I am looking for a roller that body wise in good shape and suspension wise in good shape . interior wold be nice but not necessary -- good rack and steering column is also a good thing .


this is going to be a a project to turn a 914 into an electric vehicle . I have built a few 914s and it seems to be a good platform for lots of things .

cheap would be good free would be great


pm me or call 847-476-2810

mike

Nice 73 2L Mike - what color blue is that & is it OE?

Keep me posted on your 914EV project, as I've considered doing that with the "leftover roller" 914 which I'll need to get to repair/restore my own 73 2L, which has sat in my SoCal garage since 5/85, when it was mashed F&R by a sorority dingbat while it was parked in a UCLA pkg structure. She said that she "forgot to turn" up the ramp & bashed it in the rear - pushing the 914 2 ft. into the concrete wall & column, all while I was in my MBA classes! ...at least she left a note!

Long term - we plan to put Solar PV on the roof + Micro-wind turbine(s) + micro-hydro turbine in the water main for renewable power gen., as we do our addition/renovation to our 1921 Cal. Bungalow home. We're doing a mixed system to be able to extract as much "free" power 24/7/365 while still on the grid - at near or slightly over our net-zero usage, so that we can "charge for free" an EV car &/or scooter or 2-3 overnight & during the day. Hope to control expenses that way when we retire in+/-10 years.

I'll be esp. interested in seeing what you end up using for the E-power-train & batteries, & at what cost. Most of what I'm seeing costs as much as buying a decent driver for the EV stuff alone! ...+/- $8k!!!!

Good Luck!

BTW - I've been buying old 70-76 R&T, Motoer Trend, etc. online to research the resto of mine, & I'll be damned if there aren't articles on EVs & Hybrids in response to that 1st Gas Crisis of the early/mid-70's! ...& they also were common in the 1900s - 1920s too!

I remember waiting in lines to buy my allotted 10 gals. in my (formerly Dad's) 69 Pontiac Ventura 4dr with a gas sucking 2bbl 400ci V8, while struggling/working my way thru college at USC!

So the Big 3 & others have been thru this EV thing before, most recently forcing CA to delete the 10% of sales being EV/zero-emission by 2010 back in 2000. Bad thing is that battery research & pricing has suffered since 70s - 90s attempts, due to the minuscule market! Ergo, we suffer those high costs for EV conversions' drive-trains & battery packs! So root for the Tesla Motors & Fiskars of the world to be successful, so that they're more common & therefore more affordable!

I am waiting for the tesla sedan to hit the market -- they are building a dealer here in chicago so I am very excited -- enough that I am very tempte dto put down $5k as a refundable reservation for one of the sedans!

I am aiming for for the electric motor and an adapter plate to a cvt type trans -- if I need to cut weight I am think CF hood and deck lid


I figure I have crammed a 911 6 , a SBC and a subie engine into a teener why not an electric motor


I made a cabin in upper MN for my mom basically off grid entirely -- it was an interesting project haha

right now its looking about $ 8k for parts but thats about the same as a rabi engine

What's a "SBC" engine?

I'd hold off a bit on the Tesla Sedan though, until they have a "real" working & production ready prototype, as the one which they rolled out was less than 50% & just barely moved when driven. I saw it - more of a mock-up than a true prototype. They've also had to recall ALL of the roadsters due to a suspension assembly error by Lotus.

But now that Tesla Roadster is a 200 mi range screamer in the 914's class!

Sounds like we've both looked at the same EV conversion kits online!?
...yes & that $8k Raby engine screams too!

Given that battery packs/converter-regulators are bound to get better as full production EVs come on line, I'd say that for now it's better to opt for the lower end ones (sacrificing a bit of range per charge). Then you can replace that 1st one when it wears out, & for about the same price in the future (assuming that they typically should come down with increased production & competition). Hopefully they'll be down by the time I'm ready!?

As for weight saving - I'll be needing the F&R Chrome Bumpers & Valences, F&R Deck Lids, etc. for my 73 2L resto - so I'd replace those on the stripped donor 914 with fiberglass + the rockers & anything else where I could save weight. Jettison everything else gas engine related, such as the gas tank/fuel pump/lines/etc., battery/tray/support, as well as the heavy springs, torsion bars, hinges/brackets from the OE steel F&R Deck Lids.

I'd probably also stick with the OE tall/skinny 155SR15 or 165HR15 tires on the lightest wheels possible, to reduce rolling resistance & inertia, as well as weight (maybe a mini-spare from another vehicle too). Unless there are low profile tires on 16"+ wheels which are as light & easy rolling & low inertia as those, which will work on the 914?

The stock OE seats/shells were relatively light weight - as is the fiberglass targa top, & there's a guy at 914world vendors who makes FG door & back-wall panels + upholstery sets at a reasonable cost - depending on what you get.

I've heard that the stock 914 transaxle was a good choice for EVs, but CVT or automatic electric multi-speed could be a good option, if it works with all the rest of the suspension - of comes with something equally good.

One issue/question - esp. for your back there - is cabin heat. Electric reduces range, gas/NG/propane all go back to the fuel problem. AC is more of a problem for us out here, but my 73 never had it - although I wished it had when I was in suits/ties!

My 73 2L is still all stock incl. EFI, which I'll have my long time factory 914 trained expert mechanic Hans update with all new or rebuilt electricals now, so it won't be a problem later. I'd basically done a full resto back in 80-83 before she was smashed, & Hans has rebuilt both the motor & transaxle in that process - so they only have 25-27k on them mechanically. Once that's all restored, then I can look at the EVroller.

PS - what was that blue color on your 73-2L in the pic at left? ...& is it original?
...looks real kleen!

its a 73 that was org a revennia green but was pianted over with something that was close to what I think it called adriactic blue it was pretty much rust free -- I put it on jack stands and stripped of the engine / trans.. all supension bits and replaced or rebuilt all of it .. koni yellows 180# springs bmw brakes , 911 master cylnder , turbo tie rods , bump steer kit , porterfiled pads , ss brake lines , tangrine racing headers / exhaust , euro h headlights , I rebuilt the entire FI system / engine and tanny ( 911 clutch ) ... lots of work but lots of fun!!

oh SBC = small block chevy engine -- I crammed a chavy 350 bored .030 over into a 74 teener -- it was about 325-350 HP

Hopefully I'll be getting a roller tomorrow to convert. I've had a 62 ragtop bug waiting for this but I don't have the heart to alter it. The 914 seems like the perfect EV donor car. I'll be following this post in order the school myself with your knowledge. The hard part will be sneaking away tomorrow and getting it in the garage! It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission!

Got it today!

Interesting - a front engine 914!!!! ....would that be a 914-FWD?

As a kid/teen I helped my uncle on his 58 Vette barn find, & when he converted it's 327FI into a blown dragster - he held the class record at OC Speedway for several years with it in the mid-1960s! - a mid-SBC I suppose, being bigger than the 283-304 range!

I'll be doing the same range of work on my 73 2L, but sticking closer to OE 914 for the most part, but set up for street use (vs. AX, track, etc.) - some of which may occur over time is $$'s run short, including:

Brake system: new OEM Brake Disks, Porterfield Pads & PMB Caliper Rebuilds, OEM Rubber Lines, 914-6/911 19mm MC, new pedal bushings/pads, etc.

Suspension: new OEM Turbo Tie-rod Kit; new bushings, bearings & seals all around; rear springs seem okay, but would stay close to stock # if needed, 2+2 Bilsteins (rear Koni red's were new in `83 - but....?), bump-steer kit only if needed (only did the 1/2" std. front lowering adjustment & never had a problem before), new tires & "re-acquire" a set of 5 Fuchs 2L Alloys/caps/lugs (they were missing when I bought it 12/75 & were probably "stripped" by the selling dealer).

Engine/Transaxle: Update with new OEM/OES (rebuilt/remanuf. where NLA) for EFI & Fuel Systems' ECU, Injectors, Regulators & Sensors, Breaker Box/Relays, Fuel Pump, Starter/Solenoid, etc., Fuel & Vacuum Lines etc., Seals & Gaskets, cables/linkages & bushings/boots, trigger & ignition points, condenser, rotor/cap, ing. wires/boots/plugs, etc., tune & adj. 85 rebuilt engine & transaxle (both +/- 25k & hard parts should still be good today).

Exterior/Body: repair F&R accident & minor rust damage (few bubbles pass. floor pan front, batt. tray/suppt.), media blast to bare metal (not sure if stripped tub or body on, since so much orig. interior is in good-excl. cond.), new/NLA/resto chrome bumpers & rubber top pads/front "tits", etc. & repaint back to the OE L80E Light Ivory (white).

[quote name='68fish' date='Jun 5 2009, 11:13 AM' post='1177015']
[quote name='Tom_T' post='1176724' date='Jun 4 2009, 05:33 PM']
[quote name='sk8kat1' post='1176678' date='Jun 4 2009, 04:25 PM']
[/quote]
Hopefully I'll be getting a roller tomorrow to convert. I've had a 62 ragtop bug waiting for this but I don't have the heart to alter it. The 914 seems like the perfect EV donor car. I'll be following this post in order the school myself with your knowledge. The hard part will be sneaking away tomorrow and getting it in the garage! It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission!
[/quote]
....agreed, much easier to explain: "where'd THAT come from?"

...than: "what do you mean you want to get ANOTHER 914! - if you do it's OVER!", etc., etc., etc.!

[/quote]
....agreed, much easier to explain: "where'd THAT come from?"

...than: "what do you mean you want to get ANOTHER 914! - if you do it's OVER!", etc., etc., etc.!
[/quote]

The 62 ragtop has been in stealth mode since I got it. After 2 years it's time to move it to a new safe house. Still no room here.