While driving my 914 home from work yesterday, the heat index was a humid ~103. My 45 mile drive home, with miles long uphill freeways, was brutal. How brutal, you ask?

The emblem on my DINO steering wheel MELTED off and fell, sticky with old melting gooey glue, into my lap.

Even with the top down and the sun hidden with clouds and me going 70+ on the freeway, I was still covered in sweat by the time I got home.

On miserable summer days, what to other 914 owners do to stay cool and still drive their cars?

In other news, now that the emblem fell off the horn button, the last mention of "Porsche" is off my car. The VW script is still glued to the engine grill. I guess my car is now a NARVW instead of a NARP.

Zach

Its like that everyday here so I don't have my 914 here. If I bring it I will have to install a AC setup and one of those Steel 924 roofs.

I have seen a 914 with Dealer installed ac from the 70's. Personally I am throwing in a subaru motor on my Rig so that theres extra power to get sucked up by an ac pump.
I would say grab a Dealer installed package and update it to use the newer coolant standard if it's possible. Or make some bastardized setup using more modern parts and the aforementioned ac compresser mount from one of the original dealer kits.

Ha!
I actually removed the dealer installed AC from my car.

Zach

and these days you are kicking yourself!

Psssh....the heat index in Houston is 100+ for months on end!

Which is why I park my 914 and don't touch it for a couple months. Thankfully when I put my 911 engine in, I have a plan for the A/C that doesn't involve cutting up the front trunk.

You guys should try Phoenix Az during the monsoons today its going up to 110 or so with the humidity around 60%. It hot and sticky we don't do heat indexes we all know to stay in the an A/C environment. Isn't summer just great. I want the winter again to drive the teener. OK everyone feel sorry for the people living in Phoenix, Az.

Sorta, but not really.

I still feel that it has no place in this kind of car in my usual climate. My climate is *supposed* to be temperate. This year with its ultracold 60+inches of snow and superheated June and July has been very abnormal.

Zach

yeah, that is Suriname year around, weather report says its 88F but feels like 97F and damn its actually cooler out right now. Rather, it FEELS cooler...

Al Gore is smiling down on you...

Haha, there is a bidding war on now for some of those Credits since Suriname is still 97% covered in virgin amazon rainforest. I hear companies are lining up to buy the credits and the government is picking who to sell to.

It makes you want to be nomadic with a 45 ft DP....

Top on and windows down for my ride in to work. then, when the sun is gone... top off and windows down.

If it gets a little chilly in the valleys, top off, passenger window all the way up, and drivers side down 2 inches


I got it all figured out.


p.s. I drive a lot faster than 70+

SoCal is hardly having a summer. We have had 2 weeks of warm weather. That's it, anywhere near the beach.

I am not bitching, nor am I superstitious, so we will have what we have.

At night, it has been cooling off so fast, I have not gone for a drive with the roof off all year.

I did take it for a drive on one of the hottest days, and now I have a noise that a mechanic will have to identify that sounds flappy/valvy. Only when the engine is warm.

So, I was damned if I did, and damned if I didn't.

New engine for 2011? Maybe............

J

It's too hot
I hate adjusting carbs
I've got hornets in my truck



Next time it hits 105 go in your garage, close the doors, turn on a very small fan and put it at the opposite end of the garage from you, then open a box of talcum powder and throw the contents in the air right in front of your soaking wet ( from sweat ) body, and stay that way for about 10 hours. Welcome to my world pussy. Then the next day when it hits 105, put on a pair of jeans and a welding jacket, lay upside down under your car, cut out a bunch of rusty ass metal, and weld in a new piece. Welcome to my world pussy

"On miserable summer days, what to other 914 owners do to stay cool and still drive their cars?"

.... Umm I lean over and turn on my original dealer installed DPD A/C under dash unit and keep my cool.

Clay converted the system over a long time ago and put a small rotary compressor on instead of the big honkin' original one. It works pretty good for the Texas heat... which right now is 103 with a heat index of 107.

I will admit to turning the A/C on while I'm waiting to run at an autocross. I do turn it off while I'm actually on course though.

No thanks. I choose a mostly white collar job as a career for a good reason: 5 months of 95+ degrees and high humidity.

Think we only had 1 day over a 100 here this summer. Its 77 here right now. Over 90 I just don't drive the 914. I have all year to enjoy it

Y'all westerners don't know about humidity!

Got heat indices around 104 and we routinely get humidity in the 90% range.
In summer, Georgia gets daily thunderstorms. The water steams off of everything and your in a pressure cooker.

and to top it all off, I've been working the crematory for the past couple of days!

But I just get in the 914 with the top off, and deal with the sun. The wind is nice.
I'm getting a tan!

I've been to Mexico, and some s-hole place called Cleveland. Humidity in summer, no thanks. I'll take the winter type. BTW, if any of you come out during winter, and think you don't need a jacket cause it's a warm 40 degrees here, think again.

Well Zach, I was originally going to say "that my friend is the downside to a vintage non-AC sportscar!" - but now you admit to removing the one dealer option which actually made good sense for our 914s in hot climates or hot months!!!!

You did it to yourself Pal!

Hey seriously - if you're stuck on a "no A/C 914," then do as others suggest & keep your top on in daytime - including overcast days due to infrared & UV still getting through, off in the early am & nights, windows down with the footwell & windshield settings getting fresh air fan at full blast, roll your pant legs up & suck on a bottle of ice water, cold soda or something! I worked for me - sorta!

Otherwise, do what Betty says Clay did, & reinstall your A/C with updated compressor & R134 freon, then chill out with everything closed up!

IMHO it's possible to keep the vintage look of the condenser shroud in the front trunk (DPD or VPC per what was on your 914 from the dealer), & the original under dash vents & controls per original set-up, but with the newer R134 guts such as sold by AA.

Unfortunately, my 73 2L didn't come so equipped from the dealer, so I won't add A/C after-the-fact to mine, but would do the update like Betty's if it had! I spent too many hot SoCal days sweltering in my 914 when it was my DD & only car, on the way to/from meetings with the coat & tie on the pass. seat, pant legs rolled up, running the "Sears 2/75 A/C", sucking on a cold soda, back soaking wet & wishing I had friggin' A/C!!!!

... & we didn't have the PA summer humidity either!

Jeeesh! .... removes the A/C then whines about too hot, I mean really! REALLY! ... mutter, mutter, mutter, grumble, harumph! .......

Temps here have been in the 90+ range for weeks. Humidity 90+ range too. I can deal with that. The mosquitos are an entirely different story. Them suckers are thick this year. I actually breathed in a couple today. Dont even think about walking in the shade or going out at dusk. Had about 10,00 of them chase me out from under a willow tree. Willow trees = mosquito headquarters.

What I do is close the garage door sit inside and pretend my jack stranded 914 is on the road.

60%? Please, that aint shit. You can swim through the air here in Pensacola lately. Heat index of 115. Humidity in the 90%'s.