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Posted by: Downerman Oct 20 2014, 05:08 PM

After 6 months I have finally got my 73, mostly stock looking 914 Renegade through many hurdles with highs and lows for sure. The car is back in the body shop to fix a couple of blemishes from the work done months ago. Nice that a guy stands behind his work.

So, now that I have done this SBC conversion I need to tell you all that without the help of Scott at Renegade, well things would have been very difficult. I ordered a fair amount of stuff from them but he went above and beyond with questions I had about the conversion. To that end, I asked him why there is no forum or users group where guys could ask questions and hopefully find answers. I guess early on they had something or maybe I thought he said that I can't remember. This forum I see has many questions about sub's and SBC. I don't know if a separate forum would yield much but I thought I would ask and see. What do you guys think? Regardless, if anyone has any questions about my experience, please do not hesitate to message me.

Never liked personal plates but I thought this would poke a little fun: "purrest". Once the car is back next week I will post pics. Silver metallic with 7" Fuchs all the way around with stock fenders. A true wolf in sheeps clothing and it drives very well. First impressions is I can't fling the car into corners like I used to with my other 3 914's over the years but then again maybe a rear sway bar would help. Coming out of corners is another thing and I am slowly working my way into that because with that much torque/power your right foot needs to manage things. You get stupid and you will pay dearly. and finding that right combo is something I will learn with time.

Little more info: I purchased this car from a gentlemen near Sacramento who bought this ZZR crate motor for this car brand new. The radiator and pretty much everything about it (Renegade wise) was old and not well done (installed). Most was pulled and replaced with new stuff from Steve. Now just the opposite of that was he spent a bundle with Renegade, years ago to have the transaxle completely rebuilt (Reverse gears, Quafe' limited slip and 930 axles). I'm really not sure what else they did but the bill was in the thousands. It certainly has not shown any signs of stress or malfunction but then again I don't do burn outs either. He drove it a few times and I guess he just parked it for several years until he decided to sell it.

Anyway, PIcs to come next week.

Dave

Posted by: GeorgeRud Oct 20 2014, 05:27 PM

Looking forward to see the pics! There is a conversion group on the Pelican Parts site, but quite a few conversion aficianados are amongst the members here as well, so just about any question can be (or has been) answered by the membership. Sometimes the information is even correct!

Scott at Renegade is always willing to help, and if you're ever in Las Vegas, give a call and see what's in the shop. They're not far off the strip, so an easy cab ride if you're in town.

Posted by: worn Oct 20 2014, 05:36 PM

I am guessing that even after your conversion a heck of a lot of your car has the same parts as my 914-4 or my six conversion to be, so if you can ignore original FI posts, you should be comfortable here. Most of the time it is swapping ideas and I have a dodge truck that has a sbc Chevy added to it, so it isn't as though you speak with a foreign tongue here. Haven't come across too many purists here, but some of us own bone stock survivors to drool over. As Joe Walsh put it: Welcome to the club.

Posted by: Bruce Hinds Oct 20 2014, 07:20 PM

There are lots of SBC and LS Teener guys here so you'll find a great home. Most issues are all about the same.

You should still be able to toss it around, yes sway bars really help and learning to manage the power takes a bit of play. Just be smooooth and don't stomp on it. Once you sort out the suspension you'll find driving it on mountain roads a true joy. Steering with throttle is about as much fun as you can have and this does it well.

Posted by: pdlightning Oct 20 2014, 07:52 PM

I am one of those LS conversion fans and have learned very much from this forum. I am very appreciative of the "experts" on this site that share their experience so I don't have to reinvent the wheel.

I like have a common area where we discuss all aspects of these wonderful vehicles, not just the conversion aspects.

Thanks to all who help all of us enjoy our vehicles in our own way! That is what this hobby is all about!

Posted by: JRust Oct 20 2014, 08:24 PM

Yeah just post a thread here in the garage. Tons of conversion guys here who will pipe in

Posted by: computers4kids Oct 20 2014, 09:01 PM

No better substitute for horsepower in a well setup 914. I will be looking forward to seeing some pics!
Mark

Posted by: mgp4591 Oct 22 2014, 09:59 AM

SOT, but has anyone out there with a conversion seen an engine cradle built with rectangular tubing instead of the usual round stock? Seems I saw a pic awhile back but I'm not sure of the application...

Posted by: Downerman Oct 22 2014, 10:04 AM

Mines rectangular.

Dave

Posted by: SLITS Oct 22 2014, 11:05 AM

http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/forums/aircraft-design-aerodynamics-new-technology/3372-round-vs-square-tube-strength.html

Posted by: mgp4591 Oct 22 2014, 12:36 PM

Thanks for the link Ron... interesting discussion. We're not building free-standing airframes so alot of the rules change when you bolt the cradle up to a well engineered stamped steel structure like our tubs, but it sounds like the square (or rectangular in my case) would be the way to go as an additional stressed frame member. I know alot of work went into Ians' cradles and he knows what he's doing- I'm just making a semi-educated guess on my assembly! Thanks for the imput.

Posted by: mgp4591 Oct 22 2014, 01:19 PM

Dave, would you happen to know the dimesions of your tubing for your cradle? Thanks!

Posted by: Downerman Oct 22 2014, 01:25 PM

The car is back in the paint shop for the week but my cradle was made by Renegade. If I had to guess I would say it's 1" square.

Dave