Well.. I noticed that one side of my trunk was somewhat sprung recently. I took a quick look and even had some folks at the RRC look and thought the welds were good.

Well, since it is 9-14 today, I decided to pay some attention to the car. After doing a headstand on the battery while moving the trunk, I can see that the pivot was moving forward and backward... i.e. IT BE BROKE.

Since I don't own a welder, or know how to weld, looks like I may opt for the JWEST hinge kit. May as well go with the shocks while I'm at it instead of that creaky old torsion bar.

Question.. do I really have to notch my trunk firewall to get the shock kits to fit? I'd prefer not to

IMHO - if it were my 914, then I'd get a new/repro set of OE hinges welded in & keep it stock. Not having/being a welder isn't a reason to go with something else in most cases, & IIRC the Jwest kit also needs the studs or something welded in anyway (others can correct if I'm wrong on that). Most body shops can take care of it for you at a modest cost.

Only go with the Jwest & shocks if that's what you wanted & don't care if your 914 maintains its authenticity & originality, and recognize that it may make your 914 less desirable to some prospective buyers should you want to sell it in the future.

Thant's my 2 cents!

http://www.jwesteng.com/porsche/914/pivot.htm

I have the JWest replacements - they work great. Highly recommended. Kept the tension bars. They work just fine.

Tom, I agree on a nice original car. Mine has backdated exhaust, bumpers, etc. I'm not opposed to going with stock, just thought I'd get some opinions.

I've seen a couple of cars with shocks, and they seem to work nicely, hence the thought.

Anyone have experience with the shocks? I know CAMP914 has some, any others?

Jason, I have the trunk shocks. You do not have to notch the trunk.

The directions said to but I couldn't get comfortable with that idea. Mine works perfectly with no cuts. I'll take a few pics and get them to you.

If you are losing that weld point, you may not be doing yourself a favor by ignoring it if rust is involved...

That said, I'm a firm advocate of doing whatever YOU want with YOUR car...

Is there anybody in No. Cal qualified, and or has done, this install?

Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated.

Tom

I've done it! I wish I could've practiced on yors though . It ain't purtty, but it's holding.

I like the design of the jwest pivot. Looks good and has to be smoother than the original. I bet you find that the creak was in the hinge not the torsion bar. That pivot is supposed to be lubed regularly but gets missed.

I have the shocks.They work great nice and smooth, took about 2hours to install. I had to slightly knoch the hinge area.
Camp 914 did a nice job with the kit.