I agree with you Steve. If it were easy everyone would do it, right? Personally, I can fix most problems myself. I just don't have time for it anymore. I need reliability and parts that you can pick up the day you need them. I don't like spending half a day ripping out 20 year old fuel injection components, and I sure don't want to pay someone $75/hr to do it for me. A single carb or two is just soooooo simple and asthetically pleasing. I AM very frustrated right now. I could just focus on the handling characteristics of the 911 and throw the 3.3T money at my street machine for an awsome bang-for-the-buck. I have a few freinds who are into the 930 craze with both feet. I see their anguish every time they burn a piston or pull a stud. It costs them huge bux to fix and the car is down for a long time. Do I really need that?

Stick with it Jim, good job. The people that are having a problem with it would most likely have a problem with after market seat covers if it did not have the name porsch on it somewhere. And for those that do, just think, you are just driving a highly modified VW. http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/smile.gif

Rarly, if you put a chevy engine in that thing, I will give you a wedgie. Yeah, I'll feel bad about it and all, I might even say "this is going to hurt me more than it does you", but American iron has no place in your 911.
Just don't burn a piston or pull a stud. Think about it, you won't anyway, that engine is clean and fresh.


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Kurt B
1984 911 Carrera Cabriolet
75 914 1.8

ks911 - what engine are you using? An LT-1 or an LS-1? I hear the LS-1 is very light compared to the LT-1 and has greater power potential.

Kurt - don't worry, I can't bring myself to do the Porschev swap. I want to, I can really imagine what a kick in the pants it must be, but the cool six sound belongs where it is. I commend all that have done it and done it well. Good engineering and craftmanship are hard to find.
The realization of the money spent and the money yet to spend is sinking in. I've had a few fast hotrods, none costing a fraction of what this thing is. Hard to justify when your point of reference is cheap, gutsy, American iron. I keep thinking of all the things that $10-$15K will buy, is ANY motor swap worth that? Maybe it is time to up the bar (pun intended), I don't know just yet.

WOW! I'm hungry!

Mike
86 Carrera t

Rarly....

While you're thinking about all those dollars, remember to think about the fun you get in return, and the resale value of what you have. Fun costs money. I realized that a long time ago, and stopped worrying about cash and more about fun.

He who dies with the most fun = win.

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9
The Porsche Owners Gallery

Mark - thanks for the encouraging words. Yes fun does cost money, but feeling guilty for throwing so much money at the fun is taking the fun out of it. I've been asking around to see what the current going rate is for a ready-to-drop-in 3.3Turbo. This is what started all the backsliding. It looks like I'm already upside down in my "investment", and the motor isn't even in the car yet. I sent the CIS and exhaust systems to a P-mechanic to be checked out. Latest word is the stock turbo is barely within tollerance, the injectors are shot, and the wastegate has a 1.0 bar spring (I don't want to go over 0.8 just yet). No word yet on the CIS. I found a set of 930 t-bars so that is taken care of. Still need a Carrera/930 oil cooler though. So you see, I still have thousands to spend before my maiden voyage. All this makes the V8 conversion seem down right sensable.

About the increased value of my car, what do you realistically think this would be? I think I'll start another thread on this subect.

No 911 here, I'm restoring a 914 'cuz I like the idea of a light car with the engine in the middle and the thought of a Lotus scared my wife.
I confess that I've butchered the car. SC brakes and front suspension, konis, stiffened chassis etc I'm looking at converting the VW/Porsche 2.0 4-banger to a 2.2 Porsche six. (Butchery or ethnic cleansing?) If I do, I will spend at least quadruple the amount for parts (my labour) to build an engine of equivalent HP to a similarly modified four. Worse still, the six would be 100lbs heavier! I love the idea and the sound of the six but the cost of that sound is beyond sensible. I may do it anyway, just because it turns my crank.
When the rhapsodizing, hand wringing, and name calling is over, the fact is that Porsche (like others) uses the strength of their brand, its attendant mystique and yes, the snobbery and need for exclusivity of part of its clientele to charge a huge price premium for parts. More power to them and and hooray for their shareholders. As a (cynical) consumer, irrespective of what I can or can't afford, that bugs me. As much as I admire the engineering and appreciate the quality, the underlying positioning/pricing strategy involved is quite transparent. To me, it makes the 'mystique' suspect and a even bit distasteful. Perhaps others find it distasteful enough to install an engine made by a different corporation, with different pricing stratgies when they want big HP.
All that said, it's just stuff, so who cares. To each his own.
Anyway, here's a twist on conversions. An industry colleague runs a beautifully engineered Saab Sonnet ice racer (repeat champion) with Porsche drivetrain - front wheel drive with the engine mounted ahead of the driving wheels. Seemingly no expense spared. Butchery? Cost? Fun!
Regards,
(Rambling) Dave.

A 914/8 would have to rock! If I was going to do the transplant, that would be it.

Didn't Porsche actually build 1 (one) of those?



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blue
'81 SC Targa

I thought there were one or two 914-8s built for racing..?

Granted it was a flat 8 instead of the "V" variety of course.

Yes, Porsche built a 914/8. They gave one to the good doctor. I can just imagine the price of parts for something like that.

I'm still here and it is a trip how big a deal everybody is making out of this project. Ha, Ha.
OK. The car will do 4.4 sec 0-60 according to a G-tech. The weight bias as I have said before is the same as a turbo according to a set of Rebco scales at Pro-Tech in Greenville, SC. As for using an aluminum block, if you can sell me a quality block for under 3,000.00 call me!! For now I will go with the iron. I think we all know that the air cooled turbo motor is not as light as many people would like to believe.
Also I test drove a 80' 930 with a few modifications and about 60,000 miles, beautiful car. And it was fast with about 375 Hp according to the owner. Now all I can say is that anybody that can drive a turbo fast on a autocross or even a tight track is a better driver than I, scary turbo lag, and I am sorry but my car will chew it up. My car is quieter, easier to drive fast and easier to keep maintained. To me it was an easy choose to keep my car.
I will continue to built, modify and improve the little bastard, hey to bad I couldn't get a personalize lisence plate with "Bastard" on it so no matter were I went I would hear the cries of agony from all the purest out there, Ha, Ha.
I will keep you posted.

Keith

By the way I have just realized that some people think that the Yellow car belongs to Jim, just for the record Jim is a freind of mine and was nice enough to post some pics of my car. So the yellow beast is my car and is the project of discussion here.
Just wanted to clarify that.

Keith

Wow.....anybody here know what the record for # of posts to a topic is?
Or the longest duration?

Keith - I'll say it again, very nice job!
The car is beautiful and appears well finished. What did you do for an exhaust? Can you quiet down the V8 given the limited space for mufflers?
I spoke with Rod Simpson some time back concerning the use of an aluminum block. When I first put my car together I seriously contemplated a V8 swap and was looking for an aluminum block. They were running around $5500 in long block form. Rod said there was absolutely no need to use the expensive block. He did one for a customer that resulted in a tire frying beast. As you stated, the weight bias is no different than that of a 930. I would really like to go for a ride in one of these cars. Got to find someone in my area that has one.

Two 1969 914-8 cars were built.
1) chassis 914111 engine 908 3.0 litre, 300bhp, red, for F. Piech. Officially for track development though some use on road presumably to develop:
2) chassis 914006 engine 908 3.0 litre 260hp, silver. for Ferry Porsche 60th birthday.
Both cars fuel injected, based on 908/3 race car prototype engine. 155mph top speed and 0-60 around 6 secs.
10,000 rpm tachometer... http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate/biggrin.gif


Butchery!

Source; Porsche 914, 914-6 by Brian Long. Veloce Publishing 1997

Dave

Looks great from the top, got any shots from underneath? Seems like there might be some serious plumbing going on here.

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Robert Stoll
83 SC
83 944

Well Robert I do need to post some pics but I never seem to be at my own computer when I posting to the list, I will try.
Underneath the car there is one line 1.5in that runs from front to back and two 3/4in lines that run down the other side. They are secure but I might try to run something like rectangal tubing for the 1.5in line both for protection and increased ground clearance. There has never been a problem with the line scrubbing unless you do something stupid and then they are rubber. I try to limit the cars use to approved highways.
This just might be the long post on this site. What is the record?

Keith