914 Converted to Subaru WRX 2.0 Turbo

[TurboSub]

Nice finished version of '74 914 1.8 converted to Subaru WRX 2.0 turbo.

Work done by Brody of 914sGoneWild.com in Central Cali

YouTube - PorscheSubi.mov

[SirAndy]

Originally Posted by TurboSub

Work done by Brody

Brody does great work, i've seen some of his creations.


However, i think these two statements from his website are mutually exclusive:

"your safety is his first concern"

and

"He will always suggest an upgrade to stainless steel braided brake lines"

Those two should not be used in the same paragraph. IMHO, braided brake lines have no business on a street driven car. I only use them on track cars that are carefully inspected several times a year for any signs of wear. In fact, we usually replace them once a year on the race cars.

Braided brake lines will fail without warning resulting in instantaneous loss of brakes. The OEM rubber brake lines will give you plenty of warning before they let go and wear is easily detected by a simple visual inspection.

[TurboSub]

Interesting comment, I'd never heard that. When I bought the car all of the rubber brake lines had bulges and leaks. Since these will never bulge, how is it that they fail?
Thanks for posting your comments and I'll look into it.

[SirAndy]

Originally Posted by TurboSub

Interesting comment, I'd never heard that. When I bought the car all of the rubber brake lines had bulges and leaks. Since these will never bulge, how is it that they fail?
Thanks for posting your comments and I'll look into it.

Yes, old rubber lines will bulge. New OEM rubber lines will last many years. The upside is that the bulge as well as hairline cracks are easily visible during a routine inspection or when bleeding the brakes.

The stainless lines have two failure modes. One is the line snapping off the fitting. I'm not sure if that is due to quality issues with different manufactures, but i have seen this in person.

The second is dirt getting in between the braids and "sanding" down the outer lining. This will result in the line simply bursting at the worst possible moment. Under pressure at hard braking.

The stainless lines do offer a firmer pedal feel as the lines do not expand under pressure (which the rubber lines do). But let's face it, no one pays much attention to their brake lines on a street car. IMHO, the OEM rubber lines are the better choice in that case.