Ok so i just picked up my first Porsche 914. It is a 1974 with I think an original 1.8L engine. It is the light blue color.

So I picked up a project with a ton of parts and 2 engines and transmissions. One of the engines is the 1.8L with a dual carb set up, the other engine is the 2.0 with the fuel injection set up. I need to run the VIN and see what was stock. But assuming the 1.8L was stock, is it worth it to put the 2.0 in the car?

Also the paint is a mix, from the factory it was light blue, however someone painted red over it. I am thinking I am going to go with the red, but just seeing if it matters much.

Anyway, any and all help is greatly appreciated!

All you can tell from the VIN is the model year, where it was made, and if it is a 914. Nothing about the engine size is encoded in the VIN.

Yours should start off 47429... The "47" means it's a 914 (four cylinder), the next "4" means it is in the 1974 model year, and the "29" means it was built at Karmann. The rest of the VIN is a sequence number, that's it.

Check inside the engine bay. US-bound cars would originally have had a sticker in there that states that the engine meets emissions requirements for the 74 model year, and it would list the displacement of the engine.

In general, a 914 with an injected 2.0 would be worth more than one with a carbureted 1.8 engine. More fun, too. The carbs are almost certainly aftermarket, because the only carbs that were installed by the factory on the four-cylinder 914s were the European-only 1.8s--and those were a pair of single-throat Solexes.

I like Olympic Blue 914s, but I may be just a little prejudiced.

--DD

I suppose it depend of your goals however since you mentioned that you were planning on sticking with the repaint color, that would indicate that you are not dead set on keeping things stock. If it were me, I would go with the 2.0l. More power, generally more desirable. I realize that many would disagree with this but I would replace the 2.0l FI with the 1.8l carbs- depending on the type of carbs. I like the simplicity of carbs. Just my 2 cents (there are a million more knowledgeable people on this forum).

if the 2.0 is servicable, put it in.
That said, a running carbed 1.8 is better then a 2.0 with no compression on a cylinder.
In which case you rebuild the 2.0 while driving on the 1.8.

Zach

Go back to the Olympic Blue!!

Olympia blue is one of my favorite colors for the 914s...I think it would be worth more if done in the original color but its your car. Check your paint code and see what number you have there. It should be on the drivers side inner door jam where the door hinges are.

Some one has to say it

Thanks for the thoughts. I too am normally a carburated person, and I haven't read stellar writeups on these early fuel injection set ups. I am also a Bigger Displacement usually means bigger horsepower person.

It is really rough, but given the information I paid a fair price for it.

living the dream

That is an awesome model. It needs jack stands for complete authenticity though...

Restoration thread coming soon?

In that case you weren't looking hard enough ...

http://members.rennlist.com/pbanders/

Although the articles above are for the D-Jet FI and your 1.8L should have had the L-Jet injection, it'll still be a very informative read.

For the model or car?