I've been lurking for a while, but haven't really been able to contribute much. I figure it's time to get busy. I dragged home a 1973 1.7L early last summer, and have been slowly trying to figure out what I have.

Car started life in Hobbs, NM and Odessa,TX, so its been in dry hot climates most of its life. Just a few rusty areas in the hell hole (of course), right front rocker and fender. Still looks presentable. Some time in the mid 80's it got painted a rather interesting blue/green color, and was later repainted white.


I managed to get it started before I bought it, but PO claimed the alternator was bad. It seemed to run OK, but wouldn't idle. Looking at the state of the vacuum lines I'm not surprised. After poking around some last weekend, I suspect the voltage regulator may be an issue rather than the alternator.

Right now I'm torn between just pulling the engine and transmission to start clean vs. just trying to get it running first. Part of me says it might be easier to start clean. I already have the special 914-option jack stands under her, so she would fit in around here


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So a couple of questions just to get things started.

1) This is obviously a non-appearance group car, but would the targa top and sail panels originally have had vinyl or not?
2) What kind of options are there for air filters with the stock 1.7L air cleaner housing?
3) If I do need a voltage regulator, should I go with something functionally equivalent or hold out for a stock look?
4) I'll be sticking with the stock D-Jet, but no idea what to do if it needs points/ignition help.

Thanks all for giving me the incentive to move ahead on this project.

Gary

!!! Where in Georgetown! We are staying with wife's folks off Booty's road near the dam, and will be living over off 29 and Inner Loop! If I'm available I'd be willing to make myself available if you ever need extra hands! Unfortunately I never had a 914 with the FI intact, so sadly I'm not much use in that department. I've done the shift bushings enough times though, and at least 2 drivetrain drops so I can help there.


We need to get an Austin 914 Mafia going, complete with a subforum and secret handshake.

Oh, and

Your car looks like a decent starting point - which puts you miles ahead of some of us already!

I would get the engine running well before pulling it out. This way, you will know what you have before reinstalling it.

Good luck & keep us posted!

White 914s are classy.

1, yes. 2, many but nothing that is going to improve the way it runs. 3, Look thru our member vendors. All are A-OK. 4, throw the points/cond in the trash and get a P-847V Petronix unit. Sits inside the dizzy where the points went.

Hello good to see you have your jack stands ready, as the addiction grows on you the jack stands become a necessity, I have 2 sets one for my project and 1 for my parts car!
The car could have been ordered sail vinyl delete but more likely was deleted at the time of paint job. Have fun they are great fun little cars and there is no real replacement for a good 914! Happy trails.

I'm down in south Austin (way south) but might be available sometimes to help out. I have worked my way through lots of stuff on my 2.0 with FI.

Of course I had lots of help from "The World". (Thanks again folks)

get her running and enjoy her before diving into any major repairs that will take her out of commission, in my opinion.

carry a fire extinguisher, just in case. old brittle plastic fuel lines can leak. come to think of it, that might be one project worth undertaking sooner rather than later...

that air filter housing looks like the plastic type that takes a paper filter. i recently purchased one to replace my oil bath and learned here that Autozone as STP AF103 is a suitable fit. mine's coming in the mail so i can't confirm that but, info here's a close to gospel as one can get on the www!

Your air box looks like it needs to be rotated. If you take the air box off completely, you can see how it indexes on the stand. Then the arrows on the top correspond to the side metal clips. I just bought an airfilter on eBay #AF-103. Auto Atlanta has them. And, I like the cars much better without the sail vinyl, but that is personal preference. I just did points/condenser on mine, but the Pertronix sounds like a better option....? Having mine running made all the difference in the world, I could really get a feel for the car and what I want to do with it.

I wish my car would've been in your condition when I started!

Airbox sits like this......

Nice start!

Nice car.

Welcome. nice looking car.... pull it all apart and start a 12 year project

That is a nice looking car. I would drop the engine and trans and clean everything up. Then replace the vacuum lines and fuel lines and tune it up. Replace any bad wiring while it is out also. When you reinstall it, you should have an easy time of fine tuning, then drive it.
If you decide to leave the engine in, at least replace the vacuum and fuel lines. Check out the engine and injection harness and replace wiring as needed.
Tom

you can almost hear it rusting...

Sail vinyl was part of the appearance group along with chrome bumpers and fog lights. So it probably never had it. Looks good without IMO. It's worth it getting your FI sorted out.

BTW, the jack stands were not an option.....standard equipment.

Here is an EXCELLENT resource for helping sort out the FI. I check it out every time mine leaves me scratching my head before I search or post any questions.

D-Jet Troubleshooting

and of course

Moneypit,

I'm in Old Town just a block south of Southwestern University. Not sure about the "secret handshake," but we should definitely get together. Remember, the first rule of the Austin Mafia is don't talk about the Austin Mafia.

Thanks all for the welcome.

I'm not new to Porsche, having had a 1969 911E and a 1983 944 back in the days BC (before children). When child #3 came along and the 911 needed a major rebuild, I let it go to a doctor down in San Antonio. I kept thinking I would replace it at some point, but I watched long hood prices go from reasonable to in the last couple of years while trying to find one locally. A friend of mine had a 1971 914 we used to autocross back in the 9184-1985 time frame, at least when we could keep it running and pass tech inspection I know they can be fun little cars.

Only problem is now my 16 year old son thinks I'm going to fix it up for him to drive...

Do that for him, and he will fall in love forever! That's my story, though the 914 was for dad and I. If you're right down from Southwestern then I could easily be at your house in under 5 minutes from getting in the car to getting out probably!

I drove a 73 1.7 for 25 years. It did not sit like that.

Show me how it is supposed to go? any other way doesn't make sense.

It's been a while, but I know that there was nothing that close to the oil filler. The intake spout was toward the passenger side. That looks like it interferes with the diz.