Just purchased my first Porsche. A 1971 914 with a dead motor so I figured the best bang for the buck would be a Subie motor/trans swap but I'm having trouble finding a shop in southern California. Renegade is backed up for several months. Any recommendations would be very much appreciated.

Some may say they'll do it but I'd go with a shop who has done a Subi conversion. If you search for member DB Cooper, may he rest in peace, he names the shop that did his in the Bay Area. I know that is a couple hundred miles north but...............they did a very nice, no problems conversion for him rather quickly. JMHO,

Oh,and.

Just get a good used long block and get it running again. Could have it up and running in a day. Then, if you want more power, build a 2056 or larger. If you want more than 150hp and AC, then you can go Subie. In SoCal, look at outfront motorsports, they may be able to get you a motor and much of the work, I think they might put subies into busses but I dont know for sure. I've made all my dead type 4 engines run again, none were siezed.

In the grand scheme of things, a couple of months is nothing to get it into a shop that does that conversion all day long. I would not want someone learning on my car. Get it in line now. It will be in the shop before you know it. All the while you can be collecting parts and or accumulating your budget.

There isn't a shop in SoCal that is fluent in them.

There are a lot of us around with a wealth of knowledge that can help you if you choose to do it yourself.

After some of the work I've seen from Renegade I would run away as fast as possible.

Mine was a Renegade car that was done very well. You are welcome to come take all the photos you want. 2.0 turbo with a 901. My plan is to ultimately convert to the Suby trans, but if you just want it converted, using the 901 bolts up REAL easy with no fabrication of axles or CV joints.

Welcome

Lots and lots of ways to go.

What do you ultimately want from the car?

I don't remember where this guy was. I got info from him years ago. Here is the guys info Brodie 559-593-6102 & I thought he was in CA but could have been Arizona

Chi-Town Dylan will do it for you.......

With all do respect . its alot cheaper and faster to buy a car with the conversion already done

Getting a roller and building it up will be the most expensive and time consuming route

In most instances this logic applies , their are exceptions but .


any so cal shop will charge you 20x
What the work is worth(if its even quality fab work) . so stear clear of that route . i would buy a parts subaru car and send it to mexico to do the swap before a so.cal shop.

But i think getting the car in shape (paint body, electric ,suspension,brakes etc.)

Will keep you busy while figuring out engine config

I can recommend a machine shop to revive your dead engine if you want ?











And you do understand that subaru conversion requires
Cutting the car up , as in non reversible mods
( not for the faint of heart) ( me ! )

Thanks, I'll take you up on that soon to check your's out. Two questions on your conversion: how is it with the 901 tranny? Also, what did the conversion from Renegade run you, if you don't mind me asking.

In the end, I know that this will cost a lot more than I can get out of it. I've bought a lot of sports cars, now I want to feel like I created one with my own style. I'm going to do some of the restoration myself but will farm out the technical stuff that's over my head.

I'm not 100% sure yet. This forum is great and has a lot of info on it that I will use to mold and shape my vision over time.

I very strongly suggest you get that sorted out first-otherwise there are lots of paths to wander down while spending large amounts of money only to not end up where you want to be.

I'm sure others will chime in but IMHO if you keep the 901 transmission and cable clutch keep the other 50 year old technology items. If you want to bring your 914 into the 22nd Century then replace the entire drive train. That is, Subaru engine, transmission w/ hydraulic clutch. Basically there a 3 choices. Four cylinder N/A, four cylinder Turbo or a six. The stock 4 cylinder 2.5 is good for 165hp which isn't anything to sneeze at. The turbo 4's are 230hp plus; the sky is the limit here. Or the six which was my choice. The TY75 5 speed is a great transmission with two final drive variations. The hydraulic clutch is a quick conversion which you'll never regret. Paramount in my build was that I be able to walk into any Flap's and buy a part should I break down. You can piece meal your build or, as in my case, buy a wreck and cannibalise it. You'll need thick skin once you step over to the "Dark Side" but you'll relish in the reliability and economics of the change. I get around 35 mph and have 15,000 on this conversion. No regrets; only smiles.

EDIT: the person that posted "irreversible mods" is uninformed or without skills.

Great info, thanks. I would love to go with a Subaru trans but I think that coldwater914 is no longer in business so I wouldn't know where to get the right cradle for the trans.

Btw, who did your conversion?

The 901 works well. The gearing is short for the power of the motor. I do use first gear to get going, but the majority is second on. I can start in second if I want to. Top end is around 120. Its got more plenty of power and accelerates like a street bike. Everyone says it can handle 300 HP. My current tune on the suby was dyno tested at 215 HP, and 225 torque. The Accessport 3 tune I may install will bump it up around 250 HP. I honestly would be afraid of this car with anything more than that, as the carrera brakes won't be able to stop its velocity.

To get one done that is in fact cheaper, but you have to find someone who needs to get out. My car was done by someone else here on the 914world forum and I have about $60,000 of his receipts. A very nice gentleman, much older than I am whose body must not have done well climbing in and out. He purchased a very nice Boxter with AC and better seats...

Remember, labor is minimally $100.00 per hour, in Cali and that each hour is spent "restoring" a part, not just putting in on the car. Then there is the car, the paint and body etc.. It adds up. So I did get it much cheaper already built. There are more V-8 conversions on the resale market than subarus. I wouldn't dare dream of selling mine now that I have a near perfect car. (in my eyes). I believe once you see it and drive in it (should you dare to go for a ride with me...) you will immediately want one.

I just bought a spare USDM 2.0 turbo and trans for $1100.00 dollars off a 65K mile car on Craigslist. They're out there. Stay away from the JDM motors. You need a USDM so the computers will work.

That isn't true at all. None of the mods done for my suby conversion car are irreversible. Although why the hell if I did it would I want to reverse it . More power reliability to go anywhere & buy parts at any auto parts store

Just me.

That 901's gearing is just about the same as the 5 speed Subaru, including 1st gear. I've got one conversion with a 901w/H gear and another conversion with the full Suby swap. As far as Engines: Just about any Domestic EZ30D you find will have north of 100K but that ain't much for this model. I have a USDM with 185K on its clock that I pulled to fix an oil leak and you could still see the cross hatching in the cylinder walls. I have a JDM I pd $1000 that's like new. I used one of the 4 molex plugs off the USDM and one other small connector which I can't remember at this time. Thats it. A 20 min job. It's still in there and has about 7K on it's clock since installed. The D series is basically the same exact engine be it JDM or USDM but I can't speak to the other models.

You're more than welcome to check out our build thread. I just recently had the car moved over to my place to resume the build. We bought our as a roller, and found a donor 1998 Subaru Impreza with the EJ22 n/a motor. Both cars were $500/ea.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=92942

Happy to see it back in the works. I wondered what happened to this build.