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

[unclemoki]

I found the invoice/receipt and right at the top it says, "Recommendations: front and rear shocks. Car sits lower on right rear and cannot be properly 100 aligned perfect. tie rods"

So yeah, I think I found my next steps. Although it notes that the right rear sits low ... which is different than what I found, unless "right" means driver's side.

Still learning about this car and reading/watching stuff online. Looks like the rear shocks are straight forward but not so sure about the front struts, based on the videos below. Also, not sure if I can/should try and get away with doing only the rear for now, driving it around, and then leaving the front for a later date.

Front Strut Replacement on a Porsche 914
Porsche 914 Steering, Front Suspension and Brakes Install [Project Bumblebee Ep. 26]
Porsche 914 Rear Shock and Coilover Install DIY ... the "coilover" idea looks pretty nifty!

[Superhawk996]

I found the invoice/receipt and right at the top it says, "Recommendations: front and rear shocks. Car sits lower on right rear and cannot be properly 100 aligned perfect. tie rods"

So yeah, I think I found my next steps.

I’ll post one more time.

Shock absorbers have nothing to do with ride height.

You will be better served to spend your time focusing on adjusting the front torsion bars and replacing the rear springs if need be.

Do the front torsion bar adjustment first - it costs you nothing but time to do it.

CV - 27 years as automotive engineer with most of that focused on chassis systems.

[930cabman]

I found the invoice/receipt and right at the top it says, "Recommendations: front and rear shocks. Car sits lower on right rear and cannot be properly 100 aligned perfect. tie rods"

So yeah, I think I found my next steps.

I’ll post one more time.

Shock absorbers have nothing to do with ride height.

You will be better served to spend your time focusing on adjusting the front torsion bars and replacing the rear springs if need be.

Do the front torsion bar adjustment first - it costs you nothing but time to do it.

CV - 27 years as automotive engineer with most of that focused on chassis systems.

Exactly, adjusting the front torsion bars is straightforward and easy. Can the bars (either one or the other) lose some of their ability to spring and return?

[Superhawk996]

. Can the bars (either one or the other) lose some of their ability to spring and return?

Yes but it’s pretty minor on torsion bars due to their size. Even if they do - you have the adjusters to compensate. @930cabman