Having just taken part in Dr. Evil's excellent transmission rebuilding clinic and having a "good as new" transmission I now want turn to rebuilding my 914's engine. I have 2 engines to start from, the 1.7l with dual Weber 40 IDF carbs that came with the car when I bought it a few month ago. This engine has low compression and leaks a LOT of oil. The internal details of the engine are unknown.

My second starting point could be a 2.0l engine I picked up a few weeks ago in non-running condition. This engine included all standard FI parts except the fuel pump. I tore this engine partially down today and found that it had a dropped exhaust valve seat. Examining the heads I also found hairline cracks in 3 of the spark plug locations and evidence that one valve seat had been previously been repaired. I would also need an exhaust for this engine.

My goal is to build a 2056 or 2270 cc engine, primarily for street use with the possibility of the occasional track day. I realize that the 2056 would most likely be less expensive to build but this not my primary concern. Reliability comes first and performance second (60/40%).

So....

Which engine would be the best basis?
Should I have the 2.0l heads repaired and use these? If so, who are some recommended shops for the repairs plus porting, etc.?

If I build a 2270 I assume that the stock FI will not cut it, so the Webers I already have would probably be my best choice. Long term I would like to transition this to Megasquirt FI but will I have an issue with a carb vs FI cam?

If I build a 2056 I would most likely want to use the stock FI.

What cam(s) would be a good choice for the two options?

What am I not considering?

Thanks for any help!

Darryl

Is the 1.7L the original engine for the car? I would do a leakdown test of the 1.7 and see if I could tell the reason for the low compression and find the reason for the oil leaks; maybe pushrod seals, oil pressure switch. That would determine if I could get away with a re-ring and hone of the p's and c's. Maybe this would be the more reasonably priced course to take between your 2 choices. I think getting the car drivable and on the road would allow you to enjoy it as you seek more power by building up the 2L from scratch. "Course, all that changes depending on what you find once you open it up.

I got a good referral to take air cooled heads to Morgan's Machine & Marine, in Walnut Creek.


I may be taking a pair of 2.0 heads there myself.



KT

I would build the 2056 with performance cam and run the Webers.

Sounds like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYTCR_u6amo


KT