What upgrades/safety things does a new owner do? Options

[Super90]

HI all, when my new car gets here I want to go thru it for safety upgrades and eliminate as many roadside breakdown possibilities. It has led a sheltered life, a 2.0. 74 with a lot of great options (less a/c which is ok by me).It has not been driven a lot in the past couple of years.

I was thinking:
1. It has all the original red & green hoses in the engine compartment. Replace all that stuff?
2. Fuel lines replace with SS kit. (who sells?) at same time take out tank & clean it & get new fuel filter. Is there a recommended upgrade filter?
3. Move fuel pump to front. (Could not find a how to type article, any help appreciated) Any recommended upgrade pump?
4. Clutch cable
5. Fan belt
6. Check brake parts & replace/rebuild as necessary.

I want to keep the car pretty much stock so not looking for big brake upgrades or such. But should I use a bigger Mastery cylinder like the one on the early 911?

Any other recommendations appreciated. I've been reading up on the car via a number of threads here & thru the Haynes shop book.

Oh yeah, any other 914 guys/guru's in the Augusta,GA area or in nearby SC or other places reasonably close by? Couldnt figure how to search the memebr list by area.

Thanks,
George

[brant]

Pull the rocker covers off
clean out the mud that is packed into the jack points
this is an annual necessity
you may want to treat or address any rust that has already started in there.
(most new 1st owners find out that there is a ton of fram rust they didn't know about before they bought the car... hopefully you don't find that)

brant

[Super90]

The concensus so far is if it aint broke don't fix it?

Would most agree then:
-To nip the ends off the orig hoses and reinstall.
-Clean tank & tank filter.
-Flush brake system & consider replacing stock rubber hoses with OE if needed.
-Clutch cable & throttle cable, fan belt - all new
-Bell crank service
-Front wheel bearing service

George, I may just bring it over after some initial checks & just have you do a full service, get a few pointers & small needed parts after I spend some time getting to know it here. I want to do some beauty work like put the Fuchs back to the alu wheel colored lip as orig, a little cleaning, and maybe a set of tires.

-Dunlop195/60's should be OK on the stock Fuchs wheel?

-I run Brad Penn 20/50 and Swepco 201 in my S90's...no problems in the 914?

Thank you all very much. Any other tips---keep them coming.

Regards,
George

[Tom_T]

The concensus so far is if it aint broke don't fix it?

Would most agree then:
-To nip the ends off the orig hoses and reinstall.
-Clean tank & tank filter.
-Flush brake system & consider replacing stock rubber hoses with OE if needed.
-Clutch cable & throttle cable, fan belt - all new
-Bell crank service
-Front wheel bearing service

George, I may just bring it over after some initial checks & just have you do a full service, get a few pointers & small needed parts after I spend some time getting to know it here. I want to do some beauty work like put the Fuchs back to the alu wheel colored lip as orig, a little cleaning, and maybe a set of tires.

-Dunlop195/60's should be OK on the stock Fuchs wheel?

-I run Brad Penn 20/50 and Swepco 201 in my S90's...no problems in the 914?

Thank you all very much. Any other tips---keep them coming.

Regards,
George

George, with all of the great suggestions above - the true test of what's really needed will be a hands-on inspection & check-out by you as you go through & initially test drive the car. Also check back through the PO's service records too as a first step, so you can ascertain what was done in what timeframe, then go from there with your inspection results.

I'd check for rotted fuel lines before you fire it up first though, as they can get pretty crusty & then it's engine fire time! ... ditto for the brake lines (rubber hoses). However, even some driving in recent years may indicate that they're relatively fresh replacements & even occasional use helps keep them good a little longer.

As for tires - depending upon how original you want to be, & how much you want to thin out your wallet, but 195/60's will give you a larger speedo/odo error than others available out there, such as -

> 195/65HR15 would be the most readily available & economical "modern size" tire with the least speedo/odo error (1.6% IIRC),

> but Vredestein & a few others still sell 165(/80)HR15 - which was the original factory recco size (Zero error - Vreds are about $107 & tubeless, Michi XAS are $250+ with tubes),

> or you can really thin out the wallet with the old school/back-in-the-day Porsche high performance tire option on the 914-6 & 914/4's of Michelin XWX 185/75VR15 tubeless (0.8% error IIRC) at $400+ apiece! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

There's more good info in the Wheels & Tires nailed topic in the Originality & History forum here, & a tire error calculator in the 914 info section link at the top of the page.
Lastly - unless I missed it, nobody mentioned battery check/replacement, which should be at least a good sealed lead/acid wet cell (I've had good service out of Interstate), or the Optima gell cell, or dry cell types - whenever they need replaced.

A full battery top cover & acid absorbing pad are good ideas, as well as regular checks & immediate attention to any leaks, since acid leaks can wash over the fuel lines & cause fuel leaks onto the hot motor, which equals engine fire!

You can call PCNA's Customer Care dept. & check if there was ever the HO Recall done on your 914 & if not, then they'll do the cover & change out all engine bay fuel hoses for free as part of that recall - yes, even today (I've got my letter from PCNA to do my 73 2L when it's up & running again). Same for anyone else out there, since it applies to all years & models/engines (except conversions I would presume), so long as it wasn't done before.

Also absolutely carry an extinguisher to avoid (IMG:style_emoticons/default/yikes.gif) moments!


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

.... and BTW, it looks like somebody took a yellow spray can to the back of your new 914-2.0 buddy! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)