I actually just read about someone doing that when tuning their carb on a VW Bus. It really helped to dial in the jetting. I need to investigate that further. Thanks for the suggestion.

UPDATE: noted the jet sizes for the old carb and replicated in the new carb. Last jet came in today. Installed, set the timing, and drove down the road. Ran good but wasn't brave enough to wind it out too high. 4000 or so was tops. Only have two gears and streets are residential/rural. Plus, didn't want to get too far from home in case it quit running for some reason!

Next step is to get the shift linkage sorted out. Unfortunately, my weekend is filled with other "stuff" to do so probably won't get to it for a while.

Congrats on your purchase. This was one of my 914 magazine dream cars (anybody remember the blue Bond centerfold 914/6 with the the wide IMSA bodywork?). I actually met Jay Richardson around 2005 while living in the Knoxville, TN area. His dad Maurice was my realtor and told me he had a Porsche too. He proceeded to bring over his 911 Turbo that Jay built ( how I met Jay). He let me drive it. OMG, it was an absolute monster, and a bucket list moment for me. He may still be in the Knoxville area.

I can speak to the challenges of adding a turbo or supercharger to a 914... and getting it to run properly. I purchased a turbo'd 914 many years ago from the estate of the late owner / builder Ed Atkinson. It was a 73 2.0 with a Crown / Rayjay turbo kit that had almost every period available add-on component thrown at it... custom cam, stock D-jet injection with rising rate fuel pressure regulator, Hobbs switch that switched on the cold start injector for boost enrichment, (small) custom intercooler, Ak Miller wastegate (OG Crown turbo kit didn't have one, LOL), cockpit adjustable static and boost retard ignition timing, Permatune, cockpit adjustable boost valve, old school alcohol / water injection (literally a windshield washer pump blowing the mixture into the turbo intake via a windshield washer nozzle), custom 2.5" Corvair Turbo exhaust plumbing, external oil cooler, Turbo Corvair air cleaner and muffler, etc.

I purchased the car off Ebay. The test drive hooked me, relatively flat flat torque..until it hit boost. Then the torque curve went vertical!! Trouble was, once it warmed up, it started detonating like crazy. I bought the old "How to Turbo" book, read it cover to cover, endlessly surfed VW and Corvair web forums, contacted everybody I could, including Jake Raby, Maltese Falcon (thanks Marty!), Ak Miller (RIP), Peter Dawe (friend of Ed the builder), pbanders, the locash racing boys, etc. I owned it (twice), tinkered with it for months on end, and never got it to run right / not detonate. After finding out that the turbo / exhaust plumbing was rusting out, the turbo oil return was compromised, the TB was a PITA to get to / adjust, etc. etc. I removed the turbo bits and returned it to stock.

Here were my take-ways from my experiences:

Stock D-Jet doesn't work well with a turbo. The system is meant to see vacuum, not boost, unless you somehow modify the now rare / $$$ MPS. Thanks pbanders!

The alky-water system wasn't working and I took it off. In retrospect, I think this was THE key to making the whole system work.

You may also need a way to retard the timing during boost. I think MS can do that, as well as boost enrichment.

My 914 was restored to a high standard by the PO. It was actually worth more stock than with the turbo. The vintage Crown / Rayjay / Corvair turbo and other bits were easy to sell for (crazy) $$$, people were actually fighting over them. Other add-ons sold for $$$ as well..Scheel seats, SEV Marchall dual element headlamps, etc. It's crazy to think that someone purchased a $4000-ish 914, added a $1200 turbo kit (then extensively modified it!), a $1000 pair of seats, $200 headlights, added Koni's, custom sway bars, etc...., all in 70's $$$!!!.

After talking at length with builders of VW aircooled and carb'd turbo cars, (even American V8's) it's really difficult to get one to run right, not run hot etc. FI is the best way to go. If you want to give the carb route a go, check with the aircooled VW drag guys or Turbo Corvair guys. They've been doing it for decades and have (most) of the bugs worked out.

Nothing beats telling someone at a C&C / P-car GTG that you owned a turbo'd 914 with D-Jet FI

Click to view attachment

Thank you, @914rrr I have the issue of VW&P you speak of.
A friend of mine who knows Jay's wife says they live in Oak Ridge. I'd really like to talk to him about this engine and 914.
I am going to try Megasquirt and see if I can get it to run properly that way. If not, then I will remove the supercharger and run the "stock" build with twin-plug heads.
I believe this setup needs MS or some other tuneable FI system.
This 914 was once a race car but restored back to street dress by one of the POs. Though not perfect (it sat outside for 3 years), it has not only the factory steel GT flares but a lot of 914-6 bits.
Yeah, or a supercharged 914! I just want to feel that boost at least once

I haven't done anything to this 914 for the past several weeks. Last thing I did was check compression: 130+ on 1, 3, 4 but just over 110 on #2
Pretty sure #2 was the one that had been seized from sitting so long. I am going to pull the engine and have whatever damage is there repaired.

In the meantime, I plan to pull the Raby 2056 from my LE and install it in the GT just so I can put some miles on that car. The LE needs a rustoration to bring it back to its stock form, anyway, so it is a good time to park it for a long while (it's been my daily driver for most of the past 8 or so years)

I know the June of '93 owner from New York
I resurrected a long dormant 914 6 for him a couple years ago.
At the time he mentioned this car to me and how he regretted selling it
See topic title 'This doesn't happen every day'

Wow, that is amazing! Do you still see him nowadays? If you could give him my email address (I will PM to you) that would be awesome.

Thanks!

Thought I'd update this project thread.

Discussion of adding a Megasquirt System happened back in December.

I made contact with both the engine builder and the owner who bought it. So now I have talked to the five previous owners before me. It appears the engine has less than 50 miles on it since being built 30 years ago!

Earlier this year, I pulled the supercharged engine and swapped in the 2056 from my daily driver LE. Got it all buttoned up in time to take it to Amelia first part of March. There and back without an issue

Yesterday I visited a local body shop to get an estimate on repairing all the paint blemishes - rock chips, surface rust, lifting paint - in preparation for a vinyl wrap. Now I just need to make an appointment to have the work done.
Click to view attachment

Today, I took notes on interior condition and will be refurbing/replacing parts to get the cockpit in shape. At some point I will have to tackle the spaghetti wiring
Click to view attachment

Never was a dull moment with a forced induction T4.
Here at RIR, parked on the infield near turn 6. Drove there on street tires, then changed to 7" slicks for the time trials. On the mps, I first started using a 1-way check valve to keep boost out of the mps. Then I found a small company "Control box Specialties" that used an alum disc inside the mps...instead of the neoprene one. They also rebuilt 914 ecu's , etc. But they vanished after a couple years.
Click to view attachment

Removing exterior trim to get ready for a bit of bodywork in the near future.

I've seen worse
Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Working on the interior.
Click to view attachment

Stripped the dash - upper pad, dash face, lower pad. Removed ash tray.
Click to view attachment

Pretty rough shape...
Click to view attachment

Swapped water damaged door panels for some in better condition. Using original tan panels that came in my LE but DAPO dyed them black
Click to view attachment

So, I sprayed them "camel" and they turned out great!
Click to view attachment

Just to mention when I owned your car it had a 3.2 with 46 webers.....also the original twin plug type four in the VWPorsche mag was mine ..

Thanks for that bit of info, @ablesnead
Any history of the car before you got it? Or more details from when you owned it? Was it already set up as a racer when you got it or did you do all the mods?

As an update to the project itself... not much has happened lately. I did manage to install a set of newly dyed seats. I have been trying to get an affordable center console that I plan to customize to fit but sellers keep flaking out on me so that part of the project has been on hold for the past few months!

Thinking about going with a tan backpad.
Click to view attachment

Wow I like the look of that interior

What are you up to Steve? Cinnamon crisis?

YES!
The tan dye doesn't have the texture the "cinnamon" has but I prefer tan to black for the interior. I've got some ideas on customizing the dash and center console that are slowly coming together.


Thanks, Stephen. Still a ways to go for the rest of the interior (dash is still totally stripped) but I've got a plan

73 had cinnamon arm rests for the doors

Doing to very top of the door panels black would be a nice accent. Looks great.

Thanks for the suggestion.

who cares what it looks like, as long as it RUNS!!, right Steve?
seriously, though i do like the 2 tone interior as well! Istill have to work on getting my wiper blades working again - just in case ....

That's been my motto all along (as those who have seen my LE can testify).

As for the mods - with this '73, I have free reign to customize as I see fit for many reasons chief among them... it is not an LE!!! I actually have a plan - it is just going very slowly

You can't supercharge a 914

Well... you can but probably not advisable
Once I get a Megasquirt system installed it will be interesting to see what happens