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

[Ninja]

Nice looking car!
Welcome to the menagerie!

I've got a silver 75 myself.

The rear springs are terrible about sagging. They were SOFT from the factory and prone to sagging early.

They are easy to change. Normal upgrade 100lb springs are what you want.

The front torsion bars don't sag nearly as much and are easily adjustable.

Only problem is they need to be visually inspected for surface damage.

You get to take those puppies out.

Aged front bushings can allow the torsion bars to contact metal, create stress risers in the OD of the bar, and in a worst-case scenario the bar can snap.
If it does this when stopped -no big deal.
If it does this at 80mph- BIG DEAL.

So, as long as you have good mounting points (rust is the enemy) I'd buy new rear springs and new front control arm bushings.
If the torsion bars have wear on the OD replace them as well.

If the partial restoration did not include suspension and brake work you have more "restoration" type work left to do.