I bought the Zambeziteen back in February 2006. Ever since Joe Sharp's BBQ when I did a few odds and ends to prepare for the road trip home... (A quick valve adjustment , installed an ignition switch, etc... Thanks Ron!) ...I've been cooking up a makeover plan. Nothing too drastic in the plan, but I'm finally going to implement it. Watch this space. I will update this post and be posting pics and links to vendors, members and other threads on this board as the makeover progresses.

Since buying the car, a new job came along, Shar got laid off, winter hit pretty hard and so on and so on, so best laid plans and all of that. All that's been done to this point was an SSI installation and a Triad muffler courtesy of 914World member Joseph Mills. Thanks Joseph! I love the sound. The motor as purchased was a 2056 built on a 1.8 case and heads with a 2.0 crank and rods, 96mm P/Cs, a single progressive carb and 009.

As the plan progresses there will be updates to this first post and pics and links. I'm hoping to get it all done before the Atomic Ramble

The Plan:

• Mallory distributor courtesy of Jake Raby and the Type IV Store - Done - 3/18/2007
• Dual Weber 40mm IDF carbs - Installed 3/25/07 Need adjustment and new throttle cable
• Performance Superlite wheels from Pack Racing - 3/25/07 - Trial fit with 205/50VR15 BFG g-force Sport didn't turn out too well. These are the fattest 205/50/15 street tires known to man. Wheel/tire thread.
• Sideshift tranny swap with one that doesn't need a 2nd. gear synchro.
• Front and rear valances and side rocker panels straightened and painted. Including modifying the rear valance for the dual tip Triad Exhaust
• Black interior
• Maybe chrome bumpers. Still waiting for a front bumper from a member.

"a single progressive carb"

It looks really good in the pic, your makeover is mostly mechanical?

I am not going to say what you thought I was going to say (carbs x2), I am sure

you've heard it before(webers). But it sure helped my performance (40 IDF).

Keep up the good work.

Honestly, I haven't yet touched that stupid carb or the car in general, because it has ran and ran and ran with absolutely zero problems. Since driving it home over 1100 miles last year, I haven't done any real maintenance besides a couple of oil changes and a valve adjustment (and I didn't have to adjust any of the valves, they were dead on).

But I did forget to list the plan details. I'll go and modify the first thread post.

Zambezi rooools!
So does the chrome.

biz

Thanks. Chrome? You mean the wheels? They're going to be replaced with these Performance Superlite wheels from Pack Racing

Click to view attachment

I agree...Zambezi rules...and I like the wheels Gint....nice touch.

And so do Minilite-inspired wheels! Yeah, they rool, too.

Paul

I've never been too found of the color green on a car, BUT it suits your car - it looks great.

The interior is very clean - about the carpet kit???

thanks,

Fernando

wow, nice car! any particular reason you are changing the interior?

Ah, Are your old wheels for sale? they look great.
Buck

No other color (IMHO) goes as well with the tan interior. I'm surprised to hear you're getting rid of it.

Car looks great!!! If it were me I would keep those chrome steelies. They look awesome on that car.

I didn't see a buff and wax in your list

Ferg

hey



Nice work Gint.
Why black interior? The Tan is much cooler with the top off.

I'm waiting for you to come over and help me out Ferg!

The chromies aren't for sale. They'll be stored away in with the rest of my wheel stash. I may want them some day.

While I agree that the tan interior looks pretty good in a zambezi 914, this particular tan interior looks great from 10-15 feet. It's actually a little dingy, with a tear in the driver's side door panel and front seat bottom cushion. It could really stand to be redone. I have most of a really nice black interior to install in the car. I want to replace the firewall pad with black perlon. So for the price of a nice black carpet kit and some black perlon for the firewall, I can completely change the interior to black.

I will not sell off the tan interior. It will be stashed away also in case I change my mind and want to go back.

ya, but once you go black..........or something like that

YOURS would look better with a black interior.

With chrome bumpers these wheels will look AWESOME !!!!

Nice work Gint! Please take lots of pictures of the Ramble and have fun.
Chris

Tweaked the plan listing a little. Dual 40 IDF carbs are going on this afternoon.

nice. glad you're finally going to do it.

Are you going to sell me those chrome bumpers or not?

Dual 40IDF Webers are on the car. Ah the joy of dual carbs again! It's been so long since I had a 914 w/duals that I almost forgot how to sync them. Linkage is adjusted, but they need to be sync'd/ I also need a longer throttle cable. This one is too short and binding a little. This is reults in the throttle not allowing a return to idle.

I did a trial fit of the Superlite wheels with 205/50VR15 BFG g-force Sports. These tires are FAT! The wheels were supposed to be 25mm offset, but they are stamped 12p and they stick out pretty far. I'll start a separate thread later tonight or tomorrow.

Wasn't there a group buy on those wheels? I wonder if anyone else had fitting issues.........

These were supposed to be 25mm offset, but they are stamped "12p". They only advertise the 5x7 in 12mm and 25mm positive offset. I measured them but haven't done the math yet. It looks like these are 12mm positive (hence the 12p marking).

Edit:

I took a good look today and the other 3 wheels were marked 12p, but they were stamped over 25p. Which makes perffect sense since all of the wheels measure 1"+ offset (or 25.4mm)

Wow. Even with dual carbs the motor fires right up and idles when stone cold. The progressive was starting to become a PITA. I still need to adjust mixture and fiddle. Accelerator cable broke while I was tightening down after re-positioning it to eliminate the binding.

I had the 205/50VR15 BFG g-force Sports replaced with 195/55VR15s. They are the same tread width and wider overall width of a Yoko ES100 in 205/50VR15. Trial fit indicates that it may just barely be OK without fender lip rolling.

The replacement used side shifter transaxle will be delayed a little bit since the donor vehicle fell on my face. See the Never never never trust your jackstands thread.

..Hey Gint,
I'm glad I saw this thread of yours, it gives me more of a 'kick-in-the-ass' to have my White 914 converted back to the stock color Zambezi Green.

About your 914 falling on your face, I was wondering, have you thought OR Thanked whoever it is You thank,
that the car/engine wasn't HOT???

Glad you're gonna be ok.

Thanks Scott. I thanked whoever it is I thank profusely for a lot of things the last couple of days.

I made a half-assed attempt a couple of weeks ago to synch the 40IDF's that only resulted in a crappy running motor. You just can't rush a dual carb sync. Joe Ricard is right. Patience and plenty of beer is a requirement. Today I took another whack at it. It's better, but the idle screws are only one turn out and I still get lots of hesitation from a dead stop. I need to have another look at timing this weekend.

I am sick of this CB Performance linkage. I ordered this setup today from Classic & Speed Parts. Same as Ottox914's setup despite the fact that the picture is different on thier website.

The linkage ($79.00 what a deal!) looks like this:

Sicklty sweet myster. I have to say that them chromies are the bomb though. The new wheels are awsome but that original look is the cats tail! Nice carbs by the way.

That's not my linkage or throttle bodies. That's a picture of Ottox914's throttle bodies and linkage. I only posted that pic to show what the linkage I ordered looks like.

Replaced an oring in the #1 cylinder idle jet holder. It was missing entirely. I readjusted the carbs afterwards. Running much better.

Jets are the same in both carbs. They are:

Idle: 55
Main: 120
Emulsion: F11
Air corrector: 180
Venturi: Forgot to check! Gotta be 32

Tomorrow I need to replace the throttle cable that the end broke off of a couple of weeks back. I also need to recheck timing. It may be time to put some timing marls on the fan. it's a 1.8 case and fan so I only have a TDC mark and the 7.5 degree BTDC mark. On top of that the motor has a replacement flywheel with no timing marks aside from the ones I put on it at Joe Sharp's when I did the first valve adjustment. And the distributor drive gear is 180 degrees out.