What to do with a '75 914 1.8?

[TDI Driver]

I'm about to buy a '75 914 1.8 with about 76,000 miles on it from my brother. He was the second owner and now wants to sell it. The car has been sitting for three years because it wouldn't pass smog. The original owner was a little old lady whose husband was a Ferrari collector. My brother was looking for a '73-74 2.0 but when he found this it was too good to pass up. When my brother got it, it was almost all original. The original spare was still in the unrusted trunk, the interior was in great shape except for the driver's seat which was worn and the center cushion, which was cracked. There were the usual door dings but the car was never involved in an accident (my brother took classes in bodywork and can spot repair work from 50 yards).

In the time my brother has owned it, he repaired a few minor things that were wrong with the car. He installed a Weltmeister shortshift kit, Weltmeister 180lb springs, 19mm master cylinder, breakerless ignition, and reupholstered the seats and center cushion. The rest is pretty much stock. It's on the stock steel rims and hubcaps.

So, the question is, what should I do with this car? On the one side, I can keep it as original as possible and just enjoy it, or, I can make it into a nice GT like the blue 914/6 in a recent Excellence magazine. My other brother was talking about swapping a 3.2 into his '77 and that would mean that the 2.7 (admittedly one of the worst years for flat sixes) would be mines to do as I please.

So, I can rebuild the motor as a 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, or 2.1 four-banger or invest some money into the 2.7 and make the car into a six. Suggestions? How much displacement can the stock L-Jetronic fuel injection handle? Should I cut the body up and install GT flares for wider tires to go with the six and the earlier bumpers that I prefer? What would you do with this car?

Thanks in advance.

[Joe Bob]

Well first off, you will not be exemt from smog until 2005. Any mods that involve the stock motor will have to keep the FI. Swapping in a 2.0/4 you will need all the smog stuff from the 75-76 model year. You won't be able to get away with using the 73-74 2.0 in California.

To do a six swap, you will need to smog the motor to the year of the engine if newer....

You would probably be better of leaving it stock and finding a 73 or older and going from there. Or buying a 914/6 conversion that is already done...see mine at http://members.home.net/mtz1/index.html


[This message has been edited by mikez (edited 07-22-2000).]

[TDI Driver]

Mike, thanks. I was actually thinking of rebuilding the motor myself. I was going to use a P/C kit from Mark Stephens Machining but, I hear, they are no longer (can anybody confirm this?) so the stock engine is up in the air right now.

I just took a closer look at it yesterday and the car is starting to show surface rust from sitting out in the sun for three years. Nothing bad, just something that needs attention soon. The car actually has a little over 91,000 miles on it. The amazing part is that the dash pad does not have any cracks (from what I understand, this is remarkable).

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Yes, MSHP is gone. If you're looking for big-bore stuff, you can try Eurorace. I'm not sure of the number, but they advertise in most of the magazines.

For stock stuff, you might consider Pelican Parts. They do, after all, provide this BBS and this website.

--DD

[odie]

I've got the same car. I talked to MSHP about 4 years ago (didn't know he closed , he told me that he could build me a 2.0 engine with a bigger bore to make about 2.2 (I think) for just under $3000. Our 1.8 blocks are supposedly not ideal for hopping up. Anyway, he figures our stock AFC injection was good for about 140hp on a 2.0 based motor.

If your car is clean and rust free underneath, keep it. It's way eaiser and cheaper to clean up the outside and interior than fix rust underneath.

[turbo2.0]

I have a 4 1/2" right angle grinder that I paid $20 for ar harbor freight tools. I have used it for 4 years with no problems.
I have a sawz-all I paid $39 for (guess where) amd besides a small shear pin and a set screw, have had no problems and have cut up 2 1/2 cars with it.
If you have alot of money, buy name brand big dollar power tools, but if they are only for occasional use, and you are monetarily challenged, these tools work fine.


[This message has been edited by turbo2.0 (edited 08-03-2000).]

[JP Noonan]

EBS Engine Building Systems, advertises in Excellence(has so as long as I can remember, maybe 5 years) they haev 96mm P/C's for the 1.7l'1.8L and the 2.0L in stock for $350. Makes a high compresion 1.9L The 1.8L block is fine IMHO for a big bore it is the early 1.7L that don't have a windage tray in them that should be avoided. The 1.8L heads are decent flowing and have big valves, bigger then the 1.7L and way bigger than the BUS 2.0L but 1mm smaller than the 2.0L 914 heads. The big killer on the 1.8L is the low compresion pistons, so with a tuned up L-Jet (there are also a few "hot-rod" tricks you can do with the vane meter) and the high CR 1.9L kit you can make some decent power without even spliting the case. Of coarse the stock 75-76 exhaust is going to kill you, not only in power but it will raise the operating temp of a higher power motor. Even with a perfect stock cooling system an aftermarket cooler may be needed.

Remember the L-Jet must be in tip-top even better would be to adjust it to the new displacement. Th eL-Jet will adapt better than a D-Jet due to the vane meter but I'd still use a gas analyzer and tweek the CHT signal and fuel pressure.