1975 Laguna Blue - 1.8, Working on my new project Options

[TRP]

Hello 914 World!

I just picked up my first 914 on Friday, August 8th, 2025. I have wanted a 914 for many years, came close to buying some needy projects in the past, but always seemed to pass for one reason or another. After a ton of looking around I finally found a good candidate for my next project.






The car was being auctioned off on Bring A Trailer but it did not meet reserve. The car was located about 45 minutes from my house so I ended up working out a deal a few days after the auction expired.

Here is how the car looked back in 2019 when it first sold on BAT:


Kind of interesting to see how it changed over the years.

Thanks for tuning in,
Ted

[TRP]

Yesterday I decided to address the spongy brake pedal. Ever since the first drive I felt the brakes were spongy and lacked the ability to properly slow the car, I've had aircooled bugs on drum brakes which inspired more confidence.

I jacked the rear of the car up and let it sit for a bit while I cleaned and prepared the Motiv setup. First caliper (passenger rear) had a few air bubbles. The rest of the car was pretty clean and bubble free. I tried the pedal again and it felt better. If I held the pedal, I noticed that it would slowly sink / lose pressure. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

The car appears to be in great shape mechanically. The suspension looks relatively new, calipers all look fresh/new. I'm sort of surprised the MC needs replacement. The previous two owners didn't log many miles, in 2019 the car had 80,200-ish miles. When I bought it in August of 2025 the car had 81,400-ish miles. Could that lack of use cause the MC seals to fail? Im not finding any leaks anywhere.

I ordered a new one from one of the suppliers. I was really confused by the wild differences in price. ($85.00 - $375.00 ?). I did see a few for close to 800.00 and assumed those were for the PCA restoration crowd?

Is there anything else to be aware of when it comes to 914 brakes?

Thanks!
Ted

[914rrr]

Yesterday I decided to address the spongy brake pedal. Ever since the first drive I felt the brakes were spongy and lacked the ability to properly slow the car, I've had aircooled bugs on drum brakes which inspired more confidence.

I jacked the rear of the car up and let it sit for a bit while I cleaned and prepared the Motiv setup. First caliper (passenger rear) had a few air bubbles. The rest of the car was pretty clean and bubble free. I tried the pedal again and it felt better. If I held the pedal, I noticed that it would slowly sink / lose pressure. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

The car appears to be in great shape mechanically. The suspension looks relatively new, calipers all look fresh/new. I'm sort of surprised the MC needs replacement. The previous two owners didn't log many miles, in 2019 the car had 80,200-ish miles. When I bought it in August of 2025 the car had 81,400-ish miles. Could that lack of use cause the MC seals to fail? Im not finding any leaks anywhere.

I ordered a new one from one of the suppliers. I was really confused by the wild differences in price. ($85.00 - $375.00 ?). I did see a few for close to 800.00 and assumed those were for the PCA restoration crowd?

Is there anything else to be aware of when it comes to 914 brakes?

Thanks!
Ted

Check the MC size vendors are offering for 914's. 17 mm is stock but NLA or extremely hard to find and $$$. 19 mm will work but requires greater pedal effort. Although many vendors offer 23 mm MC's they really aren't a good choice as it requires way too much pedal effort.