Ok, I have to pipe up here, radiators on the sides?. Does anyone understand that there will extensive body and chassis massaging that will be required in order for the car to appear presntable. I was going to hold my tongue but the amount of effort and money that everyone is talking about it would sound to me like you can improve on what you currently have.
I'm a partial purist but I understand that the 914 lacks power in the engine department. If you want rotary buy an early RX-7, I've driven those cars at speed on the highway and on a course and they are well balanced stock.
Harsh?, consider the car in this link
http://home1.gte.net/nugentmd/914lite.htm
I'm sure alot of you are familiar with it, he's getting 190 somewhat horsepower. I think you can get a good used 73 1.8 liter case and build it with a little less displacment to keep it reliable. Get a bigger oil cooler, put them on the sides of the car if you wish and still get about 150 hp. If your looking for the wow factor anyone who knows Porsche's and flat 4's will probably be more impressed with the amount of thought that went into improving a 'dated' design. Instead of "wow thats a cool rotary where did you buy that kit".
If you want 200 to 300 horsepower with a mid engine buy an MR2 and rice it. Toyota improved alot on the original that you currentlty own.
If your worried about maintanance, consider this. Any water cooled auto that you will install on that car will require the same amount of maintance that an air cooled flat 4 will. If not more. You've got an extra factor to worry about and that is your cooling system.
The flat 4 that you currently own only needs to have its oil changed every 2-3 thousand miles and a valve ajustment at just about the same interval.
I gather from your sarcastic opening remark that you've already read about my 2.1 before. I do not baby my engine I drive it 'like the good doctor intended' and change my oil at the right interval with Mobil 1.
I can get in my car and not worry about any coolant or air conditioning. All I have to do is check the oil see if its full and go.
If you've read this far I'll tell you what your so tired of hearing. My 2.1, with the FI that I reinstalled, is faster than alot of cars out there. Being that I'm at sea level fiddling with my pressure sensor has helped. I've accumulted 10,000 miles 8,000 miles of those have been trouble free. The first 2,000 miles I had to work the bugs out of the FI.
You mention cheap about 4 times but you want to install a water cooled something or other with the possiblity of A/C. Uh, yeah. Lets see, condensor, compressor, radiator, wiring, coolant piping, A/C piping, sheetmetal modification. Have fun.
Notice, I never mentioned anything about how you are destroying your car. I dont care what you do to your car but it doesnt seem like common sense is persevering in this thread.
Rotarys and Chevy engines are not impressive in Porsches.
[This message has been edited by Steve M (edited 09-24-1999).]