Facing a lot of choices...what would you do?, fianlly ready to reengage Options

[Type 47]

I had everything setup with a local guy that was well known...he wanted the car by May (yeah last May) completely apart; that came and he wasn't ready. So then it was get it media blasted by mid-June then he still wasn't ready...October came and went and he wasn't ready...he was fired I was stuck finding someone else.

I Found someone much better, expert on gen I Camaro's (I have a 69) but never did a 914. Anyway, he is going to do the car for a fixed price (car currently completely apart on a rotisserie) body work, straight, show quality paint job.

HERE IS THE ISSUE: I asked how much extra to do fender flares...response nothing, included.

2ND ISSUE: flares cost $1k, 5 lug conversion $850, tires wheels $3000...and do I put the 102 hp 2.0 back in it or the rebuilt LS1 I have sitting in the corner of the garage.

The LS conversion would cost $15k and I already have the LS1!

There is something to be said for just doing the 5 bolt conversion and putting a set of 5 bolt Fuchs on.

QUESTION...no flares, end up with 2.0 car with $18k invested...(invested, that's funny)...spent or $33k spent on the flared LS1?

Something tells me that I always wanted to be able to blow away 930's with my 914 but something else tells me I shouldn't blow away my bank account.

[mittelmotor]

I agree with Tony on some points. I think that a 500-plus-bhp V-8 paired with a 901 is asking for trouble (especially factoring in track use), but if you want a 300-bhp street driver with magical torque on demand, the LS1/901 is very viable. Your approach to doing the chassis first is spot on; that'll give you plenty of time to mull over the powertrain options.

I had a stock 914 2.0 about 12 years ago, and although I loved it dearly, ended up selling it--got tired of being out-dragged by soccer moms in minivans (truth be told, there's some pretty quick minivans out there, and your garden-variety V-6 Accord these days has 271 bhp). So it's nice to keep up with these vehicles without really trying, and dust them at will if the mood strikes.

I sold my C6 Vette to finance the 914 LS1, and it's the best decision I've ever made. Vette was too bulky & steering too numb for my tastes; handled quite nicely with 265/305 Potenza RE-11s and some decent negative camber (-2.5 degrees up front). But I really missed the agility and uniqueness of the 914, and now I have the best of both worlds. As a bonus, I now don't have to mess with the fussy dogleg 1-2 shift, as 2nd gear works beautifully as 1st gear with the V-8.

Another aspect of V-8 fun is the element of surprise, provided you stay with the narrow body...mine's muffled down, has a single exhaust tip in the stock location (and a hidden dump pipe behind the valance for a dual setup) and retains the "2.0" badging. My front air intake is really not all that noticeable, as it's tucked in between the bumper tits. Other benefits: no more 3000-mile valve adjustments, better access to just about every component of the engine, easy parts availability, and the reliability/driveability of modern fuel injection.

I don't need to outrun 930s, but I do like to amaze/berate an Audi TT or BMW M3 once in a while! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)