I've taken the motor out of my bone-stock 72xxx mile '73 914 2.0L and would like to have a professional do a stock rebuild. This car was bought my dad in '74, put in a barn in '87, moved from a barn to a storage garage in 2012, and had the motor dropped end of '17 to start refreshing all the parts.

I see Northwest Connecting Rod and Scotty Wagenworks are local shops that specialize in type iv rebuilds. Any thoughts on using either, or is there a different professional to look for?

I'm not interested in backyard mechanics, been there done that. I want this motor refurbished with reliability in mind by an expert who is sober, reliable, timely and communicative when necessary.

Your thoughts/input/advice would be greatly appreciated!

I had one rebuilt for my Creamsickle by Franklin's in Kent.

How about a 2056?

McMark?

Mixed results @ NWCR these days.

The one guy I knew moved on.

Just an outside opinion. I'm not sold on the fact that 'professionals' do the best work all the time. Some do, some don't. It's the way of things.

How about doing it yourself? I did my 1911cc. It's not rocket science. You'll save good money and you can learn something too. I know of a machinist who does excellent work, which is half the battle.

Something to consider.

Thanks man...
It's a little bit more in shipping, but I've built a LOT of these motors. Building three 2.3 engines right now.

Even if you decide to work with someone more local, send me a PM or give me a call if you have any questions or concerns. I'm happy to lend a hand and make sure things go smoothly for you.

Just fired up this smooth 2.1 engine last week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKPMFrTWOKU

I second that .............

Monty at Redmond European is a long time 914 mechanic and rebuilt our 73 2.0. Last I checked he was super busy but loves these cars.

That said, McMark is accomplished and well trusted for doing amazing work.

Good tip, I hadn't heard of them before. Were you satisfied with the rebuild they did for you?

ahhhh. good to hear. that is the vibe I was getting.

I'm with you, 'professionals' DO NOT do the best work all the time.

If I can't find someone trustworthy and experienced, I will do it myself. But I'd rather pay for the expertise, confidence and speed if I can find it.

Shipping is quite the pill to swallow, but I do work at a manufacturer and have access to discounted shipping rates...hmmm...

Thank you for the offer and option, I will consider it!

I like these options, it is nice that Monty is local to me (I'm in Newcastle), I will investigate!

I would not think that a 72,000 mile engine would need a rebuild. I would just clean it up, replace some oil seals leak it down and readjust the valves

A real professional does the best work all the time. They are just hard to find and separate from the non professional wanna bees.

A real professional usually will achieve better results than someone who does something for the first time or infrequently because they gain knowledge and experience over time.
Most of the work I have done in my life had better outcomes after a period of time. Things I thought were good at first, I realized later that they could be better. There’s no substitute for the knowledge and experience you gain over time.

You could check with Tim Kornacki to see if he's interested in some side work. He's a fellow 914 enthusiast and professional technician who is better than most of the other local "professional" techs who would work on it. He works at a shop in North Seattle.

Other than him, sending it to Mark would be the best route.

Couldn't agree with you more. That's why you have to start sometime in order to gain the knowledge and experience. No better time than right now to buy the tools and dig in.

I sent my case and crank to John Slack in Olympia (bellcobraiv@aol.com) to have the main journals align bored and fitted to new main bearings. He also decked the cylinder spigot bases slightly and had the crank journals ground to the first U/S
I was very impressed with his posts here showing his tooling (he rebuilds RR aircraft engines as well)

Barefoot