Not something that will ever happen but I dream of more power. The FI 2056 is fun but I just remember my old 2.0 seeming to have so much more go. It was a 71 with FI and some head work and balancing but that was all. I just remember it pulling so strong from low RPM to redline. But I just don't get that same feeling from this build.

Don't get me wrong it runs well and pulls away from many modern cars with ease. But in my mind I think it should have more punch. So I was thinking a 6 conversion was a possibility. Will keep the 2056 so I would be looking for a donor engine and all that entails.

Because I am dreaming I was wondering if people had some estimates of costs, things to look out for, and suggestions of the best motor to go after?

Mike......... First is more power.......Then how to transfer all that power to the road. Then how to stop better with all that power........than beefing up all the weak links to handle all that power. I fully understand though

I'd be happy with a nice 2.7 but I've heard great things about 3.0 & 3.2's. I suppose once you get the more power bug, you'll want more! About your 2056 vs. 2.0L, did you have port work done on your 2.0L heads? I *think* I remember that you had HAM rebuild the heads on your 2056??? I bought a set of his
RS+ heads and he mentions that the port shape and design of this head will get you better low to mid torque. Having run out of $$ and being a bit lazy, I haven't gotten that 2056 built yet. I'm hoping that these heads plus the Tangerine header, I'll feel a nice low to mid boost when I get it built. Good luck with the dreaming!

Want power ?Dream big ,sbc v8 you will get planted in your seat.pretty much no one can touch you.

A water cooled conversion is a lot more work and not for the faint of heart. Quickest way to get a 6 is to throw an air cooled 6 in it. More support will be available when doing an AC 6, as well. Water cooled SBC's are fairly well documented and supported so not as many hiccups as with some other conversions. Subaru conversions are gaining in popularity so support should grow as well.

Will stick with the air cooled options but those V8s are something.

A air-cooled Porsche /6 conversion will set you back $10k-$15k if you do most of the work yourself.

Even if you can source a smaller /6 engine, like mentioned above the parts add up quickly.


Mine cost around $15k some 10 years ago and i got the engine, transmission and exhaust for a steal back then.

First, your 2.0 probably did go faster...we all weighed a lot less back in the day.

Get a true bad boy 6 and live your dream Mike. You only live once.

https://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/4691175346.html

Your best bet is to do what I am doing. Buy your parts slowly over time when deals pop up, and most importantly, never - ever add up what you have spent. I have found it to be quite affordable that way.

I pulled over 60 studs from my 2.7 case this weekend. That did not include the expensive head studs, just perimeter and misc.

Said to myself, not alot of play cash this month. I will just go get some studs.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

John

Wow!

Sell more shit

Interesting but if it needs an oil pump that has to have other issues to go with the 151k on the car.

You too?

Understanding the lust for power is easy- after 8 big block musclecars I've gotten used to frying tires at will. This will be a different project for me because these cars are totally different. The handling is miles beyond any of my stock rides back in the day, not to mention the smiles per gallon. The dollar figure in the end was the make or break for me. I'd recommend getting a dollar amount in mind, what you'd pay for all that you'd want then put together and realistic estimate of costs and compare the two. Then proceed with that goal in mind but be prepared to put out more cash when needed. In the end if done right, you'll have what you want for the price you're comfortable with. Then DRIVE THE DAMN THING!!!

I have a whole new respect for the 914 2.0 cars since driving Sandy's to the RRC this years. You have to know when driving the Alien I don't even have to think about gear changes. Traction? ya.. but more than once I pulled out to pass and had to rethink my choices. From which gear to the distance I needed to pass. Traction, braking and cornering were non-issues.

Driving a 4 cylinder 914 is a true driving experience. Driving the Alien is a heart pounding emotional roller coaster where you go from grinning to shear terror when you start to throttle steer through a corner. Which one is more fun? BOTH!

This!

Better off buying a Conversion done and keeping your existing car.

I could do a car cheap as I have 90% of the parts and that is why I toyed around with converting the Alaska Appearance Group car. But it is much better & easier to buy an existing Conversion. One like kconway's was perfect but you have to ready to jump - I wish I had gotten that one!

buy someone else's conversion car. It will cost the same as doing the conversion yourself and you will have 2 cars instead of 1 car and a bunch of parts. Plus immediate gratification vs the typical 3 year build.

I just finished (well...nothing is ever finished) my 3.0L conversion for $8700 and 6 months of hard but very satisfying work. A rather low price that I cheated by stealing a motor out of a project 911.... but it's very much possible. I'm still getting use to it but boy do I love the power in 2nd and 3rd gear!

Is that the total price including the car?!

No. I bought the car long before I decided on a /6 conversion...so I don't really consider it (along with other non-6 related repairs/expenses) part of the cost.

BTW to OP - my cost breakdown is here for a guide: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=242910&hl=

TC and Mark are right on target. Buy someone's project car where they have already spent a ton of cash and just need to get out of it. There is even this '74 conversion for sale right now for $8K that runs and has a six already in it.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=243953

I have to agree that it would probably be cheaper to buy a finished conversion, but to tell the truth, I am kind of enjoying the ride. My car is my outlet from the daily grind. I enjoy thinking about the direction that I want to take and the thrill of the hunt for parts that I need. I am an IT nerd that probably should have been a mechanic, so building my car is far more fun for me than buying somebody else's work. Plus, at the end of it all, I will know exactly what I have and not have to worry about whether or not the PO used the old main bearings because "they looked pretty good".

Just my $.02.

Working on my car was something to look forward to coming home every night and being out in the garage instead of sitting behind a computer or TV. Especially after sitting at a desk all day. I don't care if I could get a conversion done by somebody else cheaper...I wouldn't trade the past 6 months of hard work for anything! Except maybe a 918. And I can say I built it.

My 3.2 six was a lot of fun. (235 hp, yellow) Three speeding tickets. Three trips to traffic school. My 2.2 four is a lot of fun. (147 hp, black) No speeding tickets. No trips to traffic school.

I started dreaming in college in '71! Finally I started DOING in 2009 and its just now off the jack stands. Maybe I should have started with a better candidate car in the first place, and maybe I should have picked up one of the several completed ones I've seen here on the forum that would have needed minimal work. But I have a very nice 2.0L -4 that I rebuilt for driving in the meantime.

Figure out just how much of the work is fun/therapy. You can start collecting parts and if a good project or completed car comes along, it won't be hard to sell the parts.

My six is just a 2.0 L. I'm not looking for power, I just want to hear and feel that smooth six behind me. I'm sure I 'll put many more miles on my -4 because I get 32-36 mpg, but the local cars and coffee will see my orange -6 this winter.

So my dreaming time started in '71, doing started in '09...I'd hate it if you got my -6 still a project from my estate sale...

So you better start tomorrow...no, TONIGHT!

Good luck.

No tickets... no traffic school... Where's the fun in that??

Not getting caught. Duh!?

I'm doing the exact same things... Fulfilling the dream and working on it at night / weekends.

Wait a minute. You were just talking about a six last month, weren't you?

I know where there's an ugly bondo rayco with a well sorted 2.7 in it for $10K. If this deal was around when I started down this road I would have swapped parts with my car, sold the rayco (as a /4) cheap and would have done this job for a song.

Find someone else's project.

My 2056, EFI gets me down the road plenty fast enough... How fast do you want to go. I know my car goes over a 100 mph, I have a gps hud showing only the speed of the car. The other day I had it well over a 100 on the freeway... That's plenty fast enough for me....

Yep! It's going to happen real soon, one of these days. Some time in the not-to-distant future, maybe.

Not so much about top end. Love the flat toque curve of a 6 with sufficient power at most RPMs and a strong pull from on gear to the next.

For me, it isn't about top speed at all. It is about usable power and how much fun that can be. I wouldn't want to try to go 150 in a car that wasn't designed and proven to accomplish that speed, but I do love being able to thrash a great handling car on twisty roads with plenty of power to make it go. My current 1.8 stocker isn't that car.

I'm witness to that- Jamie had no problem swapping places with me on the freeway out to Grand Junction. I could pull away at will of course with only 750 lbs and 95 hp but we cruised happily in and out of traffic all day and the orange beast was always there! I'm partial to the sound of a 6 tho, so that's where I'm going as well. A Porsche 6- too spendy for me so I'm going Subie...

I feel like a 3.2 would be the only 6 I would dig..On a few levels. The 3.2 has a reputation for being the most reliable of the earlier 911 motors , and the stock configuration has lots of power for a 914. My car is an 8cyl and its fun as it gets. Its different than the 2.0 it replaced, no doubt. I need to drive a 3.2 914 to solidify my thoughts on converting back to an air cooled six.
I agree on buying someones project! Its a money saver if you choose correctly.

Admittedly biased, I couldn't agree more. I love the 3.2. If you are committed to converting your current car, Andy is right, plan on $10-15k.

It can always be done for less if every piece falls together perfectly but I wouldn't consider it realistic. And if it does, you should plan on extra $$ fixing some of those "good deals", IMHO.

Bottom line, once it is converted and dialed in, you will never regret it!!

3.0L 911 SC Motor (1978-83) with updated chain tensioners and carbs could be a healthy beast. /6 sound, 180+ ponies and won't shred your 901 trans.