So, tomorrow the exhaust is being welded on. Then it will be putting the car back together and driving it for a while and work out any kinks. I have a few more pictures to post, which i will do later, and also resize some of those previous ones.


-PEter

oh, and a little matching bling i got for my car today...

Awesome looking shop!

When is your car going to be back on the road?

Going to be LOTS of fun.

-- brett

Hopefully in 3 weeks. That is when I have to go back to school (3 hours away) and I plan on driving it there. I have been able to drive it around the block a few times and give it a few good pulls from 2nd... wholy s#$% it was awesome. It should be making about 190hp with the EMS computer(although I will probably get it tuned/dyno sometime after it is has been running for a little bit), and I can definitely feel it.

Exhaust goes on tomorrow, then I should be able to start giving it a lot of test drives...I CANNOT wait for that to happen.


-Peter

It was a very exciting day today! I got my car registered this morning and had to wait all day for the exhaust to arrive from my uncles shop. Finally, around 4, he showed up. I put on the exhaust and took for its first true test drive...


IT DROVE GREAT!!!! The temp stayed steady the entire drive, tons of power, shifted great and sounded great. oh, the sound.... After driving it, I have realized that the exhaust is going to be too loud in the long run. For now it is fine, but it will have to be changed. I will most likely drive it until I get pulled over, then switch up the exhaust system... Im thinking maybe a boxster muffler might work well.

anyway, I am so excited that after 2 YEARS my car is back on the road and driving...this time however, with a subaru motor. life is good!!!

-Peter

After you get it running and quieter if it has a noisey valvetrain you've got some bent intake valves. My son's sti had 8 barely bent .008-.017 bent valves and still ran good but the valves were noisey at about 3k. Compression and leakdown was still pretty good we think the valve stems were flexing and allowing the valves to seat while it was at tdc when we were doing the testing. Amenson had a similiar situation.

charliew-
I will keep this in mind when I get the exhaust on there.

Also, I had been struggling with the cooling for the last week or so, but got it figured it with help from Mike and Chris. Thanks guys!! you can read about it in this thread..

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=109827

Anyway, I now have the car in Chico and have been showing it to all my friends and they all dig it. Once school starts I am going to show it to my engineering buddies who will have a little more appreciation for what is actually going on in there. In the meantime I have been cruising around town causing trouble and all is well so far. I am just waiting for the next issue to present itself... but until then i am just enjoying it! Its not that I don't trust the car... I just know that after 2 years of working on it, something is bound to happen, hopefully it wont be to big a problem!!!

If anyone is ever in chico, or is close by and wants to get lunch or something and go for a ride in the car, let me know.

-Peter

Hey guys-

Thought I would post an update on the car. I had the car in Chico for about a month and I took it back home to my parents house a few weeks ago for the winter... and because the starter motor is done. Right before its death, I started to notice it was cranking slower and slower each time, finally it just would barely crank once.

I kind of expected this, especially with a JDM (higher compression) motor. Anyways, not really a big deal, but what starter motor do you guys use? I am thinking about the 911 high torque motor, but have heard that there are some issues with clearance?

So, conversion guys, what starter motors are you using?

Thanks,

-Peter

p.s. a 914 subaru conversion is everything I imagined. it was awesome to drive around, and cant wait to get it running again.

I can't speak for the conversion, as I am not at that point yet.

But, I bought a HT starter from GPR for my 914-6 and I love it.

-- brett

I used one of the ebay high torque starters.. I tried a 911 starter in my v8 and it just wouldnt kick. Ebay starter has never left me stranded... However back when I bought it, it was ~ 150...

For my 914 ive been using the Porsche 911 930 Bosch Starter 1970-74 for the ej20 and have not had any problems yet.

So, since my car is off at paint with andyrew, I thought I would update this thread.

Over the last year I painted the car with rattle can black and drove it whenever I was home from school. I also painted the inside with POR-15. The car drove mechanically great for the last year and so I figured it was a good time to move forward and get it looking nice. I saw Andyrew's paint thread and I PM'd him right away and we started working out the details. I am VERY excited for him to work on my car. I saw his car up close and it looks amazing!

I am going to be going with GT3RS Green and matte black trim.

Still up for debate:

- matte black the sail panel/targa bar or replace with new vinyl
- matte black the chrome or leave as chrome
- rolling rear fenders
- matte black or body color for the window bar

Here are some pictures of everything...

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how bout a little bigger...

marked out...

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cut and fitted on...

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laying down the POR-15.


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finished inside


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removing things..
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the heads of the window screws just twisted right off. I will have to probably drill these out.

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...even labeled things with drawings so I wont forget which screws go where.


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and right before loading it on the trailer...

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ready to go!!!!


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-peter

The Window mirror screws are going to be a PITA, Im going to soak them in some blaster to try and loosen them up, We will need to get a reverse drill bit and it should pop these suckers out in no time if they have some lube in them. I'll leave that one to you

I know the subaru radiators dont take much cooling, but have you run that bumper on the car in stop and go or high speed traffic? I think you might need a little more than that. Also your wheel well openings are a little bit small We can talk about that next time you come down.

PS those little screws are pretty much all the same and probably need to be replaced.

- matte black the sail panel/targa bar or replace with new vinyl
Matte blacking the sail panel will take a couple hours of sanding smooth and maybe some filler, then again new vinal will cost money. Personally I dont think the vinyl will look good if you have matte black on the rest of the car as complimentary colors, I think you should matte black it.
- matte black the chrome or leave as chrome
Black
- rolling rear fenders
You'll kick yourself later if you dont do it now.
- matte black or body color for the window bar
Personally I think this area should be body color.

Andrew-

Funny you mention the size of the opening, my dad said the same thing. Up until I brought it to you, I had been running with the bumper on to check the cooling situation. I don't think I was ever in heavy stop and go traffic, but normal city driving (and a little freeway) the temps were a couple degrees warmer than usual (maybe running between 178-183 as opposed to 175-180), but it never overheated or felt like it was going to overheat. maybe I will cut a little more out of the lower valence or widen the opening on the bumper.

I figured those screws were the same, but I seperated them anyways.

I am leaning towards matte black too for the sail panels/chrome, just something that came up when I was taking things off the car.


-Peter

You have a really big opening in the front of the body which helps a lot, but I really would think it would be a good idea to go bigger on your bumper opening, Taller and wider. Notching out the lower valance isnt a bad idea either. The last thing you want is to be driving on a hot summer day at 70mph and see that guage start to go up.. Because once it starts, It just wont stop. That and doing hill climbs or going over big hills like the grape vine can really take a toll on heating systems. You should anticipate this and make your system as efficient as it can be.

I'm running a EG33 with about the same total size air openings as this car has. If the rest of the cooling system is correct you don't need a opening any larger than the GT oil cooler opening. I see a lot of peolpe cut way bigger openings than they need.

Bob

I guess it depends on what 'correct' means. I had the car running in chico for about two months where temps were around 95-105 daily and the car never broke 185-190 (with only 1 fan running). However, this was without the bumpers on. I am just using this as an example that I believe my cooling system is working correctly.

I too think that the opening will be OK, but I would hate to get the bumpers painted and then have to cut more out later.

So, while my car is away right now, I have been thinking about what I want to put back on the car when it comes back. Here is a list of things that I want to put on the car (and most likely will start ordering the stuff this weekend). Let me know what you think.

Seats:

- Corbeau Clubmans; going to get two of these in black cloth. has anyone had any experiences with these? good bad? I was going to buy them online, but i think i might give partsheaven a call today or tomorrow and see what they have.

harness:

- I think I want 5-pt harnesses, but I dont know which brand to get and which mounting style. my first thought is just eye hooks into the firewall. thoughts? comments?

Front Targa seal:

- no explanation needed. will be getting this from 914rubber.com

Roll bar:

- I really like the look of McMark's GT half-cage. Very clean look while still stiffening the body and adding safety. Thinking I will jsut drive the car to his shop and have him put it in on the spot. save money on shipping, and give him the business.

rear suspension:

- right now I have KYB's and they sit way too high and are obviously very stiff. I had Koni yellows with threaded collars on my last car and they were AWESEOME. They are a bit on the pricey side, so i might look for alternatives. My only criteria is that the ride height be adjustable and they remain stiff. (maybe not as stiff as the kyb's)

steering wheel/quick release:

i really have no idea what I want to do for the steering wheel, but I would like a suede grip. The quick release will be there because the seats and rollbar will make it harder to get in and out around the steering wheel. Not to mention it is added anti-theft device


thats all I can think of now. But I appreciate your guys' thoughts on the above stuff.

-Peter

Seats:

- Corbeau Clubmans; going to get two of these in black cloth. has anyone had any experiences with these? good bad? I was going to buy them online, but i think i might give partsheaven a call today or tomorrow and see what they have.
Parts Heaven is not always cheap. weigh the cost of shipping. nice seats though.
harness:

- I think I want 5-pt harnesses, but I dont know which brand to get and which mounting style. my first thought is just eye hooks into the firewall. thoughts? comments?
5 point with a cam lock. Make sure they have an SFI 16 rating minimum
Front Targa seal:

- no explanation needed. will be getting this from 914rubber.com

Roll bar:

- I really like the look of McMark's GT half-cage. Very clean look while still stiffening the body and adding safety. Thinking I will jsut drive the car to his shop and have him put it in on the spot. save money on shipping, and give him the business.

rear suspension:

- right now I have KYB's and they sit way too high and are obviously very stiff. I had Koni yellows with threaded collars on my last car and they were AWESEOME. They are a bit on the pricey side, so i might look for alternatives. My only criteria is that the ride height be adjustable and they remain stiff. (maybe not as stiff as the kyb's)
Bilstein's are cheap and adjustable.
steering wheel/quick release:

i really have no idea what I want to do for the steering wheel, but I would like a suede grip. The quick release will be there because the seats and rollbar will make it harder to get in and out around the steering wheel. Not to mention it is added anti-theft device
I like suede too. I'm going to run my 911 wheel for now. Make sure your quick release does not release too easy. Mine requires two hands to pull 2 pins on opposite sides. Very hard for it to fall off.

Seats: Sit in a REAL clubman, They feel JUST like mine and have that issue I explained to you earlier. I believe they are steel framed as well. You might prefer something that doesnt cut off the circulation on the back of your leg..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UNIVERSAL-R...=item2a1221d6f7

These are like what I have.


Harness:
These should bold to the back, have the proper mounts, and then go over a roll bar or harness bar (like mine) so that the forward motion of your body doesnt compress your spine in an accident. Oh and camlock should be a given.

Rear susp:
I vote koni yellows and Ground control threaded collars. Then springs of your choice (You can go for universal springs at this point because of the collars)


Wheel:
I like my momo! No opinion on disconnects.

Do the bilsteins take the stock springs? or should I get new ones while i am at it? Also, does the size (height) of the spring depend on the height setting of the bilstein?

also, if i lower the front end, how do i compensate for bump-steer? I have seen the kits out there but do they work? What else should I worry about when lowering the car?

As far as durability is concerned, the Corbeaus are great in my opinion. We have 12 of them in a driver training site in Panama seeing 20-30 butts a day, they're pretty rugged.

As for the 5 point harness? As cool as it looks, good for the track, dangerous for the street. I know that's not what everyone likes to hear (including myself) especially our generation.

Bilsteins will take the stock springs or you can get adjustable pearches and go with custom ones. If you lower it too much you will have bumpsteer. There is a cheap spacer kit to raise the rack/pinion up or go the more exspensive route and use turbo tie rods.

a little update...

I bought a few things for the car while it has been over at andrew's getting painted.

corbeau clubmans... (2 of them and harnesses)

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koni yellows with threaded collars (I need springs for these, does anyone have 2.5" ID springs between 140-200#??)

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I also felt the need to re-paint my subaru wheels.

When it's not one car, its another...

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painted wheel....

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all together....


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Nice wagon. Now I understand your Subaru engine inspiration. My wagon makes me want an EJ25 in the 914 too!

oddly enough, I actually had started the 914/subi project before I got my wagon. But I had always thought the wrx wagon was a great car.

227hp
4 wheel drive
enough room for my drums or 4 guys and ski gear.
and 30mpg.... errrr if im driving 65mph the whole time.

gotta love it.

Your 914 will fly. With free flowing exhaust and a tune the wrx comes alive, couple that in a light 914 ...wow.

Have you considered putting a VF43 turbo from an STI on the motor? Can be had very cheaply off www.I-club.com or www.nasioc.com

The 914 motor is actually N/A but still puts out around 200 at the crank.

I've actually seriously considered taking the turbo off of my wrx and putting it on the 914 and then getting an STI turbo for my wrx.

So I have the Koni Yellow's and I am looking for a set of springs for them.

What is the right height to get for the spring? I have about 4-6" of threads on the collar to work with, but I want to lower the car 1-2" overall from stock height.

I had my uncle cut some parts for me for when I get the car back.

When i mounted the engine, I realized that the shift bar was hitting the engine mount bar whenever I tried to shift into 4th. (The bar rotates up when going into 4th and was hitting the top of the hole through the mount bar).

So, I decided to space the engine up about 1/4" to help alleviate this issue. I was originaly going to just use washers, but quickly realized that the force would distribute evenly... so I designed these in SolidWorks and had my uncle cut them using his CNC machine.

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So, I took delivery of my car from Andrew on saturday morning.

I got right to work and had the engine in and fired up within a few hours.

I spent the next 3 days doing as much as I could before having to come back to school. I didnt sleep much, but it was all worth it.

here are the pics


bringing it home from andrews...

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Reduce the size of your pics boy!

You stopped at in and out in modesto on your way out ?

another shot on the trailer

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ahhh... i know. i thought itd be ok but i guess they are too big. give me a few minutes and ill reduce them... i was just being lazy.

Set the DPI to 72. That'll help ALOT.

Set them to 1000 wide and auto tall

hows this for size...

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Did you reduce it?

(PS the car looks fantastic in those blown up pics..) What are you using to resize it? I use ifranview and do a batch conversion. Takes 20 seconds to do a ton of files.

still too big... ill have to upload these on my other computer that has a better photo app

working on the engine with new paint = nerve wracking!!

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mikey's front targa seal installed with a little bit of silicone adhesive and taped down for 24 hours..


(a really nice product!!!)

http://download.cnet.com/IrfanView/3000-21...&tag=button


We dont want to wait...

ok here are some more....

pieces going on...

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rockers..

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i have another proogram that i use.. are they turning out ok?

i like the black trim around the sail panels... i was originally thinking black sail panels... but this looks kinda cool.


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