Bus engine
 

I have a 914 with a bus engine installed. Can I drill a hole where the timing port should be to set the timing, and will the timing mark be there? Or is there another way to do it.

Thanks,
G.

The timing marks on the bus engines are on the face of the fan, not on top through a porthole. Although someone could have installed a 914 fan and left the bus shroud, but luck never turns out that way. The flywheel has a mark visible at #1 TDC under the car via a port at the mating section where the trans joins the flywheel. To determine what fan you have you will need to look underneath at the firewall, from there you can see the timing marks on the fan if indeed it is a bus fan. If you want you could cut with a hole saw a porthole in the fan shroud and with the TDC mark under the car ( a porthole where the trans joins the case.) rotate the engine till you see the scrib mark on the flywheel. From this information you could then scrib a mark on the fan through the porthole you made in the shroud. This will give you #1 TDC. Now by looking under the car again at the fire wall you can rotate the engine to the timing marks on the front of the fan and then again make your appropriate scrib marks through the porthole you just cut.

Why not simply source a impeller housing from a 914 that is already set up?
In the tech section here there is a article with directions & template to provide the correct timing marks on your existing impeller.
Oh & what was done regarding the oil fill & dip stick?

What would you recommend for the oil fill and dip stick conversion?

there are plenty of block off plates available to purchase off the shelf once the bus fill tube is removed. the challenge is the 914 dipstick location requires drilling the case & pressing in a new tube next to the oil fill tower

That's exactly it. Blank off the hole in the front (914 orientation!) of the motor, change over to the 914 oil filler assembly, and then drill a hole for the 914 dipstick tube and dipstick.

BTW, some of the later Buses had the oil "chimney" cast over, so you wind up needing to cut that off so you can fit the 914 oil filler/breather assembly.

--DD