Who designed that!!

[kena]

Well I hope I don't offend anyone but IMHO the side marker lights on my teener are ugly and out of proportion to the rest of the car. The bulge they cause under my car cover even appears ugly.
Anyone have some ideas about alternatives/replacements other than body filling the holes and repainting????

[mike mueller]

Amen brother.........

I still think that the marker lights came from a bus or some kind of tractor trailer truck.

I have a hard time thinking that someone got paid to design those just for the 914.

A lot of folks weld up the hole, but unless you plan on painting the car, that is not an option.

I was thinking more along the lines of a reflector that was more flush with the fender. It could still stick out a little, but no more than 1/4" or so.

[BKOMAR]

I came across a web site once where a guy remade the side markers with a disk (same size) and a bunch of LED's. It was MUCH flatter and looked really pretty neat. This same web site had a bunch of his "inventions" related to Porsches..it was quite impressive. For the life of me...I can't find the site....I have looked all over but to no avail. Does anyone remember seeing that site? Or have any idea of the address? One of the inventions was a device that attached itself to the wheel (center) that I believe was used either for lifting or to do corner balancing...kinda like a big spike that grabbed onto the lip of the center of the rim. ??? Brian

[bowlsby]

The front side marker lights were placed on USA cars as a safety item because the stock front turn signals aren't adequately visible from the side, to meet USA regulations (federal?). The rear tailights have an extra bulb on each outboard side also, different from the euro versions, for the same reasoning.

Our buddy Chuxter has thought it thru with a prototype:

http://members.rennlist.org/chuxter/#SideLight

and Demicks Pilot site has possible alternatives:

http://www.pilotautomotive.com/pilot2hb.htm

I doubt shaving them to be like the euro cars would meet USA laws even now, even though they are about the ugliest thing on the car.

[pbanders]

My PO got rid of them, I didn't even know that 914's had side markers when I first got my car!

[BKOMAR]

THATs THE ONE! Thanks Sir Bowlsby! I knew it would jog someones memory! Brian

[Joe Ricard]

In Mississippi there technically is a vehicle inspection program. The ole boy that did mine wasn't even sure what he was looking at.

[BKOMAR]

L M A O !!! This is SOOOOO TRUE! I really think you could get away with just about anything with these cars and no one would know what they were looking at!! Brian

[rdvnac]

"I have a hard time thinking that someone got paid to design those just for the 914. " LOL, my exact thoughts!

A really nice '74 2.0 I bought a couple of years ago (and stupidly sold, now looking for a replacement) had these flush-mounted markers instead of the OE markers. Not sure which was worse. I always thought these looked maybe a little Chrysler-ish, but could never figure out where the PO borrowed them from.

[HMeeder]

Bob;

Those look like the side markers from a Dart or Charger from around '72 or earlier.

IMHO they have a bit too much chrome to look right. They are very 'American' and a bit out of character for the car. But that's just me!

[Mike914six]

I had mine shaved, and have never been questioned at inspection time.

[unclerichy]

The P.O. of my 73 installed side markers from a 924 on my teener. It actually looks much better. The circumference is larger, but they lay flat against the fender. Best of all, it's still a Porsche part and no modifications necessary. Plugs right in using the existing wiring. I'll try to post a picture in the next couple of days.

Rich
'73 1.7
'74 2.0

[rdupre@houston.rr.com]

Has anyone thougt about what it would take to rewire the side markers to make them into turn signals? I'm not very electically astute so I haven't a clue what it would take.

Personally, I'd rather these lights do something rather than just sit there.

On another note as a previous poster noted that the safety inspector doesn't know what he was looking at. The last time I got mine inspected, the guy thought it was a new type of Porsche and was going to do the emissions test as well. I had to tell him that the car was older than he was.

[Mike Kunz]

Rewiring them for use as blinkers is an easy one...it's really only a matter of putting a splice in the blinker circuit at the back of the turn signal and running that wire to the side marker instead of the parking lamp circuit wire there now (which I clipped off).

So, I turned the side marker into a side blinker similar to newer Porsches and other Euro makes.

Now, if only I could find white lenses for the side markers! Does anyone know if these exist? It would seem that the Italians might have used these as they were required to have side blinkers much earlier than other European markets?

Any clues?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

I believe that the Italian-spec cars had no side marker lights, just like the European-spec cars. They did, however, have completely clear front turn signal lenses.

Ooooo! Factory "clear corners"--I bet the Rice-Boy crowd would love to get ahold of those!! (NLA, but I bet one particular place would sell you the "last ones in existance" for big big bucks... )

--DD