Hey guys,

Congratulations on putting together some of the best reading on the Internet (behind www.theonion.com and www.godawfulfanfiction.com). There seems to be not only an enormous quantity of 914 knowledge and experience resident here, but a beautiful willingness to impart that information on eager new owners such as myself.

Alright, enough with the obligatory first-real-post-@sskissing...

Here's my situation:

Bought my '74 original signal orange 914 in January and had it transported up to my father-in-law's place. He used to restore cars ('64 Corvette, '50's Studebaker, '74 Avanti, Ford Model A, '37 Rolls Royce) as a hobby years ago and has *hopefully* all or at least most of the tools I'll need. The car had no engine and no transmission, but otherwise appears to be in pretty good shape (less than half the car has rusted away).

It's been so REDICULOUSLY COLD in the midwest recently, that it was pretty much just sitting (about 3 hours north of where I live) until I could get some time to spend with it. Meanwhile, my father-in-law was getting pretty excited about the project and stumbled across another 914 (repainted silver) near him. He figures this one, while not quite in as good shape as the orange one, will at least offer some insight to where everything goes since he's never worked on a Porsche before. It was reportedly running fine last year, but the carburation apparently went foul and the seller didn't want to work on it anymore. (Traitor! ) The deal included the nearly running '72, two other engines, two sets of wheels and two trunks full of spare bits and parts.

Last weekend, I only had a few hours to spend trying to inventory what I had to work with. With the trusty Haynes manual in hand, I was able to easily identify one of the spare engines as a '71 1.7L, the one in the silver 914 is a '73 1.7L, but the other was seemingly un-numbered. Are there any other obvious tell-tales other than the missing intakes and fuel injection? I think I read once that a factory replacement might not be numbered, or at least not in the same place as usual?

I'm going up again this weekend and I promise not to forget the camera this time so I can offer a little bit more to go on. Hopefully I'll also get some compression testing done this weekend to see what shape those engines are in.

Thanks in advance for any insight / guidance / smart-ass comments you can offer!


Ya gotta love smiley faces and smiley bananas!

Dan

My advice is to sell all the parts you have and then come out west and buy a super clean 914. You can get cream puff of a 914 with a 1.7L engine for $3500-5000 or one with a 2L engine for $5-7K.

From what you've described it sounds like an enormous project. Is it worth the time, money, and effort?

Putting her together is half the fun!

Honestly, I've never tackled anything of this magnitude, but I've always wanted to. I'm looking forward to the building part as much as the driving part....well almost as much.

Structurally, the car is actually in pretty good shape. It was a Georgia car, so it didn't see all the snow and road salt that the average Indiana car does. Besides, I don't have the $3500-$5000 handy at the moment, so my plan right now is to just build as I can afford it.

And when I'm done, I'll be able to say, "Yeah, I put this baby back together from scratch." How cool will that be?

Cool. Yeah, that's it. It's a long road.... Whatever you do, don't actually get in a 914 and drive it before you get yours finished. You'll get really excited and then get in such a rush to finish yours that it will frustrate the crap outa ya. They're actually fairly easy cars to rebuild. Take good pictures while you're taking them apart and label everything. It will help you get it back togther.

When you're done, you will be happy. Welcome to the board.

Okay, but don't say we didn't warn you! You can easily double or triple your budget doing it a little at a time. Even on a car in above average condition there is always a little something that needs work or attention. Anyway, have fun and welcome!

Ha ha ha..

Anthony used the word BUDGET. Yea.... right. LOL

Welcome to the board. I forget what is in Noblesville, but my parents used to take me there for some reason when I was young guy. I think a friend of theirs owned a cabinet shop or something. I was 5-6.

B

BUDGET. he he he. Yeah that's hillarious. I have a BUDGET. It's about as accurate as my TIMELINE.

-Ben M.

Hmmm....there's a Wal-Mart in Noblesville.

That's about it.

Define this word you use....Budget, I am also unfamiliar with it.

Budget-noun, 1. In repairing or restoring a 914 it means throwing bushels of cash at a unending project without ever seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.


Geoff

I've seen the light at the end of the tunnel.......it's an on-rushing locomtive

No... it's an onrushing 914 driven by someone who went out & just bought one instead of fixing one up!

Well, I hope my fixed-up Porsche will have more than just one working light up front....

Back to topic though, any thoughts on identifying the mysterious engine?
(like diameter measurements of this opening or that or something? anything? Buelller?....Bueller?)

Look at the intake studs on the heads. 3 studs means a 2.0L, 4 studs means its a 1.7,1.8 or something else.
If you take it apart, (heads off) you can see on the pistons the size stamped on the tops.
If it still has the FI plenum on it and the throttle body is mounted straight up, its a 2.0L.
Geoff

Heh, it's all true!

And WHATEVER you do, do not drive the car before it is finished! It will only frustrate you!

~Eric

lol....SMARTASS!!!!