I purchased the car from the builder, a pilot out of Trukee Ca. It was complete and much as it sits now. He used it primarily as a weekend toy and AutoX car which is exactly how I've used it. He never worried about the cosmetics because of this, only the performance.
Since I've owned it I've fixed many small issues that have come up. Interior and exterior door latches, ignition switch, poor ground, new starter, new Kevlar clutch, new axles/CVs, new tires, master cylinder brace,new pedal cluster, rebuilt shift linkage, etc...
I'm probably forgetting something, but you get the idea.
The build sheet is fairly extensive and I have a large folder of receipts and documentation on the build that total ~$30K.
The chassis is a 1974 and there is virtually no rust; solid longs, hell hole, etc. The engine is a Chevrolet ZZ3 crate motor, bought new for this project. Engine mileage is now ~8350 miles. With the Holley 650 double-pumper (mechanical secondaries) and headers, etc... it should be making ~365hp.
Transaxle is Porsche 915 from an early 70s 911 (I'd have to check the notes for the exact year) it was professionally gone through and the diff flipped for mid engine use. It also had a Quaiffe LSD installed at that time.
Front suspension is all early 911 with monoball upper strut mounts. 911 brakes w/ vented rotors at all four corners. True five-lug hubs. Front sway bar, with a rear included but not installed. Also included but not installed is a rear monoball upper strut mount kit from Tangerine Racing (CFR).
The conversion parts are a mix of Renegade Hybrids and Rod Simpson. Flares in the rear are from High Performance House in Redwood City.
Wheels are 15x6 Fuchs in the front, and 16x7 Fuchs in the rear with new BFG Sports mounted. Also included are a set of four "cookie cutters" 15x7 for race tires (old slicks currently mounted).
The chassis has had the rear upper strut mounts tied together and triangulated to the transaxle mount. The trailing arms have been reinforced.
Interior is essentially stock, with a center console and a nice Dino steering wheel. Newer electronic speedo installed along with all relevant gauges (Oil pressure, temp, voltage), harness bar and four-point harnesses.
There is an old blaupunkt radio installed, but it is not functional.
I have a variety of nice performance parts stocked up that I've purchased over the years, but not yet installed. They are not listed here, but if the car is purchased for the asking price, I will include several very nice items to be discussed at the time of sale. Otherwise I will begin selling parts separately after the car sells.
The only "negatives" to the car as it sits are that the paint isn't perfect. It could be made very nice with some good prep and a nice paint job since the body is in nice shape though.
The bushings in the rear trailing arms should be replaced. They are perfectly functional and don't cause any negative handling, but are of an older polyurethane type and they "squeak" when driving down the road on anything other than perfectly smooth pavement.
The carburetor needs to be cleaned up and the throttle shaft re-bushed. The idle tends to hang a little after it warms up, making it difficult to shift into gear from a stop. This is strictly due to the high idle condition though, and not any trouble with the gearbox.
The shift linkage is functional, but not wonderful. I've been toying with the idea of either fabricating, or purchasing a cable-shift assembly to replace the mechanical "monkey-motion" parts that are currently installed (Rod Simpson design). The ultimate solution is the WEVO kit, but that's ~$2000+. I will include a cable-shift tower from an MR2 that should work nicely to fabricate a simple cable linkage.
The new clutch has only been in the car for a few hundred miles and I was advised to take it easy for ~1000miles to break it in properly. I have been driving the car accordingly.
The 914 has always been garaged by myself and by its original builder, and I have never driven it in the rain. It is VERY fast. If you've never driven a well setup 914/8 then you're in for a treat. The ride is stiff, but actually quite pleasant on the street. On the autoX course the car turns in very crisply and is easy to place in the turn and steer out with the throttle. High speed slaloms are especially fun.
I'd like to move the car along to a new owner soon so that I can free the space in my garage to complete several other long overdue projects.
Because of this I'm willing to make a deal on the price for the right buyer. That being said, I will not "give" the car away. Times aren't that tough. Also, I will only sell the car to someone who I am confident will be mature/skilled/patient enough to learn the car and respect its speed.
Located in Santa Rosa, CA.
**SOLD**
Please PM/email with inquiries.
