1971 914-4 Clearance Height?, Noticed my 914 is leaning ... should I be worried? Options

[unclemoki]

My recently "partially restored" 914-4 seems to have a noticeable lean. I checked the distance from the ground to the wheel-well all around and this is what I got:

Front Passenger/Right: 26"
Rear Passenger/Right: 23.5"

Front Driver's Side/Left: 25"
Rear Driver's Side/Left: 22.5"

I don't know what's "normal" for 914's but I'm wondering if I should be worried? I want to do more work to the car (electrical, shifting) but I feel like this needs to get sorted out first. I checked some pics from 2024 to compare and it looks like it might have been like this for a while so not sure why it seems much more noticeable now.

Any advice/thoughts/suggestions?


Quick History:
My late dad was the original owner. It was his daily driver for many years and then garaged for many years after he retired. At some point he passed it along to me. I'm not aware of any major body damage. I've heard stories of it being involved in an accident in the early 70's but I don't have any details.

I like to tinker but I'm no mechanic and I don't know much about 914's. In early 2020's I started a restoration project with a local shop - body (remove rust and dents), fresh paint, rebuilt engine, new exhaust, refresh interior ... spent more than I should have but got it looking pretty and back on the road. Brought it home summer of 2024. I've driven it maybe 100 miles in 2 years.

Aug 2026 .... sorry about the orientation



Aug 2024 ... for comparison

[bdstone914]

1 inch lean is significant. First thing i would check is if a rear suspension console is cracked or any issue with the trailing arm. May be difficult to see without a lift.
I would measure the ride height from the bottom of the rocker panels to the ground, front and rear.

Did you just notice the lean ?
What kind of rear shocks and springs? Could be a rear spring sagging. But they usually gag equally.
Maybe a local experienced member can help you check it out.

[Shivers]

I've been into old cars most of my adult life. After many years of driving, especially if it was a large person driving the car everyday, most I went to see the suspension saged on the drivers side. When you had this work done did they do any suspension work?




@unclemoki

[Front yard mechanic]

Just get a fat girlfriend

[mepstein]

Old suspension. Worn out springs, worn out bushings, worn out inserts. It’s really common on these cars. Just like replacing the soft brake lines. If you don’t know the last time it was done, it’s probably time to do it.

There’s probably a 914world member near by to you who could take a look and give you an opinion.

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[Superhawk996]

Just get a fat girlfriend

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) the easy button

The front height is easily adjustable with the torsion bar adjusters.

When you bring the driver side up or the passenger side down (or combination of both) you will simultaneously get cross car weight jacking effects that will help even things out.

Whether you can get it perfect will depend on the state of the rest of the suspension and integrity of the body as others have mentioned.

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