safty ratings on the 914?, How safe are thes cars Options

[airsix]

Remember the news article someone posted a couple of years ago of the 914 three guys running from the police jumped across an open draw-bridge - and made it across.... and then piled up at the bottom on the other side. They all walked away. On the one hand they are MORONS. On the other hand it's pretty cool. What other car following can claim a story like that and have documented proof. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

-Ben M.

[Katmanken]

All right,

You guys talked me into it.....

I'm adding a pair of long arched roll bars that run front to rear, angle up from in front of the front bumper, pass over the cab and seats, and attach to the rear bumpers. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/idea.gif)

Then I'm gonna add casters to the bottom of the bumpers about a half inch off the ground.

When the next SUV wants to play deviant driver chicken, He's gonna hit the angled bars, push the casters into contact with the road, be pused upwards toslide on the arched bars, and deflected off to the side...... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/happy11.gif)


Think I'll name it "Flipper" and to pay for it I'll market a video game where you run at SUV's and "flip" them outta the way.....

Whaddya think?


Ken

[airsix]

Here is the thread I was talking about. Someone else can link the pictures. I'm too lazy.
-Ben M.

ps - Okay, so they didn't "walk away" per say. But there were no 'serious' injuries.

[rfp]

so what is the deal with the engien fires

[ArtechnikA]

there was a factory recall (there are links to the recall bulletin here somewhere - i think on Jeff Bowlsby's site...) for the cloth-covered FI hoses and hose clamps. to this day you can call PCNA with your VIN and verify if the car was fited with new hose under the recall - but chances are excellent that all surviving 914/4's have...

the OEM hose was marginal. the replacemnt hoses are just old.

there are very few "forever" hoses. when they get old, they get brittle, and today's oxygenated gas doesn't help.

when i pulled the carbs from my 914.6 the (non-FI...) hoses literally disintegrated in my hand.

ALL FI systems operate at high pressures and it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that there are no leaks and that proper parts are used for any repairs.

it is prudent to carry a good fire extinguisher in any FI car, or any car that you'd be sad if it were consumed in a fire.

periodically check for leaks, and correct any you detect immediately. there have been WAY too many 914's burned to the ground when the owners smelled gas and were driving to a mechanic to have it fixed. bad idea. if you have a fuel leak, DO NOT drive the car until it is repaired. simple rule that you disregard at your own peril. it is not smart to drive ANY car with a known fuel leak - it's just common sense.

[joeav8tor]

install a hyper space button, just before you get hit, hit the button and you will end up some where else...mount it on the steering wheel like a Nascar kill switch. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/driving.gif)

[JeffBowlsby]

There are a bunch pf 914 Wreck photos on my webpage at:

http://members.rennlist.com/914_collectibles/

ALL 914 recall docuemnts are on the webpage too...thanks Rich!

I am a believer in the late 1973 and later door beams for street driven 914s...in part because of this wreck:

[tat2dphreak]

I so, the issue was with the cloth covered Fuel hoses? so, if we have stock plastic hoses in good shape... should they be changed... don't fix if it ain't broke? (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/confused24.gif) I thought the plastic was what got brittle and broke spontaneously...

[campbellcj]

Dunno about test/ratings, but I feel pretty safe in mine... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/dry.gif)

[ArtechnikA]

QUOTE (tat2dphreak @ Jul 1 2005, 10:41 PM)

... if we have stock plastic hoses in good shape... should they be changed... don't fix if it ain't broke? ... I thought the plastic was what got brittle and broke spontaneously...

yes, if your plastic hoses are in good shape they do not require replacement.
if your plastic hoses are not in good shape, you should consider replacement :-)

there's a few issues. 1) after "a while" - which IIRC is last production +7 years - cars don't get manufacturer/NHTSA recalls. 2) the plastic hose *in the tunnel* is almost always fine. the problem with the plastic hose is where it leaves the tunnel and is exposed to engine-room heat, and environmental UV and ozone. eventually, under those conditions, the hose gets brittle, and can break, creating a fuel leak which muct be addressed immediately. a new factor is 3) our cars don't burn gasoline any more, like they did in the 70's. 70-80% is gasoline, but the rest is "something else." i promise you the material selected for fuel lines in 1968 was not tested for resistance to some of the magick chemicals passing for gssoline these days... (914's - or any Porsche - is not unique in this regard...)

there are several appropriate alternate fuel transport methods. lots of people have removed embrittled sections of plastic line and simply used longer sections of high-pressure flexible line.

if - during a restoration or full-on paint job - the tank is out and the engine is out - you might consider replacing the lines. personally, i wouldn't use standard braided-steel sheathed hose in this application, because i personally am not convinced the neoprene is adequately resistant to the MTBE, methanol, ethanol, and other Mr Wizard chemicals a "permanent" installation requires. IMO, which you are free to disregard, the only appropriate materials available nowadays are braided-steel sheathed TEFLON liner hose - which is EXPENSIVE in AN-6 - and you don't really require the benefits the braided steel is supposed to impart in a tunnel environment -- or straight runs of stainless steel tube, which you will somehow have to attach fittings for your short runs of some appropriate flex hose.

so - to review: ANY elastomer in the engine compartment of a 30-year old car is going to have embrittlement issues. this includes wire insulation, vacuum lines, and air duct.

i think it would be great is a 914 specialist could build up a full kit of replacement stainless steel tunnel lines (appropriately sized for that V8 conversion you might do some day) along with the proper Teflon-lined braided steel flex hoses and tank connection fittings. i doubt it will ever happen, because it'd probably cost $750 to do it right and no one would buy any.

modern cars don't do this -- but the makers of modern cars are betting you won't be driving them in 40 years - just like VW/Porsche did 40 years ago...

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

http://www.icbm.org/erkson/personal/914STATS.HTM
Near the bottom are pictures of my 30-35mph head-on collision with a wall. Me and my passenger were wearing our seat belts and were COMPLETELY unharmed (just shaken, of course). Both doors opened and closed fine as all impact stayed in the nose.

I think it's funny how people think a front gas tank is more dangerous than a rear one (I get that crap from ignoramuses on my air-cooled VWs) (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wacko.gif) If one is so concerned about safety then nothing but a modern car should be what they're looking at. You get the vehicle because you want it. Shit, life is dangerous...

[tat2dphreak]

damn straight... if you want safe, buy a fuckin volvo... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wink.gif)

[thomasotten]

Is it possible to run an AC unit and have the spare tire in the trunk as well? Does it look all jacked up?

[redshift]

huh? A/C fits with a spare.


M

[rfp]

thanks for the info. My wife was asking so I thought I ask.
Better to do a little home than to send her off in a ball of flames.

So how do I go checking this crucial section and where exactly is it?

The car I' m looking at had the gas lines recently replace but I don't know if everything was replaced.

[redshift]

What year is it?

You need to start at the tank, and look at the lines. Check for any leaks, including all connections, and injectors.


M

[rfp]

I believe it is a 71 with a carb conversion.