My three moth quest for a teener finally ended yesterday when I purchased a very nice well sorted out 75 5.7 conversion. The drive home from the bay area to Arcata was to be 250 mi of mostly freeway, and by the time I reached Mendocino co. it was running so good I decided to take a twisty 144 mi rout through the Mendocino coast
This was the most fun i've had in a car ever...until, while running hard though the corners, I heard a clunk, some grinding, and thre was to power to the wheels. Now I'm in the tow truck on my $700 trip home. I like the car so much, and the deal was so sweet, I'm still happy I bought it. I may be singing a different toon once I get into the trany (I expect thats the issue)

I'm betting you lost a CV rather than a tranny

tell us the symptoms more descript.
did you look underneath while waiting on the tow truck?

sorry about the incident but cool that you like the car!

I popped a CV a an autocross with much the same symptoms. If thats a 5.7 conversion with the OEM axles, you very well may have an easier fix than you think...

Congrats on your new ride. How about some pics?

OK, I just got dropped off by the tow truck, I was having trouble attaching pics from my iPhone, so here's some pics. I don't believe the axles are stock, and I couldn't see anything amiss under the car, but I guess I'll find out when I get it on a lift.

And yes, i should have known better than to flog the car on a 140 mi. of twisties ( i made it for a 132mi of it) until I had a chance to go over it, but i wasn't going to be able to drive that road until summer, so I took the opportunity. By the way, if you are in n. cali. highway 128 to fort bragg and then 1 to 101 is an epic drive for a 914. mine just loved it; until it didn't.

Bet ya dropped the CV, like the others said Hope you did, its an easy fix.

I used to blow my CV's with my V8 so often, I kept a spare axle in the trunk. When you shift your car, let the torque settle for 1/2 second before you stmop on it. You can't drive it like a Camaro...

Easy Fix! Make sure you get the 12 point allen tool for the axle bolts. Do not use an incorrect tool, you will thank me.

Nice looking car Sorry to hear the bad news
Be sure to update the data base

OK sorry for your misfortune but anyone with a 914 needs to have the AAA premium tow service. They will tow my car 200 miles, anywhere for free, 2 times per year. Cost me an extra $40 year above the standard service.

I thought I had the 100mi service until I called AAA (almost exactly 100mi from home). I guess I learned a couple of lessons today.

I noticed a little whining (from the gearbox I think) on the freeway. Otherwise everything was fine. in the twisties, there was a couple of clunks and a rattling sound. I thought something was dragging on the road. I pulled off and then for some reason tried to move forward a little, there was a pronounced clunk, and that was it.
I did look underneath while waiting for the truck and could nothing amiss. Everything look clean and new and unbroken. This is a bad sign isn't it?

A CV joint can break and still not cause the boot the tear. st place I'd look. Jack up one side only, put the car in gear, and try to turn the wheel. If it won't turn, lower that side to the ground and repeat the test on the other side.

The Cap'n

Thanks Cap'n, i did it and found it was the CV, thank goodness. The car has the Renegade axle kit, so $130 for a bus CV, and I could be on the road tomorrow. of course there's all sorts of play on the broken side, but on the other side there's a fair amount of play side to side (see photo), is that normal?

By the way, when I dropped the car off the jack (I used that funky thing on the rocker cover) the car stayed at an angle. When I released the e-break, it righted itself. For the life of me, I can't figure out why that is. it still looks less than level, but I haven't taken out a measuring tape yet.

Nice car I hope you are able to get everything sorted out easily.

your car probably has delirin (aftermarket) suspension bushings put in by the previous owner

They tend not to settle and stick
causing the car to remain jacked up a bit rather than settling on its suspension.

this effectively changes the spring rate if they are dragging.
I have them still on one car and used to have to remove the suspension annually and grease them to solve this problem.
but its a pain removing all of the suspension and then going through the corner balance/alignment routine afterwards.

I finally added zerks when they were apart and can keep them lubricated much easier now.

the roller bearings are another solution, but more expensive.
the factory suspension bushings didn't "turn" like all fo the aftermarket solutions do.... so the car wasn't really designed to have moving bushings.

for now...
drive it
roll it
bounce it

and it will probably re-settle
just know that you have more spring rate on one corner than others....

brant

oh hey...

buy brand new schorr washers for both sides (inner and outer) CV's...

put NEW washers on all of the bolts (16 i think) and retorque them all

that or drilling the bolts are REQUIRED

your cage may have broke with all of that power...
but you still run the risk of having a new one come loose if you don't put the new washers on.

b

Sorry for laughing but it got me, too. The rear wheel is on an arm which compress' when the car is lowered. If the brake is set it will stand up until you release the parking brake. You'll also find that the drivers door and psg door lock differently and if you leave the turn signal in position after you park, your parking lite for that side only, come on. It's just begining.

Click to view attachment

Mine on the way home the day I bought it. Fuel pump. I think its good luck if that happens*

*good luck for the towing company

Looks like you got a great car! good luck!

That's one clean looking conversion. Have fun with it and if you pop the tranny, it's not the end of the world.

I am suprized that the bus cv popped! What are the motor specs?

I was thinking to myself, How did he pop a CV so easily with a 1.8? then I noticed the pic of the header and the original post..


Keep a spare cv in the trunk with the stub axle, Keep a breaker bar with the right socket (its like 1" or something) and then a smaller ratchet with the allen. You can change the CV on the side of the road in about 25 minutes assuming that you have broken loose the stub axle previously in the cars life.

You pop the stub axle nut off, start loosening the allen bolts on the trani flange and roll the car forward to get all the bolts, then a screwdriver or even just your hands to push the cv up to separate from the trani and pull at an angle (might have to tap the stub on the outer side) and out pops the cv. Install is in reverse.

Nice looking car. I like the later square fog lights with the early bumper.

Hope you get it back on the road soon.

Good story, going to have plenty of them with this car. I got my 930 from NorCal, bought it filled it up with gas and it died at the pump. 1/2 hr of cursing and scratching my head i replaced a pressurized fuel recirc hose (free from a biker shop around the corner) I flogged it 400 miles home. Been loving it ever since! Have lots of fun with her!

Ok, I know I need a manual, but what and where is the stub axle nut? The axles turned out to be the Renegade axles which use the bus CV. I think someone mentioned it.

I'm definitely upping my AAA roadside service when I go to the AAA office to insure, transfer, and reg. this thing. Nice to be able to do it all in one office w/ no line.

I know i'm probably paranoid, but if you look at the photo of the car on the truck. The driver had it all cinched down, and then hit the winch to put tension on it for good measure. It bent the crap out of the hook, and I'm wondering if this kind of treatment could be damaging to the car or at least the alignment. These things aren't very beefy you know.

Nice Car, Love the color!- Looks very similar to mine- which is copper metalic but respray a little darker- and was only an option in 75,76- not many out there, if it is the copper metalic, do you know if it is the original color?

anyway glad you got it figured out, hope you are on the road soon - nice conversion too. should have less problems than those of us trying to keep the original injection 4's going.

I like the color too. It is not as good a paint job as the photos suggest. It was originally orange, and the trunks are still the original color.

The conversion is very nice. I really wanted a 2.0 (I wasn't even considering v8s), and I had driven down to Los Gatos to look at a silver 72 w/ a rebuilt 2.0 set up for autoX, but it was a little rough for me. The guy also had this 5.7 that was much cleaner (for the same price). It has not rust at all cept for a small patch in the rear trunk. I reluctantly test drove it since I was down there, and it was so sweet, I couldn't walk away from it.

Look through the center of the wheel, where the center cap is (needs to be removed), That is the stub nut.

The bent hook IMHO didnt do anything to the tub. That hook is really weak.


What did you pay for the car? It looks very clean for a conversion!

$6500

That is a really good price! Congrats! I would have expected well north of 8k!

That's great! Once you have it fixed and running, share some more pictures in and out, had not seen this rare, I doubt previous owner was active here. What kind of V8system?

If you are talking about the tow hook in the front, it was never designed to take any downward force.

It's a tow hook, meaning you add a strap to it to tow your 914 behind another car ...

It turned out not to be a dead CV after all. there's an adapter plate (see photo) with four bolts and two pins. three of the bolts backed out, and the fourth sheered. I've got the broken bolt out, now I need to figure out how to keep the new ones in. Lock washers? Lock-tight?

Also I'm hoping someone out there can help me with some torque specs for:
-the stub axle bolt
- the ALUMINUM lug nuts on the 5 lug cooky cutters.

Yea, I had those on my car. They would always loosen up even with lock tight. I recommend to clean them well, use washers and a torque wrench to get them correctly tight.

In the end I went with 944 cv's and modified 914 axles and problem solved.

Matt

I popped a CV the day I bought my car. In my case it wasn't an adapter, the CV bolts unthreaded and it actually came right off the output shaft, but I know that clunk pretty well (it's happened to me twice!).

Welcome to 914 ownership.

Jerry, pick up a quantity of Schnorr washers like Brant mentioned earlier. If you can't source them locally, you can get them from Eric Shea at PMB: http://www.pmbperformance.com/catalog/item...868/5749889.htm

Install new Schnorrs at each CV (cheap insurance at only 20 cents each) and torque the bolts to 31 ft lbs.

Wheel nuts 94 ft lbs.

thanks

Stub axle nut is somewhere around 250 lbs. But in reality it doesnt need to be that high.. I just take my biggest wrench and give it the most I can give without physically jumping on it.

and nice sleeper Torque is a killer in these cars. Better you break a cv than tear-up your gear box or tear your suspension arms. I highly recommend that you never, never dump the clutch or nail it in first or second gear at a dead stop. Does it still have a first gear? Let's see some engine and interior pics. That is is a good price and it looks like a clean conversion.

You might want to pick up a couple sets of Dr Evils CV nuts too. I had nothing but problems before with those damn bolts backing out. Since then I've had no problems at all.

sounds good, but where does a nut fit into this equation? I don't see any nuts in there, just bolts.

They are the CV bolts, and RJMII makes them now. Youc an reach him here via PM

Oops, yeah I mean bolts not nuts. The head is drilled to allow you to thread a wire through the bolts and twist the wire esentially locking two bolts together.

After you put the new bolts on and torque them, you might want to drive a few miles because they will always come a little loose from friction/heat/settling/whatever. Then retorque the bolts to spec and install the wires, then you'll be good for many many miles...until you twist your axles off from the insane power of course

She's back on the road I went ahead and installed the cv and adapter bolts with lock tight and star washers. I know this is cutting a corner, and I will probably replace them, but I had to get it rolling today. I don't know when I'll have another chance, and my wife hadn't seen it run (having a new running car brings less criticism than a new non runner). She actually likes it as does my 9 year old (they both got rides this evening). As requested, here's more pics, it's not much, but it's something.

Very nice! Not many of those left around in the L99k color- copper metallic. Besides mine, only a few others on this board. Let us know how you like the v8.

Enjoy!

When you tightened the bolts did you torque them to spec?

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When you tightened the bolts did you torque them to spec?
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I believe they are to spec 34 ft-lbs?

The jury is still out on the V8. the torque is nice, but there's something about a 914 with a stock engine that I really like.

I bought my V8 in LA and drove it back to SF. When I got home, all 8 bolts holding my adapters were loose. I cleaned everything and torqued with red locktite. Never came loose again in 4 years.

My V8 has a taller 5th gear so it can cruise 2500rpm at 75mph. Once I drove a V8 914, I can not drive a stock T4. Not enough power. A Raby engine is way out of my budget. I think it is now cheaper to go flat 6 than it is to buy a Raby engine.

I think you will learn to love it. Buy a second if you need a stock engine...