Axle, 914 V8 Axle Upgrade Options

[vipergman]

I'm putting in a 327 chev into the old 914 and would like to upgrade the Axles and CV joints. I had some info on this but cannot locate it. I seem to remember using Bus axles and 930 CV joints, or was it all Buss axle/cv?
Can anybody come the the rescue? A friend with a 914 v8 went through many CV's and I want to do it right the first time.

Gary S.
72 914 w/ Chalon kit
327 chev with converted 4 speed 901 and 73 sideshift

[Terryst1]

Gary:

You got a lot of responses....is your head spinning?

I hope I can pull it all together in a clearer picture:

1) It all depends how you drive! I have a friend with a 300 HP 350 and he's pretty tough on the 901 and it has not failed nor have the CVs. His approach is to have 2 extra 901 trannies as spares: they are cheap at about $250ea.

2) torque is what breaks trannies, not HP. Since the 327 is such a revving engine, I would suggest camming to the high-end for HP rather than low-end torque. This will save the trans! If you drive like a ROAD RACER rather than a DRAG RACER, you will probably never break anything this way.

3) The 911 half-shafts ARE shorter than 914 units. As I remember it is something like .400" per side. So in using 911 half-shafts and spacer plate is required.

4) Sway-Away has a LOT of goodies for the sand-rail world and they LOVE the 930 trans. They have a number of offerings using 930 CVs and a good one is with the transporter half-shafts. I would suggest talking with them about YOUR application and see if they can make a set of the RIGHT LENGTH half-shafts & 930 CVs (avoiding the cost of spacers)

5) The problem with the 914 is that it uses a smallish CV, but to make it worse only 4 bolts with pins for the last 2 positions. The 930 CVs are a great answer, but they also
require a 6-bolt 911 flange on the swing-arms or use adapter-spacers. More parts to chase. The early 911 flanges ('69 and earlier) have the same dimensions to fit the standard 914 hub bearing and thus a conversion can be made to 911 parts.

So, WHAT TO DO? I'm thinking the cheapest way to go would be to build a hi-revving 327, drive like a PRO Road Racer with UP and DOWN-shifts (you know: heel & toe and double-clutching) and see what happens.

If that doesn't work, get out the check-book!

Best of luck,

Terry