A small block Chevy or a Turbo Subaru engine would be cheaper. There are probably kits out there for those swaps. Or make sure you get one with a good engine. Rebuilding an original 914 engine is stupid money today and the result won't have much horsepower.
I have a 914 project just sitting in my warehouse. I bought on a whim it because it had so little rust. I paid fair money for an complete, original, clean, numbers match Signal Orange '71. I had dreams of building a -6 and even acquired a 3.0 SC motor. I sold the 911 motor and am contemplating selling the project. I bought a bunch of stuff for the conversion, 911 front struts, 914-6 rear calipers, etc. I had the trans rebuilt and converted to side shift. The collector car dealer that I bought it from flaked out and never sent in the title transfer paperwork. I have my sale paperwork and the open Arizona title with sub 50k miles indicated. I was lucky to grab it as it appears the dealer has gone t*ts up.
When I say "little rust" every nut and bolt in the interior for the seats and e-brake came out easily with no assistance from penetrating oil, heat or a BFH. Likewise all the fasteners for the motor, trans and engine tin. Broke one bolt on the flange between the exhaust pipes and the muffler.
Motor needs redone, but was complete with original computer, FI and air cleaner.
If there is any interest, I can post up some pictures.
In reply to maj75 (Forum Supporter) :
While I am not interested in a project I would still love to pictures.
In reply to maj75 (Forum Supporter) :
I doubt I could afford the entire project. However, I might be interested in the 911 front suspension if you care to sell it separately
Edit: yeh to pics!!
edit: Never mind just realized you're in Florida
So you want a air cooled vw motor and a Porsche? I present to you the 912E !
In reply to scottdownsouth :
I'd go for one if I could find a non rusty when sub 25K.
Yesterday I took a look at 914s on the Facebook market within a couple hundred miles of me. There was one rusted out filthy junker going for under $1,000. The *very ambitious* project type cars were up in the $4k - $7k range asking price. Amazing.
$950 ( I'm sure we could find $1,000 worth of parts there at current prices, but still... ):
$4,500:
scottdownsouth said:So you want a air cooled vw motor and a Porsche? I present to you the 912E !
The 912 had a Porsche engine, not a VW engine.
Porsche 356s "started" with VW-like engines but they diverged quickly. Porsche developed and improved, VW did not.
Our Western junk is clearly better than Eastern junk!
Less rust and no Moss!
Pete. (l33t FS) said:scottdownsouth said:So you want a air cooled vw motor and a Porsche? I present to you the 912E !
The 912 had a Porsche engine, not a VW engine.
Porsche 356s "started" with VW-like engines but they diverged quickly. Porsche developed and improved, VW did not.
1976 912E used a 914 / VW bus motor Type 4 motor
a 1965-69 used a 912 motor which was basically the same 1600cc motor from a 356C which stopped production in 1965.
I am glad to see that 914 is finally getting a little love !
They are still pretty common out here in the West.
Considering just how much of resto expense is eaten by rust repair it may make more sense to travel?
AutoX car that could go back to street pretty easily, $20K, https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/4471960939536942/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A965a15cc-bde5-4000-8ce5-d3c4fd981527
Lots of hype for this one, and been sitting for a LONG time, "1974 Porsche Porsche 718 Boxster Roadster 2D $69,000" https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2671903956432825/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A965a15cc-bde5-4000-8ce5-d3c4fd981527
And here is another, $7K. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/188840593240315/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A16cfeb7b-0700-4015-bdcb-0974670aee0b
Once you have sorted enough ads an average should become apparent.
Of course it seems prices/speculation are ramping up.
The one for 16.9k looks nice.
All of a sudden I don't feel bad about the $$$ I have wrapped up in my project car. Maybe it's time to bolt all of the 911 suspension under the car and find some tires to throw on the Fuchs to make it a rolling project.
Oh man, I had no idea even 914s are hot now. The Volkswagen?! Jesus.
A friend of mine had one in high school 20 some years ago. It really grinded his gears every time someone called it a VW.
I will say the thing could handle when it was not in the shop, which was rare. I had to pick him up for school most of my junior year because the car had so many issues. And that was back in like 1999. I can't imagine what kind of a mess a 914 would be now. But if you could find one that was basically restored, it was a fun car!
And I too have seen an insanely fast tube frame VW at autox. I don't care about the VW stigma, I just thought it was funny how mad he got.
CyberEric said:Oh man, I had no idea even 914s are hot now.
It's not so much that they are hot, it's that early 911s and 356s have priced so many people out of the market. 80K is the starting point for a decent car. I can't justify 80K for a toy.
If you want a 70s air cooled Porsche for less than your choice is the 914. I've driven 356s, 914s & 911s of this era and the experience is pretty similar. A 2.0 914 isn't that much slower than a 2.4 911.
finding a nice original one will be tough ,
they have been cheap so long that the owners are only going to fix it cheap to get it back running , and then they got pushed out of the garage and parked in the backyard.
I guess the same can be said for 924-944 ,
What about Karmann Ghias? They are air cooled and look a bit like a 356.
My uncle has one and I drove it a bunch in high school. Fun little car, handles very well for an old car. Other than that, can't say I want one, not even a little bit. I'd much rather buy a boxster.
If I were looking for one right now I'd be looking in the $15k+ market. My current 914 is probably worth $2500 right now and is a carb-ed 1.8l that needs floors at least to get going.
$15k gets you a driver but not a show car. Maintenance will be frequent.
Cayman/Boxter vs 914? You will have fun in the 914. You will probably get in trouble with the 986/987.
My wife wants a hardtop ghia. I am in.
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:What about Karmann Ghias? They are air cooled and look a bit like a 356.
I have had a few Ghias and like them , even a couple Type 3 Ghias.
and they are still decent priced , but look close because they are from Karmann so they have rust problems , 914 was also built by Karmann
Prices have been rising and they are interesting cars to be sure. I have bought two in the last few months. The first one was the project that was advertised here that was on FB cheap, I jumped on it and ultimately it will be built into the one I want to keep. I bought a second car that I am using all the 4 cylinder parts to build into a nice one that I will sell to fund the one I want for myself.
This red one below was purchased to put my rebuilt engine and resell as it has a 5 lug conversion, decent interior and is solid. I am fixing the previous work on the hell hole as it was not done well, so welding it up properly and then reinstalling the drive train. When it is done, it should sell in the 25K range as a nice solid example with a new engine and nice paint. I'll probably install the chrome bumpers from the other car on this one to finish it.
The 2nd car below will be my "keeper" as it will get everything I have been purchasing to build a really fun example. This car had been sitting in a garage for the last 25 years and is relatively rust free. It will be stripped, put on a rotisserie and properly finished top and bottom in the original Alaska Blue Metallic with steel flairs, 911 suspension, 16" Fuchs, 911 2.7S engine, rebuilt transmission and fully restored. I got the car so cheaply, that with all the parts I have for it and painting the car, I'll still only have about 30K in it but it will be worth much more in today's market.
Bottom line is you can definitely find a good runner in the 15K range if you look hard enough, but you have to pull the rockers and examine the hell hole in person to be sure you get a solid example. The red car above looks great, and overall is a nice car, but the poor fix to the hell hole area would be expensive to have it fixed professionally, fortunately I have the tools to make it right. The other good thing with these cars is you can sell what you don't need. My car came with two suburban loads of spare parts and selling them off has made me several thousand dollars and the car is now free.
Tom1200 said:So I'm gravitating towards 914; as these seem to be the only 60s-70s Porsche that I can afford or justify buying. i could buy a used Cayman or Boxster but I confess I just like the 70s cars better.
It would seem engine displacement and non rusty are the two major factors but I see dealer sale that seem to be fueled by crack or shameless optimism.
So correct my if I'm wrong;
Anything under 10K is a rusty hulk, regardless of how good the wrapper looks.
10-20K for 1.7s
15-25K for 2.0s
914-6s are 911 money.
914-6s are definitely 911 money now or more in some cases.
Even tribute cars can get top dollar https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-porsche-914-6-53/ After watching this car sell, it gave me the blueprint for my car as it appears to be pretty safe money to invest in the right parts to build one up now.
But then there are honest cars that can sometimes sell at a more reasonable price like this one https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-porsche-914-45/
So you have two extremes here but yes you can generally find a decent 1.7 car in the teens if you look long enough.
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