914 3.0 conversion for sale in Seattle

January 12, 2010 by Nate

1974 914-6 Conversion for sale in Seattle

I tried to buy a 914 when I was 15 years old as a project car.  Great plan, until my parents found out.  Still, the dream of a street legal go-kart persists.  Usually my dreams focus around cheap non-Porsche engine swaps, as most 914s leave a bit to be desired in the power department.  Going the high class route would be doing a sweet swap with a more fortified Porsche engine, which is what we’ve found today.  The list of enhancements is exhaustive; I’ll leave it to the seller’s words:

Body-
Body completing stripped, fenders reworked, acid etch primed and painted DuPont Chroma Black. The job included both front and rear trunks, engine bay with engine removed and door jams. The cost for this work was over $10,000 in 1993.

Suspension and Drive train-
Frame strengthened through welding, 88 Carrera front suspension, Carrera torsion bars, new front struts, 911S front calipers, 19mm master cylinder, turbo tie rods, 16’ 911 hubs, Automotion front and rear bushings, Otto’s rear hub kit with 911 rear hubs and 914-6 stub axles, Ted Hulse rear shocks, 165lb progressive rear springs, GPR through frame rear sway bar, 16×6 front and 16×7 rear refinished Fuchs alloys.

Motor-
1981 911SC 3.0 liter motor, Dillavar head studs, heads reworked, 46 IDA PMO carburetors’, GPR Oil tank in right rear fender, DC Automotive 911 engine sheet metal, GT performance flywheel, Patrick Motorsports engine mounts, Permatune ignition, B&B stainless headers (no heat exchangers)

The car had 70,200 miles on it at the start of restoration and currently has 81,700, so it has travelled approximately 11,500 miles since the rebuild.

Exterior: Overall 8.5/10
Paint- DuPont Chroma Black- The paint on this is gorgeous. It has a deep and consistent shine with none of the orange peel they would have come with from new. There are no significant scratches or nicks but it is black so it will show even the slightest of imperfection.
Body- The body is very straight with not a single ding to be noted. There is no evidence that the car has been involved in any type of collision and overall panel fit and gap is very good.
Body Parts- All of the glass is good, the targa top and side sail panels are like new. All of the seals and gaskets and lights are likewise clean and correct. The only items that I think need some attention are the front and rear bumpers and trim. The 1974 914 featured the bumper overiders and the owner removed the overriders but left the holes in the bumpers. To really look great a set of 1973 bumpers should be installed. The top rubber bumper trim is likewise “rippled” and should be replaced as well, which would happen with a bumper swap.
Wheels- The car is sitting on a genuine original set of 16×6 and 16×7 Fuchs Wheels that are perfect, no peeling, no pitting, no curb damage. The tires are mismatched front to rear and while they have plenty of tread are older due to the cars low miles. Since this car offers such extraordinary performance a new set of tires should be fitted.

Rust- As any enthusiast knows rust is the bane of all 914’s. This particular car was completely stripped and treated during the restoration. The only notable rust I have found in on the driver’s side rear quarter panel just above the taillight is starting to bubble. The front and rear trunks looks pristine. The floor pans and jacking points are solid and the “hell hole” appears to be clean. I would welcome any prospective customer to put the car up on the rack because any 914 will have rust if you look hard enough, but this one looks real solid.

Interior-
Overall the interior I would categorize as a 9.0/10. It is really amazing original condition
Seats: The seats are very well preserved. There is just one flaw I could find on the seats, and that is a slight cut on the passenger side bolster now more than 1” in length that hasn’t even split.
Carpet: The carpet is also darn close to perfect, I could find only one slight wear mark on the driver’s side floor close to the e-brake handle.
Dash: The dash pad is like new, no cracks.
Door panels and Headliner: They are all in excellent shape, no wear or sagging.
Electronics and gauges: EVERYTHING on this car works. Including all gauges, climate control fan, stereo, map light, etc. The only item worth noting is that with the B&B exhaust the heat exchangers were bypassed so there is no heat.
Trunk and accessories: Both the front and rear trunks were refinished when the car was restored so they are very clean. An OEM Porsche 993 inflatable spare has been fitted as the original 914 spare would not have worked with the 911 hubs.


$25k is a lot of money for a 914, but, as the seller states, it would probably take twice that to recreate.  I really like the thoroughness, as this is not just some engine swap but really an exploration of how awesome the 914 can be.  It looks great and has the juice to be a 911-beating handful.  Sure, budgeting may keep my 914 swap dreams cheap, but if I had the means, this would be high on my must-have Porsche list.

-NR

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Posted by Nate in Porsche | January 12, 2010 |
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2 Responses to “914 3.0 conversion for sale in Seattle”

  1. #1
    Aaron
    January 13th, 2010 12:37 pm

    I don’t know, $25k does not seem like too much for this car. Will the seller get that, I doubt it. If I were in the market I would rather have something like this than a 987 Boxster, 996, or a Z4.

  2. #2
    Nate
    January 13th, 2010 12:48 pm

    I agree. More unique, more fun, and just more my style than those later cars, which are fine, but just kind of… boring in comparison.

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