What mods would you never do today that you thought were cool back in the day ??

Easy one for me and yes I did a couple of these mods.....

# 4 tip Monza exhaust
# Carpet dash cover
# Porsche raised letter rocker panels

As I got older I came to the conclusion that less is more....

Slant nose w vents

Me

Featured in 1991 VW Porsche

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Click to view attachment

Oscar

I cut my '69 Karmann Ghia cabriolet dash to install a Pioneer "Supertuner."

I think I had a Monza exhaust on one of my cars too.

lol

^ That was you? Too cool. I remember reading about that car and digging so many of your decisions. That car looked ultra clean. Are there more pics of that car here on 914world.com?

As for the question at hand?

I did allow a stereo installer cut up my door panels and mess with the door structure to add four Boston Acoustics speakers. Sure sounded great, but even back then I was pretty bugged the first time I took the door cards off. Also added a Vitaloni mirror from the Cizetta V16T, in matching red, from Kragen along with one of those short "whip" antennas for my pullout stereo. (Bristles at thought.)

Sold that car in 1992 to a gentleman in Florida. Needed $$ to buy my wife a wedding ring. Last I knew he still owned as of 2009.


Still have wife

Oscar

Things I planned to do around 1988 when I started my rebuild but am glad I didn't:

- full leather interior
- custom 5-guage center console with built-in CD storage
- bitchin' Alpine stereo with trunk mounted CD changer
- rear PORSCHE reflector
- negative PORSCHE side stripes
- mylar PORSCHE sunshade tint
- Escort radar detector
- Baby Tornado side mirrors

Things I DID do but wouldn't today:
- black out chrome window trim.
- Weber carb conversion.

My second 914 had the Monza exhaust that I though was cool but I got over it quickly.

Well I would still do the fabric removable dash cover to protect it from the sun, but without the adhesive velcro pads (have one on our 88 Westy).

However, my `76 & `80 DAPO trick to not repeat was to repaint it from first Gold to Copper (74 color), then to the 930 Anthracite Grey metallic!

In my defense, it already had been repainted by the dealer &/or OO/PO from L80E to Sahara Beige then the gold when I got it as 2nd owner at 36 months "old".

It'll go back to original L80E in my resto.

While I know that those pre-date your 1992 date in the OP - there is no expiration date on stupid DAPO moves by owners - as well still see on some 914s even today!

It kinda reminds me of that Audi CPO car ad on TV, where the "future owner" tells the 1st/current owner not to do DAPO stuff on "his future Audi"!

PS - I had the Escort detector in the 914, then the BMW & the 88 Vanagon - the latter of which was the real laugh! .... but I did have the habit of doing 95 downhill so it would only slow to 55-65 on the uphill side!

I'll probably to the positive black Porsche side stripe on my resto, since it looks good & was a period correct dealer sold option from Porsche back then, as well as the AMCO Porsche crest shift knob, also a dealer & aftermarket period piece, as well as the SSI HEs..


Tom
///////

I'm surprised none of you had a car phone!

* Any of the body kits that changed the shape, especially if they bent the nose down. Beach Boys were so cool (at ruining things)...
* Shaving popup headlights (or trying to because you can't really unless you put stupid frog eyes on top).
* Stupid weird fender flares that stray too far. (Stretching is fine if you need it, but don't ruin the lines)

Back then , I would have had SEX in it. Now, I have a difficult time just getting in and out of it

I did on the date, Thank god it didn’t have a center console. It would have never happened. 1983, Tennis court parking lot next week to Portola Jr. High, City of Orange.

Her name was Diane, and no I didn’t marry her......

Oh, but that center console potential... ;p

I added a 4 tip in early 2000, but in my defence I had just installed 2.0 SSI's and figured out my 1.8 muffler wouldn't fit. The 4 tip was the only thing I had kicking around, IIRC I only used it for one season.

You win

I do have the AMCO Porsche crest shift knob plus a NOS extra. Not giving it up but have a great condition original in storage. I've also been tempted to do a positive stripe. I still like the look but like neg better which isn't correct for my 73 and have grown to agree with OP that less is more.

Also, I should have added hood crest on my list. I still think the cars look better with, than without and it is tempting, but not stock and one less expense and hassle.

I sold my 1st orange 914-6. Took me 4 years to find another white 914-6 in 1994.

My dad had a Monza exhaust on his 914 (which he got 6 months after I got mine) in the 70's.
Didn't matter if you didn't like it or not- it would rust out in a year anyway!

I would have put a baby seat in the 914 for junior...but my wife wouldn't have any of that. Instead ...MattyLite sat shotgun in his seat way high up in the 3.2 powered (+ lifted) Vanagon syncro and life was good

Yes, I think you won this thread.

Baby Toronado mirrors
Another set of fog lamps
Dropped suspension
Dark tinted windows
Stickers

Who didn't make out in their 914? The seat latches hurt but it was worth it.

How about forward date the bumpers to make it look like a later model on my 73 2.0.
Thought about it but decided I could spend the money on girls and drink instead.

Looks like that was a good decision.

My did!
I bought a sunflower yellow 1.7L from the sales mgr at Barrier Porsche in Bellevue WA that came equipped with an analog cell phone handset mounted in the center deposit the box ... didnt last too long

Cutting up the dash and door panels to install bulky stereo components.

Like Mark I sold it
Tangerine ...was getting killed in Autocrosses by corvettes with ABS and huge tires
Yes it was an error
Took until 2006 to replace when I bought two....

Swapping out the Sapphire for an ARI equipped Blaupunt.
Still waiting for those traffic reports to come in when I listen to my cassettes!

Wink mirror!! Oh I forgot, I still rock my wink mirror! Click to view attachment

In 1990.... The wayback machine would say now ,... go way back to the junk yard in southern Louisiana where my 71 was dragged off the road to after a hideous front end total fold at 80 mph on the freeway / precipitated by a loon at a standstill on the top of a crest on the fast lane of the freeway.... lookin' left thru and at the median-mud for a way to make a u-turn. In 90,... look for the salvage motor, or the euro tail light lenses that survived / or the top/ or the .... well, you know the junk yard drill......... Way back / End of story.....

Rear duck tail spoiler and cut holes in door cards for 6” speakers.

edit: Dang, I missed it by 10+ years. Need to read more better...

Rivieras
Monza exhaust
Webbers
color change

ididit

I got married in it too, but I'd do that again in a heartbeat.

Click to view attachment

Would have done it then. If I found a kit now ....

I can't believe more of you guys didn't have sex in your 914..
I was 18 when I bought my 6 and it was my summer daily driver..
You gotta do what you gotta do.

The 6 got put away for the winters though....
Winter car was a Corvair Turbo Coupe..

I lived near a world class car builder then and lusted after a
paint job from him.... A custom metal flake blue color change to my tangerine 6.
That never happened luckily.. But I did get a respray in the late 70's and told the body shop guy to "shut up the ORANGE" a little..

Also, I did paint my white headlight surrounds black to look like the later ones and also cut my 6 rear valance short to look like the newer ones.

On a good note

I wasn't into stereo's so I never cut the dash or door panels for an aftermarket
system... Hell, my factory radio never got used..
And I pulled the factory engine in 1975 or so and put it on a shelf with
maybe 30,000 miles on it.

That Chrysler "Turbo" badge!

Convert to carbs
KYBs
Throw out perfect sun visors
Empi wheels

installed a Chalon kit

















Just kidding!

I would have done anything I could to make it seem more 911-ish, more Porsche less VW.

What I did do then that I wouldn’t do again:
*Installed bright red 911 3 spoke steering wheel
*Installed plastic Baby Turbo Mirrors
*Monza exhaust
*let my car be totaled because of hell hole rust

I had a VW bus
Did you know that when you bang in a bus for the 4th time in one day, without showers, things start to get a bit ripe.

But the trooper I was I finished the duty.

Bought an original six.

But maybe that comes under...If I knew now.....

If I still had this today, I wouldn't change a thing.

But if I was doing this all over again I wouldn't do the 911 mirrors, not all red (paint, chrome interior, ALL RED) no porsche embossed rocker panels and maybe not the rear spoiler.

I found this in the old stack of pics. This is up in Whistler BC in 93. Nice GT

Hey, I had one of them Red Wranglers..new tires and lift 700miles from new

not so much what I did to my 914s, but ..........it did affect my 914s
I still have the 3 914s,,the 911 is long gone...oh and I just gave belly bulge occupant the yellow 914-6 3rd gen..

sweet jeep!

Almost 90s but early 2000's I ditched the exhaust and went supertraps

I had a 74 bumblebee LE. . I painted all the yellow to black. .

I would have removed the factory fuel injection and installed a single carb....(yes, I was that stupid...)

Click to view attachment

I'll go back further than 1990.

When I bought my 76 back around 1985, I used to drive with a person in the passenger seat and also on the center cushion....just cause you could.

The worst thing though that I would never do now, was attempt to sleep across the front seats at a rest stop in Florida.
I was 6'2.5" at the time....what was I thinking?
It didn't work out that well....the sleeping part that is.

Not a 914 but i the late 80's I totally restored a bug, welded up the trim holes, 1pc windows, shaved turn signals, removed the towel bars, lowered, etc.

Hated the 1pc windows and overall the excitement over the look waned quickly.
My '67 bug is still lowered, big engine, but it has all the trim, US towel bar bumpers, 2pc windows, etc. They call what I have now a resto-custom.

For some reason I wanted to chrome plate the air cleaner on my '76 to dress up the engine compartment. Thank God it was too expensive for my 23 year old, just out of college, budget!

Dave

I did not have sex . . . . with that woman . . . . driving down the road . . . . in a 914 . . . well maybe . . . just that one time . . .

A lot easier than some other cars - back in the day.

Oscar I still have a copy of that article! Can’t
Believe it was you!
My sins: Rear lip spoiler, raised letter rockers, yellow rectangular Sears fogs ( where round should be!), Monza quad tip, Sankyo radio/cassette player, fake alarm system stickers!
I was twenty something what did I know?!