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My 1974 1.8 is only gone a week and I've got a new project to waste time on. This 1975 1.8 Chalon kitted car belonged to a co-worker who needed it out of his side yard so he could fill in his backyard pool. Motor is locked up due to him selling the carbs and not covering the intake ports.

My oldest son is 15, so I'm going to try to get him involved with this resurrection so he's got some equity in it when he's old enough to drive it. I am realistic and know there are likely going to be some new driver mishaps, and I won't feel guilty if he bends a Chalon.

One of my first orders of business is to figure out how I can get it running in the most cost effective manner possible.

-Carl

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Well, if nothing else, there’s a $1000 worth of Fuchs there...

Now that's a fine car! Or not.

Is that a Dormobile conversion on your Land Rover?

Say what you will about Chalons, but that I think that one actually looks pretty good!
Best of luck with the build.

Chris,
I agree. If the body and paint work were redone that would be a good looking Chalon.
Slip a six or other (insert wild imagination here) conversion in it and you’ve got a car worth talking about.

My problem with the car in the first place is that it was a conversion meant to make the car look like one of these, and WTF! They were only $9-10K new. I know! I bought 2 of them new. My feeling is that if your going to do a body kit on a car to make it look like another car, at least make it look like a car that you can’t afford to actually buy.

Hey ... Say what they will about the Chalon .. But they make a great looking RAT ROD ..
Thats what I'm turning my Chalon into .. Flat Black and the odd chrome pieces ..

I'd rather see more of what looks like a Series II LWB than the Chalon, but that's just me...

Well, now that i have your approval ...

Cost efficient? Cut out the trunk, put a Honda motor/trans in it, and put the radiator in front of the engine laying flat with a fan and a duct.

You could probably get it on the road with some new parts for less than 500

Same thing can be done with a Subaru but more cost, however nicer.

Mueller just got his 3.5 Honda v6 conversion running with very minimal effort and costs.. that is a killer setup there, but adapter hardware is required.

I like this Chalon, it might have to do with the wild paint job.

I think you should do an Audi 1.8T so you can buy my Passat/Boxster 5 speed and brand new 1.8t forged flyweel and clutch kit

How about a fresh 215 Buick. I have a complete unused conversion setup that I was planning for my Chalon, but have decided to stick with a four so I can keep racing with the Vintage guys.

I like the ideas, and my son is thinking engine swap also. He plays a driving video game, Forza, where he can virtually "mod" his cars. In the video game, an engine swap is just a few controller clicks. Little does he know how long the 914 would actually be up on the jack stands!

But for starters, I am thinking a 914 engine. There's a locked-up 1.8 in the car, with no FI or carbs. I have another 1.8 which has (at least) a broken exhaust valve, and it came with the L-jet FI. I have a couple 1.7L D-jet systems (can I use those on a 1.8 engine?). And a GC code 2.0 long block.

I think I'll see if I can piece together a running 1.8 between the two core engines. If that looks too expensive due to machining costs, maybe try to find a known runner 1.7 or 1.8 from a local enthusiast.

The engine swaps can come later. I don't want to give a 16 year old too many horses to play with!

-Carl

For tomeric914 and beech4rd: The 1967 Land Rover Dormobile tow vehicle:
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I have a 1.8 ready to re-assemble, all cleaned up!
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=331606

I dig the Land Rover, we have a newer one however I'd love to have a classic like yours.

Yes I've seen your ad and it's definitely an option depending on what I find when I dig into the engines I have!


I have a 1.8 ready to re-assemble, all cleaned up!
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=331606

Back in the late 70s I thought the styling of the Mitcom Chalon was super. I was also in my early 20s and I liked the update styling kits for the pre-1974 911s. The paint of the Mincom for their ads from the porotype paint ad scheme.

What the hell was I thinking but I never bought one. Still think they look good. If done with aluminum and steel the valances and bumpers for 1974 911 look good to me. Now I like the older long noise on the 911 but in that moment, I did like the styling Q’s

Bob B
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Back in the late 70s I thought the styling of the Mitcom Chalon was super. I was also in my early 20s and I liked the update styling kits for the pre-1974 911s. The paint of the Mincom for their ads from the porotype paint ad scheme.

What the hell was I thinking but I never bought one. Still think they look good. If done with aluminum and steel the valances and bumpers for 1974 911 look good to me. Now I like the older long noise on the 911 but in that moment, I did like the styling Q’s

Bob B


I also liked this kit back then. I visited their facility in Compton (now Rancho Dominguez) just off the 91 Fwy. I must have seen 10 body kits in-process.
Fav color was guards red! My wallet back then never let me buy a kit.

Oscar

VW Porsche mag Aug. 1980

HEY ... Too All you guys in the 914 World that feel that the Chalon is a piece of May want to just keep in mind ... After Having only 911's my whole life the 914 is a piece of to the 911WORLD ..
We all have different taste in how we fix up our 914 's .. Some like V8's Some like 6cly some stay with the type 4 .. We All have different Budgets and what we want to do to our personal HotRod ... So It angers me to hear Bashing towards someone uses choice ..
the WORLD part means we are all are different but share the same passion of the 914

Hey Chris Your WRONG ... It was made to look like a Mazda .. Just in YOUR eyes ..

Oh dear. I’ve angered Canada again. They’ll probably invade us...

We are starting with a smoke screen...

I read and re-read the whole thread.

Was there bashing going on?

this thread illustrates exactly what my Harvard Prof. Dad used to say to me all the time. "This is exactly why there is a program of higher education for you to pursue, Son".

No. Apparently, someone is sensitive about their Chalon and now no one is allowed to have opinions. CW says the smoke from he B.C. fires is a prelude to a Canadian invasion (stay safe up there CW) , the Beekster will probably point out that Canada kicked ass on the US once before. (Incorrectly)
I’m in trouble for thinking the Chalon looks like an RX7 even though articles written about it back in the day point out that it “looks like an RX7.” He thinks my name is Chris so just to be safe I’m going to PM him Chris’ address.
My personal feeling is it’s kind of funny.

Did a guy with a 916 bodykit insinuate the chalon kit was ugly?
Ive heard everything!

If you’re talking about me, my car isn’t a 916 body kit. It’s an M471. Also, no one at all called it ugly. It isn’t ugly. It’s made to look like an RX7. I owned two RX7’s in the ‘80’s. Why would I buy a car I thought to be ugly? I said, and I repeat, why would you put a body kit on a car to make it look like a car anyone could buy? In 1984 I bought an RX7 GSL-SE for $14K. So let’s think this through critically. The 914 was only say 10 years old on average then. So it wasn’t that cheap to buy. Then you have the cost of the kit and shipping, then installation and bodywork. By then, you’re pretty darn close to that top of the line RX7. So why?

Just a thought Carl, when our youngest started driving a friend suggested putting an MSD box on it with a 4000RPM pill. We never did but it would have allowed everything but WOT driving...
judging by the color scheme, that might be a factory built Chalon.

And the whole time I thought the Charon kit was a facsimile of the slope nose 911. Man do I feel like a total idiot.

Just out of my own ignorance and curiosity, was there a real "original factory" 914 Chalon?

Nope, just a bunch of aftermarket kits. Chalon was a kit made by Mitcom. I also liked the Rayco kit. In the 80's and 90's, I was a big fan of both kits, but I was never a fan of fiberglass, due to the cracks, so I never invested in one.

I think he was referring to Sir Andy, since Andy is the only one on this thread with 916 bumpers.
I also like the vintage M471 look. Too bad our cars are not real M471 cars. They would be worth a lot more money. However if they worth that much money, I probably wouldn't drive it as far and as much.

Paul posted his in the sandbox. I’m confused though. If they weren’t factory assembled, why are so many in this color scheme?

I don’t know but that pic isn’t a Chalon.

The rear is a Rayco and the front looks, uh, custom? Chalon shad the 911 front bumper bellows, albeit in fiberglass.

But like you I do wonder why this paint job ends up on so many 914’s.

Thats a 944 NA front bumper center section.


And they were painted that way because 80's... And products of the 80's are better than any other generation

It only looks like an rx7 to those who need an appointment with their eye doctor. It has 911 style bumpers. If they wanted it to look like a mazda, they would have put mazda bumpers on it. It was designed to look like a 911/930 slant nose. One look at the marketing materials for the kit should make that obvious.

Lighten up Francis


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs


I'd say a good majority of 914 owners currently have or owned a 911s in the past (like myself)

No one is calling the Chalon a POS, it is the styling that is a love or hate thing.

YOU should not feel like an idiot...

But I think Rob should add a Chalon to his stable. Sell off the Datsun!

No.

I worked for Dune Buggy Supply back then. Building kit cars. The VW mags back in the day said it “brings to mind the Mazda RX7.” I’ve never seen the marketing materials.

But you said you owned RX-7’s!!! One has to make the mental leap that you actually liked the styling in order to purchase TWO of them!

If needed we could always look for a Chalon that has had a Wankel swapped into it.

No.

Me among others. The OP had no way to know how very funny this thread would become. No, I don’t blame Canada.

What's amazing to me is a Chalon might be at pricing parity with a (rough) 944, the newer Porsche some Chalons share their front bumpers with. I would have loved to have listened in on some of those conversations: "Sir, we now offer the choice of a downgraded 944 nose, in case you're feeling a bit conscious about the full monte up front." It would be even more interesting to chart the value curves for Chalons vs real Slantnoses between 1985 and now, this from a guy who hates value threads. Might be humorous to see where the curves come closest.

And yes, lighten up re: poking a bit of fun at the Chalon. They've actually aged better than I expected, but more importantly, I've always felt like a Porsche owner who can't laugh at the porcupine joke shouldn't be driving a Porsche. That goes double when it comes to we 914 folk...while the car is finally having its day, it was long the butt of many, many, many jokes. Best to grin and bear it.

On the plus side Pete, with far more slant nose 911’s than were originally made, it’s much easier to plot that value curve!

Wait, are we plotting the curve of all Chalons? Or Chalons with wankels? Because if it’s the latter we could just ask Rob what he thinks his new car is worth..to him...if he sold it to a Canadian.

There can’t be more than one Chalon with a wankel, can there?

To keep it fair, I was thinking original Chalons and original Slantnoses only.

The question is, would that disqualify Beach Boys Racing?

I imagine leisure suits will come back in style someday too......?

I would never sell anything to a Canadian. Without exception, every time I did this in the past, they asked me to help them cheat on their taxes, and then were totally butt hurt when I said no.

I have never seen a Chalon that I would call decently done. I’m no Ferg, but I just wouldn’t own any I’ve ever seen. The were all total shitboxes. On second thought, I should buy one and sell it to a Canadian just to get the damned thing exported! Might even help the wanker cheat on his taxes!