Okay so flame away. I went water cooled. .Yes I know I don't pick the car up till friday afternoon. I will post pics then. Best part is it has so little rust I wouldn't even call it rusty. Just a little on the battery tray. None in the hell hole, none in the longs, none in the trunks & none in the floor pans. Downside is the radiator setup is kinda crappy. Sits at a weird angle in the front trunk & has a large cutout. I plan to get Renegades dual fan setup before summer. Anway I need to get to selling some stuff to make room & fund my new ride. If anyone has this Buick 215 v8 please shoot me some advice. It is supposed to have an aluminum block & be very light . Dazzle me with your infinate wisdom

With all you extras you should be able to make it look great. I have heard of this engine in a 914 being very amazing... for a non-Porsche engine I hope to see it soon.

Guess it's kind of a rebound car from the six I missed. You will see it this summer at the WCR

I think I am the only other one on here with a 215 V8....anything I can do to help...


Michael






quote name='Phoenix 914-6GT' date='Mar 6 2008, 02:10 AM' post='1005362']

[/quote]

phil haun should be able to give some advice on the setup. craig sent me a few pics. looks nice. better budget some funding for rear tires on that narrow body car. i bet it's time to thin the herd huh?

Definately time to thin the herd! I remember Philips car. I am definately going to do something about the rear. I think I am going to get gt flares. I don't know yet. I'll see what I can fit under. If I can get 215's I may not bother. Maybe a little gentle massaging out to get 225's. I've got the perfect 5-lug setup for the car. Paint is in nice shape so I kinda hate to screw with that now. The flares will be down the list.

leave the paint alone or it's gonna turn into a project. just keep your foot out of it.

The Buick 215 is aluminum (heads as well as block). The patent rights to the motor were bought by Land Rover, and it is the engine that they put in a lot of vehicles up through the 1990s (may have changed now, not sure). It is also in Morgans. The biggest issue with these motors is heat. That's why I had to replace the original one in my '95 Discovery. There is a place in England that builds great motors (I put one in my Discovery): http://www.rpiv8.com/homepage.htm
They also sell a lot of other performance upgrades. If you are willing to spend the money (about $13K plus shipping) they have a 5.2 liter version putting out 380BHp!!

Man I'm used to a whoppong 90hp at best. I've never driven a 914 with more than 110hp period. I won't need anymore juice flowin than that. Probably allready a ticket waiting to happen. Here are some pics. Although the car is Orange not red like it looks in the pics. Still picking it up tommorow afternoon

Very clean looking car!

Very cool! That's a perfect motor for a v8 914.

Bill (screen name porsha916) from Bellingham WA has one too.

Excellent! Maybe we can have a good group shot at WCR this summer

Cool! I want your engine for my bad boy, 1954 Austin Healey 100-4.

Seeing yours is tempting me to look at this one:
http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/car/596324299.html

You funny man . Thats my car He just hasn't pulled the add

great buy on a good lookin car

the world's too small

I thought it would be a good garage companion with my Land Rover

Looks nice.

Thanks! I pick it up in about 6 hours. I will take some more detailed pics then

I've ridden in Bill's car. One word: F A S T!

Great looking car!...I had the good doctor build a transmission for mine, I will tell you how it works out after I install it this May. I have lots of photos to share with you if you need any ideas and I hope you share the ones you have...

the 215 is a good engine choice for my money...



Michael

LOVE the Offy valve covers!

I got her home . She hasn't been ran in close to 2 years. Ran great when parked except the clutch was having issues. He told me it would need replaced. WE tried to start it at his place. Could get it to fire with carb starter but only for a second. Wasn't getting any fuel. Turns out it was empty I filled it with premium on my way home.
Insert slight rant here; $45 to fill a tank in a 914
Okay so I got it home & tried to start it. Took a while as it had been so long & to get fuel to the carbs. After a few minutes of pumping mixed starts that died just as quick. She finally roared to life Man it sounds just killer. I figured to limp it off the trailer & take her for a little ride up the road . Well that didn't go so well. Clutch is totally gone. I could get in gear but it wouldn't engage at all.

Guess what I am doing tommorow! I gotta do the clutch so I can drive her. SO up on stands she goes . Better only be for an hour or 2 though. I think I have a good enough clutch & pressure plate. Not real sure if this takes a defferent size clutch or what. I'll find out soon enough

I have a couple pics but not much. Gettin late & I just got it unloaded & into the garage.

Couple more! It had to rain on the way home so it has a bunch of dirt from my rig!

great looking car!!! Do you know if its stock or had any mods?


Michael

Looks very nice Jamie. Can't wait to see it when you come up.

Jamie Is it possible that the clutch is frozen to the P. plate or flywheel, from sitting for so long.
One of my V8 cars would do that if it was run for a long time.
I would put it in gear, and then try and start the car, It would break the clutch loose. It would work fine after that.
I do not suggest that for your very confined space.
I would think that you would have a Kennedy Enginering clutch assembly and adapter setup in there for a Buick V8??

I hate to admit it but once again I am an idiot. When I had it on the trailer it just would die without really feeling like it was engaging. When I went to push it off it wouldn't move either. I did not put 2 & 2 together until a few minutes ago. I went back down to the garage to start it. I did make sure the ebrake was off this time. Wouldn't you know it it would engage now. So I got the chance to take it for a spin. Clutch is definately slipping. This has alot of power but as long as I didn't give it to much gas I could drive it. Clutch would slip if I gave it to much. I'll see if there is any adjustment left to it.
The shifting left something to be desired though. Very sloppy overall & hard to find the right gear. Guess I am a little out of touch as I haven't been driving a 914 in a while. I am thrilled with it Big ass smile on my face

Sounds like you need to do the Patrick firewall bushing. Amazing what that did. Could need to be adjusted as well. Sounds like it will be a blast once you get everything sorted out.

Crazy straight car!! Looks great and don't sweat the water cooled stuff.

My car has the Kennedy clutch and yep..it has some ooomph to it when you give it the gas... The shifting is a little vaugue due to the fact you probably have a tail shifter like me. Thats why I had Dr Evil make me a side shifter with higher 3 & 4th gears to cruise with. I am then going to get the Renn shifter and possibly the shift coupler that James West makes...then I will be happy!!



The only bad part of the 215 is they leak at the timing cover seal but if you are having that issue I know a couple of cures to steer you towards... congrats on a nice vehicle!!


Michael

Hey Michael. I have a feeling I will be a frequent emailer. I am sure I will have some questions. I've go to get on Kennedy & check out the clutches. I'll see if it has a leak at the valve cover. Thanks for all the kind words guys. This is a super straight car & no rust

Nope..not valve cover...timing chain cover...they leak due to the type of original seal..

anyway..some eye candy

Very nice Michael. Looks like your is in a different league than mine.

I drove it around quite a bit this morning. Really screams but definately the clutch is going. I can milk it around no problem & even give it some gas. Seems to want to slip more on the upper end than the lower end. I'll get into it soon. I need to decide on a few things first.

1. I have a very nice complete 5-lug suspension taylor made for this car. The rears are an early 911 hub & utilizes the thicker axles. The rears are complete out of a conversion car I bought that had a fire. They have adjustable koni's all the way around. The front is a late Carrera front end with huge 944 brembo calipers.
2. I have a good 911 tranny with it. Just not sure if the 911 tranny gearing wise is good for this engine? Would make it easy to just put the whole setup. Only if it will be a good setup though.
3. Is it a simple swap to switch to a side shift? I have everything to do it just not sure what all is required.
4. Wheels? I am going to stick with the stock body. So what wheels do I want to use. I recently bought some 15x7 chrome fuchs. Only problem is it was just 3 (4th was toast from a curb). They would look nice but do I want to go for some 16" or 17" wheels.

nope...just a different idea..that is why it will be fun to compare and see what ideas work better.. mine needs a definate cleaning!!!!

I like the valve cover! Very nice where did you get them? I could go for that