914 geeks?

[Omega]

I recently acquired myself a 1974 Porsche 914/4, 2.0L. It's a nice little car that needs a whole lot of work. Part of the work that I need to do is get the rust gone, get the taillights replaced and streetable, and getting the drivetrain fixed.

If anybody has a good website to get US-Spec 914 taillight lenses, then please, do share.

More importantly, something after the transmission and before the wheels is broken and continues to fail. A pin or bolt or something keeps breaking, and the joint is at fault. I have a feeling it's in the diff assembly, though, since there's not pins or bolts really after the diff assembly to the wheels. The 914 has a transaxle, so...

Any ideas?

[Luke122]

So you mean the drive shafts keep failing?

I had a Daytona that kept destroying drive shafts all the time. It turns out that the motor mounts were damaged, and the engine would move out of alignment when you stepped on it hard, and that would be enough stress to destroy the cv joints.

It took 3 sets of axles and a transmission swap to catch the motor mount as the point of failure.

[Omega]

It might be the shafts. I'm sure the motor mounts are fine, the engine hasn't been changed since '74 iirc. I know a guy, however, whose in Napa (about a 45min drive from here) who is willing to sell me a set of the 4-lug shafts (what my 914/4 has) for $50. I'm thinking it'd be a good investment.

[Luke122]

If the shafts have CV or universal joints covered with boots, make sure there are no cracks or tears in the boots, and that they move freely without binding or noise. Otherwise you'll just have to replace them again soon, or rebuild the joints.

[Airbozo]

Doesn't matter if the engine has been changed or not. A motor mount can fail just revving the engine (if there already is an issue).

My old 69 Chevelle had a bad motor mount but it took a long time for me to figure out which one. I could not tell just looking at it, they had to but it up on a rack and futz with it to see one of the mounts was cracked.

My '75 land cruiser had a bad motor mount we only found when they were updating the rear axle to disk brakes. It turned out to only be one of the rubber parts being bad not the whole mount.

[Luke122]

Lol.. my motor mount broke because I hit a frost heave on the highway at about 140kmh. All 3 of us in the car hit our heads on the roof at once, and there were sparks when we landed.

Not pretty.

[Airbozo]

Nice Luke. The one on the Chevelle broke in a similar situation. I crested the peak of a hill doing over 100mph. Airborne! Too bad there was a cop just on the other side of the hill... The girlfriend was in the car at the time and she was NOT amused. Damn I miss her. The car not the GF...

[Dilphat]

gosh i wish i could take some sweet jumps like you guys. but back to topic, i had a 87 chevy s10, the mounts broke because i & family drove it hard. so yeah, mounts can break for any legitimate reason. I would double check everything under the hood of that 914 just in case though.

edit: I forgot about this...but i remember hearing from a friend that there was a engine conversion for the 914. if i remember correctly you can switch in a subaru 2 liter into your 914.

2nd edit: yea it's been done, you can swap in a subaru engine in there if you want. haha :banana:

i hope that helps some.

[Ap1thy]

i love subie engines, such a nice sound and torque. would be awesome in a 914

[Spawn-Inc]

Doesn't matter if the engine has been changed or not. A motor mount can fail just revving the engine (if there already is an issue).

My old 69 Chevelle had a bad motor mount but it took a long time for me to figure out which one. I could not tell just looking at it, they had to but it up on a rack and futz with it to see one of the mounts was cracked.

My '75 land cruiser had a bad motor mount we only found when they were updating the rear axle to disk brakes. It turned out to only be one of the rubber parts being bad not the whole mount.


i broke my dads dog bone motor mount going 100 km/hr in a resi area on a foggy night, i hit the curb on the left side and blew the tire and dented the rim a bit. that was back when i was dumb hehe. no more speeding and fog for me!

[danthegeek]

Motor mounts can break pretty easy considering it is 2 pieces of steel held together by rubber. The rubber helps dampen the vibrations from the motor. My nova has solid motor mounts, I woudnt suggest it, but they are a hell of a lot stronger and if the break i can just weld them back together on the spot. I have them because the motor makes so much torque and would probably break the rubber ones at the drag strip. At a stop light the car shakes all over the place because of the large cam in the motor. It feel like a rocket getting ready to take off :devious:. Sometimes it does, on purpose of course.

[Omega]

I knew about the Suby EJ205 to Porsche 914 conversion, if I still have the car after a few years I'll do it, too. Same size engine, bolts to the Porsche tranny, but I'm not sure about the exhaust.

Anywho, I'll go ahead and look at the motor mounts when I get the chance. Thanks for all the help.

[Indybird]

Ooh, I'm a 914 geek! But not in the same way you guys are talking. I'm a Porsche-Lover, but almost exclusively for their exterior design, so I couldn't help you with any engine problems.

Neeways, if you're up to then would ya like to take some pictures of it for us?

Thanks and good luck,
Indybird

[Omega]

Yeah, I'll get some pics when I can. It's at my dad's house, where I should be in about two weeks. Basically it's really old, dented, paint chipping and such, but hell, it's mine.

[Dilphat]

Ooh, I'm a 914 geek! But not in the same way you guys are talking. I'm a Porsche-Lover, but almost exclusively for their exterior design, so I couldn't help you with any engine problems.

Neeways, if you're up to then would ya like to take some pictures of it for us?

Thanks and good luck,
Indybird


Yeah, I'll get some pics when I can. It's at my dad's house, where I should be in about two weeks. Basically it's really old, dented, paint chipping and such, but hell, it's mine.

yup, i love my Porsche too. take some pics, even if is old, dented, chipped, etc. at least we can see the potential that can come out of the car. woohoo :D

[Omega]

Yeah, I love the **** out of it. I drove it before it broke and I did about 35mph in first gear, it was insane. I was doing 45mph (and in second gear) before I even realized I had left my starting point. But I think that getting a sportscar as my first car is good, because it'll teach me to respect the power and handling capabilities of an automobile rather than taking it for granted. It'll also teach me some control, and my mom said she'll pay for Racing School as my graduation gift. Having race experience means I'll be able to handle my car in much more extreme conditions than the average person (like my mom, who will take her SUV around a 30mph turn at 55mph, because she's comfortable with the limits of the automobile and knows them. The 914, however, has taken 15mph turns at 65mph, when I was in the car. It was insane, to say the least. Even with the old tires and beat up suspension the car pulled some good G's).

Getting into the car is a ****ing trial, too. It's not very high off the ground and not very tall overall, so I have to practice yoga getting in and out of it. And then my head almost hits the roof and my feet go way past the pedals. Controlling and driving this thing will be one hell of a challenge.

Oh, and insurance. 16yo male, sportscar, no airbags or crumple zones. That's going to be... pricey.

[Ap1thy]

lol... i wouldnt advise doing 65 around a 15 curve until you get a radar detector... i got arrested on a permit for doing 75 in a 55. My personal favorite engine conversion is a ls1 in an fc35

[NightrainSrt4]

ASC, do you mean FC3S, as in 2nd gen Mazda Rx-7? Thats a nice conversion. I can't decide if I like a small turbo'd rotary, or a nice v8...both are nice I suppose.

Omega, I wouldnt recommend doing way over the speed limit on curvy roads. Not worth the consequences. One thing goes the way you don't want it and your going right into a telephone. And no Im not some old geezer saying this. Ive had a completely hooked up 2g Eclipse, 2000 V6 Mercury Cougar, and 2003 Dodge Srt-4...so I know my sporty cars and how to drive em. (Turning 21 in May so again...not old and just saying not to speed just because).

Believe me, I know the fun of acceleration. My Srt-4 used to do 0-60 in just around 4 seconds. Since then I've returned to stock for the most part. But ya, its fun to go fast and accelerate, but in the end its not worth it. Eventually it will get old. Ive done 160 down a highway racing...again not worth it.

The best roads for me now after getting over all of that is a road whose speed limits is like 25mph, but you have to be crazy to try 25mph because its so damn curvy. I know a few roads like that, and ya they are fun, and your not breaking any laws. But its still risky. Speed limits ARE there for a reason, and not just so cops can make the state some money. Although some sure do feel that way.

Just be careful, or you will regret it. If not someone getting hurt, then you will lose your beautiful porsche. One of my friends from highschool had a beautiful late 80's porsche, did what you talk about doing and wrecked it. He was an amazing driver to. Sometimes it just doesn't go the way you want it and sometimes theres nothing you can do to fix it and you crash. Just the way it goes.

Just a heads up.

[Omega]

Omega, I wouldnt recommend doing way over the speed limit on curvy roads. Not worth the consequences. One thing goes the way you don't want it and your going right into a telephone. And no Im not some old geezer saying this. Ive had a completely hooked up 2g Eclipse, 2000 V6 Mercury Cougar, and 2003 Dodge Srt-4...so I know my sporty cars and how to drive em. (Turning 21 in May so again...not old and just saying not to speed just because).

Believe me, I know the fun of acceleration. My Srt-4 used to do 0-60 in just around 4 seconds. Since then I've returned to stock for the most part. But ya, its fun to go fast and accelerate, but in the end its not worth it. Eventually it will get old. Ive done 160 down a highway racing...again not worth it.

The best roads for me now after getting over all of that is a road whose speed limits is like 25mph, but you have to be crazy to try 25mph because its so damn curvy. I know a few roads like that, and ya they are fun, and your not breaking any laws. But its still risky. Speed limits ARE there for a reason, and not just so cops can make the state some money. Although some sure do feel that way.

Just be careful, or you will regret it. If not someone getting hurt, then you will lose your beautiful porsche. One of my friends from highschool had a beautiful late 80's porsche, did what you talk about doing and wrecked it. He was an amazing driver to. Sometimes it just doesn't go the way you want it and sometimes theres nothing you can do to fix it and you crash. Just the way it goes.

Just a heads up.

I know all of this. Everybody that I've driven in the car with (which is only my mom and step-dad) acknowledge that I'm a naturally born driver and just from instinct and texts I know what to do and when. One of our favorite roads (And it feels so fast) has a limit of 55 but you feel like you're ****ing BLAZING at 30. Me and my step-dad took it in the 914 (he was driving) wand it was crazy.

Also, don't doubt the driving ability of my mom. She's insane... Learned to drive in Germany, and she's held several racing licenses. Her dad gave her racing lessons so that she would be able to properly handle a vehicle in a potentially dangerous situation at speed. And it shows, doing insane speeds around some pretty curvy roads in a Ford Escape. That's a Small SUV for those who don't know.

I know one thing for certain. My limits and the car's limits are very far apart. As I'm a relatively new driver I will doubt myself and the car (even though I don't need to doubt the car) and will probably never break the speed limit. God knows my breathing speeds up enough as it is when my mom takes a turn a little too fast for my liking, but even then it's still within the vehicle's limits.

Also, I plan on going to racing school after I'm 18 for a reason -- not so I can race -- but so that I am comfortable with my driving ability and learn the car's limits more so than my own. Besides, I would hate to lose my Porsche, especially because it is such an unsafe car. Luckily I've been learning driving the only true way, to not rely on gauges as much as other sensory inputs, to become one with the car and let all your actions be fluid and smooth. I don't need to look at a tachometer to shift -- I let the engine tell me when. The best part about this is (when on unpopulated roads especially) it works, and as long as you feel you're doing the right speed, you're probably under the limit. Especially with road hazards such as rain, debris, etc.

I'm sure the only time this car will really let it's power roar is once I find a nice, large, open lot and kill some rubber. Or track days, since chances are pretty good that after I take race lessons I'll get a cage and an SCCA membership and visit the track occasionally.

EDIT: I also don't like how my mom teaches driving. She tells you to check all your gauges, check EVERYTHING and is ALWAYS talking, which is a hazard for a new driver (although I understand why she does it). My step-dad took me out to a road that was very fluid and smooth, not too hard but nice and relaxing, showed me the shift tree on the 914 (because it's different than normal manuals) and told me to drive. The only time he talked after that (Aside from telling me when to stop) was if I was doing something wrong like going over the speed limit or giving me one tip on how to align the car. And that was for a 10 minute drive.

[Airbozo]

Omega, Based on my experience, Take the 2 day race school, then the evasive driving class. The race school will teach you how to control the car during high speed maneuvers and braking (usually day one is spent learning why the cars want to do what they do and how to use that to your advantage and day two is actually spent in a car on the track.) and the evasive school will teach you how to control the car when it does not want to be controlled. The evasive school is similar to what law enforcement and vip chauffeurs go through. IMO even though there is nothing like speeding around a race track, the evasive school was way more fun. You get to torture the cars they let you drive (Usually more than one model so you get the idea of how trucks, muscle cars, limo's and front wheel drive cars behave).

If you can afford it, Skip Barber's race school has the best programs around. Not sure if they teach at Infineon Raceway (used to be sears point), but these guys do;
http://www.jimrussellusa.com/index.php

I'll ask my father-in-law who SUN uses for their exec's...

[Omega]

Bozo, that's basically what I was planning on doing. I need to be able to control any vehicle under any conditions, even if I will never see most of them.