I'm a noobie to the 914 but not to working on Air Cooled vehicles. Are replacement springs the only way to fix the sagging rear problem?

The car already rides kind of rough but I'd like a better height in the rear and a lower agressive stance in the front, while making it a smoother ride without the roll when cornering.

Any suggestions?

First, make sure your suspension ears aren't cracked.

New stock(ish) springs are readily available, but they don't adjust. You can get threaded perches which allow you to run aftermarket springs and give you plenty of adjustability.

I got mine from Tarret Engineering and they work very nicely, also works with all types of shocks too, my springs are 150 pounds, other rates are available. Cheers

I am riding a stock set up 74 2.0 with bilstien all around and 100lb. springs in the rear, it is a nice ride.. i even tried 140 lb. but forget that unless your autoxing.. anyways adjustment in front is controlled by the nuts on your torsion bars.. new billstiens are nice there too.. very smooth and stock ride.. but what i really want to tell you for the rear is if you get bilstiend (affordable) thet have adjustable perches for your stock springs, 2md fromn the bottom sets you in at perfect height.. see links for billstien rears (yellow) whihc are sold by member hwgunner on this site, he sells alot of porsche parts and you would have a tough time getting a lower price.. also is a link for front but hunt around for the best price.. Joe

rears from gunner..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-914...sQ5fAccessories
fronts for idea of stock insert replacement ect..

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearc...r=N-0110213-OEM

Didn't know that about the Bilsteins. The price is good but I like the fact that Tarret's kit works with any insert. Very Nice. 300.00 for the kit and its adjustable. Very nice.

I'm steering towards 100lbs springs but if I get Tarret I can keep what I have until I save some.

I'll have to check the Front ride height this weekend But I'm afraid the manual will suggest a very high setting.

Thanks

If you are not racing...and really need to corner balance your car, the bilstiens are simpler and a good way to lower the rear.
Threaded perches may look pretty, but once you setup your car...and you are not racing...you will never adjust them again...


For the front, you can not go so low that the a-arm ends up with the ball joint higher than the inner hinge point of the a-arm.
That is really low...something like 3 inchs from the ground...
If you go that low and hit a bump, the a-arm will hit the bottom of the frame of the car up front....and it will fold over the lower weld flange.

both mine are folded over...so I know the limit of how low you can go.
It rides and handles better about 1 inch higher than that point...and it looks sharp.

Rich

Hmmm, Yeah, I'm not looking for low low. I just want the Wheel wells at the top of the tire. Right now my rear is lower than that. The front is about an inch above the top of the tires. I'd rather have it just a little lower than the top of the tire. I have stock size tires right now but I want to look at wider replacements without going low profile.

Just want the aggressive leaning forward stance without the offsetting the front and rear rims.

this is just the start. I can see it now, this car is going to occupy a great deal of my weekends from now on.

its an 11mm wrench and a tape measure.
I measure from the front bottom of the rocker cover to the ground.
Reach underneath and loosen the adjuster bolt and the car will lower down...no jacks needed...you need the car resting on the ground.

You can change your ride height in a short amount of time.
once it looks like you want, you need to get a new aligmnment done.

Rich

you can also get a bump steer kit for a few bucks that will raise your steering rack. then its just adjusting the torsion bar adjustment bolt at the back of the a arms. how is the ride BTW? my car looks that way as well, the rear is mushy and the front bounces all over the place. i will be fixing all of it pretty quick and posting before and after pics.
oh and feel free to pm me if you need any help neighbor Dave

Just from experience, when I first went to replace rebuild restore my suspension I had my 914 approx. one year. All 4 shocks (factory boge) were collapseable by hand, the ride I thought was stock was really just springs, torsion bars and bushings.. all has since been replaced (except the torsion bars) just be advised that what you think may not be what it seems.. Good to start a project there for sure.. I guess what I am saying is don't over improve what you have until your really know what your riding on..

Here are some helpfull links for what you may get into, differnet approaches but simular results...

Linky#1

http://raystrax.com/ha/914/Align914_LevelAndRake.html

Linky#2

http://books.google.com/books?id=yMJFvrORt...ght&f=false

Here is what I am trying to inform you, not low low but stock/lower than what you have now; I had what you have and just paying it foward...

This is bilstien allaround, 2nd from bottom rung on the rear and 1/2"-3/4" lower than the rear in the front... 4 wheel professional laser allighnment (a couple times now..ouch!)- I say ouch so that maybe you do all of your suspension at once and then get a pro allighnment once and save some $$$ If I remember correctly I am approx 5 3/4" off the ground from the rockers.... no bump steer and I can go into driveways and dips without issues or concern realy.. oh the tires are 205/60 not 195/65 so there is thatto consider in the picture, but the wheel wells are definately filled in nicely even with the lower profile tire, if you go /50's than there goes that..

Click to view attachment

The best 4 wheel allighnment in So. Cal.; if you have an afternoon to hang out a bit and wait for it this is the place to go... hergeshiemer

linky...
http://www.hergesheimer.com/porsche_wheel_alignment.html

Nice, Same color as my car.

Yeah, it is the factory 'marathon blue', I bought it silver but had it painted back to its factory color.. looks awesome in the sun or in the summer, silver looks better at night and in the winter.. chicks dig the 'marathon blue', i got compliments from mostly 'dudes' when it was silver.. i like chicks,.. just screwing around..

the marathon blue changes shades and depth, very light dependent.. 96m color code.. 74 2.0

[quote name='detoxcowboy' date='Jan 8 2011, 08:08 AM' post='1415213']
[quote name='falconfp2001' post='1415074' date='Jan 7 2011, 09:33 PM']
Didn't know that about the Bilsteins. The price is good but I like the fact that Tarret's kit works with any insert. Very Nice. 300.00 for the kit and its adjustable. Very nice.

I'm steering towards 100lbs springs but if I get Tarret I can keep what I have until I save


Just from experience, when I first went to replace rebuild restore my suspension I had my 914 approx. one year. All 4 shocks (factory boge) were collapseable by hand, the ride I thought was stock was really just springs, torsion bars and bushings.. all has since been replaced (except the torsion bars) just be advised that what you think may not be what it seems.. Good to start a project there for sure.. I guess what I am saying is don't over improve what you have until your really know what your riding on..
[/quote]

I had the exact same issue. My car was mushy and waged in the rear. My Boge shocks were blown (probably installed by the factory!). I added 100lb springs and Bilsteins and was shocked at how awesome it was. The car came alive! I'm a little higher than the pics here, but the are adjustable and I may drop it another inch.

Took the car out today to get parts as I'm replacing the turn signal lever this weekend. Taking apart the dash was better than in a 74 Mazda Rx4 (first car). The only down side was the tight fit for the wires in the steering column.

It really rides nice as far as any car I've ever driven.A little bumpy but like a gocart the suspension is so tight but it's the profile that I don't like. It should sit more rakish than level. Level gives a more squat look in the rear. I want my car to look like it's ready to take off. Kinda like the Cuda looked. or the current Mustang stance. A persistent leaning forward look that all the big muscle cars had back in the day.

Thanks for all the advice. It really helps. All suggestions are good and the Tarret seems to be the best suggestions for racing but it's also just as economical as all the other options out there, surprisingly. It also helps that they are close.

if anyone lives close and can lend a hand with some work, I'd appreciate it. I can see this is going to add to my already obsession with air cooled vehicles.

My other car is a 74 Super Beetle. I love driving it. Almost the same ride as the 914 but I have always wanted a 914 and now I've got a big project.

"if anyone lives close and can lend a hand with some work, I'd appreciate it. I can see this is going to add to my already obsession with air cooled vehicles."

when do you plan on tearing into it?

Let me tell you what I have gotten myself into.

1971 1.7L FI, completely stock.
Idles not so good.
Definitely needs a valve adjustment (witch I would need help with) I would love to do this myself.
Also, has the low idle speed problem I've been reading about.
Is completely stock, from the bumper to the exhaust.
I want to eventually convert to dual webers but will have to wait for the summer.
I also have a Side Shifter pending coming next month with the complete linkage. Right now I have a Tail Shifter that is functional but needs replacing. Installing that will be no problem but it sucks by myself.

I want to do the Valve adjustment with the car on stands as it is described on Pelican Parts. Should be easy but I've never done it on a 914 and that has me worried. I also have no tools for this project except a craftsman mm socket set.

If anyone can help with that that would be awesome. I got the beer and the pool. I want to install new valve covers at the same time and torque the heads to within specifications.

What I have noticed since driving.

Oil leak from the guide tubes. Should be able to correct by replacing gaskets or by torqueing the heads down. Seems to have an exhaust leak but I'm not worried about that as I can replace the gaskets and later purchase a SS setup.

I wish I could tune the FI better but it's at the point where it will be cheaper to get carbs. I like carbs., Easier to work with and not so many control points versus EFI. Sorry you originality buffs.

So, if anyone can lend a hand with my new project and if you like the feeling of working on a vehicle instead of always relying on the dealer then let me know.
Frank

Frank, Your alright,

Where do I start? ... Your in a good spot, alot if not all of us have been there, It is just the beginging. Don't concern yourself with getting alot of nice tools right now, bettter to use what you have and occasonally buy a tool when you discover you need it, all the cheaper tools I used to get my car to where it is at today are gone (givin away or thrown away) and were used sufficiently; after having gone through everything to the best of my ability and skill, most of which were picked up as I continued projects, then and only then did I aquire a small set of necessary sweeter "lifetime" tools that knew exactly what I needed tham for and where and how to use them.. I started/ended up using 2 buckets of tools overtime, now I have one not overcrowded tool box that allows me to work on/repair just about everything, and I get to keep it in the car without taking up alot of space, I also have a few minor/ easy replaceable parts in there as well for the more common but potentially stupid failure easy fix on long 1,00 mile road trip break downs.. Your going to get there.. But until then if your road tripping get Auto Club, A couple fo test drives I was glad I had them and the tows I had left over I used to take either to the mechanic or paint shop .

#1 the valve adjustment is easier than the long drawn out pelican parts procedure makles it.. "good to read what to do but how you go about doing it is up to you', I just use a single jack in the morning cold, not the stands and wait over night and whatever else crazyness he is doing.
#2 the fi is easy to learn, and cheaper than buying carbs, at least try to learn it and dial it in before you toss it.. The FI desighn is not the problem, there really is only a couple adjustment to be made on it, the issue then is failing or faulting components.
#3 the exhaust leak, the guide tube oil leak, the torqueing the heads? would be best done all together, definately replace the guide tube seals and the exhaust to cylinder heads gaskets at same time before just torqueing the head down, which when you end up realizing it did not work, you are going to have to loosen them up to get to the guide tube seals.. and to back the cylinder head off your going to want to dismantle the exhaust system a bit, do it all at once, one time.. It is a bit laborious at first but cheap on the wallet..
#4 I do not understand the "low idle" problem you have been reading about but that is part of learning the fi..
#5 If your really getting a side shift soon, save that project till you get get it, as replacing bushings are different for each...

that is enough on this thread, there are a ton of more experienced 914 members on here than I so tackle on project at a time, posting for help. Don't do like me I did not post for over a year until I got stuck on more serious issues.

Google is the best tool you have, read read read read... Then do not trust everything read. There is this site and a whole lotta of else out there...Check the source. When I go on 914 club before comming here I thought everyone was a 914 god, they are not, I am not. You will learn the ones that are professionals, and you can trust as you would a paid mechanic. Everyone is on here to either help or learn or score parts or sell parts. Even bad info is good info, read other people problems that do not concern you yet ect.. Learning from other mistakes saves time and $$$ 914 World member "The Cap'N" has saved me unwittingly from going off on any non-factory improvement tangents, thus saving me headaches, wasted money and time. Alot of things sound great but if your unsure or un-informed, one non-factory improvement may sound like a great idea, even seem logical but can lead to having to re-desighn other components to deal that improvement and soon enough your re-engineering the car above and beyond your skill level or need for...

Drop your front end a bit (2x11mm bolts) and forget about the suspension for now.

First and foremost make sure you can stop your car, how is the brakes? you do not need to restore them right away just make sure they are working properly..

Then I would start with getting it running properly, to the best you can get out of it at this point with what you have..

Then address the leaks unless they are hugely serious now,ect..

Anyways that is my 2 cents, 1 issue at time, post here or pm me anytime. Currently I am busy looking for work, so I can't really come over, but maybe on a weekend , I have a job in Hawaii that will not start for months but when it does I am gone..

Good luck.. it can become an obession so enjoy the learning curve as you go..

Final thought is what I did when I got my car, I took it to a skilled 914/Porsche mechanic for a super go through tune up. At that point this old gray hair Porsche mechanic set me srtaight as to what I had and where I needed attention.. Worth the $$$ for a clean starting point.. Plus being he worked on 914's since they came out, he was able to spot right away what was wrongly being used that should not belong in my 914 for the engine it is.. Things like that can get you off to a good start and base for understanding, I may have not noticed the previous owners erroneous fixes for some time and and never understood what was not right.
and after couple Porsche shop invoices you will realize a new found motivation, I used the money I saved from hours of learning and doing it myself to put back into the car, plus there is alot of satisfaction and confidence when your the master of your 914.