My First Build, DIY Help |
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My First Build, DIY Help |
CaptainAmerica89197 |
Oct 4 2019, 10:42 AM
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#1
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 4-October 19 From: Kalamazoo Mi Member No.: 23,526 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
Hello All,
So I just bought a 1974 as a project car for my daughter and I to restore. I’ve never built a car before, although I have some experience wrenching on my 944. My goal is to drop the motor and tranny and maybe replace it with a 987 swap. It needs new everything and I want to keep the Porsche tradition to it, as well as keep some retro roots to it. The body is straight and solid, with minor rust around the headlight buckets(which I’d like to eliminate and replace the fogs as my lights) and minor in the hellhole area. I’d also like to add a wide body kit to it... I know these are some lofty goals haha. I’m also trying to keep my cost reasonable and want to get my hands dirty, so I’m not afraid of the work... I just don’t know how to start or where to begin, so any help is appreciated. I’d like to learn how to weld, but idk what to believe on welders or other various tools for the job that won’t break the bank, but accomplish the same thing. My goal is to find a wrecked out 987 with the motor and trans intact to cut down on my costs. So fire away with any help, I’m a sponge haha. Thanks for the help. Scott |
mepstein |
Oct 4 2019, 11:32 AM
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#2
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914-6 GT in waiting Group: Members Posts: 19,273 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Landenberg, PA/Wilmington, DE Member No.: 10,825 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
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I would either get your engine running or buy a running 1.7. Then get the car running. Then make mods, upgrades, rust repair, etc. good luck and have fun. |
CaptainAmerica89197 |
Oct 4 2019, 11:36 AM
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#3
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 4-October 19 From: Kalamazoo Mi Member No.: 23,526 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) I would either get your engine running or buy a running 1.7. Then get the car running. Then make mods, upgrades, rust repair, etc. good luck and have fun. Thank you and yeah that was the original hope when I got it, but the guy tinkered with it to a point I don’t know how much time and money into it knowing I’m going to replace it. And oh I will, it’ll be fun for sure. |
Superhawk996 |
Oct 4 2019, 11:37 AM
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#4
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 5,827 Joined: 25-August 18 From: Woods of N. Idaho Member No.: 22,428 Region Association: Galt's Gulch |
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) I would either get your engine running or buy a running 1.7. Then get the car running. Then make mods, upgrades, rust repair, etc. good luck and have fun. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Those are very ambitious goals. They can be accomplished but start slow, build skills and confidence, and accumulate the right tools as you go. Don’t try to eat the Elephant in a single sitting! |
Cairo94507 |
Oct 4 2019, 11:46 AM
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#5
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Michael Group: Members Posts: 9,763 Joined: 1-November 08 From: Auburn, CA Member No.: 9,712 Region Association: Northern California |
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Mark (Mepstein) is right on the money. I would read, read and read some more here. Come up with a whole car plan- break it into the various components: body, suspension, brakes, wheels, electrical, engine/transaxle, exhaust, interior, etc.
Personally, I would shoot for a 911 6 motor, 3.0 or 3.2 if it is more power and reliability you seek. Been done a ton and it's an easy swap with minimum fabrication required and is a desirable upgrade. But it is hard to beat solid 2.0 with factory fuel injection when it is all done correctly. Also, look at a lot of the build threads and do your research as it relates to body changes and kits. Though you want to build a car with your daughter, awesome BTW, at some point you may want or need to sell the 914 and it would be nice to have one that is desirable and easy to sell and one where you can recover some of the investment you put into the car. Have fun along the way. Cheers, Michael |
CaptainAmerica89197 |
Oct 4 2019, 11:51 AM
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#6
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 4-October 19 From: Kalamazoo Mi Member No.: 23,526 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Mark (Mepstein) is right on the money. I would read, read and read some more here. Come up with a whole car plan- break it into the various components: body, suspension, brakes, wheels, electrical, engine/transaxle, exhaust, interior, etc. Personally, I would shoot for a 911 6 motor, 3.0 or 3.2 if it is more power and reliability you seek. Been done a ton and it's an easy swap with minimum fabrication required and is a desirable upgrade. But it is hard to beat solid 2.0 with factory fuel injection when it is all done correctly. Also, look at a lot of the build threads and do your research as it relates to body changes and kits. Though you want to build a car with your daughter, awesome BTW, at some point you may want or need to sell the 914 and it would be nice to have one that is desirable and easy to sell and one where you can recover some of the investment you put into the car. Have fun along the way. Cheers, Michael Awesome and that makes sense on the 911 swap. I’ve started with the list for sure, so at least I know I’m not crazy over planning haha. Yeah I promised her she would get the 44 when I’m long in the tooth, so the 14 would be my toy and yes, I’d part with it if I had to choose between the two. Thanks for the info for sure. |
bbrock |
Oct 4 2019, 11:52 AM
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#7
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 5,269 Joined: 17-February 17 From: Montana Member No.: 20,845 Region Association: Rocky Mountains |
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Big project. I know people have done it, but I wouldn't feel safe driving a 914 with headlights in the bumpers. US DOT minimum headlight height requirement is 22 inches, which is why Porsche opted for pop-ups. These cars are so low and hard to see among all the giant pickups and SUVs anyway... I don't know much about welders and you will get better advice from others, but I have an ancient 110 volt Hobart Handler MIG welder that has been able to tackle all of the extensive rust repair tasks on my car. I know that the cheapest MIG welders can run flux core only. Stay away from those. You need shielding gas. |
CaptainAmerica89197 |
Oct 4 2019, 11:58 AM
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#8
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 4-October 19 From: Kalamazoo Mi Member No.: 23,526 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Big project. I know people have done it, but I wouldn't feel safe driving a 914 with headlights in the bumpers. US DOT minimum headlight height requirement is 22 inches, which is why Porsche opted for pop-ups. These cars are so low and hard to see among all the giant pickups and SUVs anyway... I don't know much about welders and you will get better advice from others, but I have an ancient 110 volt Hobart Handler MIG welder that has been able to tackle all of the extensive rust repair tasks on my car. I know that the cheapest MIG welders can run flux core only. Stay away from those. You need shielding gas. Good to know about the welders for sure and yeah the lights are ideas that I’m tossing around for sure. Thanks for the info. |
FL000 |
Oct 4 2019, 01:43 PM
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#9
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Member Group: Members Posts: 394 Joined: 31-January 12 From: Lancaster, CA Member No.: 14,076 Region Association: Southern California |
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My 2 cents is to be realistic with the time and money you will need to invest to accomplish your goals. I recently finished (well they are never really finished) my 914 project and it took 7 years, which was about 5 years longer than I planned when I started. It is hard to stay motivated that long when you just want to drive it! May want to get it running first on the cheap and then do upgrades as others have suggested. |
burton73 |
Oct 4 2019, 01:59 PM
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#10
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burton73 Group: Members Posts: 3,525 Joined: 2-January 07 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 7,414 Region Association: Southern California |
Welcome to the world. Great people and great cars and some very talented people.
I agree with what the guys are saying Mepstein has a couple different engines for sale and I would go with the 3.2 he has. Price is very good and Mark is honest as the day is long. Ad is In the parts section Bob B (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) |
Chris914n6 |
Oct 4 2019, 02:17 PM
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#11
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Jackstands are my life. Group: Members Posts: 3,320 Joined: 14-March 03 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 431 Region Association: Southwest Region |
My goal is to drop the motor and tranny and maybe replace it with a 987 swap. Motor won't fit between the susp ears. I'd start with the stock motor if it's not too involved to fix. Then when the chassis is ready, go for a 911 -6 if you have a bunch of money left over, or a Subaru 6 & trans swap if you are a more practical person (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) It needs new everything and I want to keep the Porsche tradition to it, as well as keep some retro roots to it. The body is straight and solid, with minor rust around the headlight buckets(which I’d like to eliminate and replace the fogs as my lights) and minor in the hellhole area. Headlights that low won't work so well. I've got HID retrofit H4 headlights and even then I can out drive them. Rust free buckets are a dime a dozen and not so hard to replace relatively speaking. I’d also like to add a wide body kit to it. 225s will fit with a little fender rolling in the rear and with summer tires is incredible grip on a 2000lb car. Steel GT flares are the way to go, but it's still only 245 or so. I’d like to learn how to weld, but idk what to believe on welders or other various tools for the job that won’t break the bank, but accomplish the same thing. A 110v will work fine on sheet metal and you will want gas shielding. TIG is easier but MIG is more common. My local Community College has a trades program. $200 got me trained and certified as a MIG welder. Another $200 got me paint and body experience and discounts at the sponsoring paint supplier. |
mepstein |
Oct 4 2019, 06:28 PM
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#12
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914-6 GT in waiting Group: Members Posts: 19,273 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Landenberg, PA/Wilmington, DE Member No.: 10,825 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
Welcome to the world. Great people and great cars and some very talented people. I agree with what the guys are saying Mepstein has a couple different engines for sale and I would go with the 3.2 he has. Price is very good and Mark is honest as the day is long. Ad is In the parts section Bob B (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) The nice thing about a Porsche 6 is the car was designed for the engine and with the addition of a bulkhead mount (also a Porsche type piece) they literally bolt into the car and trans. They do take specific conversion parts, time and money but it’s all been done by hundreds of 914 owners, many times in their home garage. I’m still a believer in getting the stock car running and fixing and modifying as you go. I’m doing it the “all at one time” way and it results in a non running car for a long period of time. You will also learn a lot about the cars and how and what you may want to change might be influenced once you drive the stock car. And yes, I have 2 nice engines for sale if you want that special sound of an air cooled six. |
mb911 |
Oct 4 2019, 08:00 PM
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#13
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914 Guru Group: Members Posts: 6,854 Joined: 2-January 09 From: Burlington wi Member No.: 9,892 Region Association: Upper MidWest |
My goal is to drop the motor and tranny and maybe replace it with a 987 swap. Motor won't fit between the susp ears. I'd start with the stock motor if it's not too involved to fix. Then when the chassis is ready, go for a 911 -6 if you have a bunch of money left over, or a Subaru 6 & trans swap if you are a more practical person (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) It needs new everything and I want to keep the Porsche tradition to it, as well as keep some retro roots to it. The body is straight and solid, with minor rust around the headlight buckets(which I’d like to eliminate and replace the fogs as my lights) and minor in the hellhole area. Headlights that low won't work so well. I've got HID retrofit H4 headlights and even then I can out drive them. Rust free buckets are a dime a dozen and not so hard to replace relatively speaking. I’d also like to add a wide body kit to it. 225s will fit with a little fender rolling in the rear and with summer tires is incredible grip on a 2000lb car. Steel GT flares are the way to go, but it's still only 245 or so. I’d like to learn how to weld, but idk what to believe on welders or other various tools for the job that won’t break the bank, but accomplish the same thing. A 110v will work fine on sheet metal and you will want gas shielding. TIG is easier but MIG is more common. My local Community College has a trades program. $200 got me trained and certified as a MIG welder. Another $200 got me paint and body experience and discounts at the sponsoring paint supplier. A little sideways on the topic but please do tell what certs you got for 200? I am one of 3 nation wide master trainers for welding instructor certifications.. Would love to hear what cert you got To OP ..I would suggest a nice 2056 to start with.. |
Mikey914 |
Oct 5 2019, 12:09 AM
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#14
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The rubber man Group: Members Posts: 12,669 Joined: 27-December 04 From: Hillsboro, OR Member No.: 3,348 Region Association: None |
My .02
Keep it simple. Fix the rust pull the motor evaluate if you want to rebuild the motor or find a running motor. Post up in classofieds. Stick to a 4 for now. You can go up later. Both of my boys wrecked thier stock vehicles Is part of learning, hopefully you will be luckier, both of my boys werent doung anything really stupid. But were caught by surprise and rearended another vehicle. So first make the car stop before you make it go. Especially if you go big on the motor. You are in the right place welcome (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) |
Garland |
Oct 5 2019, 07:59 AM
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#15
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Restoration Fanatic Group: Members Posts: 1,329 Joined: 8-January 04 From: ......Michigan...... Member No.: 1,535 Region Association: Upper MidWest |
It needs new everything and I want to keep the Porsche tradition to it, as well as keep some retro roots to it. The body is straight and solid, with minor rust around the headlight buckets(which I’d like to eliminate and replace the fogs as my lights) and minor in the hellhole area. Headlights that low won't work so well. I've got HID retrofit H4 headlights and even then I can out drive them. Rust free buckets are a dime a dozen and not so hard to replace relatively speaking. Replace the H4’s with LED’s I did, world of difference, also have the 22” covered. The upper lamps are not xenon but could be they are available from Bosch. Now with the LED’s bulbs installed, no need to go xenon on top. (The housings are custom, the lamps in the housing are Bosch units) Lower LED’s installed (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Welcome, good to see more Michigan 914 projects. My project car 2016 Michigan Build |
76-914 |
Oct 5 2019, 08:28 AM
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#16
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Repeat Offender & Resident Subaru Antagonist Group: Members Posts: 13,502 Joined: 23-January 09 From: Temecula, CA Member No.: 9,964 Region Association: Southern California |
#1-As far as welders go; don't cheap out. Think of it as a lifetime investment. Not a "once and done" tool. That being said I'm a big Miller fan. Look thru ads on Craigslist, Evil Bay Facebook Marketplace, etc for a nice used one. 120v is fine up to 1/4". I purchased my 2nd Miller, which is 120-240v, new for $900 during a Miller special. Miller also sells a nice auto Darkening welding mask for around $100 which will accept magnifiers if you wear glasses.
#2-I'd look to @McMark for a 2056 with his distributor delete feature for reliability. #3-For safety I'd add a 3rd brake light in the Targe bar and I'd install the later doors if your car doesn't already have them. Remember your daughter will be in this car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) |
bdstone914 |
Oct 5 2019, 08:35 AM
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#17
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bdstone914 Group: Members Posts: 4,522 Joined: 8-November 03 From: Riverside CA Member No.: 1,319 |
@captaimamerica87197
Scott, Welcome. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) A good place to start is how soon would your daughter like to have a car and how much time and money do you want to spend doing the work? You could easily spend anywhere from $10 to $50K with all the mods you describe. Set realistic attainable goals. I agree with the others and get it running and on the road. If the 4 banger needs a rebuild you are looking at $2 to $5K to rebuild it. Go to an aircooled six ( good choice) figure $10 to $20 k. 987 engine will not fit. Many owners get overly ambitious plans that never play out. Years later they sell the project at a loss. Mark DeBernardi @mcmark of Original Customs is in Grand Rapids and is an expert on these cars. He also is one of the few places that have the fixtures to check and straighten the body. These cars tend to sag. Make sure you have a really good body before dumping a lot of time and money into it. You will probably end up with a car that will not sell for as much as you put in it. But if it is what you want go for it. Bruce |
Bill Shaw |
Oct 6 2019, 09:37 PM
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#18
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Member Group: Members Posts: 74 Joined: 11-August 03 From: Kalamazoo, MI Member No.: 1,013 |
Glad to see there’s another masochist, er, 914 restorer in Kzoo.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Bill PM sent |
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