new to 14's, v8 swap Options

[vw505]

i am new to 914's but not air cooled . i have a 74 914 with a bus motor .the car is disasembled and i am going with a chevy v8 swap, 300hp is good . how is the shifter run? i am going to need some help with the rest of the car it has sat for 10yrs and not much works .

[Gint]

Hi

Not sure exactly what you're after. This should get you started.

[Gint]

Forgot the stinkin pic. In fact, it may be too large. We'll see...

[vw505]

i am just looking for some info . does the v8 swap use the stock shift stuff ,the motor is not in the way?

[Gint]

Never done one myself. Stay tuned... I'm sure some answers will be forthcoming. You might also want to check out the yahoogroups porschev list.

[Zeke]

It's not nice to rain on anyone's parade. But I just sold a 2.7 six to a gentleman (and I mean that literally) who is taking out the V8 that HE put in. He says because it's a pig in corners. Maybe he will catch this thread and elaborate. Myself, I would drive one before undertaking the task. Of course, maybe you have and that is why you are going to do this.

[vw505]

i know a guy in jax ,fl that has one and loves it . but he does have all the goodies on it

[SirAndy]

we have a bunch up here. i drove em. i worked on them.
didn't like any so far. driving feels kind of, hum, unstable ?

they pull very nice on a straight, but i had problems going fast through corners. felt like the car was all over the place and not sticking at all ...

just my 2 cents,
Andy

P.S. on second thought, i would take Richard Hatfield's 750 RW HP V8. She's a beauty (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

[Zeke]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool_shades.gif) For the real thrill of the hunt, I guess the sound of a six with MFI or Webers singing right behind your ears is THE most awsome thing. I know I'd most likeky wet my pants and fall in love with the sound to the extent that I'd probably forget I was on the track and just drive off into Heaven. I used to drive my 911 in tunnels just to hear the thing resonate. I'll just stick with the 4 and stay on the ground. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

[Sammy]

I had one, cornered great after I learned to steer with my right foot. Straight line was cool too. Would I build another? nope.
Somehow the car lost it's soul with the V8. Just didn't sound the same, feel the same. iffn I was 18 I would have loved it. in conclusion, I'm too old for a V8 914.
I'll never get too old for the sound of a flat 6.

[Gint]

Hey Sammy,

What about the linkage with the V8?

i am just looking for some info . does the v8 swap use the stock shift stuff ,the motor is not in the way?

[Mueller]

Most kits have the transmission moved back one inch or so.....so, the linkage must be lengthened accordingly.

[vw505]

i was thinking it may hit the oil pan , do you use a stock oil pan? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif) i could make it work with his help (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[Sammy]

I used the stock side shifter linkage/parts.
I had to lengthen the rod which was easy:
the shift rod is basically a custom bent tube with a solid steel rod stuck in both ends and tack welded. All I did was grind off the tack weld and pull the rod out a little trying to retain the same orientation. then I welded it back together. If you needed more length you could do the same trick to both ends.

Oh, I also had to bend mine to clear the headers, but that is something that differs from car to car.
My stock oil pan was nowhere near the shift linkage.

[need4speed]

Exactly WHAT 8-cylinder engine are you guys putting into a 914 anyway?

I thought that one of the great things about the Porsche design philosophy was the flat-4 and flat-6 engines, being so low, kept the polar-moment of inertia low, and closer to between the wheels, making the care more agile. So the idea of putting an 8-cylinder engine into a Porsche would be okay in one sense, in a mid-engine car like a 904 or 914, because the weight distribution is still nice, but since the V-block engines have a higher center of gravity, the polar-moment of inertia is also high, and would make the car unruly in turns. Worse still, if you were nuts enough to do this to a rear-engine car like a 911, you'd end up with a metric buttload of oversteer as well.

Now, I understand that Porsche actually did build a flat-8 that was installed in a very few 904 cars, and less than a dozen 914 cars as well. So are you talking about some variation of the flat-8? Or are you people putting Chevy V-8 engines into your 914's?

[airsix]

I thought that one of the great things about the Porsche design philosophy was the flat-4 and flat-6 engines, being so low, kept the polar-moment of inertia low, (...snip)

I think you are confusing polar-moment with center-of-gravity, but you've got the right idea.

Now, I understand that Porsche actually did build a flat-8 that was installed in a very few 904 cars, and less than a dozen 914 cars as well.(...snip)

Two (2) 914's to be exact. (One of which also had a 2.0 turbo flat six in it for a while - the first street-registered turbo Porsche if anyone cares)

Or are you people putting Chevy V-8 engines into your 914's?

Yes, this is what they are doing. Iron-block, pushrod 'Chebys'.

-Ben M.

[need4speed]

Yes, this is what they are doing. Iron-block, pushrod 'Chebys'.

*shudder*

And they wonder why it's a pig in the turns?
Oh well. Maybe it can pop a wheelie while drag racing. . . (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I'd just get a mustang tho.

[Sammy]

Typical response from someone who hasn't driven one.

Yes, the center of gravity is moved up with a chebby, but most drivers would not be able to tell the difference. Maybe Michael Schumacher could. Any chebby conversion should be accompanied by 200# springs in the rear at a minimum. That helps to hide the fact that there's a little more weight back there.
The fact that the conversion adds about 200 lbs. makes way more difference than the fact that the center of gravity is 1" higher.

If the V8 car is set up right it will absolutely smoke a 4 cylinder engined car on the street or track. I know, I've done it.
There's a local hot shot who drives a highly modified 914/4. This guy's been to every driving school you can name and is almost always in the top 10 TTOD, usually in the top 5.
I chased him down over and over again in my V8 car even though my suspension sucked. I had a stock front sway bar and stiffer rear springs. Other than that it was all stock 30 year old stuff and I even had rock hard tires in front, victoracers in back compared to his hoosiers.
I'd back off and give him a lead, then chase him down again. After a while he started making mistakes and eventually pulled off the track in frustration. This was on a tight track where Hp sdidn't make as much difference as it would on a larger track.
I finished 7th TTOD out of 60 cars and 12 instructors, and I don't know how to drive.

Soooooo, a V8 car will handle and is fast in more than a straight line.
A equivalent 914 with a flat six with the same hp and torque will be a little faster but also cost twice as much.

I enjoyed my chebby powered car but will not build another.
sometimes slower is funner.

[vw505]

ok my car will see about 0 track time o.k. maybe some drag time other than that it will all be on the street so 150m.p.h. is good for me and porsche 911 brakes will be in the mix (IMG:style_emoticons/default/MDB2.gif)

[Sammy]

Even if it never sees the track it will still be a blast gonig through the canyons.
A V8 914 will still outhandle 99% of anything on the road.