zerodark13

ok. . . i have an american muscle car freak for a friend. he's trying to talk me into taking the VW 4 cyl. out of my '72 914 and putting in a nissan 240 instead of trying to find a 914-6 cyl. i think it would be a "bastardization", but he doesn't. do i put in the nissan 240 (about $500 for sale) or try to find the 914-6?

george 4man

you should just keep it porsche imho. you could convert up to 2.7 without using any special clutch package. with the nissan youll have to find and figure all that adapter plate/ special clutch and wiring...
it seems like it would be more worth it to even do a porsche-chevy than a porsche-nissan.
this though is just MY opinion...

what are you guys looking to achieve?

zerodark13

sorry, i'm new to the automotive scene, so you'll have to keep the lingo kinda simple--since i know nothing of cars. please rephrase with words i (or a 3rd grader) could understand.

Mihai

Give us a better description of your car and what shape it is in (all aspects). As it seems you need an engine, brake rebuilds, what else?

Do you want to put lots of money in a car that will bend in two? We can give better help if we know what we're dealing with.

Mihai

PS: My message may sound rude, but since your knowledge about cars is limited I think your making too big steps from the begining without even knowing if it's worth it. It's easy for a project car to turn into a nightmare.

zerodark13

I didn't think it sounded rude, i appreciate the help! thank you. well, i had a friend come look at the brakes, and what i thought was wrong, really wasn't. Since the car hasn't been properly stored for the past who knows how many years (i got it from my aunt who has had it since '85, but only drove it for 6-7 years), the only problem with the car not moving was the MAJOR RUST on the rotors. we sanded that off, so it should roll just fine now. i didn't need to take the calipers off to begin with. there are a couple spots where the metal has rusted through, though. for example, there are small holes in the engine compartment, the front and rear storage compartments, and there is rust in the floorboards that i need to get off. The rest of the car is mechanically sound--except the hole in the exhaust due to. . . you guessed it: rust. I would like advice on fixing that, or if i should even bother. I haven't spent any money on it yet; it was a gift. please and thanx, zd13.

PS: you can just disregard the engine topic, i shouldn't even worry about that until i get the body work and all the rust done. i started the project in the wrong place. the engine is fine, i was just looking to upgrade it, which i can do later. thanx. <img src="graemlins/icon107.gif" border="0" alt="[icon107]" />

Mihai

Read this article:

<a href="http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/914_Darling_FAQ/914_Darling_FAQ.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/914_Darling_FAQ/914_Darling_FAQ.htm</a>

It's a good place to start to know things.

Very important check for rust alongside the bottom of the doors and under the battery especially where that big suspension arm connects to the body. If it's all solid, go ahead and get the car driving <img src="graemlins/bigok.gif" border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" />
You have to find a way of mooving that car in order to get some fun.

Mihai

Charles Navarro

<strong>ok. . . i have an american muscle car freak for a friend. he's trying to talk me into taking the VW 4 cyl. out of my '72 914 and putting in a nissan 240 instead of trying to find a 914-6 cyl. i think it would be a "bastardization", but he doesn't. do i put in the nissan 240 (about $500 for sale) or try to find the 914-6?</strong>

You have another option. A big type 4 motor. Go to <a href="http://www.aircooledtechnology.com" target="_blank">www.aircooledtechnology.com</a> and see what kinda massive t4's Jake Raby has cooked up. He's really knowledgeable and does abosolutely the best work possible. Sorry about plugging our stuff (I hate doing this), but you can build a big, reliable type 4 with our Nickies and save the rest of the money and frustration that you would be spending on the 914-6 conversion and spend it on your car somewhere else If you want to talk specifics with some type 4 folk, I recommend dropping by <a href="http://www.shoptalkforums.com." target="_blank">www.shoptalkforums.com.</a>

On a side note, what is the weight on a Nissan 240 engine? I know that putting in a V8 throws off the weight distribution (as well as adding lots of weight), although you are in better shape than us VW folk since the motor is already mid-engined.

Take care,

Charles Navarro
LN Engineering
<a href="http://www.LNengineering.com" target="_blank">http://www.LNengineering.com</a>
Aircooled Precision Performance