Congratulations James! Very nice car!!! I'm pretty sure I read somewhere in the COTM Official Rules that it is customary for the COTM winner to offer consulation rides to the runners up should they ever be in the same location . I bet that 3.2 hauls ass. Thanks again Shawn and great job running the contest this month!

Congrats James - it is a nicer car in person than in pictures!

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and Shawn, as I've told you in pm's - Job Well Done!

1973
914/6 3.2
Electromotive ignition
House of Kolor Tangelo Pearl Color

I decided to name my project “Bringing Sexy Back”. I started looking on the internet for a 914 that was already converted into a six cylinder, since that is what I was going to do. I finally found one in Ohio. I requested photos and before long we made a deal. I created a budget for the restoration, and a timeline for the completion. The timeline was 18 months. The car was sent directly to Automobile Atlanta since it was going to need some work and it was on the way to Florida. As it turned out, the photos did not tell the whole story of the car. Upon inspection, the car had been wrecked in the past and the damaged area in the trunk was filled with 30 lbs of bondo. The engine was a 3.0 Case but not 3.0 heads, turns out they were 2.7. The carburetors were Solex and even Auto Atlanta could not get them running right. This thing was Frankenstein. All of a sudden I had much more of a project than I could have imagined, my budget and timelines were gone.

My goal in doing this project was to build a more modern 914 without all of the cost considerations that plagued the originals. I started out with the suspension, I upgraded to turbo tie rods, A arms, and all 911 suspension and brakes. This also entailed a five lug conversion. I was not happy with the selection of wheel options for the 914, I liked the Fuchs wheels, but I wanted something more modern. After about 6 months of searching, I finally found Intro Custom Wheels, who could do the 5X130 bolt pattern, with the correct offsets in their custom wheel line.

I then tackled the engine, after 6 months of carburetor rebuilds, tuning and timing adjustments, and finally a leak down test, I made the hard decision to get rid of the 3.0/2.7 engine and start over. I ended up purchasing a new 3.2 engine to go in its place. This would provide me with more horsepower and that ability to keep the 901 transmission. Since I sold the 3.0 engine, I decided to have the car painted before putting the 3.2 in. I knew right from the start how I wanted the car to look on completion. I wanted wider flares with matching valences and a dual sport rear exhaust.

I collected all of the body work and sent the car to Visual FX for painting. The only thing I could not decide on was the color. The car had originally been L32 Phoenix Red. I could simply repaint the same color, but since I wanted a more modern 914, I decided on a similar color House of Kolor called Tangelo Pearl. Once we got into the body work, we found lots more problems. The repairs to the body alone ended up being more than the original estimate to paint the car. Note to self: Take the next one down to bare metal first.

Once I got the car back from paint, nearly 6 months later, I started working on the interior. I decided to add a real burl veneer inlay into the dash and center console. I made a template of the current dash, purchased the veneer, stained it, and sealed it. I also made a custom Subwoofer box from fiberglass that will go in the passenger foot well. I also made a custom center console with contrasting welting that is the same color as the exterior. I recovered all of the vinyl in the interior, (seats, back pad, sun visors, and dash). Living in Florida, I did not want all vinyl seats, so I used an original Porsche hounds tooth pattern and the centers of the seats. I never liked the carpet that came in the 914’s; it looked cheap and industrial in nature. I went with a later Porsche carpet that was more plush and had a longer nap. This again gave it a more modern and a richer look. I also replaced all of the rubber seals throughout the car. This included the windows, trunks, engine compartment, and targa top.

Once the interior was finished, it was time to get the engine in. I started thinking about all the problems I had with the carburetors and did some research on aftermarket ECU’s. I came across the TEC-GT system from Electromotive Engine Controls. I contacted Clewett engineering who was an authorized distributor, and discussed my project with Mr. Clewett since he had experience using the Tec-Gt system with 911’s. After my conversation with him, I was sure this is what I wanted for this engine. It was not a cheap decision, but after all the disappointments I already had, I figured this would be a modern system with no distributor and should be bullet proof in the end.

Since the engine management system was beyond my area of expertise, I decided to reach out through 914 World.com and find a mechanic who could do the engine install and set up the Tec-GT system. One member suggested Joe O’Brien in Deland Florida which was about 2 hours away. I contacted Joe and asked if he was interested in finishing the project. This was one of the best decisions I made on this project. Joe was not only very knowledgeable but has a great passion for 914’s. Joe made several suggestions to improve the car, such as removing the front Oil Tank and replace it with a 916-6 tank and add two Setrab coolers for lower engine temps. This also meant the oil lines that ran through the interior could be removed. This is especially in Florida since those lines were running 200 degrees through the inside of the cabin. Joe also did a fair amount of wiring inside the cab, adding some auxiliary power outlets and a new set of gauges. Joe spent approximately a month just on the tuning of the TEC-Gt system until it was near perfect.

Joe delivered the car back to me and I drove it home. The two hour drive took a little longer because once I stopped; I could not get out of the gas station because of the crowd that surrounded my car.