This will be a build thread for my 914 build. The build is ongoing, I will post updates here and hopefully keep progressing! I posted most of these pictures before, just trying to put it in one spot for a continual thread.

The end goal of the build is to have a fun autocross car that is nice enough to drive for date night or cars and coffee. It will not be a concourse car or race competitively, just out to have fun.



This car was a stalled project that I purchased as a roller and a pile of parts. I purchased a set of wheels for my Cayman and the seller had a 914 in his garage. After going back and forth for a bit I finally convinced my wife to let me buy it. It came with a ton of spare parts and the first couple months with the car was mainly just figuring out what I had and what I needed.












Part of the deal was my wife got to pick the color. She picked Ravenna Green and it turned out good! I spent more than I wanted on the paint but less than I should have. It looks great from a distance, OK up close, and a PCA concourse nerd would throw me out.








Found some cool wheels online and got the windows, door handles, hood, and trunk mounted up. Unfortunately progress stopped for a while after this due to work requirements which had me away from home for a while.



Got a few weeks back home and scored some more parts off of ebay. Got a wrecked 911, a 914 motor, and an MFI 6 cylinder. I sold the 911 and left the MFI engine with my helper to figure out.







Got back home 6 months later and was shocked to find my 2 year old had made no progress on the build. However, I had a huge pile of -6 conversion parts from Ben and others waiting for me so its time to get after it! I will keep posting as I make progress.

Let’s see it happen and welcome back stateside

Welcome home. Very nice- looking forward to watching the progress too.

Your helper looks stumped.... Trust me.. I am very familiar with that look
He'll likely try and bluff you for a while...

Made a little progress over the last couple weeks. Took on some easy stuff to get momentum again. Dug through my parts pile to find everything I needed to install the steering column, ignition, and turn signals. What made this challenging is that I was not the one who took it apart. Lots of referencing pictures and manuals and I was able to find everything though:

Roller had a factory wheel loosely installed with no signal or ignition

Had a whole pile of steering column parts

Found the ignition and turn signals in the tool chest of small parts.

Turned out good i think!

Also got the headlight motors, surrounds and lights installed. Watched Ian Karr's Youtube videos which were super helpful on this.

Motors were filthy but tested out good. Got them cleaned up and installed


Got my little dude to help sand down the headlight surrounds, still needed more than a few layers of primer to smooth everything out.





Happy with the final product:


Also added my new front trunk rubber, didnt get any pictures of that except the key part of adding the sticker to my tool box

Looks like it's coming along nicely! Love the color!

I may have missed it, did you already do the six conversion? As in, oil tank ready to install etc.

I have not, I have the motor and the oil tank. Up next is tearing the motor down to long block to find out what it needs. I will probably start getting the oil tank in and putting together the fuel system while I wait for the engine parts

Nice steady progress. I like your sentiment: "Not a concourse car, just to have fun."
Refreshing to hear when we seem to be hooked on originality lately with the values rising.
Have fun . Oh and he looks like an honest helper!! :-)

Just an FYI.. the MFI is a good running system. But it is not newbie friendly to get setup correctly. It has a steep learning curve, and you need some specialty tools to get it setup.

And it is not cold weather friendly. Make sure you get a hand throttle to install in the chassis, as it is mandatory with MFI.


I have experience with MFI. I had it in my six conversion until I went with the monster motor.

Thanks, definitely a little intimidated by the MFI but I have been doing a lot of research and I’m fairly confident in my knowledge level. I am sure I will be on here asking for advice when it comes time to start though.

This whole project has been an effort to get out of my comfort zone and learn . MFI is definitely outside the comfort zone!

There is a Porsche manual called "Check, Measure and Adjust". Find a PDF of it and read it over and over until you have it memorized. Then print it and have it with the car when you are attempting to adjust the MFI and follow it like it was the word of God and you will be beheaded if you make even one mistake.

You will also need to find a set of the MFI protractors that are almost unobtanium these days. My set was willed to my by the late Charlie Davis. Don't get the long screwdrivers used to adjust the MFI on a 911, they won't work on a 914. You will have to have a short screwdriver and an 8mm wrench to make changes on the pump.

You will need to have a way to get air from the heat exchangers to the MFI pump for warmup, or some way to change the mixture for warm up. There are cable setups out there for just this purpose.

And one last thing, check the throttle body shafts while you have the engine apart. MFI is notorious for wearing out the shafts due to the reversion pulses caused by high overlap cams. I would suggest that you take them to a competent machine shop and have the throttle shaft bushings replaced. Otherwise you will be chasing the MFI adjustments endlessly.

Here is a link on the bird board that has all of the MFI info combined into one thread.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911...urce-index.html

And here is a link to the Check, Measure and Adjust manual: https://pbase.com/slidevalve911rsr/911rsr_t..._docs_bosch_mfi

Thanks for the advice and links! I read check, measure, adjust several times now, it is what gave me confidence to stick with MFI instead of searching for a set of carbs.

I will hopefully start tearing the engine down to long block this weekend and post what I find.

The color looks great! Smart man getting buy-in and help from your wife and kids - now it is part of the family

Got down to the long block, very encouraged by what I saw! Going to have to order some parts but definitely feel safe going forward without a full rebuild. Oil looked old but smelled and felt fine, no sparkles.

Before taking anything off I identified I will need the MFI pump drive belt, one throttle linkage, one throttle link is missing, alternator pulley and belt are missing, one TB trumpet is damaged. However all throttles move smoothly and no obvious external damage


Under the cam covers everything looked clean. No loose head studs or obvious valvetrain damage that I saw.


Distributor doesnt look terrible but I think I will proactively replace it. Last thing I want when I'm trying to figure out how to get the MFI working is old worn out ignition components causing trouble.


Took me a while to figure out what this thing was. Component for a sportomatic shifter. Wont need that!


Fuel lines are junk but the pump itself looks good. The fuel in the injectors and hard lines was still fuel, not gunk. Still planning on sending the injectors off to be cleaned.

No signs of pulled studs. Despite being dirty everything actully looks pretty good. If you see something I missed by all means let me know!

Do yourself a favor and install Clewett Engineering’s crank fire ignition system.

I like your way of thinking. Otherwise it becomes drudgery and the mind dulls.

15+ years ago I had pretty decent luck installing 911 engines in 914's that'd been sitting around a while. I did invest in a differential gauge. At least you could compare cylinders and listen for hissing noises out exhaust or intake.

You can also set the MFI aside for a while, have it gone through. Put on a set of carbs and see if the engine runs.



I had MFI on one 914 six conversion. It was pretty neat.

Might want to run a leak down

Yeah I probably should do that. Hate to buy a tool for just one thing but I am sure I will need it again in the future anyway

Leak downs on an engine that has been sitting for 6 months are almost always inaccurate. The longer it's sat the worse the reading are.

It's fine to do it but if you have some leakage, I'd write down the numbers and not worry about them.

I've seen a cylinder that tests 60% clean up to low 90s after running it a bit.

Super bad leakage shouldn't be ignored but a cylinder at 60% wouldn't bother me if it had sat for awhile.

Absolutely correct.
I've seen 911 engines come out of long dry storage with very low compression/leak
down numbers.
Rotate the engine by hand using compressed air to blow through each cylinder.
Dont jump to adjust valves. Wait.
Take youe time. Use common sense.
I've seen very good recoveries.

I have a small progress update. Unfortunately, I have been quite busy at work so have not made a ton of progress, just small stuff.



Got the brakes installed and found that all four calipers leaked, looks like whoever rebuilt them pinched the o rings when assembling. So I learned how to rebuild calipers and now no leaks!


Sway bar is installed, had to do a lot of parts cleaning and replace bushings.


engine progress is slow. I'm trying to ensure I dont break anything as the parts are so expensive. I cleaned up the throttle bodies and checked for shaft play (none!). Did a leak down test and results were not so good. The air was escaping from the exhaust valves. I have it at a friends shop now we will see what we can do. I'm hoping it is just buildup on the valves keeping them from closing all the way. We will see


A local radiator shop cleaned out the fuel tank for me.


Sanded everything down and repainted it, just forgot to take an "after" picture. threw it straight in and plumbed it with tangerine racing fuel lines to the back.

Two things.

1st: Something I missed on first read. "Component for sportomatic shifter".

When I'm sourcing a core for a performance build, I WANT an "auto" version.

Automatic vs manual the automatic will normally have 1/2 the "total revolutions" on the engine vs manual.
Thrust wear is 10% auto vs manual. No clutch means no funky forward thrust on the bearings at every shift.
Most automatics do not allow over-revving.
Automatics are normally driven at less throttle angle.
The automatic is designed for low rpm daily use.

It's a SHITLOAD easier on the engine...

As long as the basic parts are the same, I'll intentionally choose autos for my cores.


#2 The leak down test with excessive airflow through the exhaust valves.
What I will do when I have obvious leakage through a valve is to lightly tap the valve/rocker arm with a wooden dowel and a hammer.
As the engine is at TDC you just barely want to "unseat" the valve and NOT bash the valve into the top of the piston.
It makes a DISTINCT noise when done during a leak down. A pneumatic "BONK' is the best way to describe it.
You WILL see the needle on the second gauge "flicker" big time.
Sometimes the airflow itself "blows" the trash off of the valve/seat and your numbers can come up dramatically.

Now, I don't think I could just install that engine...
If I was already to the point you're at, I'd be pulling the heads/jugs at a minimum.
I'd pull the valve springs and check valve to guide clearance.
If bad that's a trip to the machine shop.
If good you might be able to hand lap the valves in.

I'd replace the rings and have the jugs plateau honed at the machine shop if the piston and cylinders were re-usable.

I'd replace the valve springs too. At least two of those springs have been sitting "compressed" for however long the engine has sat, I would not trust them!
Breaking a spring takes the valve and piston on that cylinder at a minimum.
At high RPM it could be catastrophic and take EVERYTHING!

Springs are cheap in my book. I consider them a "consumable" that should be replaced automatically on anything over 10 years old that you have apart.

Normally, I'm hunting "improved" springs if available.

Your children are cute!
Enjoy them while you can.
They will grow out of it quickly!
Mine did...

Thank you for the input! I have tomorrow off of work and plan on spending the day at my friends shop tinkering and now I have a plan for the time!

This forum is great for practical input like this. I definitely want to work with what I have as much as possible.

We did have some success with "fixing" the exhaust valves however my friend and I agreed the engine needs the heads off for valve springs at a minimum, and probably machine work if we couldn't clean it up with lapping. I almost want to try running it as is but thats a bit more corner cutting than I am comfortable with.

I am a bit concerned I will sink a lot of time and money into the long block only to find a need for more time and money in the MFI system. I might be better off selling it as a core and keeping an eye out for a "normal" engine.

I think for now I will focus on getting the car on the road with the four cylinder. I want to keep momentum on the project while I have some time available. I can get the car driving and have some fun with it while I find a route for the engine.

You definitely need to have a hand throttle with MFI. It is mandatory for the warmup process.

If you are really planning on running MFI on a 914, then you need to find a copy of "Check, Measure and Adjust". It is the factory manual for setting up and tuning the MFI injection.

Read it. Read it again, slowly. And read it again.

Then follow it slowly, like your life depended on it. Do not deviate from the printed procedures even one iota. MFI is an analog computer. It is unforgiving and uncaring.

You will probably need to replace every single rod end socket on the MFI system. They wear out and if they are bad, the car will run bad.

And good luck finding a set of MFI protractors. They are required to set it up correctly.

When you first get it running, it will not run well. But with time, and lots of patience, you can make it scream. And the sound of MFI at full throttle is a dream to a Porsche lover. It sounds a lot like a 917.

Quick update, I made some progress on the four cylinder and got the 6 conversion parts boxed up for the moment.

I had a set of weber carbs that were quite nasty but cleaned up well, I rebuilt them with some old stock weber rebuild kits I found. I installed a new distributor, carbs, and cleaned up tin on the 1.7. Just waiting on a couple small parts and I will join it to the trans and get started with wiring and fuel (if I can get my work schedule to cooperate).

I found two stripped out studs when installing the manifolds. Looks like the engine's previous owner tried the JB weld repair. It did not work. I installed some heli-coils and we are back on track.

I listed the 2.4 for sale locally at the "wouldn't it be nice" price. If it sells it sells but I'm also putting some money aside for a rebuild. If all goes well I will have a drivable car by the end of the year and then can focus on rebuilding the 2.4.

Why not sell off all the MFI parts and go carbs and keep it simple? I would not expect good leak down numbers on an engine that has been sitting a long time. You could build a cheap run stand and fire the engine up and check everything after it’s been properly warmed up. Again my suggestion would be carbs . You could sell the MFI setup complete and net enough money to pay for carbs.

I was not trying to discourage you with what I said about MFI. I absolutely love it on a 914. It runs and drives wonderfully. I had MFI on a 2.4 in my six conversion for years. I actually thought about putting it on the 4.0 engine when I built it. But EFI wins out for the amount of driving I do in my 914.

If you want something easier to use, get Webers. They will bolt on, and you can sell the MFI parts to the 911 guys for big money.

Or if you decide to keep the MFI, I have an electronic copy of check, measure and adjust for you.

You could just fire up your daily driver and come to Okteenerfest. We are going to be there, and I would be happy to sit and talk with you about your fuel system.

I appreciate all the feedback, I will definitely try to make it out for Okteenerfest.

I have read check/measure/adjust and it made sense to me. The reason I am going with the 4 at the moment is simplicity. I just want to get the car driving and the 1.7 is the simplest path there.

Once the car is on the road I can see about getting the six running on a stand before I swap it in. I dont want to go forward with welding in an engine mount and cutting holes for the oil tank before confirming the engine is good.

I definitely have not given up on the six, I just want to keep moving forward on the project and get it running.

Makes sense to me. I know you’re a pretty technical guy from your background so I have confidence in your understanding of the MFI. As you get closer I can share my experience using carbs as throttle bodies and buying conversion bungs to use modern fuel injectors instead of MFI injectors and using Megasquirt. Really happy with the results and with your background a piece of cake.

For me carbs are the EZ button for sure. There are Webers around for a reasonable and they are just plain cool

I might be willing to do some sort of trading my carb set up for your MFI setup as I just use them as throttle bodies

I might know an MFI expert, last I saw he had lots of parts on his shelf…let me know the mm you need and I’ll ask. I brainstormed doing the same thing when I get my car put together in a year or 5, or another 10…

I appreciate the offer but I do want to try getting the MFI working. It all looks to be intact and functional. Hopefully I can get enough time away from work to get the car on the road and get started on the six.