I feel guilty about posting this as others here struggle with their loss from our current fires. Bad timing and I'll blame that on the shipper's. I had planned to have this here 6 weeks ago but due to incompetent shippers (I went thru 3 before I found the right one) it took this long. Bob (Bullit) has the patience of Jobe and was an absolute pleasure to deal with thru out this ordeal.
Body wise, I seem to be regressing as my first 914 is a 76 hence my screen name. The 2nd a 73 and this one's a 70. Engine wise, I'm heading in the right direction. The 1st was a 4 banger, the 2nd a 6 and this one's a V-8. I may or may not keep this one as I can't imagine it handling as well as the other 2 with the higher center of gravity. That and the six is a handful so I can't imagine I'd ever get a handle on the 50% power increase of the 70.
But the price was right and I needed something to keep me busy. Speaking of; I can't get the rear trunk open, yet. This week I plan to familiarize myself with it. Next up; compression and/or leak down test to verify what I've been told about the engine then get it started. Then on to electrical, brakes, transmission, cooling, etc, etc. I'll start a separate build tread shortly!

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Stable mates!

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Nice car. If you don't have a neck brace, you'll need one.

Wow Kent...No word lately so I thought the deal died.

What a score!

Can't wait to see it in person.



Oscar

You are a very sick man, Kent. Get help.

Where's the white car?

Finish off that baby and enjoy it. After you get it all sorted out then if you do not love it sell it to a guy that needs a rocket. He will and you will be happy you did.
I bought my first 914-8 in almost the same shape from one of the guitarists from Earth, Wind and Fire. Finished it up drove it for 6 months and turned a very nice profit. This was back in 1979

Bob B

Yea...what happened to it?

I don't know whether to congratulate you Kent or give condolences.

In any case fun adventures1

Good job.....

Nice score Kent! Those are the same wheels I have on my car. Very light and strong. Boxster wheels. Are they all 7" wide or are the rears 8"?

Yes, I must be nuts but I need to stay busy at this age or Father Time will be at my door sooner rather than later. I went thru the parts that came with it and all I can say is WOW. There are 4 back pad lamps, everything rubber that is made by 914rubber. New tires, Boxster wheels as Chris pointed out, a spare tail light lens, spare turn signal lenses, eyebrows, new windshield trim, etc, etc. I will need to by a dash but not much else.
But getting to all that booty was a challenge. The rear truck was locked and I could not get the key to turn the final 5 degrees, no matter what. The rear trunk was packed so fully I couldn't access the latch. So I removed hinges and was able to raise the trunk lid about 6" and then proceeded remove stuff thru that opening until I could see the latch. Anyway, I'll cover everything in a new build thread coming soon. Very soon.
I still have the white car and she's under covers for the near future. I up when I bought the car in 2009 by repairing the battery tray, a small area below and adjacent to it with S Glass. My thought at the time was S Glass is 5 times stronger than steel and wouldn't rust. The damage did not extend into the long and was basically surface rust. That non-standard repair put it in the same class as the rust buckets. So after this V8 project is done I'll make the proper repair to that area and get a respray. The car is so cherry everywhere else it will sell quickly. It still has the original dash. Cars like that with proper repairs and good paint are fetching 15-18K. As it sits now about 8K.

What engine is in that thing? What needs to be done to get it running?

A glutton for punishment.

Congrats!! If the new car stresses you out, your welcome to let one of your 914 so cal friends borrow it!! Hint.. hint...

Chris, Here are some pics. Maybe 7" & 8.5"? The tires are 215/40 R17 & 245/40 R17.

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and one of the rear tire

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Chris, I'm told it's a 68 327 .30 over (338 ci) flat top's w/ valve reliefs. I haven't ID'd the heads yet but the info I received was 993 heads, 2.02" I & 1.60" E valves, 76cc chambers, estimated cam lift on intake .450". I have nothing on the Ex lift. Compression 9.0. Appx HP 300. What I gleamed from some SBC sites re: torque is maybe 350 ft lbs. I don't yet know if it is a 4 bolt main or not. Moot point for me because IIRC, not much increase in torque after 5000rpm so no need to spool up the RPM's. PO said they did the 20 min break in. It hasn't been fired up since. I won't know Diddley until she fires up. The wiring needs to be sorted out but to answer your question; I need to get 12v to the dizzy/coil, connect fuel lines, fill tank, wire up electric choke and water pump, run and secure radiator lines. Here's a few pic's of the head which I'll need to ID. The last time I worked on an SBC there were only a few heads; Power Pack and FI, IIRC but that was in 1979.

From the break in run:

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Some ID marks on the heads

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Another

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Uno mas

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Hah! Only if it is self inflicted.

I'll probably sell it to some 22yo kid then move so he doesn't come back wanting me to R&R the CV's every week.
EDIT: Hey Mike, it doesn't have first gear and was not replaced during the rebuild. Presumably, the PO didn't want to spring for it or someone recommended not having it w/ the V8. I have the gears to replace it. What's your opinion on installing a 1st gear?

nice looking car Kent. Can’t wait to see it in person.

That is a GREAT engine for a 914. You're gonna love it. Hope it checks out and she fires right up for you.

Damn, from an air box put on backward to a V8....CRAZY

Straight out of the headers and into the mufflers. Wow that is a short exhaust! Kent, I was going to ask you when you plan on firing it up, but I am pretty sure I will have no problem hearing it here in Denver! Nice addition to the stable.

Your not going to let me forget that! I deserve it. What Jim is referring to is a RRC back in 2010, IIRC. I drove my 1st 914 (76-2.0) to the event and I was prouder than a two petered Puppy. I had only had it 8 months and driving it for about 4 months. Anyway, I had the engine grille open when Jim walks by and points out to me that my air cleaner was installed 180 degrees off. I wondered why I needed that tennis ball to keep the snout from rubbing against the wheel well. Embarrassing to say the least.
Chris, I'm not sure if I will like it or not. If I wanted a dragster then yes. And I may dust a few fannies for the Hell of it but I'm not so sure of how it will handle. I really, really like the Suby flat six. It's marriage made in Heaven . er my garage that is.
Yea Ray, it probably will be loud but I've gotten some good advice on mufflers from Bob (Bigkat83), Andrew, Mike B & others who went before me with SBC's so that helps.
I do vacillate between titles for the new thread. Should I call it a "Build Thread" or an "Assembly Thread"? What do you guys think? I need to start it because I already have some "brake" questions for the collective brain trust.

Nice Car, enjoy the process.

BTW, toss the carb, and put some EFI on it. FAST Injection Kit is about as easy as it gets.

Install article

Enjoy the work

Third Strike.

I'll keep it in mind Stephen. If the carb works I'll leave it. No sense in dropping 2K into it if not needed. This will never be my cruiser. Just a toy to put together, drive a bit and flip.

Dang I wish I was closer so I can test drive it and help out with a little wrench time

Have you googled the engine casting number ?
It's in your first cylinder head picture but not legible.
At least you'll know what it started life as.

Not yet. I tried to ID the heads from the PO's pics and narrowed it down to 2. I haven't checked since I took some good pic's. Thanks for the tip on the block, Rory. Didn't know that. I'll check this weekend.

Same goes for the cylinder heads.
The casting number is under the valve cover.
Google "Chevy block casting numbers"
More info than you'll ever need.
Written report please.

Just heard about this one

Looks like fun

It should be. Hopefully fire it up in the next 2 weeks.

That poor transmission

It should be OK. It came from one of your east coast rebuild clinic's and has the "H" gear. I don't plan on stomping on it off the line. Hopefully one of the fuses, aka 914 CV's, will pop first.
EDIT: Hey Mike, it doesn't have first gear and was not replaced during the rebuild. Presumably, the PO didn't want to spring for it or someone recommended not having it w/ the V8. I have the gears to replace it. What's your opinion on installing a 1st gear?

Absolutely useless with your low end tq. If that person followed my advice (and it sounds like they did) then gearing will be F/O/X/flipped H. Its the safest, most liked, and most useful for high torque engines. Torque is the killer on these boxes so that is why the V8 can be risky. If driven with limitations in mind, it can last a long time.

I kept first. With 255/50/16s it's too hard on the clutch to get it moving. I had Brad Mayer do mine with the HB 5th I got from evil.

I never used it for anything other than loading on and off a trailer. If you find yourself seeing a trailer often than maybe... But in reality its 100% not needed. 2nd will probably spin the tires on full throttle depending on how much torque you have.

1st hangs off the shaft and is very weak.

Kent- there is a first gear in the box. The syncros grind.

Yah, I would never nail it in 1st. Great input from guy's in the know. Thx all.

The last V8 car I had was in 1978 and even with its 283 I did not pop a CV joint till I tried to get out of the hole super fast and popped the clutch in 1st. I had been driving it very hard for a few months in 1st with no problems.

You have to love the sound and the torque and Power in a 914. I knew that car was a deal at 5,000. Even with the shipping and extra parts, you will come out far ahead when done. Just don’t get tickets in it. I hope it is a lucky car for you,
Enjoy the carb and then think on it if you want the fast injection. I may put on one of the new Injections systems but not sure this year, the price has really dropped
A new year is almost here. I think there is a song in there!

My car now has the 930 with 930 CVs whenever it gets done and I am not expecting the CVs to pop.

Enjoy,

Bob B

Thx Bob. At least I now know that I won't need to Pussy Foot the thing. If the engine is good it was a great deal. I don't know the engine builders name or reputation so that variable is still present. The engine, Dr Evil trans, and full Renegade drive train package puts it right at $5K, alone. About the only thing that did not come with the car is a dash top, back pad, carpet, windshield, engine gauges & battery. Otherwise it was a complete car needing assembly. Did I mention extras. Just wait until I'm finished and have a sale on parts. One of the many goodies is an OEM interior light still I the package.