New 914 Owner, some photos and questions Options

[Cairo94507]

Nice car and welcome to the World. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[914-300Hemi]

Nice looking car
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[Ansbacher]

When I first got my 914 I had the same problem of getting the trunk to close properly with the targa in it. I finally realized that my latch cups had been installed upside down. Makes a big difference in how deep and forward the roof sits in the trunk and thereby provides the clearance needed to close the lid. Check your cups!

Ansbacher

[scottthephotog]

the windshield top seal is an easy replacement, and someone has fitted a new dash from the later production as the grain is not the same as the original, but this car is so nice that it deserves careful attention, looking at the car I would believe the miles as well

Previous owner said a new upper dash was installed.

Which shade of yellow is that? Looks great. Would love to see those pics re-posted at a better sizing.

Not sure about the exact shade. I know there are paint codes. On my 944 it's on the tag in the hatch. Are the 914 color codes located on the driver's side door vin area?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

The thermostat installs on the side of the engine, near the bottom left. If you click on the link in my signature, you'll find a video of the thermostat in action.

Enjoy the car! And now would be a great time to get new targa seals from 914 rubber. Their black friday sale is always amazing.

Awesome video, and thanks for letting me know where the thermostat is supposed to be. Got under the car, and turns out there is one already there and hooked up. Perhaps the previous owner bought the wrong part (thermostat instead of cold start valve?)

I'll definitely look into that. I know there are some heater hoses that I need to buy. I saw Auto Atlanta was having a sale as well.

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I am in Hurst if you want some help/advise on the car. I have been around these cars for 33 years now.


We have a lot of 914 owners in the area too.

Awesome! I'm in the mid-cities area as well!


Fixed the front lenses. Thanks to the many people who pointed out they were upside down.

I haven't decided yet about the carpet. I'm leaning towards installing the new carpet because I've already got it. I'll probably then keep the original stored nicely that if someone ever decides to install the original carpet back into the car, that can be done.

My wife pointed out to me today that the windows aren't quite sealing properly with the targa top. There's a slight gap. The top is locked in place and seems to be right. I'll have to figure out what's going on with that.

Second issue I noticed. Front and rear indicator lights work fine when the headlights are off (although the rear lights are quite dim - already cleaned the lenses and reflectors). When the headlights are turned on, all of the rear lights blink at the same time (on both sides) when you turn on the indicator in either direction. Front lights work as they should. Thoughts? I know the previous owner installed a new headlight switch. Maybe the wires aren't connected back as they should be?

[Dave_Darling]

The 914 has a riveted-on plate on the front of the driver's door jamb that is often called the "Karmann plate". There's a spot for the paint code on that, it will usually be something like "L 56 M".

Here is one example, courtesy of Jeff Bowlsby's amazing "Classic" resource page.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/bowlsby.net-121-1542917839.1.jpg)

You can Google the paint code or ask here to find out the name of the original color.


The door windows can be adjusted. There are a couple of screws or bolts that can be used to change how the window lift sits in the door shell. It is also possible that the roof seals are the wrong version. There were two versions, one for the "early" windows (70-72) and one for the "late" windows (73+). Using the wrong one for your windows can cause sealing problems.

--DD

[scottthephotog]

Thanks for the info. I know exactly what plate you are talking about. Color code is L13K, Sunflower Yellow.

I'll look into the window adjustments. It looks like the windows are raising all the way, but the roof sits just slightly too high. Is there a way to tell between the early and late window seals, and a way to adjust the latches on the roof?

[bbrock]

Awesome video, and thanks for letting me know where the thermostat is supposed to be. Got under the car, and turns out there is one already there and hooked up. Perhaps the previous owner bought the wrong part (thermostat instead of cold start valve?)

First, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) and nice car!

When you were looking at the thermostat that is already on the car, did you notice if it was pulled in tight like the new one you have? It should be shrunken down tight when cold and then expands when it gets warm to open the cooling flaps. When they fail, they don't contract when cold anymore. Just wondering if the one on the car failed and the PO didn't get around to swapping it out. Either way, hang on to that NOS thermostat, they are expensive.

[Shadowfax]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

[scottthephotog]

First, (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) and nice car!

When you were looking at the thermostat that is already on the car, did you notice if it was pulled in tight like the new one you have? It should be shrunken down tight when cold and then expands when it gets warm to open the cooling flaps. When they fail, they don't contract when cold anymore. Just wondering if the one on the car failed and the PO didn't get around to swapping it out. Either way, hang on to that NOS thermostat, they are expensive.

Thanks! Great question. I think it looked contracted. Easy enough to double check. Thanks for the heads up of how to spot a failed one.