Power and Reliability, Why dont they go hand in hand????? Options

[ne14914]

As usual, when I have a question, I come to the experts.

My birthday is June 5th and I should have about 3500.00 saved, and I am ready to start my project of building a strong, reliable, fast 2 litre. In the past I asked questions about adding turbo, building a BIG motor and what I came away with was - anything over 2.2 would not be a reliable car, and adding a turbo definitely would not be reliable.

Well I met two guys this morning, both have 914's, one with a turbo charger, and the other with a 2.5 with 48 webers (talk about a kick _ss ride) and both "claim" they use their cars as daily drivers and have about the same problems anyone else has with stock cars. The guy with 2.5 told me the only problem he has is he needs to adjust the valves on his car more than normal and that he had to add a really big oil cooler. The guy with the turbo to me he has to maintain the pressure of the turbo (forgive me - i dont know the exact terms he was using) but it was no big deal.

While I was not thinking of building anything as big as a 2.5 or adding a turbo, after riding in their cars - what a RUSH! I got back in my little 1.7, and felt like I was in a snail mobile.

So I am seeking the counsel of my friends here at the forum: First off - has anyone had a turbo, and what problems did you have if any? While I appreciate EVERYONES FEEDBACK, I am really looking for someone who has experienced the pro's and cons of owning a turbo powered 914, not just here say. Also, for those that have those really BIG motors out there - what problems do you have - other than you can get 100,000 miles off the motor? And I guess my bigger question is - why cant you get 100,000 miles out of a bigger motor if it was put together properly?

Thank guys - I appreciate the feedback.

[anthony]

The only problem with a Jake Raby engine that I can see is that it costs about $6-7K. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I think Raby even claims 100K miles longevity for most of his engines, even the more mild 2270s. I think he achieves that by very precise work and by balancing everything.

A 2056 with good head work should be able to be built for under the budget here and it should last. Raby recommends that one procures 1.8L or 2L cylinders and have them bored to 96mm and trued up for a precise fit.