Hi all:

i have been lurking on tbis website for about a week.....man you guys have a lot of knowledge about the 914!....how did you learn all this stuff?

Anyway, to my point.....Im probably not doing going about his right....so ill introduce myself:

Tim Martin
Thousand Oaks, ca.

I dont own a 914 but I have always loved them! mid engine, light....look like a lot of fun..my wife hates the way they look but I have always thought they were oool...I currentl have a 2005 997 with bilsteins, wevo motor mounts, 19' carrera classics that I really like but I am itching to get into something different. i think ill keep the carrera but im interested in how you guys (and gals) picked your first 914? what yr. is best? since I have admired them for so long but I have never driven one! had a 2000 boxster s once and really liked it......any info. would be great or if anyone is around the t.o. area and would give me a ride that would be cool! I see im ranting a bit.....must be the eggnog!

MERRY XMAS!

Tim

Just keep checking in on the site some one will chime in.

welcome aboard!!!
I think the best teener to buy would be an orig six, specially if you have smog considerations, a 3.0 block looks the same as a 2.0 with carbs
but sixes are a bit spendy, if there are no worries about meeting visuals then a six clone...but there are all sorts of conversions out there..eights, subies, rovers,
the four can be made to have a heck of a lotta snot too..

The cream of the crop would be a real six but they're rare. Next best (stock) is a '73 or '74 2.0, they have the good shifter, a good motor, and early metal bumpers.
Some people like the big rubber bumpers on a '75 & 76 but not most people.
Any early car converted to a sideshifter will shift better than a tailshifter. Most 6 conversions will be very nice cars but not as valuable as a real 6.
I am not fond of V-8 conversions or Subaru conversions or electric, buick, steam, or nuclear conversions. Or 4 cyl Ford conversions.
My first 914 was (is) a hammered racecar but I also have a rough but economical daily driver and a 6 racecar project.

IMHO a 914 is a more interactive experience than a 997, especially at lower street speeds. If money is no object, you'll always get more from technology, but for '70s look, feel, and fun a 914 is a good choice.

You want to learn more? Hang out here and ask questions. Ask dumb questions. They will all be answered (some more kindly than others).

My first question to this group was about three years ago when I got my first 914. I had heard a loud clunking sound on the left side of the engine and asked if my chain tightener might be faulty in my 2.0 L engine. I got a very nicely, even gracious answer that my 2.0 L engine doesn't have a chain, nor a chain tightener, so that probably wasn't it ( ).

Ok, I was pretty green back then, but the folks on this site have helped me immensely. They have helped me rebuild my front and rear suspension, make my car ready for use as a daily driver, and even rebuild my transmission.

Just remember, some answers will be spot-on correct. And some responses will be not that correct. A lot of the answers you get will assume worst case scenarios, so don't panic at the first response. And don’t be afraid to question what you see, even the krustiest of responders will be more than happy to provide more details.

Eric Read

99% of us were lurkers for a while, trying to determine the knowledge base and just how well we would be "assimilated".

A certain percentage of us disagree with what the other percentages do with thier 914's. And...they disagree with what we do with our 914's. Well, at least they tolerate us. And, we tolerate them.

But, to cut to the quick, there is NO better source for 914 info anywhere in the the world. All the experts are here (though some have gone to the dark side ).

We ALL welcome you to our venue. You will be treated with respect here. Ask a stupid question?(who hasn't), get so many responses that you'll probably need to dig deeper.

Seriously, this is a really fun forum. There are no better, more knowledgeable 914 people anywhere than right here.

Get one - you deserve it. And we deserve having another 914 saved.
Pat

Merry Christmas Pat!

This one is for sale. Along with a few others. Check the classified section.

I also found this place before owning a 914. I've been quietly learning tons. Armed with info found here, I purchased a great 914 a couple years ago, the second one I had ever sat in! Its been a great experience that I don't regret one bit. You can use the search function on this site for alot of answers to questions. Also check out the 914 info section. Pelican parts has a good buyers guide for a starting point. Welcome

I lurked for a year and a half after purchasing looking mostly for parts, did not go in the garage portion until I had too, did not want to get over whelmed with the multitudes of issue potentials and just did what I needed to do for mine at the time, so your 1 week is not bad. Basically I finally screwed the pouch and needed help. Basically learned on my own upside down and backwards in my old asphalt driveway, still have perma dirt back and still learning. '74 2.0 I like the tits(bumperettes),

wow....Xmas nite (at least here on the left coast) and lots of responses..it looks like the 914 crowd is very helpful! I appreciate all the responses.....I would use the car for the street although a buddy has started driving with pca/poc events and he wants ch me to join. lots to think about and learn...I have LOTS of stupid questions (i am not mechannically inclined but ill leave them for another time! thank you all for your input and i look forward to soaking in as much. info. as I can....

o.k...just 1 newbie question

why is it called a "hellhole"?

thanks again...Tim

Tim - Welcome aboard! The hell hole is an area down below the battery. Imagine what rain or carwash and battery acid might do over time? When that area corrodes it's also a key structural point and "hell" to repair.

There are some great books out there to read. I'll have to run upstairs to my library to get the name of one I'd recommend. CRS - has set in and I can't remember it!

Edit: the book is "How to Restore & Modify your 914 & 914/6", by Patrick C. Paternie. It describes the various production differences fairly well.

The big decision in 914 ownership is do you want a car you can just buy and drive
or do you want to spend a year or two restoring it first. Good drivers need to have
solid longs, hell holes, and floors. If these areas are rusted out then it will be a
long road to get it fixed. Previous owners have hidden lots of problems under
fiberglass, bondo, painted over duct tape, etc. so you need to be careful in
inspecting a prospective car. Best is to get an experienced 914 person to look
at it for you, which many people on here are willing to do.

John

Hey Tim,

Welcome to the addiction and Merry Christmas. I am nearby (Agoura Hills) and let me know if I can help in any way. It's a great time to buy or build a car right now as there are lots of interesting deals out there.

I'm planning to start back up with some POC events next year and it would be cool to have more local 914 people involved. There is a small but fanatical bunch of 914 drivers in POC, many of them in a class called CI which are essentially stock streetable 4 cylinder cars, not too expensive or complicated to get into.

If you need to go for a ride get in touch with me. I sold a '73 2.oL to a fellow in Thousand Oaks about a year ago. He also has a 993 and a Cayman. I am sure he would be glad to take you for a spin.


Donald

thanks for all the replies...

campbell jc....agoura hills...right next door!!!...wow...your car is amazing...checked out all the photos.....way cool. is there any place you guys stop and check out the cars? there used to be a gathering in woodland hills on sundays...but dont know if that is still on...maybe you know....

hot shoe 914.....that would be great if the guy in t.o. would be willing to give a ride....if you would be so kind as to possibly contact the owner that would be great!

again, thanks for all the replies....the book about the 914 sounds like a good starting read!! Tim

HELL HOLE: The area under battery that rusts out and is HELL to repair the rust in. It's a tight working area, stastically speaking, has rust in it of some sort or another, and goes deep enough to take out a jack point.

205-60's are about as wide as you can go without rolling the fenders.

225's with the fender 'baseball bat' treatment and getting just the right offset of wheel along with just the right set of spacers. (the wheel spacing differs on all of the cars, they were unique that way)

To lower the car, some of them have adjustable perch heights on the rear shocks. The fronts are a matter of a letting some pressure off of the bolt on the torsion bar.

I found my first 914 in one of my dad's buddy's backyards. We were over there doing some big block mopar adjustments of some sort or another, and I saw the car sitting there and asked "What the heck is that?"

(I'm now in my third. #2 is the parts car for my cumulonimbus project... it has the engine out of a dodge Stratus, a BIG 16G turbo, 3kGT VR-4 Injectors... so I figure it's a different type of cloud now... either cumulonimbus or cloud 9...14.)

oh, and

welcome to the clubWORLD! lots of great helpful people here. your right the "teeners" here are a fanatic bunch, and increadably knowlegeable. sometimes i've left this site with so much newly aquired details, trivia and information so spacific i'd feel my brain bleed.

my son origanally got us hooked by buying a cheap/fixer 71'. from there we parted 3 and ended up with our "keeper" 73'. it's been fun. we personally kept the new motor a type IV and love it, but in hind site i would strongly consider a conversion.

you can get a very nice driver for 7 to 10k and just enjoy. or you may want to go all out and build yourself a wild one. the coolest thing about these cars is they are relitively simple cars to ground up. it's amazing the amount of guys here that have done beautiful ground ups.

mike

p.s. my oldest son was into the honda thing... until it was stolen/stripped come down to ceres and kenny'll take you out for a ride, were still breaking in the new 2056