914, need stats, and upgrades
 

im about to turn 15 and get my permit. im restoring a 73 1.l7 914
i know there not exactly fast. can any one give me some info on torque, and top speed. also if any has dome some mods to it, not the v8 crap, let me know, id like to get it to run wihtt he big boys, ie eclips and other imports.
thanks for your help
clay

Booger... You might start by checking out all the tech articles right here at Pelican. There's more info than you could possibly absorb from now till you get to be an old geezer like me and alot of people around here. Also remember, your 914 is a completely diferent animal than a ricer. They build them things to go fast only in a straight line. All Porsches are made to HANDLE while going fast. You're not gonna take a 30 year old 4 cyl car and build it to be like something with today's tehnology. Very few of those ricers can run with a well set-up 914 on an autocross course!
Stay tuned, this is the place to learn alot!
Don

You also better be careful what you call crap around here - if you knew what was involved in a V-8 conversion, and how potent those bad boys are, you'ld bite your tounge.

Yeah, what he said except...

You can "hang" with an Eclipse and such IF you do that V8 crap or a big six. Not very cheap though. AAMOF, you could buy an Eclipse for the cost of a conversion.

You have a nice car, learn about what it can do and not what it can't. If you try to drag race with it, you'll be embarassed and probably facing a tranny rebuild.

Just my $.02

Your $.02 worth is worth alot more than $.02, Dave!

If you want to win street races, a stock 914 is not your car. Unless you are a good wrench and have lots of $$$. If you want a big 6 cyl 914 (3.0 -3.6) be prepaired to spend around $20K.

Now if you want a unique car to enjoy driving, then a 914 is a great car. :D

Well, imports arnt big boys, unless you consider "rice" big boys... I used to hang around the muscle boys crowd, and i know those v8 boys, for me it was eather a vintage mustang or this. If you want something fast talk to Jake Raby, that is if you cant do it yourself and you have an extra 3-7k. The v8 option will get you probably the same respect with the "big boys" as with going Jakes way, but with lots more hp. Personally if i had the money i would eather go with a 350 chevy 350hp or so.. Or the way you could go, stroker kit, 2.3l or so(more relable than a big bore) water injection, cooling, and most importantly turbocharged.. Now what kinda price limit do you have here?

Oh btw, i turned 16 a little while ago, no license yet due to no job..

I, for one, think I sorta unnerstand what he means by *v8 crap*. I think that is kind of a way to show some respect for the original design. Am I right, booger? Are you thinking that leaving these cars with more or less a stock block(that includes a six since they came with them too) and not installing an engine that was never part of the cars design is the best way to go? If so, you get my vote.;) There's a lot of ways to tweak the stock motor.

If you want to run with the big boys get the rice burner ! If you want to spank the boys - stroke a 440- now if you want a nice ride- 914 is the way to go.

Booger,

I was 15 many years ago when I took a ride in a friends 914. The "handling" is what stayed in my mind for years until I was able to buy my first Porsche.

Top speed will be in the 100 mph range and more than enough to keep you from obtaining your next license. I'd enjoy your car for what it is and not worry about winning street races right now.

John

get your car running well. drive it for a bit, then upgrade to a wider tire if you're running 165's. if you're looking for stop light action get something different. before your pour a bunch of money into a new powerplant get everything else up to snuff. you are going to have opportunity's to spend money as fast as you can earn it. make informed desissions. i.e. scott's corbeau seat hassle. i'm not picking on you scott, just an example. please do not be offended.

kevin

These cars, to me, are similar in feel to the gocarts at the local go cart track. Their tight handling, some what noisy, but before you know it your doing 100mph. I got my first one at 20 (six years ago), and when I sold it all I could do is want another one. I too am thirsting for a bit more power, but on a small budget. Stick around and you will see a lot of options, including my attempts to put a 3.1l corvair into one.
Looks like Andy is no longer the youngest one here:)
Welcome!
Mike

Booger... You'll learn alot here. The people who hang ot at this board have as much 914 experience and knowedge as you'll find anywhere. The "914 Hobby" needs more young guys like you and Andy to keep these cars alive for anothe 30 years! Listen, ask lots of questions, and have fun!
Don

hope i didnt offend anyone
 

i didnt maen the v8 conv being bad, but i dont think its still a porsche if you do that. sorry if i offened any ine.
where i live the imorts are the big boys we have a civic, no lie, thatll run with a vette.
but thanks for all the advice

Hey I'm only 18.....and on my 7th car.....although two of em never ran. And no none of my cars have been payed for at all by my parents. I didn't even know how a 914 drove until I went to get mine. I just wanted it cause I know air cooled vws and liked the design, and have always wanted something nobody else around here has. Now that I've drove mine a little bit, well til I tore it all apart, I know what you guys are talkin bout. Ya give me a couple years....I'll have two or three too.

One thing I noticed you mentioned was "I'm about to turn 15 and get my permit."

Have you "priced" insurance yet? Not to put a damper on your hormones/wet dreams, but some insurance companies won't even insure you to DRIVE someone's Porsche, let alone insure YOUR Porsche.

This came as a disappointing surprise to my 4 kiddles (all twenty-something now) with their visions/fantasies of slammed Miatas and Celicas and Eclipses, OH MY! Lets see, with:

• Parents unwilling to finance/insure (same-same) their scrotum-swelling vehicular desires,
• A good 5-year wait (and cuttin' their teeth/impulses on a 3-banger Geo Metro!),
• Some college degrees,

and they NOW own those happymobiles.

And ... um ... no, a 914 isn't insured "kinda-like" a VW. [Porsche 914] + [15-year-old] + [permit] - [no driving skills] = $$$. Curious; who's picking up the tab?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/ultimate...WavingFlag.gif

Rouser, i researched that before i bought my car, the insurance for my car is the same as an 86 honda. soo, Its actually the best car you can insure, IMHO. AAA insurance for my car for a year is 1500 or so. for my dad 944t its like 3500 a year, the 86 honda is 1500 from AAA as well, im 16 mind you, i just dont have a job, therefore no license (my choice).

My dad found a company that will lower my payments to 1200 a year.

and to make things worse i leaned to drive on a track ready 944t. :D

Young man what you need to do is learn to spell. Learn how to drive a car safely. Then when you graduate buy a fast car. That is graduate from a UNIVERSITY!! Until then use your car to get there and back. Enjoy

as a matter of fact, i can get it as a vw, it help to know people.
and i have plenty of xpereince, ive been driveing straight drives for 4/5 years now.
and i dont care bout my spelling, so get over it

I think Joe gave you some sound advice, If you hear good advice will you listen? I have teenager's myself and that seems to be a common problem. It doesn't cost anything to listen! But it could cost in the future if you don't.

914, need stats, and upgrades
 

This insurance disscussion will be pointless.... if boogerboy is lucky
he will live in a state that will make it mandatory to have a C+ average or better before they can get permit or DL. SOOOOO if you can't spell well the gpa is going to take you out. that's my two cents. glad my kids are adults now.

Please excuse the length of this post: :)

You may not care about your spelling, but you don't have to read it. We do, and it is a pain to decipher what you are trying to say. Have some respect for the people on this board who are very generous with their advice (and take the time to use punctuation and try to spell correctly).

Now, if you can muster up some maturity and not tune me out for the above comments, I will address your problem.

You have a stock 1.7L and you want to improve the power to make the car faster. First, you want your engine rebuilt to make sure everything is in top condition for the most power.

Economically, there is very little reason to modify a 1.7L for more power, you should start with a 2.0L if speed is your goal. After you have the base to build a good 2.0L, you need to set some goals.

You can build it stock with Euro pistons and get about 100hp. Not enough? Look up Jake Raby and build an 2056cc with a performance cam, headwork, and Weber carbs. 125 to 150hp.

Still need more to keep up with that performance icon from the far east? Step up to a 2270cc from Jake for 150 to 170hp I believe he says.

Oh, still "eclipsed" by the "big dogs", huh? Now you need to stick a 911 six cylinder in there. May as well go with a 3.2L and since you will be drag racing you will need a 915 transaxle. To hook up off the line you need more meat on the road, so you need flares to fit over those big gumballs (that you also need to buy).

You're doing all the labor yourself, right? Great! Then it should only cost about $15K to pull this off. Money is no object, right?

Oh wait, you're 15 and you should be saving your money for college, right? Well, maybe you should forgo the 911 engine right now. And that Jake, he does good work, but maybe that's a little too much to spend at the moment. And is it REALLY worth it to just move up to a 2.0L from the 1.7L you already have?

What if the alternator dies? And while the car is sitting, a caliper freezes, your pedal bushings stick, and your heater boxes rust out? These are not concerns with a 5 year old Honduh but they are the reality of a 30 year old car.

The Honduh might be cool to your friends if it has clear tail lenses, big rims with 35 series tires, and a bunch of anodized aluminum on the engine.

A Porsche 914 that runs and looks nice is much cooler for what it is. And who has to prove himself at the stop-light grand prix? The driver with the mystique of the Mitsubishi or the Porsche? Let them go and make fools of themselves.

Need to impress your friends? Take them for a nice top-off drive down a curvy canyon road; that is what the Porsche experience is about and will impress anyone (even with a stock 1.7 if you have learned to drive it well).

If you desire to reply to this tome, please do so thoughtfully, with a budget and realistic goals so we can help you further. I do not intend to drive you off with this reply, just bring your head down out of the clouds so you can begin to set some meaningful goals for what could be an outstanding project with a great little car. SmileWavy

Boogerboy, it'd be my guess that you inherited this 914 from a family member or similar, so you have a free car that needs work. I offered to buy my stepson a vintage VW and restore it together, and he refused as it was not a Neon!! It sounds like you are willing to do the work, but like alot of us have champagne dreams on a beer budget. The car is a 30 year old Porsche; I can't imagine what I would have done if someone gave me a 1950's vintage Porsche back when I was a kid!

If I were you I would embrace the car for what it is, not what you would like it to be. A truly classic German sports car! Probably not too many of them in your school parking lot. You will be different from your friends, and maybe have to take a little crap. But the 914 WILL get you noticed - not all girls are impressed by neon and wings.

For real jollies in this car, check out an autocross event. These guys are the people that can clue you into this great stuff:

http://www.scca.org/

I own a 2002 New Beetle Turbo S. Very quick car. But driving it pales in comparision to taking my 914 out on a cool evening with the Targa off, listening to that fantastic aircooled motor right behind my head, hugging every curve, knowing that I keep the car on the road with work I do (with the invaluable knowledge of these great guys here!).

Enjoy that car!!!! And know that college chicks will go for that 914 so much more than your buddies slammed, stickered EclipZes!

Boogerboy listen to these guys, they know a heck of alot more about these cars than i do (thanks guys for your knowledge) but from the female side of this it will be the special girl who will want to take a ride in it. and the joy of the top off ,the mountain road, the handling make all my efforts worth the work !!!!!! and you should see the glee in my husbands eyes when he gets to drive her !!!

I don't want it to seem like all younger people are like booger there...........I wonder if he's gonna try and get you guys to help him after his little hissy fit. So is that how much insurance is? I didn't even look when I got it(although my dad told me to....) because at that point I didn't care and if nothing else I could insure me under our bug as the primary driver ($70 a month) and just drive the 914. One of the big reasons why I wanted one was just to be different, I'm a little different, or so I'm told, so I might I as well let everyone know............as I'm driving the funnest car and the only vert in the parking lot. Boy I wish I had somebody at some point in my life willing to give me a car.............My dad's helped me some to learn what to do to do body work and mechanical stuff, but once he shows me how, its my car so he usually goes and does his own thing. This makes it tougher, but the sense of pride is alot greater as well.

Guys,



Thank you for all the advice, and I do see all your points on it, and Mr. Adams, I know my grammar wasn’t the best for 2 reasons, one because I was in a hurry and also, I just am not the best typist. If you think that’s bad, you oughta see my hand writing!



But I do think I will just keep the car in the original state, but I do want to ad a custom touch to the interior, mainly being shift knob, and pedals (any advice on this would be help-full!!).



However the subject that I’ve heard different on if that it will appeal to the “special one” but ill just wait to see :)
Well, thank you for all the information.

Later

Clay

For years people told me not to race my 914 (I had my first one back when I was 18-19) now they tell me not to race the Boxster because it is only meant to handle.

I can tell you that neither the 914 or the Boxster are drag racers but if you have a good driver behind the wheel these cars will win 80-90% of any stoplight races they enter into without breaking a sweat.

Of course you have to pick your battles carefully. ;)

The best advice is to have fun and learn about the car along the way. There is nothing wrong with wanting your car to be fast and all the advice provided by the members of this forum is accurate in regards to what the 914 is capable of.

That doesn't mean you have to think of your car as a slow car or a handeling only car. There are a lot of aspects that make the 914 fun. The targa top is one, the vintage styling is another, the handeling and poer are others... enjoy them all and don't limit yourself to any catagory that someone else has pushed onto the 914.

I have no problem with that (there are a few mistakes in my post, after all), it was your comment that you don't care and we are to get over it that rubbed me the wrong way.

Looks like you are on the right track, though.SmileWavy

There are engines that can have the performance improved with simple bolt-ons - headers, intakes, better exhaust, etc. and net good gains for reasonable money. Unfortunately the 914 is not one of those. Most mods cost quite a bit and the returns are very little. I'm guessing this is what you really wanted to know in the beginning.

Good luck

just drive it and enjoy it pal. believe me, if its speed you want that 1.7 will give you all the tickets you can't afford. you can't even see the pedal assembly why would you spend any coin on that other than rebushing/refurbishing

alright guys, I don't have a 914, but I'm deciding to put my 2 cents in on this one. Boogerboy, I'm proud of you for going Porsche before Honda, and the restoration deserves another pat on the back! I'm 16 and I have purchased my Porsche myself, although nobody ever believes me. I personally would just make it handle better and stop better (I don't konw much about the 914 brakes). I know that my car is not fast, but it is semi-quick, quick enough to run with your so called "big boy" imports. As a matter of fact, I have yet to lose to an eclipse or civic (that's including a couple GSXs and Sis). I would say that the 914 will make a very fun first car. And street racing..heh...I'm really not one to preach (I've got a few tickets, shhhh), but I think you should learn to drive before you street race, and when you learn to drive do it respectfully. If you get pulled over just be remorsful and when in doubt kiss some ass!

Boogerboy,

Welcome to the group. Some of us are still young at heart and weather or not we want to admit it, there is a hotrodder in all of us.

I have a very nice all original 74 1.8. You would not believe the ammount of restraint I am trying to muster to NOT change a thing. The reason is this. I am now 34. I have been heavily into sportbikes since I had my first license at 14, and I do not want to hear any of you guys complain about insurance untill you are 15 and paying insurance and payments on a 750cc superbike. I think I paid like $125 a month in 1983 for insurance. Anyway, back to my ramblings.. When I am at one sportbike race or another I look around at the sea of hott rodded and modified sportbikes and they are just starting to look normal to me. Then, through the polished and airbrushed haze, I see a pristine 1985 Honda VFR750. Bone stock, even with stock exhaust. I immediatly scramble over to it and start drooling. My mind drifts back to standing on the showroom floor looking at a bike just like it, trying to figure out how many more hours I would need to put in at the local Burger King to pay for it.

So, my 914 is staying stock, right down to the stock exhaust. My 944 has gotten me a few nice comments, but my 914 has drawn crowds.

These cars are one project after the next. If your going to "improve" it, then do it acordingly. Keep your eyes peeled, if you find the need to buy something, look for it used, money flys away faster than you think. Start with the important things, Get it running good, get everything to work properly. Another thing you might want to do is to go to a Porsche event, or a 914 event, and try and get a ride from a car similar to yours. Gl on your project

And most importantly, JOIN PCA!!!!! www.pca.org (I have to get that plug in since I am our local chapter's membership chair) another good venue is www.rennlist.com.