Hello from central California! I am some what new to the 914 but I have had a 1975 914 in the garage for a very long time and it is in great shape! I always wanted to build it but I have never had the time so I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction of possibly a shop near central California that could build the car and even possibly ball park what a complete build would cost (I know the sky is the limit) something track inspired and I always wanted a 911 engine transplant. The only negative to the car is the keys were lost over the years.
Thanks!

Mark DiBernardi


McMark on this board.

PM "tweet" on this site and he can help you with the lost key issue.

and

Marks shop is called Original Customs. He is always on here and has a very good reputation. He's done a killer job conedodgers car.

Hey thanks for the reply I will try and contact both!

Hey hyespeed, welcome. Your just in time. A lot of the members are having a rally in San Simeon from 4/30 thru 5/03. Lots of cars to look at, and some senior members that you can pick their brains. Check the site for info on West Coast Ramble (WCR). Your close, so come by and say hi.

Sounds good! hopefully I can make it out there!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD!

Where in Central California are you? There are lots of us out here!

I'm in Fresno.

That's practically Southern California... McMark is in Napa, a little to far maybe.

I'm not sure who is near Fresno (and admits it).

Haha! Geographically were almost the dead center of CA! Napa isn't too far.

And distance isn't an issue when dealing with reputable individuals. Transportation will be the lest amount of a build.

Disagree with the Bay Area being the center of California though.

A six cylinder conversion is 10k. Unless you do a neat motor.... That often bumps the conversion to 20k

The engine that was recommended to me was the 3.6L, I would like to stay all porsche but what is the general consensus on a Subaru swap? I'm looking for hassle free and can I drive it out of town with out any problems something fun!

3.6 is awesome. 20k though.
You'll also need upgraded brakes, suspension, front oil cooler. So budget at least 30 for that motor. More if you have to work on the distributor or head gaskets issues before install

I have about $11k into my 3.0L but I purchased the motor 10 years before the restoration. I would guess it would be closer to $18 to $20K for mine but a 3.6 could be more.

And that would be JUST for the engine

At 20k for just the motor you might as well by the whole car haha.

What's is the consensus on a Subaru swap. I'm not a huge Subaru fan but it seems a bit more economical for the gains.

Much more economical, but you will be cutting the car for the radiator.
Many builds also lose all or part of the rear trunk to make routing the turbo easier. Non turbo applications generally don't need to cut the rear trunk.

If you use the suby engine, also use the suby gearbox. They already mate together, and its properly geared for the engine. Make or buy the cable shifter and you are set.

Zach

I've also been told not to mess with the car as they are becoming valuable. I assume a Subaru swap would ruin any future value but I'll have to look into it and get some quotes on what I want done!

Some pics please, when you get a chance to post any.

I am doing a suby swap to my 75. Some of us are just taking longer than others.....

excuse the mess, the odometer gives an idea of how long its been sitting.

We are now in the time period where 914s are appreciating in value. They were very flat for many many years, as the car was mostly considered "just an old car"--and quite a number of people declared that it wasn't even "a real Porsche" anyway.

That said, I feel that most 914s are just old cars. They're old cars that are slowly going up in value, but most of them are not collector's items--and I frankly don't see a future any time soon where every 914 is "collectible".

So my advice: Unless you have an original 914-6, or a 74 LE car, or a car that is super special in some other way (e.g., first 914-4 on the road, or last of the 76 914s, etc.) or it is an amazing low-mile time-capsule car, put whatever you want in it. As long as it makes you smile your head off, it's all fine.

BTW, if you're in the 914 game to make money at it, you're doing something really very wrong...

--DD

I appreciate the input I did not mean so much making money more as like not ruining a car that could potentially be a collectable. I have been doing quite a bit of research and some of price figures I am seeing for engine swaps are pretty steep.