If you could plan and build a Streetable 914, aka what options go into the ideal build Options

[Jay Wellwood]

Lurker, enthusiast, avid planner looking for what you would (or did) opt for if you had, say, 3 years to plan ahead and build a 914...

• Big 2.2l Raby Style or 6?
• Fuel Injection with optimized tune (MS, VEMS, ?)
• Conversion to 5 lug with later style 4 pot calipers
• Steel flares ('nuff said)
• Transmission - 901 vs 915?
• Factory A/C?

What are the features/performance you would (or did you) opt for?


Pic for Attention-

[Jay Wellwood]

I was asking the same questions three years back. IMHO:

Go with the six - I found that the price difference between a Raby engine and a properly retooled six is minimal. The extra cost comes with the oil tanks and plumbing to cool a six, not needed for the smaller 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4. I know of a 3.2 owner who is using a rear electric fan cooled setup, and it works great in SoCal. I went with front oil coolers for my 2.7 6, just because. The 3.2 already had a front cooler and it rarely gets over 200 degrees - even in Palm Desert in the summer it was maybe 210 degrees. An 18qt tank is probably why.

You can always do flares later, but there is something about a properly set up narrow bodied street sleeper that I find cool. To the uninitiated, it looks docile and stealth. That s the direction I went with my 2.7 twin plug. Not until you are hard on throttle does the sound give it away.

Spend the money on the 5 lug conversion - opens up lots of suspension choices, lots of wheel choices, and better tire options.

901 side shift is fine but do the Tangerine Racing rear shift Rod kit and the bearing. More precise. A 915 isn’t needed until you are into a 3.6, and it adds extra cost.

That said, if I were going to do a /4, I’d save myself the hassle and buy the PMB car. Instant fun and power and you know it’s done right, plus you won’t be upside down like me with both of my six conversions. If you are headed down a build path, take your budget and add 50% off the top, and you can see it’s nearly always cheaper to buy vs build.

Thanks - staying with a 901 will save me headache and $$$$.