Good morning, I have owned a 1973 2.0L since 2008 but blew the motor when my mechanic installed carbs on it. It has been sitting in the garage since. I now have an opportunity to buy a 1971 1.7L from a friend. It is in very good condition (with a few smudges and scratches on a repaint. He wants $7,000.00 for it so the price is right. Does anyone know a good motor guy in the Milwaukee area for 914's. Thanks for your help. Cheers!

I have seen duplicate posted threads before but not triplicate! You must really be excited.

If it runs and not rusty, that's a very fair price.

Thanks, I am just looking for a good motor guy in my area. The guy is in Illinois and when I asked if it will drive without issues to Milwaukee, he said you can drive this all day long. So, I am not worried but should I have a problem I have lost confidence in my old mechanic and am looking for someone local I can trust.

The prompt says "add this" and then takes you to a blank page. I didn't know if it was posting or not so I went back to "add this" and it took me to a blank page so I went back "add this". It was kinda like ground hog day!

You might want to drive that 1.7 a bit before you change over to a 2.0. The 1.7 is a fine engine. Size isn't everything.

I am 6 guy and local.. Very little type 4 stuff.. Stay away from Mofoco.

Also try learn as much as you can to become DIY able..

Perhaps my post was not specific enough. I am looking at the 1971 1.7L and if it works out I will buy it and drive it as is.

I ALSO have an old 1973 2.0L with a possible bad engine. I have sell that instead of fixing it or maybe will use it for parts.

I am just looking for someone that I can trust in the area for anything that may come up with the 1.7L if I buy it.

Cheers!

Do you have a complete 73 2.0 car or just the engine.?

I would repair the '73 2.0 before I would buy a 1.7 car.

congratulations on ur new 71 1.7. Yes you should try DIY on this beautiful 914 and I’m sure you will be enjoying fixing your own 914. Well in regards to engine, once in a while there are members here that sell their running engine especially those who do 6 conversion. How about your 73 2.0 car? Will you share pictures of your 73 and your 71?

Enjoy going back to 914!

It is complete. the car quit on the freeway after my mechanic changed the fuel injection to carb. He said it had a thrown rod but that didn't make sense to me and I could not find anyone local that I could trust so I parked it.

I could look at it for you.. It's a fairly easy engine in stock form.. Or would be possibly interested in buying it..

The '73 2.0L is arguably the most desirable of the 4-cylinder models for a number of reasons. I'd figure out what is wrong with that engine and repair/rebuild it if possible. I've owned both 1.7 and 2.0 and while the 1.7 is a really fun car, the 2.0 is much nicer and I think better balanced to the chassis. Also, my first 914 was a '70 1.7L and the tail shifter on those early cars feels like the shift lever is attached to a rubber band. Fix what you have if you can.

How would you go about doing that? The car is in Cudahy and I think you are in Burlington. Do you have a shop or are you an individual? I could tow it down there if I have to but prefer not to as it has been sitting for quite a while at my brothers. It has the center console and the appearance package.

I was born in Montana (Townsend). I am guessing you don't do a lot of driving the 914 out there. You only get a 4 month summer

I would check the 1.7 and if it has minimal rust issues buy it. If it's nice then it's a good deal and earlier cars are always fun with their cruder natures. Then I would fix the 73 2.0 because it's the best model of 914 out there. But that's just me, and could explain why I have more cars than $$.

I am an individual that builds components for 914-6s .. I don't have a public shop. I could probably pick your car up on a trailer and bring it home to evaluate.. I take on projects like this from time to time and come up with a reasonable price on the work..

The interior is near perfect with only (1) slight tear in the drivers seat. The dash is not cracked.

A solid rust free '73 2.0 (running or not) is a desirable commodity.

I think I will buy the above 1.7L tonight and I will contact you in Burlington about perhaps fixing or even selling the 2.0L. Does that work for you?

Sure thing.

UPDATE; So I bought the 1971 1.7 yesterday. It was repaired years ago from a robins egg blue to corvette red. Everything is original as far as I can tell there is no rust but a few scratches and scraps. The lights all work, the wipers (I can not figure out the heater and the OR did not know how it worked either) brand new tires on what I believe are aftermarket wheels. The OR did not know there was a front truck and we found some extra pars in there (including an inner-tube that fits the tires?) it drove straight and the transmission was sloppy but it ran through all the gears. It had dual exhaust which I thought was strange as I thought the 914 had single exhaust. The roof appeared to have been redone - the vinyl removed and the top painted flat black. He wanted $8500.00 and he came down to $7800.00. I think I came out ok. Thanks for your help

A running car is always a plus. I would replace all the rubber fuel lines and upgrade the plastic lines that run down the tunnel to stainless steel. Tangerine racing makes a kit. Every 914 I have purchased, about 20 of them now, has had cracking fuel lines. Same with the soft lines on the brakes. Enjoy your purchase.

Great idea. I think that will be my first project. All fuel lines will be converted to stainless braided. What do you think about the sloppy transmission. Can I do anything about that?

Buy the plastic bushing kit for the shift linkage. Usually around $20-25. I think it's 5 pieces total. Many times the old plastic is falling apart. That's step 1. While you are installing the parts you might see other things that need work but the bushings are always the most bang for your buck.

The tail shifter will always be some what sloppy, especially if you compare it to a modern car. But it can still be enjoyable to drive as long as you appreciate the "vintage" feel.

Not all stainless braided lines are rated for todays fuels. At our shop (mostly 911's) we usually go to flaps, get modern rubber line that's rated for fuel injection and call it good. Buy the proper fuel line clamps instead of regular hose clamps. Flaps and tangerine both have them.

Yes. The transmission has a number of bushings that get worn and cause sloppy shifting. 914rubber.com might even sell them all asa kit.

No need to do replace fuel lines with SS braided. Just replace the tunnel lines with SS from CFR and replace the rubber lines with new EFI grade rubber.

As to your original question, Original Customs in Grand Rapids and 914LTD in Indiana aren’t too far away and they can both build the heck out of an engine.

That is GREAT info and it is very much appreciated. I bought it last night and pick it up this weeks end. I have been researching it all morning. Do you know what tranny the 1971 1.7L would have come with? I see "early" "late" "dog leg" "901" "tail shift" "side shift" terms thrown around and I am trying to narrow that down.

Early, tail shift with a dog leg 1st gear.
It’s a 901 style trans but all 914 trans are different from a 901 due to reverse rotation and 914 trans mounts.

Thank you all very much. I have MS and consequently don't do too much of the mechanical on my own but my brother helps. He is a Porsche 928 guy and his 928 Euro is pristine.

I don't do much of my own work either. You can still find the threads that will show him what to do. If he can deal with a 928, the 914 is simple. 914World is an amazing resource.

can't wait to pick it up on Saturday.

Enjoy the weeks end.

True, the 914 is much simpler than the 928, but that motor in the middle is both a blessing and a curse!

The heater is worked by the lever between the seats. Pull it up, and the flapper valves on the exhaust open up and allow the engine cooling fan to push warmed air from the heat exchangers into the cabin. Pull it up all the way, and the heater blower fan comes on and pushes more air into the heat exchangers, which makes more warm air go into the cabin.




Rivieras. If they have a Bug offset, they will only fit 165-width tires at best. If they have a 914-friendly offset, the rims will be deeper in the fenders, and you can fit 195s (sometimes even 205s) without significant rubbing on one outer rear fender or the other.




It did, but there were several aftermarket mufflers that had two exhaust tips. And some people remove the muffler and just stick cherry bombs or megaphones on the end of the stock heat exchangers, which is generally not a good idea.




There was no vinyl on the roof. It had a "pebbled" texture painted on it, satin black in color. It looked a fair bit like the vinyl that was optional on the "sail panels", but it wasn't vinyl. It's not uncommon for people to sand the roof panel smooth and then paint it body color. Flat black is an interesting choice...



Sounds like a pretty decent price for a running driving 914. Depending on the rust.

--DD

Hmm, odd. I deleted the duplicates.

Thanks a ton for all the great info. Once I get it I can really look into it. I appreciate all the good advice too. I will get some pictures as soon as I get it cleaned up. I saw no rust in the trucks the engine compartment the exterior. It is only about 6" off the ground and I was on a concrete drive way so I could not look under but the OR said it was very clean even around the jack inserts. Is any one interested in a Corvair Corsa (6cyl 4 carburetor 1965 convertible in mint condition. ($10.900). He is selling that from his dad's estate too.

MB911, when would you be able to pick up the 1973 914 with the 2.0L motor to evaluate for repair or possible purchase? It is in beautiful downtown Cudahy WI. in my brothers driveway.

We can talk next week.. You can call or text 262 three six four 7426.

great! Have a great weeks end.

cheers!

markw