Off we go!!

So Im starting my first 914 engine rebuild. Its a 1.7 I plan on moving to 96MM and carbs on it. What piston shape would be the recommended?

Where I'm at engine is torn down. Here in Phoenix I have gotten some good suggestions for machine work but have a few questions somebody might be able to help me with.

What should I be looking to have done by the machine shop. The crank journals are in spec (mains at least, rods are still on)so id like to polish and reuse if possible. Should I remove the rods before taking to the machinist? Cranks and rods can be hot tanked, but everything else should be cold tanked, correct? Should I deliver the old bearings (including cam) with the case?

As for flycutting the heads for the bigger cans, do I need to have them already and delivered to the machine shop or is it a common to do without having them in hand? I also wanted to have the heads cleaned and checked.

With the cam, what would be the suggested shape for the set-up as explained?

Perhaps someone knows what I will be looking at in terms of cost at the machine shop, just ballpark for the things I will likely need. trying to get at least an idea. I guess at some point a new case is the cost effective way to go...but not the experience Im after.

Thanks for all of the help. This has been a great resource. This motor I hope to convert into an early 912 when the right motor-less gem presents itself (thus the 951 departure). It might also be the temp stand-in for the 1.7 in my 71 teener that has a weak cylinder. The 914 stuff is really very new for me. have only had the 71 for about 8 months. Also have a 911, sold the 951 last week...already kicking myself for it.

Nobody?

You ask a lot of questions that have been answered a million times before. Searching the site and reading engine build threads will get you bunches of information and even answer some questions you didn't know to ask.

But here's my thoughts without writing a book:

Piston shape: I recommend round pistons. Okay, the dome/dish on the piston depends on compression ratio. Which depends on the size of your combustion chamber. Google 'compression ratio'.

Machining: Talk to you machinist about how he wants things delivered. What we say doesn't matter. We're just voices on the net.

Flycutting: Any machining should be done with information/parts in hand. Why have them cut the heads if you don't know exactly what size they need to be?

Cam choice is one of the hardest decisions, and it's complicated. I would suggest calling WebCam and getting a mild performance cam. Don't go bigger-is-better on this. The hotter you build the motor the harder it will be to tune.

Cost: There's been breakdowns on the site before. But the cost varies by geographic location and by how much work needs to be completed.

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Building a motor is not something that you can get a list of steps off the internet and get it all right the first time. You'll build this motor and it will work, and it will probably work pretty well. But you've only scratched the surface of how deep the thinking goes. I've built tons of these engines and every time I'm reassessing, reevaluating, and adding new steps. Just yesterday I was researching flame front propagation as it pertains to combustion chamber shape.


Finally, if you want to get advice from more people here, try focusing on one aspect of the build at a time. Start a new thread about the case crank and rods. All those pieces can be done independently, so you can learn about those and get that machine work done before jumping into pistons and heads.