True, and also Porsche assumes full control over the VW-Porsche marketing group and asserts more control over the 914.

although that itself is smudgy territory if you think about it because VW actually markets porsches in the USA via Audi/Porsche which is a division of VW north america.

i am more inclined to think that VW still takes a very active interest in the technical side of things as L jet is a Bosch driven thing with VW. Porsche itself has no interest in L jetronic really until I think they start putting it on the 964. sure its in the 912E but thats because porsche can't source a 4 cylinder from anywhere else that can meet USA emissions laws in 1976. but thats pretty much it for that tech in 911s etc until the very late 80s. except for the 924. and thats another VW engine.

my sense is that Porsche via Audi/Porsche determine more actively how the 914 is packaged for north american sales. It was still selling ok in North America in 1974.
In Europe it wasn't. It was already over in a way. The scirocco saw to that in 1974 and sealed its fate on the continent. Sold at a rate 4 times the 914. VW was swinging its attention on to its water-cooled models and in a way also its first real sports car with that karmann built scirocco. All of its own making too, no involvement from Porsche. And it actually went. reasonably fast. fast enough to compete with lower model Alfas and Fiats etc.

You can't dismiss that its VW who are building the 914 in one of their factories.
Not Porsche. They don't build it. I think production line decisions and components are very much VW territory right to the end of the 914. even the fabulous tartan interiors of late 914s are nothing other than scirocco materials and components, designed first and foremost for the scirocco not the 914.

The success of the scirocco also pretty much killed off the 924 as originally envisaged too, dead in its tracks - at least as a possible VW sports car.
Porsche got a last minute reprieve with that. more than anything VW just needed something to do with the NSU factory after shutting down the wankel RO80 or Porsche would not even have been in a position to build the 924? at least not in the production numbers and scale that made it stack up on the $.

Just as well really. Australia got the 924. right hand drive. made up for never getting the 914. also VW never brought the scirocco to Australia. suspect if they had it would have robbed Porsche sales of the 924?

dave - 1974 on is actually a very interesting moment in VW and in Porsche's history.
or should i say from about late 1971 - early 1972 on.
and not a lot of very good history has been written about it.
though i am sure that some will be written soon.

the 914 is like the book end to piech's first career so to speak.
career 1 ends in disaster despite the racing successes.

piech does a lot of interesting things in the couple of years between getting the neck at porsche over the fiasco with the Golf replacement and the termination of porsche's lucrative engineering contract with VW and popping up again at Audi where his mother used her influence to have him placed.

everbody tends to think R. Leidling ruined him.
but i don't think so. i like to think R. Leidling made him. or gave him the second chance to remake himself.

the 914 just drifts off into oblivion in the aftermath of the fiasco of 72.
whether porsche took over marketing or not.
even porsche's mind was turned elsewhere.

@wonkipop
Next week will check out a fellow in NJ who has four 914s including two 1.8s. One parts car (in the database); the other running but not driven.
One has a 604 engine tin; what would that signify? Most 605 or 606?
Will check out all the particulars.
Still no additional info yet from that parts 1.8 in TN.

604 signifies EC-B (49 states) with no temp sensor plate on sump or gauges/console originally as delivered.

could be anything now on the temp gauge front as a lot of cars got modded but then again many 1.8s survive without that.

604 will have the EC-B emissions sticker and the two hose tune up sticker.

@StarBear

a list of data info to assist.

emission sticker.
tune up sticker.
engine stencil stamp number. (look underneath as well - sump plate type - standard or oil temp pressure sender).
vin and k number.

console and gauges or not from new (if possible to assertain).

original point of sale (if possible to know).


additional.

charcoal can location. front trunk or engine bay.

rear trunk insulation pad. rigid type or low density foam pad.

engine bay insulation pad. grey smooth or black rippled finish.

fresh air blower box in front trunk. is it cardboard tube out of box or black plastic for first section of hose.

expansion tank on fuel tank. metal or plastic.

sun visor pins. metal or plastic.

interior finish on lower map pocket and passenger door handle. if colored (non black)
interior - same color as interior or black.

headlight motor covers. grey or black.

if black interior, is carpet later mottled or eariler fuzzy black similar to brown type carpet..

if still has owners manual and emissiions warranty - what type of emissions warranty.
see date on back cover of emissions warranty in roman numerals. will either be dated oct 73 or nov 73. see if you can get a picture of diagram of vapor emissions system in the emissions warranty.

windscreen. kinonglas or SIGLA. (if still an original screen).

if they are high vin number cars see if you can check the k number as either being stamped in rear trunk floor right hand side or on a data plate rivetted in front trunk as per @davep 's interest.

think that is about it for tracking changes on 74 1.8s.

Got it! Think I’ll have to make a worksheet to bring with me. A lot of stuff!
Shooting for maybe Thursday next week to check out the two in Flanders.

@wonkipop
@davep
@jeffbowlsby
Draft field data entry worksheet for review and comments. Too hot to go out and do anything else....
Click to view attachment

I would add 914World user name of owner, engine & transmission serial #'s, interior color & seat insert type. We could add a list of paint codes and interior codes as an addendum to the form. Door glass type (Delodur -0 or -F).
Karmann body # stamped into right corner of rear trunk, or tag in front trunk.
I don't think we should limit this to the 1.8 engine cars. We could have a universal form or a set of forms for different cars. Listing of options would be a nice addition. We could add a list so that just codes can be entered to save space and add clarity. Optionally, an email address would be useful for contact purposes should we want to confirm something. A fillable PDF form would be useful so that data can be entered by computer for clarity.

Great suggestions! Will work on it.
I used to know how to do fillable Word docs converted to pdf; don’t have Acrobat to make forms directly.

i can convert it to a pdf if you send the word doc to me.

@wonkipop
@jeffbowlsby
Saw this “610” tin in a 1.8. What does that denote? Don’t recall seeing this number before.
Click to view attachment

610 is an EA 1.7 engine from 1972-73.
(49 states engine - calif 1.7 from 73 was an EB and was marked 613).
i would say that is not an original 1.8 engine in the car but a replacement engine.
check the oil filler tube and cap and other features that identify L jets.
its also possible that its a frankenstein engine. plenty of those have come up.
tin on a 1.8 is identical to 1.7 so you can easily build up an engine out of various pieces,
but its not an original piece of 1.8 tin with that number.

further numbers from that era were that all euro 1.7 engines in 72/73 appear to have been marked with 606. prior to that in 70,71 and maybe part way into 672 they used a different coding system. the number was 0.226. also additional M codes also stamped on the engine tin identified them as european market or north american market packages.

That would explain it - Frankenstein engine. The rest is clearly a 1.8; just a replacement tin. Will let him know.
Thanks!

for reference in future to help here is the list of stamp numbers i got to.
complete i believe for all the USA market cars.
but don't have complete info on the home/euro/japan market cars.

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

@JeffBowlsby
@StarBear

here is another little anomaly i picked up between the 74 1.8 and the 75 1.8.
i assume it might also be there for the 74 and 75 2.0 cars?

i was looking at the tyre pressure stickers i had for 75 1.8s thats on the gas tank.
which i never really looked at closely.

Click to view attachment

i noticed it indicates same tyre pressures for front and rear.
and further distinguishes between 1/2 load (26 psi F/R) or full load (29 psi F/R).

and i thought hang on?

this is what the 74 sticker says.

Click to view attachment

which i have always taken to mean. 26 psi front, 29 psi rear.

which the 1974 owners manual says very clearly!

Click to view attachment

even the french owners manual says the same as the english in 74.
front and rear are different. 26 and 29 respectively.

Click to view attachment

don't have any 75/76 owners manuals on file to see what was written into the owners manual versus the 75 gas tank sticker to see if they changed it in the owners manual.

interesting.
is the gas tank sticker in 75 a typo or error?
or did they change their advice on tyre pressures in 75?
or is the advice in the 74 and pre 74 owners manual incorrect and the sticker on the gas tank sort of ambiguous - ie it could be read as 26 normal, 29 full load (for all tyres).

germans!!!

Yep, just like mine. I’d interpret as one person/two people.
Have always kept mine about 32 anyway.

BTW, paid the price for being lazy and not putting on the service mat while checking battery in Spring prep last week. Dropped the volt mater on the top edge of the quarter panel. Ouch.
Click to view attachment

ah well. you just have to grin and bear it.
dings and scratches are a part of the bigger picture.
there are a few of those on my car.
each one of them has got a story like yours. usually me dropping something or bumping something into it.

on the tyre front. i naturally assumed there is a difference in pressure front to back despite the 50/50 wt distribution. my old type 3 variant had recommended tyre pressures of 18-20 psi on front tyres and 28-30 rear. of course it was rear engined. think beetles were the same. if you pumped all tyres up even the handling became truly deadly. massive understeer.

i'm pretty sure they are supposed to be different front to rear. its only a small amount.
2lbs. i keep mine 26-28 split front to rear.

Yep; think I’ll start doing that. Maybe 28/30

I would hazard a guess that the person designing the 1975 decal interpreted the specification incorrectly without verifying. Therefore an error.