Suby-engined rustoration, 21-Sep-2024 update: more racing-related carnage! Options

[strawman]

Hi All --

This is my second post, but I've been lurking on this fine website for a while now. I've wanted a 914 since I was in high school, but always seemed to stumble upon other projects... until recently.

My neighbor gave me this 1973 Porsche 914 about a month ago. He told me he blew a head gasket and parked it in his parents' driveway in 1992. When his parents finally told him to move it or they were calling a local junkyard, he offered it to me since he knows I'm a gearhead. In for a penny, in for a pound...

I hauled it home, knowing that it has some rust issues in the battery area and rear trunk. But it appears to have never been in a wreck and it is complete. It turns out that an exhaust stud pulled, so he coulda fixed it for a couple hundred and probably kept another 914 from languishing but I guess all things happen for a reason (namely, so I would undertake this project!).

I sold the engine to a local Craigslister for use in his Meyers Manx dune buggy, and bought a wrecked but running 1993 Subaru Legacy turbo wagon. This is the closed-deck 2.2 liter engine, and 250 hp is easy with boost control and an open exhaust. I've already done a Subaru into a VW Vanagon and my daily driver is a 1992 Suby Legacy, so this won't be too much of a stretch for me. I plan to use the Suby 5-speed transmission (out of a 1998 Suby Forester) with the Aussie-sourced RWD elimination coupler and custom-mated 914/Suby axles.

I've got a suburban home with a crowded two-car garage (my 125 shifter kart and my daughter's FJA kart will likely get lonely!), a MIG welder, and a wide assortment of air/power/hand tools -- so the adventure begins! This project will likely take a year to finish, so please be patient.

I've attached some pics of the car as found in the driveway, some rust areas and the rear trunk repairs I've started. I'll chronicle the build as I go, so feel free to chime in!

Geoff

[charliew]

I like the engine cradle it's similiar to Tony's. Looks good.

Are you going to expect the pinion depth to remain the same after you replace the bearings on the pinion shaft? Did you happen to check the backlash on the original setup? Just curious as I am going to put 05 legacy internals in a 02 wrx case with the obx and I saw where suby has a flat plate tool to set pinion depth. It looks like one could be made using a known good setup and using it on later rebuilds. It uses two pins that register in the case bolts and butts against the end of the pinion it seems from pictures I've seen. Since you are not changing the ring and pinion you might be ok just setting the backlash as that seems to be your game plan. Thats seems to be what the guys on nasioc are doing. I guess thats the early tranny from the 93 instead of the 99 tranny you mentioned at the first? It looks like the tt one I have. Is it a 4:11 or 4:44 fd? I read somewhere that the pre 99 tranny were different but the 96 I have looks a lot like the 02 wrx and the 05 legacy other than the clutch arm and the axle stubs missing on the 05 and the removable plate on top of the center case of the early tranny.

While you are in there look how much room there is with the center diff out. I'm thinking the cables for the shifter could be internal and that would clean up the rear of the car under the bottom.

[strawman]

Are you going to expect the pinion depth to remain the same after you replace the bearings on the pinion shaft?

Hi Charlie --

I neglected to state in my previous posting that I am not replacing the bearings on the pinion shaft -- only those of the mainshaft and differential bearings.

Finished up the trans reassembly this weekend, and began mocking up the cable shifter setup. I'll try to post pics later today or tomorrow.

Geoff