New 914 owner / FIRST POST!

[stateofidleness]

Hello Everyone,
..so i just bought my first porsche.. a '76 914 w/ 911 "Chalon" bodykit (what i was told)

after browsing the forums for a while it seems like i may have gotten in over my head.. i dont know much about engines (VERY little actually) but im not TOO unfamiliar with workin on cars.. my past project was a '98 chevy blazer. ( i know, apples and oranges)

anyways just trying to see what are some common upgrades, some common quickfixes, common annoyances or anything else i should look out for.

i also believe i have the 2.0L engine correct?

also, i have not been able to find a list of stuff that is easily compatible with the 914 such as 911 parts and such... i think i may be needing to replace the "master cylinder" and not sure where to start..

where do ya'll (yes im from texas lol) order all your parts from and where do you take your old cars to get serviced when a professional is needed?

Thanks for you time,
look forward to being an active member here!

-Steve

EDIT: ill ask these questions here so i dont have to spam with like 20 new threads...

WARNING: NOOB QUESTIONS

1. What is side shift? Is there a shorter shifter stick i can get for my 76 914/4??

2. Anybody have any info on the "Chalon" bodykits??

3. Because i have that bodykit, am i able to get a wider tire?
is there a tire fitment thread somewhere with backspacing, offset and all that information?

thanks

[Tobra]

You should go here

http://www.914world.com
and/or here
http://www.914club.com

Go to the tech articles and FAQ about 914's here, TONS of info, you could easily spend hours here, I know I have.

You almost certainly have 2.0 4 cylinder. What was the situation with the car before you bought it, sitting, driving? You will want to make sure your rubber fuel lines are in good shape right off, for obvious reasons. What makes you say you need a new master cylinder? Maybe you need new brake hoses or even just to bleed the system, including the bias valve.

[stateofidleness]

ok cool, wow those sites look very informative.. i can see myself spending long nights reading lol

as far as the brakes go.. i was told by the previous owner that the pedal was spongy and he was told that the master cylinder would fix this.. (i havent driven the car yet so im going by what hes told me...

ill check hoses and stuff first because the MC looks kind of expensive to replace but brakes are pretty much my number one priority with project cars.

what order would you recommend checking things with the braking system?
is it safe to do a test drive to see what the pedal feels like?

also if hoses and stuff need to be replaced, whats the cheapest and most popular source for them?

thanks for the help

[trekkor]

914's can be fun...And expensive.

Have fun!


KT

[Brother]

Dibs on your wheels if you go for a wider tire.

Welcome.

[stateofidleness]

id like to go to a wider tire but not sure how wide i can go with that chalon bodykit...

also, im gettin paranoid from reading all these brake threads about how crappy the brakes are... i would need upgraded brakes if i got a wider tire right?

and can you tell what kind of rims i have on there? i thought they were Fuchs but just want to be sure..

Another Texan!! hey hey!

[Brother]

You probably have a brake upgrade already. I bet you have a 911 front suspension at least.

914 brakes don't suck.

[bxtech]

Your car looks good! I built one of these Chalon 914's about 15 years ago. I ended up painting it red also. I used the factory Guards Red color.

- As far as info on these Chalon kits........they were manufactured by a company called Mitcom. I believe they offered these in the 80's and early 90's. There were two versions.........and early style (which is what yours appears to be), and a later style with boxed rockers, a 930S front style valance with inset foglamps and a grille. I had the later style kit since that was what was available at the time when I built it.

- As far as wheels, I was able to fit 16x8" rear and 16x6" front Fuchs alloy wheels. That was as wide as I could go in the rear since I used adapters to change my fitment from 4 to 5 lug. The spacers push the offset out about 1 additional inch. I think you could go wider in the rear if somebody actually did a 5 lug HUB conversion on your car. Do you know if you have adapters? From looking at your pic.........your wheels appear to be 15x8 rear and 15x7 front. They are definitely the Fuchs style, but I cannot tell if they are factory or aftermarket wheels. Factory wheels will have a part number in the rear starting with 911...........the part number is in the back. There will also be a size stamped in the back like 15x7, 15x8, etc which indicates the diameter and width. The difference between factory and aftermarket replica wheels is that the factory units are forged and are lighter in weight as opposed to the heavier cast replica wheel.

- If your car is a 1976........it could've come with either a 1.8 or 2.0 litre engine. If you look up the engine number (on top of the case)........that will let you know what you have. Or a quick way to tell is.........look at the intake manifold where it bolts to the head (next to the injectors). A 1.8 will have 4 bolts and a 2.0 will have 3 bolts.

Let us know how it goes and what you find out. Post some more pictures if you get a chance.......we'd love to see more! Welcome to 914 ownership!!

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Side shift: That's the transmission in all of the 73+ 914s. So you do have one already.

Short shifter: Rennshift. Pelican carries it, or you can go to JWest Engineering directly, but I think we sell it for the same price he does.

Buying 914 parts: The host of this BBS, Pelican Parts, has a nice on-line 914 catalog with lots of parts available in it. There are even more parts available than we have time to put in the catalog, but a search on the part name or number (if you have access to the part numbers) will often give you results.

Brakes: Figure out what you currently have. Determine which parts you have, inspect the condition. Push the pedal in the driveway. If that seems OK, take a quick test drive somewhere that having your brakes go out won't get you into trouble.

Stock 914 brakes are often a little spongey. When in good working order, they are quite effective. But you probably don't have stock 914 brakes...

--DD

[Rrrockhound]

Originally Posted by Brother

914 brakes don't suck.

Where did that myth come from, that 914 brakes suck? After reading everywhere how bad 914 brakes supposedly are, I tested mine and found my stock brakes (other than a 19mm master cylinder) stop 60-0 mph in ~123 ft., which is about what contemporary road tests reported, and better than some modern cars. I no longer worry about my brakes and won't unless I upgrade the motor.

[Brother]

ditto, my brakes are awesome for the car I have. I don't race or anything, but with a 19mm master cylinder, they are good.

[SirAndy]

Originally Posted by bxtech

... Fuch ... Fuch ... Fuch ...

actually, they're called "Fuchs" (note the S at the end) which is the german word for "Fox".

hence the real ones have a little fox-head stamped on the inside ...
Andy

[SirAndy]

Originally Posted by Brother

but with a 19mm master cylinder, they are good.

stock brakes work even better with the original 17mm master cylinder ...
if in good working condition, the stock brakes are more than enough for a stock 914. wider tires or not.

you might want to rebuild your calipers anyways. after sitting for two years, i bet there's quite a bit gunk in there and the pistons are probably rusted too.


another thing, flush all the old gasoline out of the car. inspect the inside (bottom) of your tank for rust.
replace the fuel filter and *ALL* your rubber fuel-lines with new ones. and please, don't use generic amurican hoses, as they don't fit well. use the correct metric size *fuel injection* hoses and hoseclamps!

914s and gasoline leaks don't make for a fun day ...
Andy

[stateofidleness]

oh wow! the responses! im sorry i havent responded, i guess it stopped emailing me replies...

Thanks for all the info!!!!

i guess i just made the brake assumption based on the fact that ive seen a lot of people upgrading their brakes to 911 or having to rebuild their calipers and stuff.. but its refreshing to see that they are more than adequate in stock form!

car isnt here yet, so i cant get pics or check serials and stuff but i will definitely do that as soon as i get it

how do i check the inside of my gas tank for rust?

and... would it be a good idea to just go ahead and buy a set of 4 brake hoses for my car without knowing the condition of the ones on there? just replace em anyways? (anyone have the correct part number or link to a set of 4 )

again, thanks for all the replies and warm welcome! really look forward to diggin it to fixin up and goin cruising! also, thanks for the info on the chalon kit!

EDIT: oh yea, why do a lot of people say "But you probably don't have stock 914 brakes...".. what is leading to that assumption.. just curious

[Tobra]

Unless the PO redrilled stock rotors, there is a strong possibility you have 911 brakes up front already. They pretty much bolt right on, so why wouldn't you upgrade if you were going 5 lug.

I would assume all the rubber on the car is old and needs replaced in areas where it could have an adverse effect on your health, brakes, fuel lines, that sort of thing.

[stateofidleness]

[QUOTE=Tobra;3419145]Unless the PO redrilled stock rotors, there is a strong possibility you have 911 brakes up front already. They pretty much bolt right on, so why wouldn't you upgrade if you were going 5 lug.
QUOTE]


pardon the ignorance, but i dont understand.. are stock rotors not 5 lug.. and what is bolt-on? and what are you saying im upgrading? just confused

and the PO did say he drove it and it's driveable.. so it hasnt just sat for a couple years so im confident parts are operable. doesnt mean they dont need to be looked at and possibly replaced, but just wanted to state that

but i still kind of dont understand why i would have 911 brakes.. is it because of the rims that are on there? or?? i dont get it..

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The stock hubs on a four-cylinder 914 have four bolts. Your wheels have five, so someone upgraded the hubs. They could do that by drilling extra holes in the original hubs, or (at least in the front) unbolting the 914 front suspension and bolting on a 911 one. That's a pretty easy way to go, so there is a pretty decent chance you have 911 front brakes.

--DD

[stateofidleness]

this 911 upgrade, is this a good thing or a bad thing? (is there a way to tell if the whole suspension has been replaced or just been drilled (is that even safe?))

also, is it ok if the front is 911 and the rear is 914 or is this something they would have replaced both of?

and thats what i figured about the 5 lug.. i was thinkin "these are 5 lug rims" so i wasnt sure whether or not they were stock though.

another thing, if the front is 911 and the rear is 914.. what does this mean in terms of buying parts... im still unsure as to what parts are interchangeable and stuff.. is there a way to convert to 911 brakes in the rear as well?

[Tobra]

Not much, the front end of a 914 was the upgrade for the earlier 911's, unless I misunderstand things more than normal. Basically you can install the front suspension from a later 911 into a 914

914 and 911 share a lot of parts(VW shares a lot with them too), same transmission with a flipped ring and pinion will work in either mid(914) or rear(911) engine car. The view from the driver's seat is pretty similar to me too, down to the gauges, crazy controls for ventilation, lot of stuff.

There is a lot of stuff you could do to the brakes, but they are probably plenty strong already. Those look to be decent sized tires, you could probably stick your passenger's gum to the windshield if you really stood on the brake.

At the very least, change the fuel filter and oil, closely inspect vital rubber lines under the hood and under the car, remove the screws on the bottom of the side rocker covers and clean out all the dirt in there. Look for rust, you will probably find some, and it is best addressed early with a grinder and paint, rather than later with the cut and weld

[stateofidleness]

Originally Posted by Tobra

...remove the screws on the bottom of the side rocker covers and clean out all the dirt in there. Look for rust, you will probably find some, and it is best addressed early with a grinder and paint, rather than later with the cut and weld

this kind of tip is EXACTLY what i was looking for! Thanks!!

i didn't get the chewing gum thing lol... i assume it meant if i needed to, it could brake pretty damn well? lol