I've been looking for a solid mostly original 914 for a while. Found this one semi- locally and secured it today.

Its a solid car with zero rust and everything works, even the clock!

What will I do with the engine? Nothing! Keeping it with stock FI and will just drive it. It has a couple of oil weeps, so I might address those, and it has a dead spot at 3,300 RPM, so I'll check AFR and advance and might adjust that bobble out, but I have no plans to even drop the engine as it runs too good and is too original.

All I plan on doing is getting rid of the gold 8 spoke rims and bolting on some polished Fuchs.

Feels good to have a 914 again, the last one I had was a /6 that needed a bit too much to finalize the conversion, so I sold it incomplete. This one, well it needs nothing and is ready for fun!
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment


Like I said, I think I'll keep this one, and it can join the rest of the collection.
There's an '88 Carrera and a 993 that you can't see there, and my 964 is still at the paint shop. The 500E also wasn't present for the photo :-)
Click to view attachment

Nice find.

Thanks! Been looking for a while. I kind of like the fact that its a 76, too.

Nice find. It was an expensive car in 1976 judging from what I see. 2.0 L, console, fog lights. Does it have front and rear stab bars? Probably around $8500 new.

Very nice!

BTW, move the trash out of the way in the garage so we can see the good cars.

Glad it is in good hands. Very clean car too.

Planning on leaving the more restrictive exhaust and other smog gear?!

Yep, gonna leave it just like it is.. No reason to change it right now. I have too many projects as it is, gotta keep them all on the road.

Who is in for the pool on how long it takes for the motor mods to start?

--DD

I sure Jake would just be fixing those oil weeps right? It's not like he has a rep for building killer Type IV engines?

I am in for 2-months. Wish I had the cash to let him play with mine!

Didn't know you picked up a 308. Karl told me about your TR....you must have been bitten by a Horse Fly (prancing horse, that is )

Is that an actual radio delete plate?

Agreed

I'd have it set up just like that too... if the jackels break in they'd steel the horses and leave the good stuff that's behind'em.

* Nice find J.R. My $? less than 2 months....

I have the F cars for investments.. Both them need major services that I can easily do, then hold them a couple years and flip them. I honestly don't care for them at all, but they are fun to drive and the Testarossa is just one raw, nasty machine!

As for this 914, well, the oil weeps aren't bad enough to worry about and it runs perfectly. I haven't had a 914 with stock FI since 2000 and forgot what it was like to drive one.

If you guys are getting two months, you'll lose! It'll take me two months to finish the freaking Testarossa!

I am also busy building a first year turbo engine at my place, so I haven't had much extra time :-)

Click to view attachment

.... these are the problems I wish I had. Have fun driving the teener Jake.

* three months tops

I will !!!

Tomorrow I'll either drive it or my 500E. Hard to make the decision!

Nice find! and enjoy the ride...

BTW,.....while you are under there fixing those oil leaks..........my '76 sure runs sweet with the 9550 cam kit......just in case you want a suggestion.....and it didn't take that long.....y'know....

Looks like all your hard work has paid off over the years.

Thanks.. But building engines didn't pay for any of that... I own 7 businesses, all more profitable than twisting wrenches.... This is just the fun stuff.

Nice one! Black looks nice with the fat bumpers.

BTW I just spent WAY too much time researching the 500e. Had no idea it was a joint venture with Porsche. Cool car.

All black looks very nice. I agree with you on the wheels.... Somebody with a Bug will buy those. Never liked that look on the 914.

76's are one of my favorite years for 914's in stock form.

No "Type 47" sticker.

Chris,
The 500E is an amazing car.. Its my current favorite piece. Its as much Porsche and MBZ.

I agree on the bumpers, black makes them get lost.
Heading to pick the 914 up now!

That's what I like to hear.....7 other business...wow very cool.

Cool Jake! Great addition to the fleet. Not even one crack in the dash.

Yeah that 500E is a sleeper. 0-60 in less than 6 seconds? Back in the early 90's? That's quick. I need a replacement daily driver and don't like anything new. Is there a year that's better than the rest on those or is it just mileage and condition? Prices are all over the map.

Sorry Jake.. It's a reference to a line in one of my favorite movies
"No Man's Land" I only steal Porsches

92 is the year to have... 7 more hP than the other years and a simpler traction control system (ASR)

Mine is a 92...

Don't worry about miles, it'll still do 0-60 in less than 6 with 200K miles on the clock, mine does... These cars are bullet proof! Found mine on Craigslist and have basically restored it body and rubber wise with some new mechanicals.After 23 years everything still works except the windshield washer, which just died.

Recovered dash? Looks nice.

Yes, the dash has been recovered.

Very pleased with the car all around. I still haven't found any issues with it that need any work other than one of the rubber seals near the Targa top on the driver's side needs some attention.

Still fighting the urge to Rabyize the engine :-)

Very cool hybrid....

I can only hope for your sake that the heater blower keeps working.

Its said that mercedes hangs the blower motor in the middle of the shop and builds a car around it....and they made sure to use the cheapest blower motor available at the time, just to ensure it would fail.

There is an AMG version of the E class from that Era that I almost bought....similar motor, but no flares, so less visible and more of a sleeper.

Rich

When I was a kid working in a local import shop, these 124 chassis cars were new. I've changed several blower motors and didn't find it that difficult. It does take time and patience, but wasn't difficult.

In the time I've owned my 500E, all thats happened to it was the vacuum pump died. This car gets driven a lot and today I'd rather drive it as pretty much anything that I own.

audi a8 here.....same reasons..
its fast, its comfy, and all the tech works.
I may take it to a drag strip just once....maybe.

I am sure things will break, but I will fix them.

Rich

Welcome back to the thrill of owning another 914
Now, how to modify it?!?!

My neighbor says the same thing you did about his 500E. He has several awesome sports cars, but loves the sleeper Benz with the fat flares.

I am going to fight the urge to modify it.. The car is too original and has all the 76 goodies in place to be messing with it.

I think the day will come where these cars are returned to stock and that will net the biggest values. I have enough modified cars in the fleet and I plan on driving the 914, rather than working on it.

No jack stands around here!

Okay, okay, but if you were to give in, what sort of Type 4 combo would you put in a street driven 914? 2056, 2270, bigger? How aggressive would the combination of components be? Fuel system? Exhaust?

Oh boy. You should have added the after those questions. Jake already said he was fighting the urge to modify it.

What I'm wondering is why I'm suddenly looking on autotrader at 500E's for sale. As if the 914 bug wasn't enough of a distraction! I do like older MB styling, though.

Every car has a quirk or two once it gets older, that's for sure. As long as the 500E's aren't catastrophic it's all good. My 06 TSX has just eaten it's 3rd driver's door lock actuator. Known defect and it requires a lot of swearing to change out. It takes 100 tries to get that sucker back in the door correctly. Plus the door frame is slathered with black tarlike material for the vapor barrier. It's awesome.

Anyway, get some Fuchs on that thing and you're set Jake. The '76 is a good fit because you really can't do much to the engine unless you change the exhaust...which is a pain.

Is that blue Beetle the one you drove all over the country in back in the day?

Chris,
Yes thats my old blue bug sitting proudly in the pic.. I built my entire business with that car back in the day, so it was the first car to be inducted into my new facility.

If I were going to do anything to this '76 I'd make it the 2,432 combo and just throw carbs on it. I'd keep every piece of the '76 goods and even the original engine intact while I built up another one to slide in.

But, we aren't discussing this right now :-)

BTW a 124 chassis MBZ is bomb proof. The build quality on the cars is amazing and the original rubber isn't even weathered. I'd like to build up a W119 core engine using Nickies and a stroker crank. The way I figure it I can make a 6.6 out of it without too much craziness. If I did that IU'd just build a 660E from a 124 chassis 300E and make it look like a 500E as the 500E is too rare to hack up, and the OE EFI would never keep up with a 6.6!

Okay, what's with the grow lights in the "garage"....

is this the real key to the "Raby fortune"??


Good luck fellow '76 owner. Did you car come with a CAT? or was it a '49-state' car?

Tangerine has replacement EGR tubes which all rust out. I'd measured mine and sent him a drawing a few years back to have one bent up in stainless steel and now he has them on his site for sale.

Ok, ok,

If you were actually discussing it, what camshaft would you use?
Details......

Took some time to wash this baby up today and I was stunned at how slick it is!
As for what cam to use, its one of the 1/2 dozen I have that utilize roller lifters :-)

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Can't remember for sure, but I think black was a 600 dollar up charge.

Paul

Nice score

Like your plans for keeping her as is & I myself would try to get rid of the rear reflector, front euro signals & put Mahles on instead of Fuchs.

I have a pair of Mahle's and know where two more are, but I don't like them.

I am partial to 5 lug Fuchs, even though I should put 2 liter Fuchs on it, I am leaning toward the 5 lug. I have a couple of sets of them that are cherry and need refurb.

Up in the air about it right now and I even considered keeping the 8 spokes but polishing them all over. I had polished 8 spokes on a bug 25 years ago and they didn't look bad t all.

I am putting way too much thought in the wheel selection... Thats just proof that the car is so worthy of keeping, and that it doesn't need anything else, because I normally have to rebuild a whole damn car before I am at the wheel decision!

I love 5 lug Fuchs Jake, but is that not a mod?

Nice looking car, Jake! Looks like your brain is already in modify mode!!

Yep, its a mod.. My main goal is NOT to mod the engine!

The 76 model with the smog and big bumpers was a natural progression of car development and should be more accepted as they are. They are very streetable even with the smog gear and in many respects better. I mean we all breath air. If your not in California it shouldn't be a problem.

Those of us who own 76 914's already know how good they are. The fact that they get chopped up to supply parts for early cars is a bloody tragedy. I spent a lot of time looking for perfect front and rear bumpers the total cost with driving lights was 70 dollars. That beats all the bollocks that people have to go through to find restore and/or backdated their cars to the early look. Agreed whilst the bumpers and smog gear is an irritation due to diminishing parts and some say the boofy look, mine seems to run as well as any carbed car. Even the extra weight doesn't worry me that much.

large capacity has its place and god knows we would probably all own factory 6's if there were enough of them but it is actually nice to see Jake espousing the virtues of a stock built car which was in fact designed for daily driving and serves the purpose admirably. I usually try not to comment too much but as I own one and think they are maligned I'll say in this instance good onya Jake.