Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 43

Thread: My Mid (engine) Life Crisis

  1. #1

    My Mid (engine) Life Crisis

    I purchased this Porsche 914/4 a little over three years ago when I saw a fellow member's car and the light went on about 914s. I hadn't planned on slipping down the rabbit hole, as the car was very clean already and mechanically quite sound aside from the fact that it had the notorious tail shift transmission. On it's best day the 901 box had a 50/50 chance of getting the gear you wanted, so I decided to build a side shift transmission instead and do a 5 lug conversion.

    Long story short, it took much longer than planned because life intervened. When I finally got to start on the car I had a laundry list of 'wants' and was yet again enabled by my friend Mike Eberhardt and his shop Vintage Racing Co. Without a doubt, this car is now a revelation to drive. I was always ambivalent about 914s and 914/6s. No more.

    So before the pictures, a quick breakdown of the specs:

    Jack Raby Type IV motor; 160hp / 155lb-ft
    Front oil cooler
    Side Shift transmission with Tangerine Racing parts and Short Shift kit
    Full front 911 SC suspension with Bilsteins all around
    Custom 911 rear brakes, drive shafts, hubs, and flanges
    15 x 7 Factory Fuchs in RSR finish
    Triad exhaust
    Custom half roll bar
    Driver Scheel sport seat with heat, factory passenger seat with heat
    Extra Scheel passenger seat and factory driver seat in matching tartan with heat (so they can be mixed and matched)
    380mm Factory wheel double-wrapped by Dallas Custom
    My personal favorite custom 901 shift knob
    Factory Targa roof and Saratoga Targa top as well.

    I stole liberally from different years of 914 production. The center console and tartan fabric were not available until after 1972, but I wanted a chrome bumper car without overriders. This particular '72 914/4 popped up and I couldn't resist making it my own. I did however resist the urge to make it a GT clone or install a 911 engine. The Type IV has great power/weight specs and the car has plenty of power for what it is.

    Here's how it was at the start of the project:

    DSC03004.jpg

    And now that it's finally finished:

    DSC03005.jpg

    DSC03007.jpg

    DSC03008.jpg

    DSC03009.jpg

    DSC03010.jpg

    DSC03011.jpg

    DSC03012.jpg
    Last edited by ibmiked; 08-14-2020 at 01:44 PM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Scott A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    South East USA
    Posts
    897
    that's a real beauty.

    Current long term ownership: 63 Cab, 71 911, 74 914

  3. #3
    Moderator Chuck Miller's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Reseda, CA.
    Posts
    12,418
    Very nicely done...
    Chuck Miller
    Creative Advisor/Message Board Moderator - Early 911S Registry #109
    R Gruppe #88

    TYP901 #62
    '73S cpe #1099 - Matched # 2.7/9.5 RS spec rebuild
    '67 Malibu 327 spt cpe - Period 350 Rebuild

    ’98 Chevy S-10 – Utility
    ’15 GTI – Commuter

  4. #4
    That is wonderful if I do say so! Then again I'm biased from 49 years of 914 ownership.
    Mark Curtin
    Early S Registry #369
    Rgruppe #247

  5. #5
    I'm a big fan of 914's, I own two. One a 4 that I picked up for $1500 and trash on the cone track, the other is a former Garretson built IMSA car that I'm putting a 904 body on. A 914 is a blast to drive. I routinely tell guys with never ending project Porsches to sell them and buy a driver 914, they will have a lot more fun.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    If you're reading this and you are not yet an Early 911S Registry member, Join Now!
    Early 911S Registry Member 1372
    Check out Unobtanium-Inc.com
    New blog posts all the time!

  6. #6
    Senior Member Scott A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    South East USA
    Posts
    897
    Adam. Are the 904 parts taken off the real bodies?
    And how close in size are the two cars?

    Is there anything you had to shorten or lengthen?

    Do you use a 914 windshield? Or something else?
    Last edited by Scott A; 08-14-2020 at 03:28 PM.

    Current long term ownership: 63 Cab, 71 911, 74 914

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott A View Post
    Adam. Are the 904 parts taken off the real bodies?
    And how close in size are the two cars?

    Is there anything you had to shorten or lengthen?

    Do you use a 914 windshield? Or something else?
    There is a guy in Canada who took a mold off off a real 904, 0065 I think, so the body he makes is dead nuts accurate. I've taken measurements from an original car and it's very close.
    The 914 is five inches longer then the 904 so I'm having to shorten to the frame. That's actually not the trickiest part, the real hard part was all 4 shock towers had to be lowered. You can read about the whole build here.

    http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.p...1007&hl=begins

    I thought the body I got was too small, not being a big guy 5'9" I thought I was too big, then I sat in 0014 and no, it's just a really small car.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    If you're reading this and you are not yet an Early 911S Registry member, Join Now!
    Early 911S Registry Member 1372
    Check out Unobtanium-Inc.com
    New blog posts all the time!

  8. #8
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Chadds Ford
    Posts
    63
    Are you running 7Rs front and back, what size tires?

  9. #9
    Hi Don, they are ‘73 and up 15” x 7” Fuchs, not 7Rs. I think these came off an SC.

    The tires are 195/65/15 Goodyear Eagle Sport all seasons.

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Chadds Ford
    Posts
    63
    Did you roll the fenders? They look good.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Message Board Disclaimer and Terms of Use
This is a public forum. Messages posted here can be viewed by the public. The Early 911S Registry is not responsible for messages posted in its online forums, and any message will express the views of the author and not the Early 911S Registry. Use of online forums shall constitute the agreement of the user not to post anything of religious or political content, false and defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise to violate the law and the further agreement of the user to be solely responsible for and hold the Early 911S Registry harmless in the event of any claim based on their message. Any viewer who finds a message objectionable should contact us immediately by email. The Early 911S Registry has the ability to remove objectionable messages and we will make every effort to do so, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary.