Hi Everyone...I got really excited this weekend finding and reading about all the knowledge and enthusiasm for 914s at Original Customs which was about 45 minutes away from me .So i called talked to Marc of Original Customs today and he informed me that his napa shop was no longer and he was standing in his new shop in Michigan!
I would really like to take his advice and improve the power and performance of my 2.0 which feels less than its optimum at the moment.( i drove a stock 2.0 recently that had much more pull than mine.
After adjusting valves and checking compression...
He suggested tuning the carbs using a csp linkage versus my current set up and going through and checking all of the jets...and possibly a mallory distributer instead of the 009/pertronix.

Does anyone know of santa rosa/north bay/or thereabouts based shops or mechanics that could help with these setups.
Marc offered to walk me through the procedures over phone or email which i thought was over the top helpful but i would really like to find local 914 enthusiast with savvy.
The other thing i would like to do is upgrade the shifter linkage mine is ridiculously difficult even with new bushings.
Thanks for reading this ,i may need to change my name no longer porscheless

Rich Bontempi
HPH, High Performance House

A long time 914 shop, racer, smart dude.

How do Rich's service costs stack up against other shops? I have no idea at all and just asking based upon his parts prices which I consider astronomical.

I've heard he does not work on carbs that he has not put on the car himself. Correct me if I am wrong and let me know what it costs. I would love to learn from the guy while watching how he goes through the process.

I knew it wouldn't take long for a "I miss McMark and Original Customs, what do I do now??!" thread

I used to take my 914 to a shop in Emeryville, can't recall the name, from 2005-2008. Saw Sir Any's car there before I ever met him! If you call EASY in Emeryville they could share advice on good options; EASY is a Porsche dismantler with many many years in the SF Bay Area and they know old Porsches.

Good luck, and keep all of us sad North Bay 914 owners updated on any new options for mechanics/shops that understand our unique car and work at reasonable rate$

Just remembered: I recently bought a new alternator from the Buslab in Berkeley. They specialize in VW buses, but the owner knows and likes 914s. Great shop to visit: lots of Suby conversions, Synchro buses, old stuff, and new. If you want to save a little $$, look for VW shops, not Porsche shops!

Good luck

You might want to call Martin ("Marteen") over at RPM Engines in Cotati. Tell him Pete the 914 nut sent you.

Don't let all of the American iron around scare you off. He knows carbs, and knows foreign cars—having a super trick 510 of his own. We put my 2.2E/S on their chassis dyno and he found 38 hp, taking it to 169 rwhp. He dialed the Webers in, but the majority of the power was found on ignition. We knew some things needed adjustment, but I didn't expect to find that much power. Nice curve now, and starts right up from cold.

There's still a bit of refinement to come, but I have to finalize my induction and exhaust before it's worth another pull.

Plus, he's local to you. Worth checking out.

pete

Oh yeah, and: What the?! McMark moved??!

Mark will take projects from all over the world, as evidenced by the UK LE Creamsicle he just finished, and the Jagermiester car he's working on.
He is going to be picking up and dropping off projects as well around the country, though not likely that anyone will afford a carb adjustment and pick up drop off from 1500 miles away.

When I spoke with Mark yesterday, he was still unloading the truck with Original Customs crated up inside of it. You Michigan guys, get in your damned cars and go help!

thanks for these replies...Cotati is very close to me so i will try him first

Some extremely mixed reviews on them too...I miss Mark and didn't even meet him yet

There's a few folks in the SouthBay. Don at Don's Autowerks, and Tom Amon who is a mobile Porsche guy.

He's been working on, and specializing in, 914s for at least a few decades. That probably counts for something? He knows the cars very well. I don't know about the working on other peoples' carbs; I never asked him about that.

All of the places I know are down in the South Bay, but that's my own area--so that's where I've been paying attention.

--DD

A lot of good recommendations, but if you are looking for missing power, you need a chassis dyno. Everything else is "butt dyno."

Curious as to the mixed reviews on RPM, but not going to bother. My visit wasn't cheap, but I felt I got more than I paid for along with good service and a followup call a week later. But then, I've known them for a long time now.

pete

If you have issues with Weber carbs try Jansen Enterprise, 140 Harbor Blvd, Belmont, CA 94002. (650) 622-9785

I am not positive he is still there, but by far the best resource I ever had when I was sorting out my carbs. He doesn't charge the kind of rate other specialists in the Bay Area do, yet knows what he is doing.

That's Bill Eason from Eason Auto Works in Oakland.

I haven't been there in several years, not sure if he's still in business.
It's a small shop in a somewhat sketchy area but Bill is a good guy doing good work.
http://www.easonauto.com/

Did anyone warn the Michigan deer?

it's really easy, as long as you're meticulous! You can swap the linkage and get everything synced up in an afternoon.

Buy this: http://www.piersideparts.net/CSP129941400.html
And this: http://www.piersideparts.net/BP7034-11.html

Thanks for all these replies and all the great community support here...
I will buy those parts soon Mark...I guess the optical Mallory dizzy is not really an option anymore so i will keep the 009/pertronix until something else makes it through the proving grounds... Ki