, 08:11 PM

The wiper switch was on the dash from '70-71...it was mounted to the right of the cigarette lighter.....the rear defrost switch was mounted on the left side of the lighter.... --Ludwig--let's not get too technical...gold...amber....close to the same....

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 15 2011, 09:09 PM

You can see from zooming in on the picture that the 4th knob in this picture has some kind of headlight icon on it, not the coiled wires icon used to indicate the rear window defogger. Also, the rear window defogger button was usually located on the right side of the steering column, next to the cigarette lighter.

Posted by: rdauenhauer Mar 15 2011, 09:42 PM

Umm this kind of CW dialogue is out of place in the Garage
Besides that car (while it looks DAMN nice) is a bit schizophrenic
Notice the early RV Mirror, Pass. Ext. mirror, Polished Fuchs, Late lug caps ?
Im guessing the owner did a little customizing.

Posted by: Dave_Darling Mar 15 2011, 09:58 PM

True, but in http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=116683&st=0# someone posted a pic from a 71 914 with an extra switch next to the steering column. That's what sparked my question.

--DD

Posted by: SGB Mar 15 2011, 10:01 PM

note the cylinder head temp gauge in the center console

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 15 2011, 10:09 PM

Sorry guys, I've lost the thread here. My '73 had the same three center console gauges. Were they different on a '75?

I was wondering about that passenger side mirror too. Neither of the two 914s I used to own had one of those either.

I'm thinking that either that green switch is for rear fog lamps, although I'd not heard of those on a 914, or for some kind of dual bulb fog/driving lights in the front bumper.

Posted by: Tom_T Mar 16 2011, 01:35 AM

Yup, they changed to amber on the mid-73 MY - say 73.5 MY for lack of a better term, so any early 73's built in 72 had them in green, until they got the amber ones in stock at the factory. IIRC they felt the amber was easier to see when in use or to find it on the dash.

p914.com has good info on this & other MY changes on detail stuff too.

This is VIN...1102 built in late Aug 72 with green (avidfanjpl's "Orangina" on here), which I used to determine that mine had green since it had the switch & fogs removed when I bought it used in 12/75 (mine was built a week later) -



.... errr .... welcome back!

Posted by: Tom_T Mar 16 2011, 01:42 AM

The 73 & 74.5 (early 74 MY) 914 2.0's had a wide red band on the OT gauge, then late 74 - 76 MY had the thin red band - whether the solo gauge at the optional or standard center console (usually std. on 73 2Ls) or in the fuel/OT combo gauge. That's also covered on that p914 site.

I've never seen that 4th switch & icon, but it looks to me like the infamous Maxwell Smart ejection seat option from the icon!

Posted by: 70_914 Mar 16 2011, 02:04 AM

Looks like one in this ad.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1033124

And one in this article.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/porsche-914-history4.htm

Posted by: flipb Mar 16 2011, 06:56 AM

Did they ever have an option in cold-weather markets for an "open headlights" switch?

i.e. you could open the headlights without turning them on. Many/most cars with pop-up headlights had a setting to leave them open, particularly useful if icing was expected.

My guess is that - or that the blue car is customized; the owner rigged another set of driving lights (or rear fog light) and found a green light switch off an early car in order to differentiate his switches.

Posted by: carlgordon Mar 16 2011, 08:36 AM

I have just been "lurking" in this forum. Someday want to own a 914 so and reading up on these wonderful cars.

Over on the Samba website, today there is a wanted ad that they are asking for the Rear Fog Light Knob.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1109598

It looks different from the green fog light insert.

Just wanted to let you know.

Carl

Posted by: SGB Mar 16 2011, 09:59 AM

Hey carl!

Welcome to non-lurker staus.

Posted by: fastfingers Mar 16 2011, 12:16 PM

Good catch. If you zoom in on that interior shot for the blue car with white interior, I think the green knob in question resembles the one you found on Samba. Thinking back on it, the YouTube video of the car that shows while the headlights are on, and the switches all "pulled" to the active position, the rear lenses seem brighter than normal. It probably is a rear fog light switch. Learned something new today.

Posted by: anderssj Mar 16 2011, 01:57 PM

I thought THAT knob was for the seat heaters . . . .

Posted by: bandjoey Mar 16 2011, 02:44 PM

You've all missed out on the convertable top switch.
another one of the Rare 914 items.

Posted by: balljoint Mar 16 2011, 03:20 PM

And I thought it was the knob that made bacon come out of your bum.

Who knew?

Posted by: jt914-6 Mar 16 2011, 04:27 PM

That's the fart fan switch.....