I've only posted a handful of times since I bought my 914 so I'm still fairly new on this board, but I'd like to share what I'm planning for the car as I appreciate the collective wisdom and advise from a board based forum of passionate owners.

Last month I reported how great my car performed for over 1200 miles on the Targa California. The seats were my only complaint and while I still haven't changed them, I am at least closing in on some ideas.

I've also been to a few autocross events in the last month and have used my 1997 993 as my track car. It's a fun car, but as you all know, a well set up 914 is a great choice for AX. I bought the 914 intent on using it along with my 19 year old son primarily for the track but also set up to be comforable and useable on the street, so nothing too crazy. Right now its a bone stock 73 2.0 liter car w/ FI.

In some respects I wish I had purchased a car that has already been modified as I appreciate that complete and original (except for a repaint) cars are becoming hard to find, especially the desireable 73 2.0's, but its about my enjoyment of the car and doing this with my son that's most important to me.

I dont want to change the original character of the car and the way it handles too much so I am sticking with a 4 cylinder motor. First up will be a 5 lug conversion probably using 911 struts and hubs and leaving the 914 A arms and T bars. I have an 18mm sway I already swapped in which seems to be a good choice for now. I'd like better brakes, but since I wont be increasing the power by too much I'm sure that early 911 brakes will be fine.

I will get advise from my mechanic on how to convert the rear axel/hubs as I'd like to keep an e-brake so I think it depends on if he thinks the 914 rear axels are OK. the PO installed new Bilsteins all around and the rear springs are 140lbs w/ no r sway bars.

For the motor, I think I will take out my motor, stick it on the shelf and have my shop build a reliable 4 cylinder unit, probably with carbs. My mechanic is very experienced at building race engines for 914's, and he says its easy enough to build a 140-150 HP motor that's reliable and in his opinion, well suited for my objectives. This won't cost crazy money either, and I can always swap my original motor in if needed.

I'm not sure if I'll need to strengthen the chassis or not, but I'm hoping that I don't given the seemingly modest suspension and HP gains I'm shooting for.

I want to crate a very simple, clean interior. GTS seats, no backpad; I'll replace the bp with carpet, RS style door panels, remove the center console (probably), 350mm vintage steering wheel (I actually have a collection of over 30 wheels, so I'm good there!!), and new carpets, and I might use a dynamat equivalent in the right places. Either take the radio out all together or put someting in that's decent, if possible (remember, I'm doing this with a 19 year old).

My paint is pretty good, I had the hood repainted to remove a deep etch mark and the non-original emblem, but everything is OK. There's no rust to deal with so I don't need any paint, unless we remove the sail trim and vinyl and repaint that section. Need new fog or driving lights as my glass is dull and maybe an upgrade the headlight to HID's so I can see at night.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought I'd lay it out there and hope to show our progress as summer starts and he's home from school and we can go at this together. If anybody has any suggestions, I'm all ears. I've been messing with old 911's for a long time but the teener stuff is new to me.

Thanks,

Nick

You have a beautiful and desirable year car. Your list of objectives is a very slippery slope to a completely different but fun kind of car. Alot of what you listed is bolt on/off so the car "could" go back to stock. Look real hard at the class rules that you intend to run in to make sure you don't outclass your car and fun unintentionally.

You will find that the motorsport activity can be tough on the paint (and yours is black). Are you going to be ok with that?

I'm thinking you may come out ahead ( good luck explaining it to your wife) in buying a car that is already setup in this direction since it can be a buyers market, and retaining the pristine nature of your present car will have it's reward down the road....

I've auto-xed many cars over the years and the 914 is without a doubt alot of fun.
Less unsprung weight is better for brakes, so I'd make sure the stock components are at their peak performance before ditching them. With the power and speed your talking in auto-x, good rebuilt stock units can get the job done.

Good luck...

You gain almost nothing with the planned 5 lug conversion. In fact, I'm not even sure you CAN mate the 911 strut to the 914 A-arm. If you replaced the entire front suspension with an '80s Carrera front suspension you get a little beefier torsion bar and bigger brakes. Neither is necessary in your case, in my opinion. I think of the 5 lug conversion on a mostly aesthetic scale. (unless you have a high HP motor)
In my opinion, the best money for autocrossing a 914 is spent making the suspension responsive. Elephant Bushings or Original Customs Roller Bushings will make the suspension dance over anything the road has to offer. I like the stock 4 cylinder torsion bars but go big with the Tarrett swaybar. I found the Turbo Tie rods to be a noticeable and beneficial modification. Your 140# springs will work with your stock motor.
Stock brakes in good mechanical condition with good pads are very - very adequate. Talk with Eric Shea of PMB Performance about having a rebuild loaded with R4S pads.
If you're going to build a motor and you want to stay stockish, build a 2056 with the proper cam. 130 - 140 HP has been had at the flywheel and you will notice this in the butt dyno. Original Customs in Sonoma (McMark on this board) builds a mean 2056...
GET GOOD TIRES! Single biggest gain when autocrossing.

I love racing my 914 here in SD....and I just happen to be the Chief Driving Instructor (1 of 3) for PCASDR. I would consider where you want to be in terms of car classification for teh venue in which you run.
stop by the shop some time and we can discuss possible direction for you. I have a PCA rule book handy.
Rob and Kevin are spot-on with their comments.

biggest advantage to 5-lug I beleive to be greater wheel selection. we were getting ready to do the 10jreen when we found a set of 4 lug 15 x 8s in my back yard

If you auto cross with the stock seats, many people remove the bottom cushion. You sit lower and it puts the bolsters higher on your hip and the seat grips you better. Unless your like me and don't really drive fast enough for it to matter. To make the stock seats more comfortable mine are tilted all the way back. Slide the seat forward, tilt it all the way back, then slide the seat back where you want it. I find it more comfy that way and so does my 65 year old ass.

I would caution you to anyone who says they can build a reliable t4 that makes 150 hp for cheap that will tolerate high performance driving. You will be better served by building nice 2056 and keeping FI. Always better to build more mild motor and focus on keeping it cool with top notch oiling and cooling system, upgraded heads etc.

I'd also focus on chassis far more than engine. Upgraded bushings, top notch dampers, mono ball strut and shock tops. Wells planned chassis bracing and stiffening. Focus on weight reduction too.

Then put lots of money into custom made lightweight wheels and and Hoosier a6 tires.

I also agree if you are just doing ax stick with lighter 4 lug setup.

Further motor considerations: A typeIV even newly built might have a hard time surviving chasing 911's around at a track event. Especially when you attach a 19 year old to it. The HP curve will probably tip over between 6K and 7K and testosterone doesn't ease off until just about 9K. BOOM!!! Get an MSD6AL and rev limit at 7K.

This advice is awesome, just what I was hoping for...a big thanks to all. It sounds like it's best to start with tuning, tweaking and making sure my original suspension and brakes are in tip top shape and responsive as possible. I'll admit, the motivation for the 5 lug conversion is mostly (like 90%) aesthetic. It sounds like the heavier unsprung weight will work against me, and if I rebuild the brakes I should be fine. Maybe some Minilites will do the trick to satifiy my aesthetic urge for something different.

Getting better tires is also a must. I currently have Michelin A/S Exalto's 195/65's which look OK, but I KNOW there are much better choices.

Sounding like I should do one thing at a time, starting with suspension then worry about engine upgrades. After all, my son and I have lots to learn. I also think it's hard to assimilate a bunch of changes at once, incremental changes are easier to both absorb and understand that several changes that may not be harmonious right out of the box.

I still hate the seats though....

Nick

Koenig (often misspelled as Konig) makes a racing seat that slides right into our stock seat rails. I have a pair. The PO put one in the driver seat and won his autocross league with my car 3 years in a row. I found the other on ebay -- got it through AA.

Not sure what color your interior is, but they come up on ebay with decent frequency in black. I have 2 brown ones for my stock brown interior and the only way they'll leave me is if someone steals them.

also keep in mind you better have a 34" or less waist for just about any racing seat that will fit with the stock backpad.

Good luck, sounds like you're in for some fun!

I have superlite wheels. They aren't what I'd call super light, but they look like mini it's and are wider than stock. I hope they will hold me over with the suby swap until I get he flares welded on. I think hint has a thread on them.

Good luck!