So I bought this Bumblebee on BAT that was extensively restored around 2000 and has seen little use since. My plan is to drive it, including to Rennsport in 2023 and other 914 events in the future like Octeenerfest.

So the car runs and drives and is in overall excellent condition. It does "hunt" at idle and has a slight miss under acceleration. However, 20+ years of sitting and having original plastic fuel lines has me planning a winter "refresh" geared toward proactively making the car as reliable as possible. Still running the Djet FI which I want to keep.

Please add to my list to help with projects I will do over the winter. I will drop the engine as part of this process.

Here is what I have so far:

SS fuel line kit from Tangerine Racing
New rubber fuel lines
New vacuum lines
New fuel filter
Take fuel injectors to Mr. Injector for testing - he is local to me
Inspect fuel tank, replace tank screen
Replace TPS board
New spark plugs and ignition wires
Install 123ignition distributor
Valve adjustment
New fan belt
Oil and trans fluid change
Send fuel injection harness to Jeff Bowlsby for inspection
Brakes seem good, will flush and replace soft brake lines
Seat belts re webbed
Inspect shifter bushings, replace as necessary
Install turbo tie rod kit
Install engine firewall pad - was left out of restoration
Clock is inop, send to get converted to quartz
Replace clutch and throttle cables, keep current for spares
Inspect clutch components with engine/trans out
Inspect wheel bearings - repack/replace as necessary
New tires, set ride height (front is a bit proud to my eye) and align
Inspect all suspension bushings
Replace side graphic with new from 914Rubber

What am I missing?


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I’d at least pull the torsion bars and make sure they aren’t corroded or rubbing inside LCA. Replace if either has occurred. If rubbing - LCA bushings need to be replaced.

I think I have a functional quartz clock. Let me know if you want to swap - I dig the old analog clocks or I may be able to get your old analog working. I’m north of CDA - so local to you. Post 33 in link - revival of analog clock
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...35209&st=20

If you want rock solid reliability, get Bowlsby, engine harness for ECU, ignition and alternator harness. 50 year old crispy wiring is always going to be a reliability risk.

Inspect & grease CV joints

Inspect all wiring - remove / repair any prior cobble jobs.

As long as you are dropping the engine, I would take off the intakes, plenum, and throttle body,.... clean them thoroughly, and reinstall with new gaskets and connecting hose. In addition, I would make sure the plenum is rust free and any holes and/or seams are either welded or J.B. welded. Unless you know your throttle body is 100%, you might want to have that serviced as well. Finally, make sure your MPS and AAR valve are functioning properly. IMHO, all of these things are likely to help your FI system function better.

Great looking car! IIRC this is now the fifth bee in the neighborhood… soon we will have a swarm. Ours needs some love but could be ready for next summer… we should all meet up? We can start a thread early next year

Buy two of all the little parts so you have spares in the car for long journeys.

Looks like its still in very nice shape!
My own LE was also restored approx 20 yrs ago (Damn how time flies!)
IDK Im kinda nutty, Id try to keep it as stock as possible. The fuel lines (& pump), sure but Id refurbish the dizzy tie rods et all

Following.

1. I would buy a new fuel pump.
Carry the old one in the car.
2. Make sure distributor post has ‘zero’ rust, it will sand down the rub bar on the points. Grease it.
3. Clean as many ‘body’ grounds as you can find.
4. Get extra accelerator position sensor.
5. Check wire ends around coil for weakness, replace or reinforce.

Each of these failed on my in 20 yrs of 1974 ownership.

1. I would buy a new fuel pump.
Carry the old one in the car.
2. Make sure distributor post has ‘zero’ rust, it will sand down the rub bar on the points. Grease it.
3. Clean as many ‘body’ grounds as you can find.
4. Get extra accelerator position sensor.
5. Check wire ends around coil for weakness, replace or reinforce.
6. Consider new key switch, buy a real extra.
7. Consider modifying seat belt sensor, disconnect.
8. Buy an extra ECU, even if it’s a 1973, to get you out of a bind.


Each of these failed on my car in 20 yrs of 1974 ownership.

Since your goal is reliability, here's a few tips I have. I've brought several 914s back from the dead with the intent to make them reliable (I hate breaking down) so here's what I have to add.


1.For the fuel injection harness, ignition harness, and alternator harness I would not reuse no matter how good it looks. It's 50 years old. Replace.
2.Replace the ignition switch with one from Porsche. I've changed several out as a preventative measure and I have yet to pull one that isn't cracked. At the very least, pull it and inspect carefully.
3.Replace/rebuild the alternator and starter.
4.Replace fuel pump
5. I don't know if you're refinishing any of the engine bits but I weld the two halves of the intake plenum together and inspect for cracks.
6.I also like to upgrade the shift bushings to the bronze style and replace the firewall bushing with the Tangerine racing one. Even new plastic bushings have a ton of slop and only last a few years.
7.Remove all the bulbs from the exterior lights and clean the contacts.
8.Remove all the fuses and either clean or replace. Even if they look good, hit them with a small wire brush.
9. Clean grounds. Even if they look good, hit with a wire brush.


And adding the 123Ignition is a great choice. Going that route eliminates several potential failure points.

"Swarm"...love it.

All great comments above.

The three engine bay harnesses are the most critical harnesses in that they have been exposed to the most heat, fluid contamination, corrosion and likely physical abuse. For connectivity, best to replace them all at this point.

Although it won't leave you stranded, I would add to those a new oil temp gauge cable under the engine for anyone that has a factory oil temp gauge, it sees as much or more abuse than the others and is not expensive.

Replace ground cables (battery negative terminal to ground, tranny ground, alternator ground), these degrade over time. Clean the connection points.

Clean the FI grounds on the top back of the engine under air distributor.

Replace coil if < 3 ohms (123 disty needs 3+ ohm coil).

Verify charging system rate at the battery is ~13.8 volts +/-, if not replace the voltage regulator and/or alternator.

Lube door and lid hinges and rollers and catch mechanisms.

Clean PCV valve, replace if necessary.

Might as well replace the cylinder head temp sensor while you have the engine out.

Check thermostat system, ensure flaps opening and closing OK.

The replacement part is a little unubtainium for the pcv. Was the 74 still using the valve? Be very nice to that piece if you have it. If it isn't working it's a pia.

Yes, the '74 2.0 has a PCV valve and this is the replacement I used. Works fine:

Microgard PCV 279 (cross for FRAM FV279)

Front and rear engine crankshaft seals
Trans input shaft seal

Great to-do list. I am working to get my barn find BB on the road by next spring and will do these to my car as well. I also plan to take it to 914 events, including Rennsport.

I tried that too but it is not the same airflow profile and the fudged seal on the breather box didn't hold up.

You might try these guysClick to view attachment

Not really a maintenance item, more of a safety item- replace all exterior lighting with Spoke's LED's. They make a world of difference in visibility. Also, go with a good set of LED headlights. https://vintagecarleds.com/shop/7-inch/vc4000-ultimate-kit/. I have the H4 lights with the LED conversion and they are very nice and look 100% stock. I also did Spoke's LED driving lights- well worth it.

Oh, your Bee looks great.

You've gotten great info here. And your list is perfect. I'd also test that the MPS holds vacuum, i second replacing all engine bay harnesses and agree with superhawk about checking the torsion bars. Not sure how "stock" you want to make this car, but you have euro tail light lenses, which I believe never came on LEs (@JeffBowlsby please confirm). If they're in good shape you can probably get good dough for those and find some original US spec Hellas. Great looking car...bought well. Enjoy!

Thanks all. Excellent suggestions. As to originality vs. improve, I lean toward improve as long as any changes are reversible and hard to detect. I'll keep any removed parts like the distributor that gets replaced.

I'll update this as I go through the car this winter. I hope to meet as many of you as possible over the next several years at events.

Swarm, excellent! My kids, Grandkids and many friends are on the westside. I moved from West Seattle to Spokane in 2013. I'd love to connect in person. We have quite a few Teeners in the Spokane area.

That’s great! Look forward to the progression.

Whoa! That’s a great list to work from. I’ve just bought a Bumblebee off ebay with just over 20k miles that’s been sitting since 1987. I’ll be working to resurrect it over the winter and this thread gives a great road map although mine lost it’s FI for dual Webers years ago.

I’ll start a thread once I get started. Look forward to joining the Swarm.

Confirmed. USA market LEs had the standard USA red hella lenses. I recently aquired a new set from Gaudin that were made in Italy. Fit well, look great.

Thanks Ian. The front lenses are euro as well. Another point brought up during the auction. They are in great shape. I do like the look better than the US versions but will see what I have or pick some up. I have a 72 project car with all of that stuff in boxes if they were the same as the 74.

I'm in the process of doing just that. Recently picked up an NOS voltage regulator, spare MPS, rebuilt relay board.

I luckily have a spare GA code engine with all of its FI components including the ECU I got with another car from a buddy years back. Supposedly only 40k original miles on that motor.

Very large 914rubber.com order just placed and another one with Tangerine Racing. Thanks to the amazing vendors that support this sickness!

Well then, just buy a small trailer. Put spare motor on trailer - ready to road trip!

I’m not sure I understand the bring spares of everything philosophy. My original 914 was my daily driver for over 100k miles. Driven back and forth between Michigan and Florida for spring break a couple times with only a toolbox, spare points, distributor cap, rotor. Never needed to use any of it. That was in a pre-cell phone, pre-internet, pre-Amazon, pre-overnight shipping.

If you go through the car, updating the items you’ve laid out, you’ll have a reliable ride. Then, put some shakedown mileage on it to put any infant failure parts, or initial mis-assembly concerns behind you.

After that parts failures are highly random. Would you bring a spare set of rear wheel bearings and the equipment to press them out? Front wheel bearings and grease? Maybe spare seals for the brakes? Maybe a spare ECU? Spare Injectors? Spare relay board? You see where this is going. At the logical extreme you’re flat towing a second parts car.

Take care upfront, as you are, you’ll be fine. In this day and age, you have a phone/computer in your pocket and the world at your fingertips + overnight shipping. You’ll be fine - enjoy the ride.

And the engine tin to get the mice off of the cylinders...

But, really you are getting a combination of the "sum of all fears", or perhaps the sum of all fails. Problems that have stranded many before. My experience driving the way you plan to is that most of the problems are from something I didn't expect. You can replace 10% of the parts and still have a 50 year old car. Therefore, my advice is to:
Trust the car to do the drive, but listen if and when it sends you signs that it is struggling with something. Find a safe place and stop.
Be able to get under the car safely. A floor jack and some form of jack stands weigh a lot, but go a long way.
Plan extra time so that you can hole up somewhere while overnight parts arrive.
Plan extra money so that you can hole up somewhere while extra parts arrive.
The 914 events generally have a bunch of spare parts collectively, just don't scratch my car harvesting donor parts.

If I lived in Spokane I would probably be so much wrapped up in mountain drives I would never go anywhere far. And in a bumblebee!

Point taken, I'll try not to get too carried away and pack a whole car full of spares on a road trip :-)

Most cars have a few known weak spots that are good to carry spares for. My experience with 80s/90s watercooled VWs leads me to carry a spare fuel pump relay. That's a good example of a small, inexpensive part that fails somewhat frequently, is easy to carry as a spare, easy to replace, and whose failure means you're not going anywhere. I mean, there's a reason we carry spare tires, right?

Besides, in my experience the best way to keep any part from breaking is to have a spare handy!

I should have added things that will help you stand conditions. For example, a knit hat is the lightest effective protection from the cold. Water. Etc.

Remember Number 10 of You might own a classic porsche if:

You buy up used spare parts "just in case"...oddly enough, every time something goes wrong on the car, you don't have a spare.

I thought I would update this thread with a post mortem of my work on the car and my trip to Rennsport and back.

When the car arrived after my BAT purchase I put a few hundred miles on it. It started and ran ok. Hesitated under acceleration. The fuel lines near the pump were leaking. The front end felt "loose".

I ended up making contact through the Bird site with two previous owners and got a better history of the car. Most of what had been done was rust repair and paint and an engine rebuild to euro specs. He also indicated the transmission was rebuilt. More on that later.

In anticipation of driving this to Rennsport in 2023 I spent some time over the winter, spring and summer on a much longer list of things than I originally anticipated.

This was the original list.

SS fuel line kit from Tangerine Racing - Done
New rubber fuel lines - Done
New vacuum lines - Done
New fuel filter - Done
Take fuel injectors to Mr. Injector for testing - he is local to me - Done and tested
Inspect fuel tank, replace tank screen- Fuel tank was rusty, bought new
Replace TPS board - Did this but the Throttle body seemed worn and I couldn't get the new board dialed in so I threw one off of a 73 I have that was in better shape. I need to get the 74 throttle body redone.
New spark plugs and ignition wires - Done
Install 123ignition distributor - Done
Valve adjustment - Done
New fan belt - Done
Oil and trans fluid change - Done
Send fuel injection harness to Jeff Bowlsby for inspection - New harnesses bought and installed
Brakes seem good, will flush and replace soft brake lines - I ended up sending the calipers to PMB and did new soft lines and a few of the hard lines.
Seat belts re webbed - bought new belts from seat belt planet, kept the old ones
Inspect shifter bushings, replace as necessary - Tangerine firewall bushing installed, new bronze bushing
Install turbo tie rod kit - Done and more
Install engine firewall pad - was left out of restoration - Done
Clock is inop, send to get converted to quartz - bought repro clock from AA, doesn't work but that is likely a wiring issue, clock quality is very questionable.
Replace clutch and throttle cables, keep current for spares - Done but throttle cable quality on new was bad, put old one back on.
Inspect clutch components with engine/trans out - took clutch from another motor I inherited from a buddy that looked brand new and used that.
Inspect wheel bearings - repack/replace as necessary - Did new bearings front and rear
New tires, set ride height (front is a bit proud to my eye) and align - Done
Inspect all suspension bushings - This lead me down a replacement rabbit hole
Replace side graphic with new from 914Rubber - Done

After inspecting the suspension bushings, I ended up taking apart the whole front and rear suspension and sent the steering rack to 914rubber to be rebuilt, installed new bushings, new bearings, ball joints, turbo tie rod kit and new koni sport shocks. Thanks to @iankarr for his great videos, Paragon Products for the Koni's and 914rubber and PMB for the bushings and other bits. I used this as an excuse to buy a shop press as well :-)

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I checked the compression before removing the engine along with the trans. It was very good and consistent, 145 to 150 lbs.

The clutch was in ok shape but I had an almost brand new one that was newer in a motor I inherited from a buddy. I pulled that and installed it. Did new push rod tube seals and other gaskets. I ended up using a throttle body from that 73 that was in much better shape. The 123 was installed with new wires, new wiring harnesses from Mr. Bowlsby, rebuilt alternator and starter, re freshed injectors and new fuel and vacuum hoses. I installed new throttle, clutch and speedo cables. The old ones functioned fine but they all had electrical tape on them indicating failing outer covering. They were kept as spares. One item of note. I busted the threaded part of the new throttle cable. I didn't think I over torqued it. It just looks cheap. I'll look closer at these when buying them in the future. The old one went back in. New RMS and trans output shaft seals were installed.


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With the project creep and my own procrastination, I ended up putting the car back on the road 2 weeks before some buddies and I left for Rennsport. I string aligned it in my shop.

We did 2,500 round trip miles. I loaded the car up with lots of tools and spares. Too many in the end.

We had a great trip and I have a list of to do's from this long shake down cruise.

The good - car ran great, handled sooo nice and is much more refined than my 70 1.7 car.

The bad - trans leaks pretty bad. Not sure what happened. I'm also struggling to get it in first gear. It will come back out soon to check. I also had an electrical issue and am blowing the fuse for the tach, gauges, etc. I need to track that down.

Other items - I ran out of time to install the new carpet I ended up ordering. I also have a Jwest fuse panel to install. While I have the engine out this time I'll install new motor and trans mounts. This may be part of my shifting issue. I had an occasional hot start issue. Will install the relay fix. My buddy did it ont the trip. We had to push start his 74 almost every fuel stop.

This pic was taken in front of the famous Borgs Motel in Monterey!

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Great work! Coming along very nicely! Love the part about "I used this as an excuse to buy a ........". Felt like deja vu.

Thanks for the update, I remember this thread. I will be interested in how you solve the first gear issue as I have problems with first gear also. Hoping that a Tangerine linkage kit and a RennShift will solve my problem.

Great progress and nice to have a shake down trip under the belt. If you have not already, I would replace every vacuum line on the motor while it is out.

How many miles are on the trans? We’ve overhauled at least 20 transmissions this year and every one had worn out parts. This was from a 914 trans I opened up today. Owner reported no significant issues.

But he sure does have some clean oil.

lol!
Someone once told me the shifting is only as good as the weakest link. Definitely start at bushings, moving parts and low hanging fruit but there's no way to make it great if the trans is worn/worn out.

Congrats on the first drive! Sounds like your BB is well on the way to being sorted!

I'm not sure how many miles on the trans, but if it was rebuilt when the guy who restored the car said it was, I'd guess 10k. It has fresh gear oil. I don't remember it leaking like this or having a 1st gear issue when I first got the car, so I'm not discounting simpler things like a bad install in the input shaft seal. I've got two other 901s sitting in my shop so we'll look at this one closely and make sure the easy stuff is checked off the list. If something is really wrong internally we'll open the other two up and see if we have a good one. I don't know the history on my spares.

I'm also not confident when a PO said, this or that was "rebuilt". Who knows how good the work was, etc. Overall I'm ok with this car given what I paid, but the quality of the "restoration" in several areas was lacking.

I haven’t read through the whole thread but since you mentioned bulletproof and ready to drive a lot of miles, I was thinking a serious look at the internals might be warranted. Some of the rebuilt engines and trans, even from other shops, have been so pitiful that I don’t trust anything unless we open it up and put eyes on the parts.

You mentioned the the engine tends to "hunt" at idle. That is a pretty sure sign that the AAR (Auxiliary Air Regulator) has gotten gummed up or its heating coil burned out. Take the AAR apart and clean it/repair the heating coil, or just buy a rebuilt one from Auto Atlanta. Since you are replacing all the gaskets and seals while the engine is out, this will insure that you have addressed all potential vacuum leaks that will cause an uneven idle.

Yes, AAR, or other source of a air leak/vac leak and/or you are running a bit lean which can be a cause of hunting as well.

The engine has been out and is back in. All fuel and vacuum lines replaced. The hunt and hesitation, or miss under acceleration is gone. What I did notice is the idle is consistently high. I've read that can be an issue with the 123ignition distributors. I'll look at that and smoke test the engine over the winter to see if I might have a vacuum leak.