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]

Geoff great pictures, I guess you decided 1.5 notches on the side to side clearance of the diff was a good backlash adj? If that is good it seems easy enough. It will be easy enough to turn in the driver side on the stock setup before I take it apart to see what it is before I take it apart. that way it will bo back the same. The only prob I will see that might change things is I want to put all 05 legacy stuff along with the obx inside a 96 or 02 wrx tranny that I have. The front to rear position of the pinion might be different. In order to use the 05 legacy gears I will also have to use the 05 shafts. The 05 legacy tranny I have has a busted case. I didn't get how you measured side to side bearing load on the diif though.

[strawman]

... I didn't get how you measured side to side bearing load on the diif though.

Hi Charlie,

I simply followed the Suby manual instructions to set the side-side bearing load. PM me with your email, and I'll send a copy to you.

Geoff