Engine upgrade options Options

[patssle]

I might be interesting in taking out the engine of my car and swapping with something better sometime down the road in the future. Currently it's an old VW bus motor, no horsepower, some ok torque in 1st and 2nd, but nothing after that.

I did some searching, and came across a few threads - but are there any good previous threads or articles out there that touch on each engine option available to upgrade to in the 914? Cost, benefits, pros/cons, etc. I know there was a poll once asking which upgrade to do - but could not find it.

Thanks!

[Jake Raby]

First;
For budget double what you intend to spend, then add 10% and you'll have a close estimate of what it'll end up costing at the end of the day. Thats reality.

The first decision you have to make is if you are building this car for you only, or if you'll be selling it some day. If its being sold you'll have to think about what a buyer with a REAL wallet might be looking for, not just what you are looking for. This is the reason why cars can be bought for generally less money than they can be built for. People never consider next week, next year or etc.

The next decision is whether you are willing to bastardize the car at the compromise of cheaper performance. If you are willing to do that, go ahead and consider a SBC or Suby. Don't consider the TIV at all, just pull the original engine and sell it as a core for someone to transplant into a VW, as they'll appreciate what you discard and it'll be put to good use.

If you want to keep the aircooled character, something that differentiates the 914 more than any other vehicle you can be prepared to spend the required amount of money to do this correctly. Doing this will keep the car unaltered from its original state and after 20 more years the car will be a more respected offering to those who appreciate Porsches for aircooled character. As other cars are chopped up, sacrificed and bastardized the OE cars will become more of a dying breed..

I have no idea what it cost to bastardize a 914, either doing it sloppily or correctly, but I do know what it costs to add power to the original engine that doesn't compromise the car.. See below:
Basic rebuild using piece meal parts-3K

Performance engine of 120-140HP=-5-6K

Performance engine of 125HP using stock FI (based on one of my kits built by you)-
5K for the complete kit, 1500.00 in ancillaries

Performance engine of 150-165HP using carbs (based on one of my kits built by you)-
6K for the kit, 2500.00 in ancillaries

RAT Turn Key engine making 125HP using stock FI- 8-9K dyno tuned

RAT Turn Key engine making 140-185HP using carbs- 10-12K dyno tuned

RAT Turn Key 200HP+= 12-15K and beyond for exotics.

These are just some offerings and most of those that share our level of engine completion and components share the same pricing for complete engines. Other shops that focus on nothing except volume and sales will sell you a turn key engine for 1/2 the cost of the prices I posted and you will get exactly what you have paid for.

You can go most other routes for less money, but how much YOU value the car makes the biggest impact on how much you consider VALUE over the long term. Price and value are far from the same thing, most don't realize that until hindsight becomes 20/20.

When I decided that I wanted a watercooled 914, I just bought a Boxster.

This post has been edited by Jake Raby: Jul 7 2010, 09:56 AM