I'm starting a restoration project and I'm looking for advice on almost any topic. Please feel free to contributed nonsequiturs and random philosophical ideologies.

The chassis is in fairly good shape and is "mostly" stripped. I still have to remove the wiring harness and some fuel lines. It is my intention to have it blasted or dipped.

The idea is to enjoy the build! Having it and driving it will be cool too but for me the real journey is the creative construction project. To that end, I'll be focusing on building a car that is fun (and reliable). My goal is to get the car on the road by its 50th birthday (2024) and to have it last another 50 years. I'm not too worried about being stock nor do I intend to sell it.

The engine came with dual weber carburetors, (no EFI components) and supposedly the PO didn't like how it ran. I think I'm going to have to split the case to figure out what the PO might have done.

Here are some of my random questions:
1. How do you protect the longs from rusting from the inside?
2. What happens to the heater tubes in the longs if you acid dip the chassis?
3. How big can I build the motor without sacrificing reliability/longevity?
4. Should I sell the Weber carbs and buy an aftermarket EFI system?
5. How do you flat-tow the chassis without the transmission in place?
6. Is it possible to reinforce the doors? They seem awfully flexible and dent prone.
7. If I put low-profile tires on the car, how do I recalibrate my speedometer?
8. What is the right welder that I should buy to work on the body panels? (I don't know how to weld but I have some extra doors that I can practice on).

Sincerely.

George

1. How do you protect the longs from rusting from the inside?
If acid dipping they often paint dip after acid. Ask the dip shop what steps they do.

2. What happens to the heater tubes in the longs if you acid dip the chassis?
Gone, you would have to cut into the long to replace.

3. How big can I build the motor without sacrificing reliability/longevity?
As big as your wallet, cast iron cylinders 96mm or nickies for bigger cylinders.

4. Should I sell the Weber carbs and buy an aftermarket EFI system?
I'd get it running on carbs first. EFI has a steep learning curve and isn't cheap.

5. How do you flat-tow the chassis without the transmission in place?
You can't, flatbed, trailer or install the trans.

6. Is it possible to reinforce the doors? They seem awfully flexible and dent prone.
Not an issue.

7. If I put low-profile tires on the car, how do I recalibrate my speedometer?
You want to keep the tires close to stock diameter or the wheel wells look odd. You want to stay around 24" OD.

8. What is the right welder that I should buy to work on the body panels? (I don't know how to weld but I have some extra doors that I can practice on).
Small name brand (Lincoln, Miller, Holbart, etc) MIG welder with a bottle of argomix gas. I have a 120 volt/20amp Miller 130. Practice on thicker metals first, sheet metal takes practice.

Mark said it correct...
I think soda blasting is your best bet on out side and thin panels. The factory never put any paint on the inner chasses fittings. Best bet is to open up longs to protect.
I used por 15 after media blasting inner longs. When I was done I put a few cans of eastwood internal frame green everywhere.
Welding is an art. thin is cool and slow, thick is hot and fast. Always watch your heat. You will warp your 914 and it will twist, not good.
Matt

Flat towing can be done under two conditions:

1) The rear wheel bearing MUST . . . let me repeat that . . . Absolutely MUST have the outer CV stub installed and torqued up. That outer CV stub holds the two separate halves of the rear wheel bearing together. Without that splined CV stub holding the Hub into the wheel bearing and holding both bearing raceway halves together, the rear wheel bearing will separate from the vehicle. If the CV stub is present and torqued, no worries.

2) Obviously the CV joints, axles, etc. all need to be removed. Other than the aforementioned outer CV stub. Otherwise they would be flopping around under the car and being damaged and damaging the body.

There are processes for relining chimneys and sewer lines that I've wondered if they would be practical in this application. For the chimneys, they insert an inflatable tube and expand to the desired diameter before pumping the out cavity full of grout. Then deflate and remove the balloon and you are left with a perfect diameter chimney. Seems like similar could be done with structural foam and stiffen the longs at the same time. Not sure if it would be any less work than opening the longs and replacing tubes though.

I’d have the car sand blasted instead of dipped. Seal off the heater tubes front and back to keep them clean. And lube up the wiring harness before you try to pull in thru the firewall.

Wow. All great advice. Thanks. Keep it coming please.

Next question: Would there be a "standard" engine mod for dual Weber 40s?

I'm reading and getting more and more confused.

It seems like there are several levels of commitment:
1. Run the 1.7 as is.
2. Swap the cam for a "carb cam".
3. Increase the displacement a little.
a. New cam
b. New crank
c. Same heads
4. Increase the displacement a lot.
a. New cam
b. New crank
c. New heads

Am I understanding this correctly? If so, where is the sweet spot for performance/reliability/longevity?

Thanks.

George

Everything else gets pricey in a hurry. Drive it unitl you have some experience for the car and a better flavor of how quickly costs add up once you do anyting other than this option.

After you have that experience, you'll be better able to decide what you want and how much it will cost to get there.

~$20k if you want power and stay air cooled ...

Next question:

In what order should I approach the whole project?

Right now I'm focused on getting the body ready for media blasting.

Here is my logical guess as to order of operation:

1. All body parts blasted, repaired and primed.
2. Paint and undercoat the bottom and engine bay. Leave the top in primer.
2. Get the engine running and tuned on the benchtop.
3. Check out the transmission and address any issues.
4. Replace all wearable components in the suspension (cv joints, bearings, bushings, etc.).
5. Install brake calipers and lines.
6. Paint the chassis, doors, bonnet, engine lid, light covers, trunks and interior of the car.
7. Install wiring harness, fuel lines, gas tank, etc.
8. Install lights, dash, instruments, wiper motor, etc.
9. Install interior and chrome.
10. Install doors, hood, bonnet, headlight covers, bumpers, valences, etc.
11. Install engine and transmission.
12. Replace wheels and tires.

Is there anything you would do in a different order?

Thanks.

George

I like it, a 12 step program for 914 addicts.

I had no idea it was as simple as 12 steps. I'm clearly doing it wrong.

Do you own a boat? The 1.7 makes a great anchor. Even in the 914 the 1.7 feels like there's an anchor attached to the car. With the 1.7 you'll have trouble out-dragging minivans from a red light.

You have great plan to make your 914 a fantastic car. You need to upgrade the motor to match your build. Get a 2L engine and punch it out to 2056 with 96mm pistons. You will not regret it.

My 914 came with a 1.7 with single carb. I put dual Webers on it and it was better. I swapped out the 1.7 for a 1.8 with DJET and it was better. Then I put in a 2056 and it feels like a different car.

BTW, I have a clean 2L case with all the internals. I'm in Allentown so it would be a quick trip to pick up. PM if you're interested.

great advice, this is the way to go for your fairly reliable driver. if you go up in power, you increase heat and decrease longevity and start down a very expensive slippery slope. if you want a 250hp mid-engine car to drive daily do what i did and get a boxster cheap. drive that while fixing the 914. well, boxster or Cayman but Boxster is cheaper.

oh, and i like the "12 step approach" too !