I am new to the 914 World and want to build my 73 914 1.7. I did some research and wanted to purchase a turnkey engine to just swap out with mine and have fun with alot of HP and thats it, however that seems to be way out of my price range.

So now I am looking into building my motor, so I have many questions and am trying to build a plan and am looking for a lot of help from the guys who have been right where I am now.

First I currently have a 73 1.7 FI 5 spd 914, my budget is 4K and I cant go much over that price range. This will be a daily driver so I am looking for the perfect mixture of daily driving with the highest HP I can get for my money.

If I am to build my engine, what kind of machining do I have to do to the block, cylinders ect...and what kind of head work will I need, or is there a good high performance head that will fit my buld?

what parts should be rebuilt, machined, or new?

I have seen engines with 96MM bore and 76MM stroke, and cams with 507 Lift .. 310 Duration, with my engine, but with my engine how do I get the most out of a 1.7?

With upgrades, do I spend the 1K for some Dual Weber carbs, or can I get just as much from a lesser fuel system?

what all do I need to build a 1.7 to where all is compatable for a nice stong HP, and reliable engine. What kind of HP can I expect to get out of a 1.7 build with only 4K

Also is there a turbo you can put on a built 1.7 and if so should the engine build have that in mind if I wanted to ad that at a later date?

Like I said I am Very new to the 914 World and to air cooled engines, All and Any help or advice will be appreciated in helping me with a build plan.
Thanks

Being a newbie needs a welcome so .

Sorry I can't help with your questions. 914's are not so much about the speed as they are about control in the twisties.
If you really need the muscle, maybe toss in a Corvair engine. They are affordable and East TN seems to be your location by your clock in the post says. You can find them sometimes in www.Traderonline.com.
It's an outstanding air cooled engine and can knock the socks off iron that has lots more under the hood. There are some 914 owner's in the past history of owners who have made it work. There was a monster 914 in Chattanooga a few years ago when I was doing Porschephiles list forum but that is all I remember.
Hope I was helpful.

Mike Cooley
Oakfield, TN (Jackson)

mike, i'll chime in a little~
realistically, any significant upgrade will at least double your budget, and you probably won't end up with what your looking for. big bore parts or transplant, both have issues and expenses that'll eat money like a pacman.
the turnkey solutions are @ aircooled tech. you may have seen this already, but you can learn a lot and i'd research as much as i can before taking the leap.

carbs will hurt the car's performance versus a properly tuned fi due to the stock cam. and if you want to turbo later, your looking at some additional engineering issues that you might not want.
i have a friend (dave-o) here on the board who's stock junkyard 1.7 is twice the car my 2056 with webers is.
why? suspension and exhaust. to echo cooltimes, these are momentum cars... even if you put a jet engine in it.

i'm sure you'll get lots of feedback on what to do. here's what i suggest you look at:
~ build the suspension and brakes (i know... boring!).
~ exhaust! SSI or header and a free-flow exhaust.
~ look at 2.0 heads, p's&c's if you can't keep your mitts off the engine, but...
~ add a modern fuel injection, something like sds.
~ tighten up the car overall. if you do all the prep to the body and suspension, you'll have the platform to succeed later when you can afford to put a huge motor in.

good luck!
others will fill in the omissions/correct me!
paul

For engine stuff you should talk to a guy on here by the name of Jake Raby. He know the four cylinder engines very well, and he has done amazing things with them. I would agree that on a 914 there is much to be said about the suspension setup.

Skip the 1.7. I wouldn't bother with a 2056 either. Go ahead and step up to the 2270. It can be done for 4K, but you will have to be patient, do lots of work yourself and watch for good deals.

914s are boring when they can't outrun a stock saturn. You will build a 1.7 and it will sound neat and reasonable power for an aircooled four, but it will still be slow. It will make at best 110hp and that is pretty worked over. FOr a street car displacement is the way to go. Bigger is always better.

Where in TN are you? Any reason why you want to stick with a four? A Suby is a better choice. A six beats the four, but it will cost more than 4K. There are lots of better options than the 1.7.

You can rebuild the 1.7 with a big boost in hp for $4k easily.
First, a new/better camshaft and lifters is required. I suggest the Web 86a.
It's easy to work with and provides a good power boost with the right headwork.
Second - headwork. Get new valves, seats, guides, heavy duty springs and some light porting for more top end power.
Third - dual Weber or Dellorto 40mm carbs.
Fourth - exhaust system. Yes, this is part of a well planned engine build and should be included in the budget. The factory exhaust will not help with top end power, which is where your 1.7 can gain the most. A complete Tangerine exhaust will use half your budget but will provide the biggest power increase, especially when applied to an engine with other performance enhancements.
If you don't spend the money on an exhaust you have enough in the budget for lighter pistons, connecting rods, flywheel, and balance work - which don't increase hp by themselves, but make the engine more responsive and able to reach the higher rpms you need to make more power.

Paul, I agree.
Aircool is the best answer to the questions.
Mr. Raby offers a 914 kit that would probably be close to the budget Dan stated.

Dan,
Look at this link as it tells how the Aircool Technology upgrade becomes a powerful engine for a 914. Mr. Raby basically had the same setup you are wanting to render for additional 914 power.
http://www.aircooledtechnology.com/about_jake_cars.htm#914

Racer Chris, as well as others, answers with 914 experience too.
Turbo a 914. One of my best 914 friends did that.
See Ed V's 914 turbo project and you will move very fast.

Mike

First I want to Thank Everyone for your replies and Welcoming me to your World. I appreciate it Very much. Keep sending your thoughts and advice.

I have read so much on this site from different 914/4s to the 914/6s and also the conversions like the subie build not to mention the Big V8 build.

I originally wanted to build me a V8 conversion, this has been a dream of mine for years and I am not looking to race my 914 on a track, but would like to make it a street/strip muscle car. Now I have my own 914, and did some research and wow, there is a big expense in the V8 builds, not to mention the 901 transaxle might just grenade with some descent HP and a heavy foot.

I then started to look into keeping my 914 true to the Porsche, which I like the ideal of keeping my 914 true to the aircooled engine. Now with so many options I would really love to build me a 914/4 that would kick the snot out of all the mustangs, camaros, wrxs, and hondas that think they own the road.

The 2270 that Jake builds sounds like alot of fun, I would buy a turnkey engine from Jake in a heartbeat if I could afford it, no doubt. I might just have to request to go back to the middle east to make some more cash...

I found this engine ( http://www.importmotor.com/Store/ProductDe...&StoreID=73 ) in California that seems to be good, but I dont know the shop or exactly how this is going to fit my budjet since I am going to need a better fuel system (Duel Webers) for this engine. and I am sure a few more things. with this engine and carbs would put right at 4K

There is so many options here that I do know unless I come across a totally incredible deal, I think I need to just listen to all the advice I can get on here and maybe just wait a little while until I know and understand more, the patient think is the hardest part.

Well Thanks again for the Big Welcome and please don't stop giving the advise and tips, I can use all I can get.

Do a search on here you might change your mind on good or bad

how can they build you a good engine for less than the parts cost???

Be warned, when you build an aircooled motor it will be more powerful than stock, but it won't "kick the snot out of all the mustangs, camaros, wrxs, and hondas that think they own the road." You will need more than 200hp to make that happen. Not going to happen on the cheap with an aircooled anything. You might be able to pull off a turbo engine but it will be realtively crude and won't make 200hp.

Import Motor makes incredibly good
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Paper weights........ At best.

C

The best $350 I ever spent on my 1.7 was a 1 5/8" header, 4->1 collector - thanx again Twystd1:beer2:
Don't leave a good exhaust out of the budget
Not only did it wake up my old motor in a hurry, bolted on in an hour or so, but it will work gud after the enventual $4k "rebuild" that I too am pondering. Not a bad idea to buy yourself a running engine to swap, but look to a non-schiyster home-town racer vs. an engine shop making deals. Jake sells some used stuff, maybe, and some of the best parts I have are from racer hand-me downs. Every now and then a hot 2.0 TIV shows up from someone making a 6 conversion.

When I was racing, a favorite quote was...

"Speed just costs money....So, how fast do you want to go?"

Holds true for street cars too IMHO.

Sick this morning, can't read every word above, Sooo I may go over something above, bare with me.

Above mentioned was a cam and lifters, get them after you figure out what
induction you will use, and what cc's you will end up with. But this is very important, a place you WILL want to spend your money.

I got a 2.0 crank, rods, P&C's. The first two were used but in good shape, P&C's will need to be for a 2.0 also, 96's would be good.

On a budget you can flycut your 1.7 heads and run them...to be replaced in the future with 2.0 heads.

With this config. you will end up with a 2056cc, good running engine at a livable price. Have fun.

That includes imported Type 4 aircooled motors. They also work well to hold the door open at the shop.

I hate to say this, and no offense to anyone.

If you want to kick the snot out of the honda rice racers of the world,

do a subie twin turbo conversion.

A fun car with around 125hp, TIV, with a mild budget($1500 approx) can be done.

Don't throw all your budgeted money into the motor basket, the rest of the car will need stuff too.

go with an aftermarket EFI, SDS or MS

Just my .02

build the 1.7/1.8L up stock with 7.5:1 compression
and put a turbo on it.

or find a running 1.8L and just slap the turbo on it with megasquirt.

best bang for buck.

I like the turbo or building a 1911.

be patient, there is ALOT of good experianced advice here. read, read, read up on the different options on your build. i know it really helped me refine how we wanted to build my sons 73. also watch the sell ads, it can help put together a good engine on a budget. there are alot of smart guys working with the modern f.i. here also. i'm going to run the modified d-jet, but would like to switch to a modern f.i. later

the 914 is one of the best (reasonably priced) handling cars out there. concentrating on suspention + reliable h.p. (120ish) -in my opinion-, will give you the most bang for your buck. the type IV motor can really ad up to build if your not careful and planned.
mike

If a turbo was that easy, everyone would do it

IIWM, I'd build a 1911. Can be done well for easily under 3k and it will be plenty of fun for a DD 914. Take the extra $1k from your budget and make the car pretty and comfortable.

everyone does do it.
just not teeners,
why.

The Suby motor is the way to fly. It is what Porsche should have done to continue the series.

The T4 turbo is nothing special. It is hard to keep alive. The heads are too weak and the camshafts are all kinda wrong. I wouldn't bother. Of you want a turbo go with a six or suby four.

evaluate your skills, dollar amount and time you want to involve. building a type IV has got to be on the more difficult and expensive scale (to do em' right that is). unless you want to stay origanal or to more or less stay true to porsche air cooled. the modern engines have alot of cost and tech. advantages. ever looked at the cost of a new aluminum head create chevy? that same $ has a real hard time against rebuilding type IV's. all i'm saying is i certainly cant fault someone for adapting another engine. again it's all about what you want from your car. i choose to set aside my origanal 1.7 and build a 2056 and i've got over $2500 in the parts alone. thats with shopping around and not going all out. you can go alittle less $ but it may cost you in reliability (which i think the type IV lacks and has to be built in anyway. example; head spark plug modification, etc...)
either way it's great to see the effort being putt into these cars. in ca. anyway they seem to be really coming back to life after being ignored for a period.

I appreciate all the advice and welcomes here. I have read about many choices and several people that do buildsl like jake. I think I am going to try to do me a slow build and pace myself for $ reasons, even though I would Love to do a V8 build, I am not sure about the cooling system, weight, brakes, not to mention going through trannys with a V8 HP, and havent read much advice from others that did a V8. So I am leaning towards building my aircooled engine in my 914, at a slow pace my wallet can handle.

In building my own engine I am not sure of the build plan yet, I am going to need to figure out how big, I am thinking at least 2270. i have to find a decent machine shop that wont take my savings along with my social secrurity to do some head work not to mention all the other work to make the build work together without conflicts. I am not sure yet if I should build my 1.7, or find me a cheap 2.0 and build it, would that be a better build?

It looks like this is not going to be a quick build, I am going to have to be ready for the long haul and alot of reading on here. would the V8 be cheaper and easier...lol

again Thanks for all the advice and keep it coming, all coments and opinions welcome, Anybody have a good build plan, from valve cover to valve cover, carb to clutch?

No need to find a machine shop to assist with the 2270+ you plan.My kit program has optional case work and prep work meaning you have a one stop specialty shop to assist the whole way through...

Getting an equal amount of power with items of like quality will cost you MORE than my kit- that is IF you can meet our power!

Today a 914 spec 2270 hit 191 HP.