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Ed Villela’s |
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The Finished Project.
This is my first attempt at a web page. I will add more pictures and update this page soon. My 914 is a 1973 1.7L. It has had a hard terribly neglected life. I am the 5th owner of this car. The first 4 owners tried to kill it. I have owned this 914 since 1988. It was originally Bahia Red with chrome bumpers and Porsche script on the lower door edges. The first restoration repaired all surface rust and wore Gaurds Red paint. The 914 looked good and was fun to drive although the brakes and suspension were well worn. I broke the left longitudinal during an Autocross in 1993 and the 914 sat in (and out of) the garage until December 1998. That’s when the good part began!
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See my CIS Conversion page Here |
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Technical 1973 body with genuine Porsche GT steel flares installed. The jack post and the section that turns upward to the suspension console were gone on the right side. The longitudinals were rebuilt with hand made panels; these panels are not available. The insides of the longitudinals were cleaned and painted with POR-15 for future rut protection. Brad Mayuers stiffening kit was installed on both sides. This kit is for any 914. I cannot stress enough how much this kit reinforced my 914. I also installed a GT stiffening kit from Rich Johnson and boxed the trailing arms as well. Pictures are at www.wgss.com/914/ev/. The body was once again stripped to bare metal and all rust was cut out and replaced with new metal. I welded up the cowl seams on the front fenders as well. The body was smoothed, primed, blocked and finally shot with 6 coats of Azure Blue Deltron Urethane. All of the chrome was blacked out and the bumpers were painted body color. I performed all of the body and paintwork. I have 19 years of autobody experience. Feel free to ask for advice. Evill914@cs.com
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The front suspension was replaced with a 914-6 type with oversized BMW (not 320I) calipers from Rich Johnson. A914guy@aol.com New Bilsteins struts, 21mm Weltmeister sway bar, bump steer kit and urethane bushings were added as well. The rear set up is 140 LB springs, boxed trailing arms, Bilsteins struts, rebuilt 914-4 calipers, 914-6 rotors and 5 stud hubs from Rich Johnson. Wheels are 7 & 8 by 15-in Fuchs with 225/50/15 Yokohamma AVS at all 4 corners. The front wheels use 21mm spacers and the rears use 7mm spacers. This helps fill the GT flares nicely. All bearings, bushings, nut, bolts yada yada yada have been either replaced or rebuilt. |
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Well, we still have the 1.7L in there, but it moves this 914 pretty well. The engine is fresh with 8.5:1 compression, Total Seal Rings, cleaned and smoothed ports, fresh valve job, an aggressive grind Norris Cam, 40mm Webers, Bosch 050 and Blue coil. All internal parts have been balanced and carefully assembled. SS exchangers and a Bursch header, with an O2 sensor for tuning, make up the exhaust system. This engine easily runs to 6200 rpm without losing power. It runs smooth and quick for a small 4. A big 4 or hopefully a six conversion will be next. The 901 gearbox was rebuilt at the same time.
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Other Misc.
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The interior has 4 point harness and harness bar, a MOMO steering wheel, battery cut off switch and a custom console I made with full VDO gauges. New carpeting and a dash cap from The 914 Network, A914man@netease.net, make the 26 year old interior look good. I fabricated a hydraulic strut set up for the rear trunk; they replace the torsion springs. |
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Rich Johnson – A914guy@aol.com – Brakes, suspension, 914-6 conversion parts. Rich is friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend him. The 914 Network – A914man@netease.net – Any factory Porsche part at very reasonable prices. 914 service and restoration, 914-6 conversions, new and used parts. Perry is friendly and knowledgeable. Phone 901-847-9146. I highly recommend him. Brad Mayuer – Used 914 parts, transmission rebuilding, and chassis stiffening kits. Brad is a 914 mechanic since day 1, he is extremely knowledgeable and friendly, fair prices and very good quality used parts. 309 694-1797. I highly recommend him. I have no affiliation with the above people/business’; I am a satisfied customer. Theses people treated me right. |
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Special thanks to my wife Kali for putting up with me always being out in the garage and to my son Dylan who helped and kept me company. Special thanks to my long time friend Chris Cozzi who spent long nights in the garage helping me build this 914. Chris donated Blood, Sweat and Time to this project. Thank You to John Dunkle, Mike "Southern Knight" Cooley, Nick Cole, Perry Kiehl, Mike Braddock, and all the others who offered advice and moral support when the 914 and I really needed it! Thank You All. Here is a picture of my 914 with John Dunkle’s
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