http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-914...sspagenameZWDVW

dzfg

I don't know about the copper tubing for the cooling system, but that car has MUCH awesome.

Zach

Holy Crap!
....put that one on my Xmas list....

Copper tubing? Guy must be a plumber.

HUGE amount of work went into that car.

But I would definitely re-route that tubing...

The engine is still in the middle, right?

What's the big hood scoop for? Radiator clearance?

Is that where the air exits the rad?

that really is a nice car Looks like a lot of attension went into a good finish.

I don't understand this one...

I'm not sure what I think about that hood, but otherwise: DAMN!!!!!!!!!

Lemme see if I can explain.

A guy took a 914, and he put a V8 in it to make it really fast. Rather than just cram in a poorly planned conversion, he appears to have thought out every last detail right down to appropriate suspension and brake modification, chasis reinforcements and a modified shift linkage. He carried out the conversion in about as bullet-proof and badass of a fashion as he possibly could, apparently leaving no potential problem unaddressed. He customized a few things along the way to his taste, maybe a few over the top, ultimately resulting in a car that any objective car guy would have to respect as being amazingly well executed from an engineering and mechanical point of view.

This is a beautiful car. I like the way he changed the hood breaking up the flat lines. Also like the front bumper & grill and just about everything else about the body modifications. I really like it. Lots of great idea's & tastefully done.
I would have let off a few side scoops, but that's just me.

Tom

One of the nicest conversions I have ever seen. I like the side scoops on the rockers and rear quarter panels. Something tells me they are functional and not just for looks. I see a radiator AND and oil cooler. Do I also see air conditioning? I'd sure like to know more about the shifter mechanism. Is that a 915 trans? I also like the heat shieldes around the Magnaflo mufflers as well as other places. All in all just a very nice job. Even if you're not a V8 person, you gotta love this car.
cheers, Elliot

I think this guy did everything the way I would have done it. Lots of attention to detail, no obvious short cuts.

As far as the hood scoop goes, it looks a lot like the stock hood bump on my '77 Vette, the only difference being the spine that runs down the center of the scoop on the 914. I would consider it to be a styling cue to reflect the Chevy power under the, ummm, hood.

Very nice attention to detail. I agree, it appears that each mod was thoroughly thought thru, from beginning to end.

The scoop on the hood I'm pretty sure is not functional because it is designed to flow backwards, i.e. high pressure at base of windshield pushes air into the scoop.
It still is a great idea because it screams Chevy (in an understated way).

If the vehicle was setup for a Moonshot, I'd probably want to change out the copper to Galvanized Water Pipe only because of the potential to work harden and crack. If you run over a curb and damage the copper, you can always stop off at your FLBBS (Friendly Local Big Box Store) and get new pipe and sweat fittings.
Galvanized Water Pipe is not gonna crush easily if you ground out. The sheetmetal floor of the car will yield first, so I don't think that routing is a bad idea. (Stay on the GD road!)

Nice Car!

Definitely an interesting conversion but a long way from the nicest around. Howard's Moby would be an example of a nicely done conversion, this ones just OK.
Went to all the trouble to do all this work but didn't paint the underside of the car while there? Redid the entire front trunk but didn't paint it either. That copper tubing will be history on the first speed bump it hits here in the southland. Variety of other issues I see but those are some of the biggies.
Can't believe the guy went to all this money and effort but did such a cheap, half-assed paint job and didn't plan better for the plumbing of the radiator.
Last thing, where do you keep a spare? You've got a jack and a wrench in the trunk but no place for a spare tire of any type.
Randy

You're kidding right

Who the F paints the underside of the car if you expect to drive it

i will say this - thank god that RH has made doing a conversion pretty simple and that this level of awesomeness is not necessary for the average joe to have a v8 914. witht hat said - i will say if you are gonna use any sort of metal for water lines under car they need to be strong thick steel as to not bend if a speed bump is hit - copper will crush and then reduce flow and cause over heat and worse if not noticed asap.
jim

Is this for power steering? See also the front trunk pics

If your paying attention to details
see
http://www.phoenixhobbies.com/html/paint.html

The car is on consignment with the shop that is selling it. The guys at the shop know almost nothing about the car. (Engine, trans, etc.)

It's also for sale locally for $19,000.

Ummm.... no I don't. I agree that a lot of work went into this car, and that it's unique, but I don't really care for the style of it(Just my opinion). I also don't think you can tell that it's been technically thought out and well engineered because there's a lot of well-done bodywork and some expensive bolt on parts. I mean, the suspension seems to be a good choice, but he doesn't even mention it in the ad. What does that tell you? I'm not saying it necessarily wasn't well engineered, but I don't think you can tell without looking it over in person or, even better, working on it. More importantly, it seems unfair to accuse people of doing a "half-assed" conversion because they don't have the money to make it look as flashy as this one. It doesn't mean their fabrication and design of any custom parts is any lower quality. My $.02. Direct your irate comments this way.
Mark D.

With all due respect bud, if that's what you see, you either don't know what you are looking at, or are not looking very carefully. Very few of the things that have gotten attention are not custom "one of a kind" pieces. I have spent a lot of time gathering ideas from other people's conversions, and there a many fabrications on this car that I have never seen anywhere else. The body is nice, but that isn't what caught my eye.



It tells me you haven't read the thread or looked at the ad very carefully. The ad is from a car dealer, and a post above says the car is being sold by a broker on consignment.



If anybody wrote that above, I missed it. I saw the paint on THIS car called half ass, but not anybody's conversion. I know what impresses me is that I see several of the areas I would like to improve on my car (which I consider to be an excellent example of a properly done conversion BTW) to have been addressed on this conversion in logical and custom ways.

I'd like to point out the heat shielding. Around the mufflers and around the copper tubing.

VERY nice touch. Attention to detail. Maybe the guy was a helicopter mechanic.

And to justify the copper tubing... The idea was probly to displace as much heat as possible before getting to the radiator and before getting to the engine. Not being as strong might have been an oversight. But I doubt the guy would've "lost" his presence of mind driving over a big speed bump. Not if the rest of his car indicates what he's like.

Yes, you CAN see that things were well thought out. Here are some examples:

1) Rear Oil Cooler Placement, set up on rear bumper in high drag/vacuum part of slipstream for good airflow

2) Careful cable and tubing routing all over the car (I've already said my bit about the cooling lines under the car.. not a big risk). Wire and cables are well insulated and secured.

3) Great Sheetmetal work: all holes/apertures cut into the body are well finished off so no sharp edges to cut cables/wire/hands etc.

4) Weak parts of car reinforced.

5) Heatshields installed where needed.

6) Provision for engine room cooling.

Each of those items indicate to me that this guy understands cars, and has an eye for detail. He also has enough experience to ANTICIPATE problems, and thus, put the solution in place ahead of time.

I don't see many "fancy" bolt-ons, mostly handmade one-off solutions, but they look rugged and sensible. It also looks like you can get access to the service items you need to.

Nice Car

attention to detail (or the lack of) speaks volumes about the quality of the work done.


sorry guys, but that car doesn't do a thing for me ...
Andy

Heat in the cockpit... hmmm, maybe the guy owns a Corvette.

Yeah, those copper lines are great

And the hood!! Are you kidding? this isn't a Chevelle or Camaro....

Everything else looks OK I guess, I think it is just a little over the top

LOL, I can relate to that!

It looks like a ski boat from the 80's.

One of the things I like about V8 conversions is that everyone that does one has a different interpretation of what a V8 914 should look like. For example, some like to do things that highlight that the car is watercooled (like this silver one), others like to disguise it.

And there lots of different ideas of how to handle the various re-engineering that is necessary. You rarely see 2 V8 cars that are even remotely alike.

This silver one looks like it has had some nice work done on it. But definitely not my cup of tea. Copper plumbing is nice in a house, but just wrong on a car. And styling is subjective and opinion, but almost none of the choices on that car is one that I would have made (hood, multiple oversized openings in the bumper, unnecessary venting of the engine lid, the big fender vents which are useless in an watercooled car, the fake 911 door panels, etc. But the car was his vision of how a V8 should look, not mine!

Will be interesting to see where it ends up.

I'm not really a Chalon lover, but... I thought this was a really nice V8 car that sold last week.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...bayphotohosting

I will be the first to admit that I know NOTHING about V8 conversions, but am always willing to be educated.

This particular "car" doesn't send off any rockets for me, though it is interesting & apparently well thought out.

But, how much has been invested in this car? Strikes me to be a LOT. So, why do something like this if you can't possibly expect to recoup even half your cost? And, your resale market is unbelievable restrictive (I guess?).

So....why not keep the thing Porsche? You want more poop? Put just about anything Porsche in it (my preference would be a 3.0 - simple & enough hp for me), even a 3.6. Do it yourself & do it right, and you'll still have a market for the 914 when you want to sell. No, you won't recap your costs, but it's a car - not a house.

Or, am I being naive here?
Pat

Pat -

I do not mean to start anything here... So please don't take it that way -
But, it seems obvious to me you have never driven a 400HP 914 that was well sorted out - If you had, then you would have a much better understanding of what V8 cars are all about -
If you ever have the opportunity, don't pass it up -

Best -

Thom

i have. more than once. with even more than 400 HP. and i still sorta agree with pat.

but that's besides the point. you can stick as many V8's in your 914 as you like. fine with me.

still doesn't make me like that car much ...
Andy

Don't think he has to worry about crushing the copper ... it sits like a Cayenne ...

Sweet front hood prop.....

Can anyone identify the seats in that car?
Thanks,
Andys

I think you have a little bit of skinny tire and high riding hight. Speaking for myself with a V8 car I like the extra suspension travel and a softer ride. That may be what he's doing as well.
Nice job, I'm not a fan of the hood, or side scoops and the radiator intake is a bit over done. Otherwise a good job

Well..thats why people have individulaized 914's. Not everyone wants a 4 or six, or even likes the slope nose, or chalon, or 916 versions. I am sure everyone thought I was nuts to sell my 73 with a Raby 2056 for a V8 porsche. And mine wasn't the ground punding 400 hp type. But I am glad I did and I enjoy my car. I think this guy put alot of thought into it and I think I like most of it. So why pick it apart? Just say wow...this guy had his own vision and either thumbs up or down.

because that's all we old farts have left to entertain us ...

think "Statler & Waldorf" from the Muppets Show ...

Well the guy doesn't know how a rear sway bar works.

The brackets are in the wrong place, rendering the bar completely nonfunctional.

That alone, calls into question his ability to build a quality car.

What? No replies?

Look. Horizontal drop links do absolutely nothing. The bushing brackets are about 2" too far aft.

It seems typical of the type of person who puts an American V8 in a 914. They're looking for 1/4 mile performance, while having no understanding of how a sports car actually works.

Have a look at the white outlines:

OK. Here's how it should look.

See that the drop link is vertical?

That's how it goes:

Bullshit. He covered cool parts with shields and left the CVs uncovered.

i like the Joe!


Andy

Well said I could not agree more.

I saw this car in person friday night. I was driving home from dinner and it caught my eye as a beautiful 914. So I stopped and looked at it in the dark.

I will have to say this is a beautiful car. When I first saw it I figured it was a six because it looked so we'll done. When I looked at it closer I saw the luvers and a few more american hot rod style features and saw it was a V8 from the window tag. At first I thought gross. V8 car's arn't really me thing because I think many of them are done on a budget and corners are cut. When I looked at this car It seemed different. This car is really well done. The paint is great the complete silver look is beautiful and the personal touches fit the style of the car. While the v8 is not my thing, this is a beautifully done car. Whoever get's this car should be very proud of the quality of it. I really admire the work that has gone into.

Anyway it's a sweet car and if anyone want's me to take a look at it closer I would be MORE than happy to do it ! :)The shop that is selling it deals in really nice sports cars. Mostly british stuff but they have this and a 930 on the show room floor. Most of the car's from there are really high quality.
Eric