Fascinating

Son of OP here - having some technical difficulties getting post up, working to resolve!

OK guys and gals

I live in Scotland about 20 miles West of Aberdeen, and have been hanging around this forum for years asking the odd question and throwing in the occasional comment. Oh and learning, learning, learning from all the wonderful contributions from the members. I could not have got to where I am without this forum for sure.

Anyway I recently saw the return of my painted body shell and its time to build her up. Exciting!

So the inspiration for my build came from three places, firstly the whole project started with a conversation on a Channel Ferry returning from the Le Mans 24 hrs in 2009 when I heard about the 914 project that had been started and now could not be finished. That led to a phone call, a visit and a deal which saw me transport several trailer loads of parts and cars in various stages of dismantling back to my place. Secondly I fell in love with the Marathon de la Route cars and their success, and finally at the Le Mans classic I saw an MG Midget which had been refreshed in a way that was not original but more street racer with a modern twist. Oh and there was also a final twist - my son was living in Salt Lake City and encountered a yellow 914-6 which happened to belong to a chap called Eric Shea…..that resulted eventually in some dealings, and a memorable ride in that same car that Jay Leno rode in later!

So fast forward several years and I have the following to put together.

Fully restored and painted body shell with slightly flared rear arches only for the 16x7 Fuchs rear wheels I acquired along the way. Fronts are 16x6.

2258cc Type 4 engine with Porsche fan, Bugpack 3 stage dry sump pump with remote front mounted thermostat, cooler and dry sump tank. 78mm forged crank and 96mm Keith Black pistons on Carillo rods with ARP fasteners, Webcam 86c camshaft, new AMC cylinder heads with n44mm intake and 38mm exhaust valves with Elephant foot adjusters, twin Weber 44IDF carbs with Pertronix ignition and Flame Thrower coil. Compression ratio was set at 9.1. All engine parts and crankcase work supplied by James at Stateside Tuning in Gloucestershire. Finally decided that a tired old starter motor was not up to the job and bought a high torque starter from Powerlite.

Gearbox has been rebuilt as a close ratio box by Mike Bainbridge in Kendal, with sprints and hillclimbs in mind. 5th is stock as an overdrive.

Suspension is via Elephant racing bushings front and rear, with Koni inserts front with 911 control arms and Sway Away 21mm torsion bars. A Weltmeister front anti-roll/sway bar completes the set up. Rear suspension also has Koni shocks with Rebel Racing coil overs and 150Lb Eibach springs. Rear control arms are strengthened as per PMB pattern (thanks Eric!), and have rose jointed toe-in adjusters fitted to the outer mounting bracket.

Front hubs, rotors and calipers are from a 911, whilst rear hubs, rotors and calipers are stock but modified for 5 bolt wheels by PMB. A 19mm master cylinder will be fitted with adjustable brake bias.

Internally a full bolt in Safety Devices cage will be fitted, whilst a chassis strengthening kit has been applied to the “longs” rear section. A plumbed race extinguisher will be fitted. Heat exchangers have been deleted from the motor, and so a heated windscreen will be fitted along with Lexan side and rear windows. Fibreglass boot and bonnet (trunk and hood!) lids have been procured as per the original 914-6GT cars, as well as fibreglass bumpers and sills.

Given the state of the old electrical loom, and the deletion of multiple electrical items (heater, headlight motors, fuel injection) a custom loom has been designed and will be fitted with additional relays on all key circuits to protect the older switches. Protection will be via circuit breakers. The new relay panel and power distribution board will sit under a custom passenger footrest which pivots down to reveal the electrics.

The stripped interior will be finished with a pair of Cobra Classic RS seats, fitted with 4 point harnesses.


I am currently on an extended holiday visiting my children and grandchildren in far-flung places but on return in early March will be full speed ahead with the final assembly. All major components have been fitted prior to painting, so it should all go back together well…..

To date I have fitted most of the suspension, and started the interior fit-out. The engine has run in a custom frame outside of the car and this has revealed some (hopefully…) minor leaks which will be fixed prior to installation in the car. The complex oil system has proven one of the most challenging aspects to get right, but I think we are close. I am super-aware that getting the in-car installation of this right first time will be a real priority - especially the long lines up the front.

I will post a few pictures of my journey to date, and will keep you updated on progress. Some of you may be as terrified as I am that I have booked ferry tickets for my son and I to attend the 2020 Le Mans Classic this July - and the 914 will be our vehicle of choice……I do have a couple of other options but my mates will rib me remorselessly if I miss the deadline with the 914……..

Wish me luck!!

Simon

Where it all started...Click to view attachment

..and where this build thread now starts....

I will fill in some more background as we go along - promise!

Click to view attachment

Quite a journey so far. Look forward to seeing more. I like the subtle flare technique.
LeMans Classic is certainly on my bucket list to attend.
I hope you make it happen with your 914!

A freshly painted tub -- what a beautiful sight (and color)!

Was in Scotland 2 years ago but never made it to Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire even though I gather my family name comes from the area. Wow, are there some nice twisty roads and canyons to carve in the highlands. That build should be a blast

Look forward to seeing more pics and hearing more about your restore

Awesome work...you're going to be extending the knowledge base with your experiences and contributions--looking forward to enjoying your journey.
Noted the vintage windsurfing boards in the "where it started" photo--I learned windsurfing at age 50--25 years ago & I'm still racing now & then here near Virginia Beach, Va. but racing Kermee has taken over much of my sailing time...

Guys

Thanks for the encouraging comments!

Windsurfing has been a passion ever since taking an original Ten Cate Windsurfer to Brunei in the late 70's! Spend more time cyclin and driving these days!

As for the Scottish roads, I can drive on awesome rods from my front door - indeed the road takes me to the Queens Scottish residence at Balmoral - its a wonderful drive. Come and share it one day!

More pics and story to follow shortly once travels are done. I am back home Tuesday and the real work starts!

SR

Click to view attachment

Rear suspension with powder coated control arms, Elephant Racing bushings and Rebel Racing coil over.
Click to view attachment

The start of the interior fit out. It will be stripped (and noisy!). Fixed fire extinguisher mount is there, and the start of my electrical installation under the passenger footboard....

Click to view attachment

And here IS the rear suspension picture

(Note - I seem to have trouble loading multiple photos - any advice??)

Looks great!

Aberdeen is a great city, and I got to visit at least 20 times over years of company work. Some good friends live in Banchory.

Substantially more fascinating.

Sort for the false start- I seem to have been fighting the system. Hopefully now resolved.

What a great looking build you have there. I like the subtle rear wheel flares. I look forward to watching your car come together.

The photos are probably too big. Each post is limited in size to 3mb (I think). You’ll have to save & resize the photos to load more than one... I’m not exactly sure how to do that, though.

Also, On the rear shock... I assume you you know to add springs to those Bilsteins and cool overs- have you decided on the stiffness?

i will try the resize - the system said I still had space but maybe smaller files will work better. 150Lb Eibach springs are already fitted but just out of sight! I know I will also need helper springs bu need to wait until I can load the rear suspension and set ride height before measuring for the helpers.

Ok two things have happened - one Le Mans Classic 2020 has been cancelled - I can relax and enjoy the build....

I also managed to get myself involved in a COVID response project in Africa which has sucked up way more time than I had intended....its in a good cause though.

Anyway I have managed to make some progress albeit a little slow. Here is a picture of the custom dash, which starts to show off the custom electrics. I'll also tease you with a picture of the new relay box mounted on its base plate.

More to follow....slowly!

And here is the relay box...

Simon, the shell looks great. I'm a Brit who's also been hanging around the forum for years and originally looked to import a 914. I visited Aberdeen in 2003 looking for offshore work but ended up in a differwnt line and have spent some time further South in Rosyth and Faslane off and on. Fortunately I got the chance to work over in Virginia for a few years and arriving last year, managed to buy a slightly rough 73 which I'm slowly getting back to a roadworthy level.

This site and the community that supports it is absolutely great. There is so much experience and people who are very generous with their help and advice particularly when you get stuck and usually on something that should be obvious. I hope when I finally return my car will be reliable enough for a tour of Scotland! Your build looks fantastic, and I can't wait to see it come together!

Best,
Nick

Looking great! Can't wait to see more photos!

I'm so glad you started this thread1 Grafting the factory fender lips onto flared rear arches (while keeping the front end stock) is exactly what I want to do, but I've never seen another 914 done that way.
Can't wait to see this with wheels on it, but if you could post a few more pics showing the front and rear arches together, I'd be grateful...

So the major electrical components are now in the car. Let the wiring begin.......

and underneath the footboard lies......

Heres a closer look. The big relay board is because I am protecting old switches from high current....

Who makes this relay box? I've not seen one quite like it before and it looks nicer than the Bussman boxes typical in the US.

I got mine here:-
https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/mta-modular-...ing-system.html

Its made by MTA. Really nicely made although the two relay box and the multi relay box come with different stands so I had to make extra legs to put the 2 relay base at the same height as the other one.....

Simon,

It's great to see your build thread. You've made some nice progress since we last emailed. Looking great!

John

All - thanks for the encouragement! When you set off down a different path you never quite know how it is going to be received. With several "standard" cars in the garage, I was very keen to have something a bit different. Lets see how it turns out.

John - hope you are well and coping with COVID restrictions?

Nick - I hope when that Scottish tour takes place you find time to stop off in Banchory! You would be most welcome, and a joint blast up Royal Deeside would be fun

Ill post more pics showing the sides of the car with standard front and modified rear arches. The genesis for this was a comment from a respected previous owner and car builder who advised against going too big on the tyres without enough power. Im going 6 and 7J x 16inch Fuchs and just waiting for the lockdown to ease to try the best tyre combinations. We have a local mobile tyre dealer who has said he will work with me to find the best wheel/tyre combination. I'm thinking 205/55 at the front and 225/50 at the rear as a starting point. I am hoping for 150 bhp from my 2.2L engine. Might be time for some pics of that although its not quite finished.....

Some more pics of the car as it stands

and from the front and a view in the rear trunk (boot!) showing the oil catch tank and battery position

And I thought it time I shared the engine build. Have some pushrod tube leaks to sort, but hopefully then its good to install....

Nice work. I'll bet the finished product will be stunning.

And so the electrical installation has commenced finally. Took a while to work up the courage but here we go

Click to view attachment

And here is the back of the custom dash panelClick to view attachment

The electrical work progresses largely according to my plan....its slow going building the loom in the car. Every wire needs to be terminated one end, run in the car, fitted, cut to length and then terminated at the other end. With crimps, and double heat shrink each termination takes a while....my supply of cheap tie wraps is also disappearing fast.....
Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

I was also quite pleased the way the headlights and bonnet came together,,,,Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

The GT headlight system looks pretty good and works well after a lot of fettling.....

And while I was at the lights and bonnet I thought I would finally nail the bonnet pins....Click to view attachment not authentic I know, but I think they look ok.....??

Making nice progress.

Ok so work continues...albeit more slowly than one might like....Here are some picturesClick to view attachment

With the help of my son Jack we got the windscreen wiper assembly in, followed by....

Click to view attachment

The first front strut in and torqued up. I damaged the powder coat on the top can of the second one so that will have to wait....

Then we refitted the passenger side quarter light (its polycarbonate). My first attempt was just not good. This looks much better (no idea why the picture is rotated....)

Click to view attachment

The electric are also continuing at a slow pace - it just takes a lot of time to lay individual cables in.....

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

Watching this with great interest! My parents are from Aberdeen, I am the first of the family born in Canadaand my family has a strong connection to the Royal family, apparently my grandfather worked on the roof of Balmoral Castle, feel free to tell people you know me after that revelation!
My younger brother and I were planning a trip to Aberdeen as we have lots of relatives there, but covid has put that on the back burner.
Your teener will end up being a huge influence with other teener owners, good luck to you in your build, look forward to watching your progress.

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

Ian thanks for the comments. PM sent to connect properly!

Some more recent progress to report. Thanks to @Jaredmcginness Click to view attachment for the inspiration to mask and spray my instrument dial rings...

Click to view attachment There is no heater or blower in my build (heated windscreen the only concession to comfort...) but still needed to catch the water from the scuttle intake. Decided to just use the original air entry box and blank off where the blower motor attaches. It seems more than one PO had sprayed the car without removing this and so it needed a good clean which ended up as a paint job

Click to view attachment