This is what my car went through. Poor thing.

     Original

     Conversion Process

     Upgrades

     Current

     Stock '73

Original

It started out as a '72 1.7L 914 that I bought from my neighbor. He was going to put a hopped up four in it but had medical complications and I bought it from him. That was 2000 and now three years later it looks and sounds quite different. I drove it for a few months and learned of serious engine problems the car had. I began looking at options on what I could do with the engine. I thought of rebuilding the engine I had then thought of making some changes for more horsepower. The projected dollar amount seemed to be growing exponentially and still didn't seem to have a corresponding power output for the money. So the search continued for engine options. I came across a 914-6 on the web and was really interested but when I found that a short block was $6000, I went back to searching. I received an e-mail that guided me to a V8 conversion that someone did. the rest just played out.

This is what my car looked like when I first got my 914.

I finally got a place to host some video. There are 3 files they are between 6 and 11 MB. You will need QuickTime to view these files. I recommend that you right click and 'save target as'.
First one is just an acceleration. In the first 2 I'm starting off in second gear.
Vid1
Vid2
Vid3

Above are pictures of the preparation for the flat black paint. Some body work, some filler, and a lot of sanding. I wanted to see what the car would look like in black because I know that hotrods looks really cool in flat black. So I went out and bought the cheapest spray paint I could find, and found some for $1.99 a can. I did like the look but was tired of people asking if I am going to paint the car, or keep it primer. Well I decided to paint the car a different color (see the current page).

Conversion Process

So I ended up doing a V8 swap since the price to power ratio was really great. I acquired a Chevy 350 small block that was in a '68 Camero in LA. I think I got it for like $350 and it ran.

Well how about some pics, more to come.

  Radiator View

Upgrades

By clicking the thumbnails it brings you to a new page. I warn you of the body work page, it contains content that might offend some people.

Body Work	Test Fitting	Custom Center Console	Custom Bike Rack	Electrical Upgrades	Suspension

Engine Pictures (more Here):

Interior Upgrades:

Radiator Upgrades, the first few are of my first radiator, then I got an aluminum radiator from Howe Racing.

Body Work

sorry if your offended by these pictures

Test Fitting

Test fitting of fiberglass GT style flares with 7" front and 9" rear 993 one piece wheels. I had to use 1.5" spacers at all 4 corners to get the offset right.

Custom Center Console

It's a simple design, made to come apart really easily. It's finished in gloss black to match the face of the dash and the console itself. Tap plastics was the supplier for the plastic on the dash and center console.

914 Bike Rack

I just needed a place to put a bike in the 914. I tried it in the trunk and in the passenger seat, neither of which I liked. So I came up with this. What I asked for at a bike store was a bike rack for a pickup truck bed. They showed me the front fork holder and it was what I wanted. The problem was that They didn't sell anything for the back. The back is composed of a Tuhle tire holder and it's held on by carriage bolts spaced by some washers and bolts on the other side of the rear lid. A Velcro strap holds the wheel down. The front consists of the "hitch" and 1/4" bolts with washers to distribute the load. I think that I'm will replace the washers with a piece of steal, probably on both sides for strength.

Old Front End

<= Out with the old in with the new =>

This is the old 914 suspension that came off my car. Not very pretty. The shocks where on their way out. It's for sale if you need it, you make an offer.

New Front End

This is the new 911 suspension that came from a swap meet put on by Parts Heaven. Now very pretty. Everything is rebuilt with new parts that totaled about $600. But still worth it.