I am starting this thread to document the build of my recent acquisition of a car I am going to name Apollo. It was previously owned by a fellow out in Illinois and was sold to me via 914 LTD. From what I know It was a purpose built Auto X car, but only has about two hours of run time on the engine.

Here are the specs as I received it:

Exterior Mods:

• Factory Steel Flares
• Newish Silver Base/Clear
• Fiberglass 916 Style Front Bumper
• Fiberglass Stock Style Rear Bumper
• Fiberglass Hood With Headlight Delete
• Fiberglass Trunk
• Fiberglass Painted Rocker Panels
• Painted Targa Top
• Lexan Rear Window
• Lightened Door Skins
• Original Doors, Hood, Trunk
• No Wipers, Headlights
• Rear Porsche Reflector

Interior Mods:

• Koenig Race Seats
• RaceTech Leather Wheel
• Amco Console with Assorted Gauges
• Welt. Short Shift Kit
• Bolt in Cage with Door Bars
• Simpson 4 pt. Harnesses

Suspension Mods:

• Rich Johnson 5-Lug Conversion
• Front Volvo Big Brakes
• Front Vented Rotors
• 911 Front Struts
• Koni Adjustable Shocks
• 914-6 Rear Rotors With Stock Front Calipers
• 22mm Front Torsion Bars
• Welt. Adj. Front Sway
• 180 lb Springs w/Adjustable Perches
• Hoosier Road Race Radials

Engine Specifications:

• Front Mounted Oil Cooler
• 2.4 L 4-cyl built by ROCS auto
• 103mm J+E Forged Pistons
• 1.8L Stroked to 2.0 Specs
• 48mm Intake
• 38mm Exhaust
• Chromoly Pushrods
• High Flow Oil Pump
• MSD Ignition w/ Adj. Rev. Limiter
• 44mm Dual Webers
• Lightened Flywheel
• Kennedy Engineering Stage IV Clutch
• Ported, Polished Heads with 10:1 Compression
• Port Matched Manifolds
• Kerry Hunter Headers
• Claimed 180 HP
• Claimed 170 ft-lbf Torque

Transmission Specs:

• Recent Rebuild by 914 LTD
• Quaffe Torque Bias Diff
• Shortened 5th Gear

Misc:

• 5 Gal Fuel Cell
• New Bearings and Bushings
• Blue Brake Fluid
• 8x15 Fuchs
• Claimed 1600 lb Weight

And Now the pictures!

Exterior

Interior:

Suspension:

Engine:

Trunks:

Nice car. I'm not up on current PCA classes, but those mods are gonna have you maxed out and runnin' with the big boys. Better get used to them having a LOT more money than you, and having cars that may be a LOT faster. The rules are available on line, I think. Dave Darling may know what's what.

The Cap'n

Drop a big 6 in it!

I think I may plan for a 2.7 build when the 2.4 gets closer to giving up

With all that car I would plan for a 3.6 or 3.8 build-up. Nice looking car begging for a six.

Ross, Nice Buy! Hopefully get to see it in person!

That looks like a fun one. Have you flogged it yet? How does that 2.4 pull?

Thomas

I haven't pushed it past 3000 RPM yet since it has such high compression that I feel insecure on pump gas. I put three gallons of 92 octane premium in and drove it around the block, miles of grip, tons of stopping power, and lots of pull. The clutch is really harsh. I just located a supplier for 110 octane race gas locally, so hopefully I'll get some real drive time on it. Need to get a few days without rain first though.

Nice car, congrats!!! I think the weight estimate is 'optimistic' though.

What group and type of events are you looking to do? I have no idea what is available in your area but am looking forward to hearing your plans and progress.

dupe

Nice buy, lots of potential there.
Do you know what camshaft was installed?
RPM limit?

A few things I see:

Your header is way too small for a 2.4L.
I guarantee it's holding the engine back - a lot. There's at least 10 more hp & 10 lb-ft torque available just by replacing the exhaust.

You should have 4 EGTs to monitor the fuel mixture of each cylinder at WOT.
Single O2 sensing doesn't have much value on a race car.

I don't understand why the oil thermostat would be placed in the front trunk so close to the cooler.
It should be closer to the engine to shorten the route when the oil is cold.
Also, IMO hoses that long should be -12, not -10 (definitely not -8).
No tuna can, or accusump? The engine won't last long once you start pushing it around at a competitive event.
You should consider moving up to a dry sump oil system right away.

5 gal fuel cell isn't going to get you far. Fine for an AX toy but not big enough for even one on-track session.

I'd lower the rear another half inch.

Where's your adjustable brake bias control?

Front anti-sway bar is too small.

Stage 4 clutch is overkill. Your leg's gonna get a work out.

If you start doing much in the way of track events the cage will need to be updated. You need a modern main hoop with SCCA/NASA legal Diagonal and cross brace. You will also need legal door bars as well. Best bet is to have a custom cage built if you intend to seriously track the car. The four cylinder will put you in the virtually unlimited classes and you will really be running against some full out well sorted race cars. You can run the car in SCCA ITU/ITO/ITE. That is a catch all class that requires a DOT tire, but beyond that its mostly free.

You could build the car to run in HSR. Most of the mods you have minus the engine could allow you to run in the 2.0 Challenge class. You would have to swap in a 2.0 six, but you could at least show up and run for a while until the 2.4 gives it up. No one will complain because you will still be down about 50+hp. But you will have tons of people to race with in 914s and 911s. Plus they run a treaded vintage tire.

Looks like you could have a good trackday package to start out with. That would at least let you run some open track events to decide if that is what you really want to do. Chris makes good suggestions. I would add to that:

Get some ducting for that oil cooler.

You need to exhaust the air properly to ensure efficiency.

Also toss the clutch and get a decent clutch. No sense in destroying the thrust bearings on the engine with a massive clutch. Your not making enough torque to warrant anything more than a stock pressure plate, maybe an aluminum S pressure plate for racing. I would use a sprung hub clutch just to help keep the transmission alive.

Get a proper breather can on there and toss that crappy filter stuck on the side of the oil filler neck. It will keep the oil off the engine and engine bay.

Your fuel cell is not legal for anything beyond autox. You will need a road race legal fuel cell to run head to head and maybe even some time trials.

If you want it and end up out this way I have a stock fuel reno I'll give you.....has some rust in it.

Beautiful car!

I think I am at least going to keep the headers for now, but need to be thinking about upgrading to better flowing. I know you are biased, but are there any other high flowing header systems out there besides yours?

What would I use EGT data for? just determining which cylinders were lean under load?

I am planning on getting an Accusump system ASAP, what is the preferred size for this application? 3 qt? I had heard some talk about the front trunk being the best mounting location for an accusump for weight distribution, which would only work with a front mounted thermostat. but then you have some excessive pumping distance.

If i were to relocate the thermostat, where would the preferred location be?

I have switched the 5 gal race tank out with the stock tank since 5 gal on this engine isn't worth much anywhere but autoX.

I have not seen any adjustable brake bias control, so I am operating under the assumption that it has a stock proportioning valve.

I have cam specs somewhere and will post later. the heads have stiffer return springs so I place the true redline around 6500.



I'm working on the ducting bit.

Am I right that you are essentially saying I should revert to a stock clutch and pressure plate?

HSR looks pretty awesome


What is a stock fuel Reno?

Damn auto correct and me not paying attention.....stock fuel tank lol

It'll get ya. I realized that after I posted. I already had one out of my older car that got totaled. Thanks for the offer though!

Primary lengths are ok on your header, just the diameter is too restrictive.
1 5/8" MSDS 4 cyl header (KHH clone) would be a better choice for about the same investment as the KHH was.
I don't like the long length of European Racing Headers for an engine with higher than stock power band.

Too lean spells disaster at WOT. Also, if you have any problem with only one cylinder (or one bank), your O2 readout isn't going to help with the diagnosis.

3 quart, yes. As close to the engine as you can within reason. A check valve in the accusump circuit prevents backfeed to the cooler.

Firewall in the engine compartment if possible. You want your oil to reach the thermostat cracking temp quickly.

You can put a knob style prop. valve in place of the stock regulator. It just means you won't have cockpit adjustability.

Single springs with such large valves may prevent you from reaching 6500. As long as you have the 1 1/2" header it won't matter much, you're losing power before 6000.

I'd look for a 911S aluminum pressure plate and matching clutch disc. It will handle your power and is easy to operate.

I just checked the engine build sheet. According to specs it has dual valve springs, chromolly retainers, and a cam with .521/286 duration. It also states the headers are 1-5/8 but perhaps that has been changed.

Will the 911s equipment bolt right up?

-Ross

Kerry Hunter never made a 1 5/8" header. You should measure the dia of your primaries to be certain.
If I was selling a Tangerine Header for an engine such as yours I would recommend 1 3/4" primaries.

You should be able to rev past 6500, and your HP peak may be above that anyway. Its hard to tell without more detailed cam info and empirical test data (dyno runs).

I used to have a short stroke x 103mm engine (2.2L) with 48/38 valved heads and dual springs that revved to 7500 rpm and with a 1 3/4" Tangerine header it made 180 peak hp.

The pressure plate is a direct bolt on and uses the same throwout bearing.

Very Nice, Congrats!
See you in spring at driver's school?

Yeah, what do you run in?

Midwest Council of SportsCar Clubs
in the Vintage Historic class

General Competition Rules

The roll cage might be in question for wheel to wheel but you could run the full track autocross as is

The cage does have door bars, I'll just have to check if it satisfies all the requirements for the vintage class. I get the feeling that my engine mods disqualify me from running in the vintage class, or am I just reading things wrong?

High-Speed auto cross seems like the perfect way for me to ease into this! Too bad I'll miss the one this weekend. Is there anything I need to do to join MCSCC? should I even try?

-Ross

I don't know about SCCA vintage, but in HSR, it won't matter. The four cylinders are not really a concern of the HSR rules guys. You won't be out running the front runners with it, so I wouldn't worry about it. Just get the cage legal and show up for the Mitty in April and have some fun on track.

Looks like I better start looking out for an inexpensive aluminum trailer so I can haul with my diminuitive subie 2.0L forester.

What class was it built for?
If I were in your shoes, I would build for Historic rules. SCCA with less than 2.0 liters as a second option. Perhaps even try to go street-legal and drive to track or AX events the first year. Once you have a full-blown racer, a solid tow vehicle is needed.
Good luck. Awesome 914

inexpensive and aluminum trailer, are not 2 words that go together...

I have a light weight trailer (not aluminum) that is inexpensive I'm selling, but used aluminum trailers start at around 5k

Your engine will be fine, people cheat like mad on engines.
There is a race on the 16th but I am not sure what is needed for autocross
I will be at Rennsport IV

The 16th I'll be in AR for MUSR, but the lapping days at Putnam Park is a possibility.

Ross,
I have contacted a friend who is familiar with the Midwest Council autocross registration process. I am can send your info to him so he can help,
shoot me your email and i will forward it.

If you have time come to Blackhawk Farms Raceway Sunday, October 16. I will be racing my 1971 914-6 in the MCSCC Vintage Group race (weather permitting). We can discuss items that will be required if you want to go wheel-to-wheel racing. You can find me near the gas pump and my car is white/green "POLIZEI" number 43.

Hope to see you then,
Tim Green


PS. We will have at least 4 914's racing in the Long race for MCSCC the last weekend in October - Saturday and Sunday 10/29-30. Plan on attending this race also and get to talk to as many owner/racers as you can.

The weekend of the 16th I'll be in Arkansas at the MUSR, the last weekend in October is more doable, although my parents may be visiting then. If not you can expect to see me out there. The more I think about it the more I am leaning away from wheel to wheel my first year. I feel like getting driver education first is the safest and best choice for me. I look forward to meeting you!

-Ross

Aluminum Trailers are $$... Trailex has a nice open trailer you can usually find a used one around 4-5K....

Anyway, no matter what you try to race in you'll enjoy it. I have heard that SCCA is a bit rough on cars, but that is by what I have heard. No first hand experience. I have been around many PCA events and they are always a good group. Are you wanting to AX or full track DE?

Ross -
I have been racing since 1984 when I bought my 944. I think a year of MCSCC Autocrossing and Porsche Club Drivers Ed events will help prepare you for wheel-to-wheel. Both clubs offer driver instruction and are very helpful. For now I wouldn't do anything to your car unless it involved a safety item like Nascar Bars in the drivers door. All the talk about your engine, clutch etc. --- wait until you have driven it for a while, have some fun and learn how to drive a race course (it’s not like the street). You do need to meet with someone from one of the clubs technical inspection departments so they can tell you if there are any safety items that would prevent you from participating. It would suck to show up and be denied access to the track because your seat belts were out of date. By the way I am one of the instructors for MCSCC wheel-to-wheel racing so when you are ready I would be happy to have you as a student. MCSCC holds an Indoor Drivers School at Autobahn, I strongly recommend you attend that. If you don’t already belong to both MCSCC and PCA I think you should consider them both. I belong to North Suburban Sports Car Club within MCSCC but any of the clubs are ok to join.
Regards,
Tim

Both? As much as I can afford. I was passenger in a few DE's back in Colorado. Plenty of fun and friendship, no competition.

Is the best place to meet the tech inspection guys at the events like those you mentioned earlier?

Yes, that is the easiest - just bring it to an event. The Long Race weekend is a real family event with Trick-or-Treat and Big Wheel races for the kids. I don't know if an Autocross Tech Inspector will be there but the Wheel-to-wheel guys will be there both days.

I am sure you will join both eventually, I would start with MCSCC to get as much experience as possible.

This year with PCA I raced at Sebring, GingerMan and Road America, with VSCDA Blackhawk and Road America and with MCSCC three time at Blackhawk -- I LOVE RACING.

Trailering it up there seems like the best choice from Lafayette, I hope to see you then!

My boss has an 18' trailer he'll give me for 500$, I figure that will be too heavy for my subie to pull well, but it is also probably built for much heavier vehicles than the racer. would lightening of the trailer be a bad idea? I have a small mig that I could use for some light welding of bracing...

Some photos from a car show on the Purdue Mall
Stupid Bicyclist
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With bike removed...
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Boy am I the wrong person to ask about trailers -- I buy them and use them but not modify them. I have a 18' open car trailer and a 24' enclosed trailer, it's an extra two feet tall because I tow it behind my 36' motorhome. When I started racing we flat towed our car to the track - an old set of tires and wheels makes that possible as long as you don't 'crash'. If the car is street legal, drive it up.

I can make it street legal enough, but poor fuel economy and race fuel would be cost prohibitive. I need to determine if I can drive it on premium without knocking.

Its been a while since I put anything up here, but last weekend I put in new lemforder turbo tie rods, installed a stainless line in the tunnel,, installed a spherical firewall bearing, and replaced the weltmeister short shift kit with a stock shifter (the shifting is so much smoother now!). I also hooked up all the gauges, installed a new sender(oil temp) and removed the console completely. I really like how open the cabin is with no console, especially with long legs.

I also decided that my first year with the car I am only going to AX with perhaps a few DE's, so I re-installed the 5 gal fuel cell. I also cleaned up some of the ratsnest of aftermarket wiring in the engine compartment. The first time I pull the engine I will sort it properly.

No pictures for now, but I may snap some tomorrow.

-Ross

Very good, hope to see you at the track one of these days!

Some fun photos of my first autocross. I came in second of 6 in my class, SSM, and 16th of 74 overall.
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