Answer:
     When asked this question, I often answer with another question, "It depends upon what you want." There are ways to rebuild a 914 motor to make it last 50,000 miles or 100,000 miles, it just depends upon what you are looking for, and how much you can spend on it to do the job right. We'll talk here first about doing the job right, and then talk a little about the corners that can be cut.

     Let's start with the case. The case should be taken apart, and carefully cleaned and inspected. Have a good machine shop measure the case for straightness, and correct alignment of the bearing surfaces. Sometimes when a motor gets old, the case can warp, or bearings can slide around in the case, creating an egg-shaped pattern in which a new bearing will not seat properly. If the case is damaged, it can be align-bored out for an oversized bearing. This is a fairly common procedure.

     The camshaft and lifters should most likely be replaced. They are parts that wear pretty significantly. It is possible to regrind a cam, and regrind lifters, but you are using used parts that will undoubtedly have a shorter life-span, and wear out much quicker. It is perfectly fine, and actually recommended to reuse the cam gear in the new rebuild. The cam gear is matched to the case to account for backlash between the crank and the cam, and the cam gear doesn't really wear out too much. Check the cam gear for damage from engine failure before using it in your rebuild. To get the old gear off, you need to drill out or grind off the rivets on the gear, and then get a cam shaft that is tapped for the gear to mount to.

     The pistons and cylinders can be honed and reused, however, once again, you are using used parts which will probably not last 100,000 miles. If doing a fresh rebuild, it is recommended that you use new German pistons and cylinders. If you want an added horsepower boost, you might use the European pistons which have a higher compression ratio. Most certainly replace the rings and have the cylinders honed at the bare minimum.

     The heads should be taken to a shop and checked for cracks. If there are any cracks in them, they should be welded ( a relatively routine job). Additionally, you should install new springs and guides and have the valves checked for the proper tolerances. New valves are not necessary unless the old ones are beyond their tolerances. If new valves are needed, they should be replaced with the factory sodium-filled type. These valves run much cooler than the stainless steel variety, and thus last much longer and are more forgiving. You might want to have new valve seats put into your heads as well. 914s are notorious for having dropped seats especially 2.0L heads.

     The crank should be checked for cracks, grooves, and reground if needed. If the crank was worn heavily by slipping bearings, then the crank needs to be fitted with oversized bearings when rebuilding. The rods should be rebushed and checked. Some shops take the rod apart, machine down a few slivers of material, and then rebore the ends for perfect straightness. This would be ideal. Always replace rod nuts, they deform when torqued, and are not reusable. The flywheel should be new, or a good resurfaced one. All the moving parts of the engine should be balanced together by a good machine shop.

     You should put new seals everywhere, check your oil pump for wear, and maybe replace it with a high-capacity after-market type. Take you oil cooler to a shop and have it cleaned and pressure tested for leaks. The rockers and arms should be ok to be reused, just check the rocker shafts for extensive wear or damage. Replace all of the valve adjusting screws and nuts with only factory original screws, and the push rod tubes as well (they're cheap enough to justify it).

     You should also take apart and clean all the components of the fuel injection system. Check the harness for proper electrical continuity too while you're at it. Replace all your hoses, seals, and the fuel filter. If you really want to make sure that everything is tiptop, replace the injectors with new ones. Have the sheet metal sand-blasted and painted with gloss black if you want your motor to look really sharp. Also use new spark plugs, and a new cap, rotor, & points, and all the other standard tune-up components. With the engine out of the car, it’s also a good time to check on the rust underneath the battery tray, the engine lid hinges, and the rear trunk hinges. It’s also a good idea to replace your engine compartment seals.

     If you are rebuilding a motor on a budget, you should definitely do the following:

• Hone the cylinders, replace the rings
• Regrind the crank
• Rebush the rods
• Regrind the camshaft & lifters
• Have a valve job performed on the heads
• Replace all seals on the motor
• Resurface flywheel
• Replace all hoses & seals on the injection system
• Replace cap, rotor, points & plugs

     There you have it. This is a really brief list of what you should do when rebuilding you motor. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask us. Pelican parts can easily and inexpensively provide you with all the parts that you need to complete any engine rebuild. Remember that your support and business helps to support the existence and expansion of this web site!