1974 914 1.8, the mystery of the EC-A and EC-B Options

[wonkipop]

i'll be dropping the information we have gathered over Dec 2021 in with a set of posts.

the material was prompted by mr b ( @JeffBowlsby ) who observed that for the 74 MY there was an EC-A and an EC-B engine. mr b's thought was that the EC-A was a 49 states car and and EC-B was a californian car for emissions.

mr b's view was rational and reasoned. 73 EA engines are 49 states. 73 EB engines are california. 75 engines are documented in factory literature as EC-a (49 states) and EC-b (california). the logic should follow?

BUT

as per the mystery of the 914, the truth about 74 1.8s turns out stranger than fiction (or common sense?).

the material is not necessary to running a 1.8 or having fun with a 14. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

its for historical purposes and as information to 74 1.8 owners to assist with restoration if they want it.

[Van B]

@wonkipop
I remember you saying that about the sway bars before. But mine did not have them... still doesn't.

Personally, I kinda like it. Since this car isn't fast, that roll into the corners makes the drives more fun lol!

[wonkipop]

@wonkipop
I remember you saying that about the sway bars before. But mine did not have them... still doesn't.

Personally, I kinda like it. Since this car isn't fast, that roll into the corners makes the drives more fun lol!

my recollection is from the late 80s when i bought mine.
at the time i was trying to chase a 2.0 (as was everyone).
the late 80s was a time there was actually a bit of surge of interest in 914s.
turned out to be a false dawn.
but prices were rising.
and i found i did not have enough $ to manage to get a good one.

we are talking these kinds of dollars.
i found one good six in chicago. tangerine. steelies+ hubcaps. $15K from memory but maybe it was more - $23K bit fuzzy on that as i only ever found one for sale.
73-74 2.0s in very good original condition. low miles. $9-10K and some even higher.
i had about $6K in my pocket, i had just finished grad school.
i stumbled into a little porsche workshop there somewhere near lincoln park where i lived. bunch of 356s, karmann ghias and 914s were in there.
and i talked to the main guy there and asked him if he knew where there might be some good 2.0s for sale to suit my budget.
he owned a 914 and knew plenty.

he was the one with the advice to look at a 74 1.8.
said don't listen tot he nay sayers, they are good cars.
and gave me the info that most of them were speced up standard to a high level.
with roll bars, a kind of apperance group package (with a bin console, not guages) etc.

sure enough when i started concentrating on 1.8s for sale, most of them were like that.
with the roll bars etc.

in the end i found a good one just north of chicago in wisconsin.
flat bedded it to his shop and he got it on the road for me.
it had been sitting for about 5 years.

so that is where i got the info on the spec set up for most 74 1.8s from.
story from a mechanic who knew the cars and dealt with a lot of them in chicago at that time.

the sway bars really helped it when it had its original shocks fitted.
they were boges and quite soft for comfort.
so the car would have rolled a lot more without the sway bars.
now i have bilsteins and its a lot firmer.

what shocks does your car run?