This forum is a great place to share ideas and get some feedback. Over the years we have built up a broad base of 'common knowledge'. The problem with common knowledge is that it can stifle creativity. For example, we just had a thread about large bore four cylinder motors, and it immediately received the standard response (myself included). It was also suggested that the place to talk about new and experimental ideas for these motors is another site.

I'm just worried that people are afraid to post about their new ideas, for fear of being told why it won't work, why they should have done something else, etc. In fact I know of one person who sent out a really cool email about some 914 work he did, but didn't post it here for exactly the reason above.

What's the 914World like from your perspective?

I'd rather post my idea and find out from someone who has done if before why it will or will not work, rather than to do it, waste the cash, and be out my part(s) and money. I don't think we're stifling creativity - quite the opposite. Chances are most of us don't have the resources to try out one of our "new" ideas, but someone else does. Shared environment, you can see practical results even if you don't have the means.

or me personally, this open exchange of ideas regarding motor configuration and technical talk ended here several years ago.

The standard response is boring and old.
Bench engineering, and trying new ideas is why I joined in the first place.

While its nice to know where a certain door knob goes, or how certain trim fits, its loads more fun to design and build a motor.
Now I dont have thousands of motors under my belt, nor do I have a dyno.
I have been building these motors type 1 and type 4 for just shy of 30 years now, and purely for fun, not a business.

With all the new ideas, pauter and others come up with, its alot more fun to try these ideas, adapted to our motors.

Yes, the open exchange of ideas is gone. So are the D-jet guru type discussions that have proven that the system will go beyond 2.0 liters.

Does anyone remember the guy running djet in a 2.4 liter motor, 150hp (proven dyno numbers) on the west coast?? DD found him.

We no longer talk like that. Its sad but true.
At least it seems that way. The other site seems to be stimulating that sort of discussion, but the religious answer keeps popping up.

While I really appreciate the knowledge and effort of vendors, its fun to try. If I want to lay down and go with the norm, the last thing I would do is buy a 914.
Rich

The hard part about our little cars is that with them being as old as they are there really isn't much that has not been tried. I love to hear about what people may be willing to try, but if someone has done it before they should be cautioned as to what to watch out for. For those who just THINK they know it won't work I say piss off. Let the creative juices flow. Only those that know first hand something won't work should talk. I'm sure if Jake listed to everyone who said it can't be done he would have stopped years ago.

I think you have to be thick skinned to post here to start with. new idea or any idea at all. People are quick to berate someone for anything that does' not meet with their standards. Lambo doors comes to mind. They are not my cup of tea, but the person did a great job of fabricating.
Why post the usually crap about ricer, etc. It serves no constructive purpose to belittle the work someone has done to the car.
If you can't say some nice , keep it to yourself.

That is why I keep my mouth shut about slant noses. It may not be my cup of tea, but anyone CAN appreciate the work that goes into it. At least the people trying these things like our little carsenough to use it as a base to start from. Who knows what they may stumble on.

Overall, when it comes to motors, I keep my results to myself because there are to many eyes watching....

Happy to share, but my regional competitors get antsy..

I think the 914 architecture is really cool and that is why it keeps going strong.
subaru and V8 along with huge six motors cannot be dropped in any other car so easily.

But, the creativity regarding type 4 motors is gone. It just is.

I love the balance between thinking outside the box and learning from what doesn't work.

There may be a balance in between, but I LOVE seeing each end of the spectrum be stretched more and more!!!! That's exactly what it takes to make it outside the common rut.

I guess my only beef is that nobody seems to use the search function (I myself find it frustrating - it doesn't really work well) and the same questions are asked over and again. It does seem that people flow in and out of the forum where once it was a ritual.
Also I think the split opened up some people to talk that didn't before. I'm not going to slope-nose, lambo door, V-8, V-6, Rotary, Subie, Audi any of my cars, but I enjoy the thought and effort that goes into these cars.
The other Beef is the lack of caring that we seemed to used to have. If there was a ailing member, sick child, member with legal woes, etc. we used to flock to the cause, but now we CAN'T GET PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR Mrs K.

T.C.

well, the creativity is sorta why i posted the drifting video

its a new style that is going on, and it is branching out to new ages, and new cars (like that 993)

a few years from now, aka when i graduate college, i will trey to build a drift oriented 914, just because drifting is hard to do for any car, and mid engine is probably the hardest

but maybe, someone else will be tempted in trying to configure a 914 for drifting

(who knows, it could open up a new world for 914 in motorsports (it hasnt been tried yet, so who knows))


and lambo doors, not my cup of tea, but i think that is pretty cool to do on a 914

i agree with how the 914, with its design, and age, makes it very unique, and so there are many possibilites, that with new technology, we can see being added to out little cars


support creativity!

My response to the big bore four thread was based on his intial question. He did not say he had access to a machine shop, did not say he had built any type 4's before and wanted reliability. To me the reliabilty part alone says a Raby engine. From my understanding if you dont do things right on these engines especially on a big bore you wont get any longevity from it.

My example being a novice to the type IV I rebuilt my engine to stock specs and now I have a engine with probably a bad rod bearing w/ less than 2k miles on it.

The site is great and I may be off base here, but I think our knowledge base is not as well published as it could be. For instance, we could have more articles about options for increasing engine displacement with some common scenarios. This would avoid a question like "what can I do with my 1.8 motor." Or, we could even have separate FAQ pages that list some classic answers to common questions like "how easy is it to fix the hell hole."

It would eliminate some of the repeated questions AND a person who could do some preliminary research and then ask a more "intelligent" question.

Sometimes the search function is funky because people ask questions like "newbie with a question" or "help!" or some other generic unsearchable thing.

Paul

I agree with that. Use the search before you ask! HOWEVER: I also love the idea that this is a LIVE forum. So instead of some repository where people have to just go research the archives, I love the live interactive thing because it gives us a pulse on what people are doing!

So while I think people should use the search capabilities here, I also don't want to see the rest of us squelch the newbies. I actually enjoy seeing what people are dealing with in real time, and don't mind readdressing old issues again. It keeps the place alive, right? Otherwise we could just publish an end-all encyclopedia and close shop.

No rules! Bring it all!!!!

well i don't get the results from the search function i hope for, so i've started making pdf's of ones that are of particular interest. that way, if someone asks instead of searching, i can actually add a link instead of saying "oh, someone did that here before", but not add any info on how o find it.

I think the classic threads need to be expanded. some people where building how-to style blogs, more of that would be good. this is an excellent community and a format that will exist for decades if not longer. it would be nice to have the definitive reference library.

I really appreciate anyone that takes the time to share the information that they have learned. Even if it is a few simple pictures or a complete HowTo write up. Over the years I have asked and answered fewer questions because of the same reasons given by the others above.

I would like to thank everyone that made their knowledge available and posted it here so it would be helpful for others to use. I have used a lot of it to help me on my car.

When I’m trying to find some information I start with the “Lapuwali Classic Thread Forum” then I use Google search on all of the forums. If I can’t find what I’m looking for then I post a question.

Rand is right that the fun here is the (near) real time interactivity. Having someone pop up and say "I don't mind doing some experimenting on my own to prove you wrong" is really cool. As long as he/she is not scared off by the purveyors of conventional wisdom then we're all good to go. 'Informed decisions' and all that.

This is digressing from the original theme a bit but I find searching is often difficult here. There has been so much discussed over the years that it is hard to find the search terms to bring the list down to something reasonable. I also am finding lately that the +blah +bling +boing doesn't always work as expected.

I appreciate what the admins are doing with the Lapuwali Classic Thread Forum and the coordination of how to tech articles. I wonder though if a well organized wiki might help. Either that or a series of subforums where a good (not classic) thread might be archived in chapters like the haynes manual. I hate fragmented discussion boards - discussion should be in one place. But once it is done it would be great to have a filing system for some of them.

Once my car is done, the funs over and I'll sell it.

As our little cars go up in value, our pinkies seem to point up more as well.

It's not just the motors, or the ricer tricks or the drifting. It's the onset of snobbery.

While I may not like all aspects of what people do to their cars; those are their cars and they can do with them as they please. Sometimes, from those way out there cars come rare moments of inspiration that really change the way we all do things.

Don't stifle or look down on another's car passion. It's the same as yours but with a little different perspective. We're all in this together. Soon it will be the motorheads versus the rest of the world as our hobby will come under increasing scrutiny from the greenies. We will need each other. We can not afford to think that there is one true faith when it comes to the car hobby.

This is a somewhat natural order of things. Any ideas that stray too far from the middle of the road, the mainstream so to speak will be ridiculed. I found myself doing the same thing Mark is refering to in the post he is refering to. My second post pointed out that I was limiting creativity by telling him he couldn't do what he wanted.
We do a lot of it. A recent post about adding power steering got a rather cute (I admit I laughed) response "Gold's Gym". I was tempted to respond myself but figured I had nothing to add to the OP's discussion and I resisted the temptation to just tell him how foolish it seemed.
I am not sure, as humans anyway, that we can avoid the temptation to regulate the herd to the midstream of thought. But it can't hurt to try.
I for one will try not to tell people they can't. In fact, as one person put it, it's their car they can paint it any color they want.
Trying not to stifle creativity...

I'm guilty, to some degree, of what you've suggested, Mark. I'm a conversion snob, a slantnose snob, a Chalon snob, etc. Deep down I think that everyone should only do what I like. I didn't respond to that post because I don't know how reliable a big 4 built from Jake & Charles advancements will be. I'm not saying that I doubt them, just that I have no information. It stands to reason that all of their experimentation and hard work and dedication should yield results far better than we used to get out of 103mm Chinese crap grenades.
I think that you're right and I'm wrong to point my finger at something that I don't like, but I do it out of love for 914's. If I were to distill my snobbery all the way down, nobody should even build a 914 racecar out of fear of ruining the car, and I drive a 914 racecar. Make sense? No.
I still think that the only water in a 914 should be in the windshield washer bottle.

This is actually a private gripe of mine.

Other car forums I've participated and learned from have heathy discussions and lengthy posts on improving and experimenting with their vehicles. The Mercedes Diesel forums almost qualify as a community research project in some cases testing new products (injectors) and even oil tests, like the one guy who vowed to never change his oil again and installed multiple filters and such.

Why do we act differently?

I know there are guys here that know this stuff inside and out.
For whatever reason it appears that its just not cool to share this info in the Porsche community. Maybe the brain trust just doesn't have the time?
Maybe its just about sellin stuff?
Is it a racer thing?

I dunno.
Its cool to do it yourself and take some pride in your hunk o' junk.
Anybody Ever listen to Jonny Cash?

chorus....

I got it one piece at a time
And it didn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around.

i know at the classic car meets i will typically go to, most people receive me and my buddy (with a 74' datsun 260z) pretty well, asking many questions, and proving alot of positive feedback

then there are the american car purists, that will say, dont park your piece of foreign car next to mine (and our cars are pretty clean mind them) (we both have received anti-ricer comments, just because we have foreign cars) (and then one person will do the NARP comment )


but in the end, we all are in the same passion, which is cars, we breathe em, dream em, love em,etc

it doesn't matter what style you prefer, or what kind of car, or racing, in the end, we are all here for the same purpose, our passion for our machines

any idea is worth hearing, because these ideas show a new perspective on our common hobby

I'm with ya.

The Lambo doors comes to mind as well. Poor guy. To be slammed by Alphy of all people, Mr. Titanium, 130mph 1.7L, go around a corner parts are fallen-off, I like bang'n single moms that know how to cook, TVA wreck'n Ne'er do well... give me a break. There was more creativity in that guys 4 posts than I've seen from the bragadocious Logan in two years.

And frankly why would anyone give a shit if someone wants a massive -4 or a massive -6? They both cost massive bucks. I'm a six guy through and through but I would cry seriously hard, laughing my ass off, watching a stock -4 with a driver smoke the living shit out of a -6 with a wallet at the next autocross course (and yes; I've seen it happen).

Well, the short answer 'Yes' with an 'F'... the long answer 'no' with a 'but'.

Mark D.

"stiffling creativity"

I have my doubts that anyone can stop a fervent mind. And, I have doubts that we are affecting creativity. Yeppir, some (like me) are died-in-the-wool preservationists. We aso recognize the very cool & creatve things that people have come up with to do with 914's!

Look, these are not classic Ferraris. 914's were throw-away cars from the start because they were cheap. But, the numbers are getting smaller. And that means that speculators are invading. So, some of us try to foment the "originality' thing, because prices are rising.

Guess what? The "engineers" that are creating one-offs are doing us a favor. Each 914 that is re-configured is one lost from the list, making the originals/restoreds more valuable.

Now, don't take this negatively - and I mean this. You creative guys/engineers produce wonderful extracts of the 914 (most of the time). I totally respect the engineering & costs associated with rendering these beasts.

I totally appreciate the things that most of you have done. May not be my bent, but appreciate them nonetheless.

If people like me are stiffling - I apologize. Do what you want to do!
Pat

Well this thread has covered a lot.
Re: Search and common probs etc- perhaps we could start a thread of FSTs (Frequently searched topics) where we start adding particularly successfull searches on an ever expanding list of links. Doezat make sense?
Regarding people and hurt feelings- its true we can get a little, um, terse, but I hope everyone is grown up enough to realize the whole world ain't like them. I like a little discourse occaisionaly, as long as it has legitimate -like technical- basis. Name calling is pointlesss, but theory is open to question and people are open to theorize too- sort of a built in, but conflicting, process.

I definitely like to see folks pushing the boundaries. I bet that LAmbo door setup would actually make anyone look twice and grin in actual use. But I disagree that the forum doesn't usually embrace the experimental. I mean, we are all over wierd frikkin 914s. I think evryone gets pissy sometimes though, and the whole BBS is built on momentum of wanting to respond to a comment, so pissy coments begat more and/or reactive comments etc. But I welcome all you wierdos into my house at the end of evry day and often the morning too, and would IRL as well.

Rock on!

Stifling maybe alittle more discouraging for the person to post an idea then anything! Why share if people are going to put down your hard work that your proud of that the point of posting it! To help some one who is interested in it you may not be if not don't read it why read something your not interested in or give negative feed back on! An to prove apoint after I post my lambo's I had a couple member PM me one said I had a big set to cut up my car & a bigger set to show everybody he has lambo's also just won't post them an I asked him to so how many more out there doing the same thing!

I'll elaborate from my point of view on Monday...

Let's see.... The first time I got reamed by you assholes was for suggesting the use of heims instead of turbo tie rod joints. Turbo tie rods being the "end-all be-all porsche upgrade."

And I'm still holding a grudge about it. What was really so bad about heim joints? Airplanes use them well... everywhere. Every worthwile race car uses them in the suspension. Why wouldn't a heim hold up under cornering? You can buy them rated to a frickin' MILLION psi!

And don't forget those titanium connecting rods. After I made a couple sets (they're in engines now) I went and worked for a company and made them exclusively for a couple of months. Yeah. It was REALLY impossible. Not ti-ti-ti ti TANIUM!!! That stuff is SCARY! Easier to machine than steel.

Na. You guys don't stifle creativity. You smash it into the ground. Nobody's allowed to have a new idea around here. But it doesn't bother me so much. I just stopped posting in the garage.

I think some replies to posts are harsh but most threads have a balance of feedback. Many times, individuals post negative comments without showing any respect to the original poster (i.e. not my cup of tea but, not my thing but, not my favorite style but, etc.)

IMHO, you can't stifle REAL creativity. Those people who have a passion will create what they like regardless of the critics. There are three types of people in this world: those that watch what happens, those that make things happen, and those that WONDER what happened. I think the critics fall in the first and last category. If you are in the arena participating I think you are much less apt to criticize another participant. It is easy to sit on the sideline and spew criticism when you will never enter the game.

That being said, many here have extensive experience with these cars and I believe benefit the community when they provide feedback and advice.

In summary, if you can post with deference to the original poster I think the community would prosper. Just my .02

Oh yeah, and I am now gonna have a beer if you didn't notice

Jim

I guess I'm an old hot rodder at heart F**K anyone who tells me I can't do something to a car the only one that's going to prove me wrong is myself by atleast trying all my ideas..

A person that was kind of a mother figure for a week or so when I was young told me that too.

I have never really gotten into anything heated with someone here, partly because its retarded to fight on the intenet, but mostly because I don't care. 4 vs. 6...who cares? NARP vs. "real porsche"...who cares?? Someone who thinks a 6 is better than a 4 will NEVER be persuaded otherwise, and vice versa, so why waste the typing time. To the guys who dont think my 914's a real porsche, thats fine. I didn't buy my car for that guy, and its a real car to me which is all that matters.

I'm reading Alpha's post about the TI stuff and I'm wondering why he holds a grudge? To the people who didn't think it would work, fine, ignore them and talk with the guys who do. I really don't see it as a personal attack or you're right and they are wrong.... but why waste one more second worrying about anyone who disagrees, 50 threads later my guess is that both will still think the same thing.

Stifling Creativity? maybe its just me but if that is what you think someone is doing, ignore them!

I don't think stifling creativity is the right concept. I do that that conepts people have get shot down when they seem to have no idea what is going on. Not to sound arrogant (since I really don't know much about type IVs), but IMHO posts like the 'massive' one get shot down because often the creators seem to come up with a goal that seems unrealistic and everyone wants to top them before a huge expenditure ends in failure.

Many ideas are shot down because we (collectively) don't want other people wasting their time. In that case, Steven didn't mention that he had ever built an engine before, or that he had access to a machine shot, or that he really had any idea what was going on. In that case, it just seems like a recipe for failure as there is no knowledge implied, nor any background information given.

Sorry Steven, I don't mean to jump on your post; it is simply most prevalent in my recent memory.

When ideas are presented in a clear and well though out (or at least seemingly well thought out way) I think that people are more accepting and genuinely interested in the results. I know I am.

I know that people should be able to try anything they want, but sometimes it just seems like the ideas thrown out are missing a large dose of reality. As in engine building, you can have power, long life, or cost effectiveness. At most you can get 2/3, and sometimes only 1/3 of that list. I think that as a group people tend to be steered away from projects when it seems like they don't have a grasp of concepts like that.

Continuing on the engine building trend, Richard (IDK his sn) posted of ridiculous TIV builds using rather cost effective mixes of components. His posts were way out there (as far as creativity goes), but he was received with great anticipation by many people because of this innovation. I think what was most interesting about his posts was the fact that he came in with a game plan, and had thought the project through thoroughly.

People don't get that kind of reception when they waltz in with no apparent knowledge and then ask what to do in order to accomplish some crazy goal.

I personally am guilty of trying to turn people away from projects that (in my mind) they have not thought about and really seem to be looking for a shopping list of parts to complete them. I think that a large part of the problem grows from the fact that alot of us do not know each other, and in that do not know each other's strengths/weaknesses/experiences. When someone asks if they can do something and doesn't give nay background information their ideas tend to get squashed.

That said certain thread's responses do confuse me. Why did so many people jump on the power steering rack guy? That seemed like a very valid question.

From my point of view and I think this is probably how Jake and Eric and a few others here may feel.

Some of us do this work for a living. We know and have persued our career/passion to the highest degree. When others come on posting about this idea and that idea, we may not be too responsive to the idea because we know it is not the BEST way to go about it. For me, yeah you guys can scuff your paint and lay some Nason down on it. BUT if you ask my opinion in private I will tell you that is going to make for a shitty job that most likely will peel off in 3-4 years. YOU might be completely happy with your job though. I try to refrain from making personal comments on others body and paint work because I realize they have a lot of pride in the job they did, no matter how poor it is to my eyes. I think Jake is just a little less forgiving when it comes to commenting on others work.

We are passionate about doing things the absolute best way it can be done. We know what a better and longer lasting job it will be when done our way.
I would LOVE to be able to build a 2270 using cheaper parts. Jakes kits are unbdoubtedly the BEST way to go but I just can't afford it. Much like many of you can't afford one of my, Rick's or Perry's restorations. BUT you guys also need to realize you get what you pay for. I have seen several threads ( one in particular recently ) bashing a body shop for their crappy work. WELL did you spend 1500 on that repair or did you spend 5000 on the repair? Same goes for your engine.

I have pretty much stopped replying to posts about body, paint, and welding. It's just futile. Everyone here that bought a 500.00 welder knows more than I do despite my 12 certifications. I can also tell you I know for a fact there are guys here who are better welders than I am who don't respond. I could site a thread from a couple years ago when someone bashed a particular stick rod claiming it to be junk. Problem wasn't the rod it, was the user,that rod is one that needs to be manipulated. It is for a specific type of joint. But since he couldn't run it like it was a 7018 it is automatically a POS. THAT is the gist of my post in a nutshell.

I enjoy the articles on odd engine builds. Whatever happend to the person building the 2.2 or 2.3 using everything from Rabbit rods to Chevy bearings?I agree the standard response is " Buy on of Jakes kits " GREAT idea IF you can afford it. But Jake got to where he is by experimenting and by God if someone here can builkd a better and cheaper mousetrap we should support him just as we have, and will support Jake.


Oh and BTW[/color] who is using PAT'S computer ?

Try posting on the 356 Registry. If I hear "proper and correct" one more time I'm gonna hurl. I enjoyed my Concour Weenie Rustoration of my 58A but four wheel drum brakes and 60 HP was just too.....geez, what's the word for it.....let's just go with OLD!!!!

However the just under 40K I got for it, made the 10 month ordeal a bit more liveable....geez, there is more money than brains in this world....

In conclusion....Naw, you can post any idea on this list and always get a naysayer....it's a crowning event when you do it, report on it and the previous poster either says...OK, ya did it or just STFU.....

I mean...the phrase...ya can't turbo a 914....was created and disproved....

We all have our point of view or context through which we see things. In order to allow others to have ideas and act out the idea we have to accept their context.

My concern is that some of us, me too, have a habit of jumping up and telling people they can't do something rather than helping them develop the idea. Think Tanks operate on this principle. A subject is brought forward and thoughts are collected. Everyone respectfully discusses the subject. Respectfully means the difference between saying "don't be a dipshit! If you build that it will be a grenade!" and saying "have you considered the possibility that ultra thin cast iron pistons might create a lot of heat they can't dissipate?"

A lot of it is just guys BSing in the garage and not intended to be stifling but it has that effect. Think like us or suffer the consequences.

Thats why this forum doesn't get my vote for people who want to learn to build their own motor or learn about engines. This forum supports Jake and isn't the place for that guy to discuss building a big 4. Period.

The people who know wont bother and we all know that jake doesn't give out info because its his business. Nothing wrong with that, he's a business man. I do know for a fact that there are more talented people than scotty or jake who can and will discuss their work... and those are the places I go to talk about those subjects.

Crap, half the time I cant even remember what screen name or password is for which stupid forum.

Nothing wrong with not helping. Your knowledge, your choice. Not every pro can teach and not every teacher can perform at the highest level of their field.

Nothing wrong with a stale garage that has no technical vibe either.
Its your community, do with it what you want.

You ARE a bunch of snobs . . . . worse than the 356 guys even 'cause the cars aren't worth nearly as much, but the attitudes are almost the same.

Don't believe me?

OK, then. Everyone tell me how cool my car is gonna be when it's done.

It'll end up lookin' just like THIS . . . Click to view attachment


Come on . . . tell you love it . . . show me I'm wrong.

Hmmm, this forum "supports Jake".

I wouldn't say that....he simply posts and he gets comments yea or nay. No one that I know of extends him any more courtesy that anyone else gets.

Frankly I think his stuff is very pricey and I've yet to see anyone with an engine with high (street) miles report back in. If that has happened please point it out to me. You may have noticed or didn't care that I took a 10 month break and missed some of the drivel...err advertising...errr, posts....

I'm getting older and I don't race anymore so I could care less about 4 cylinder race motors.....I'm a six kinda guy.

As to the Rabbit rod and Chevy "piston" type IV motor...I built one of those and posted on it back on the old Renegade website....it ran in the Rocket just before I did the 3.0 six conversion.

I think it was DDDD that said it wouldn't work.

People are always having 4 vs 6. Jake gets some support, but he also gets slammed by some of us six guys. I think all mechanics need to be at least a little thick skinned. We are a group that cares about other members, but as I recall I flip those I care most about pleanty of sh!t from time to time. If you simply stop because someone is challenging you on it you didn't truely have the motivation to complete it all to the end in the beginning. Either that or you need to toughen up a little.

for the rat rod 914, if you build it, i want to see it (but that front end needs to at least that high up, otherwise it doesnt count lol)

Sorry I did not support you regarding the lambo doors by posting pic's of my lambo door conversion, but I learned a long time ago that perhaps I think too far out of the box, I have posted a few things, ideas, and projects regarding my 914 that were totally over the top and got bashed hard for it. From that I have learned that its better to keep my wild ideas pretty much to my self, only involving those who are genuinely interested or who may perhaps be undertaking something similar to what I have already done and may benefit from my knowledge. This way at least I don’t get shit on. Don’t get me wrong I love this community and spend a lot of time helping where I can or just lurking. Hopefully one day 914 owners like me with Frankenstein bastard creations will be able to post to our hearts content without fear having our hard work put down or severely bashed, after all we put just as much time and money into our 914 vision as the purist do.

Paul is one of the nicest and smartest guys out there. His stuff has only been shown once and he got bashed for doing it. Yes it's radical, Paul is a full blown custom guy, doesn't matter what he owns it still would be over the top custom. There are many things he does that could easily be adapted to the "norm" but he doesn't post for fear of being bashed.
Our loss.

Mike914 won't post because of being bashed on the old renegade site.
Our loss.

I mostly lurk now as I'm tired of the hi-po /4 bashers, Jake and others can fight that battle, I'm bored with it.
Oh well....

Why be afraid of posting? I post my drivel, stir it up a bit and then sit back and watch the peanut gallery fight it out. Why do ya think I had all those crazy avatars at the beginning of the 914 sites?

Funny thing....the biggest bitcher about my avatars ended up starting the long running "hot chicks" thread in OT/Sandbox.....and now I'm being accused of censoring the over the top pics....

Times change....Paul should come back and not worry about the idjuts. Sift thru the crap and find the treasures......

Information is what you make of it. I was a convert to turbo charging air cooled motors. There is probably someone out there that will dispute it, but I'm pretty sure I coined the phrase, "you can't turbo a 914"....of course I drank quite a bit back then.....

I know I did nickname Captain Crusty....anyways I digress.....

I'm picking up a 74 2.0 tomorrow. I'm thinking of flaring it and going with wide chromies and hubcaps....

I believe that this question was posed at the right time Mark. Before the no turning back point we have sort of an eye opener. I did not check the views count to confirm this before I viewed this thread to confirm but I am sure everyone has read this at least once.

Short version: yes, maybe

Long version:it is entirely possible that there is an "aura" of shut out or stifle the new guys with big aspirations. Granted this is the internet and for the most part doesn't REALLY matter, all the flaming, whatever I don't personally get worked up about it. In the same vein, we are all grown ass men aged probably early-mid twenties on. We can all take a flaming. Unless somebody is in danger of
1)hurting themselves , we're pretty good at picking up on inadequet jackstands
or
2)about to make a catatrophic mistake of some sort, what that is I have no idea.

we can sit back, lend advice from our own life experiences, be friendly, etc...

And to my thread neighbor Mike to my immediate top somewhere: I hope you do build a wide chromie hubcappy flared car that makes purists wanna explode, It'll match my grey silver orange almost creamsicly thing that I will finish when I get to "Not I-wack" WA state.
No B.s> I would love to see it and you do good work so why the hell not.

Take care guys , Theres prolly a good quote for this somewhere....

It seems to me of all the things the 914 has suffered through for the last 35 years, a lack of "creativity" being applied to them isn't one of them!

Hear Hear!

I'm not a "creative" person. Infact, I'm locked in a time warp. But, I have seen, gagged & appreciated the 914 renditions I've seen in the last 30+ years.

Let the artisans vent their spleens! I may not sign up for it, but love to see them!
Pat

914World is the best combo of technical, loose events, and new 914 news around. Creative people are what move society forward, and they must have strong resolve to thwart attacks from the establishment whenever they express their differentness.

I know I hold back from posting because I'm just a hobby mechanic and most of my mini-problems work themselves out after some research here and more common sense thinkin. I try to reduce the short-lived problem->solution redundancy, and post when I do cool stuff like custom air filter and battery mount.

The past year or so has seen several new and similar 914 forums and it is possible that is has resulted in less engine talk here. I think the cheap re-build threads are sweet and I personally look forward to more tips + tricks to make my 914 better.

Where is the heck is that thread showing the wiring mods to make the side-markers blink with the turn signal??? I've given up searching for it