Throttle Body Rebuild Service, Who has experience/recommendations? Options

[Tdskip]

I cannot help but feel this comment was directed at me. I don't criticize others work and it would be unfair fore someone that does not know me, my business or has seen my work to criticize my efforts.

914 is a hobby for me and not a business. I do have a full service machine shop including lathes, manual milling machines CNC milling machines etc. Id make parts and repairs on many aspects for the 914. I had a really bad throttle body so I naturally repaired it. I went to the effort of making fixtures to do this in a precise and repeatable manner. I rebuilt several for friends and I decided to make this available to others here. I have rebuilt quite a few without complaints.

I do a basic cleaning and I precisely bore out the TB throttle shaft. I install bronze bushings and ream them for smooth operation. I replace any seals. The actuator arm and the spring are cleaned. I do not plate them simply because of the volume of these that I do. I do replace the nut and washer so in the end, it is a nice looking part. Occasionally I have needed to bore out the large diameter as it can happen that a groove gets worn into the surface. I also can make the throttle plate. As a machinist, this is easy for me to do. I should note here that the plate is not a round disk. It is a special operation needed to properly create one.
I plan on offering the service with plated parts and larger openings for those wanting a larger bore.

Try to shake it off as I am sure that, in addition to myself, there are many here who are SUPER appreciative that you even do this for the community. Thank you.

[Bartlett 914]

I cannot help but feel this comment was directed at me. I don't criticize others work and it would be unfair fore someone that does not know me, my business or has seen my work to criticize my efforts.

914 is a hobby for me and not a business. I do have a full service machine shop including lathes, manual milling machines CNC milling machines etc. Id make parts and repairs on many aspects for the 914. I had a really bad throttle body so I naturally repaired it. I went to the effort of making fixtures to do this in a precise and repeatable manner. I rebuilt several for friends and I decided to make this available to others here. I have rebuilt quite a few without complaints.

I do a basic cleaning and I precisely bore out the TB throttle shaft. I install bronze bushings and ream them for smooth operation. I replace any seals. The actuator arm and the spring are cleaned. I do not plate them simply because of the volume of these that I do. I do replace the nut and washer so in the end, it is a nice looking part. Occasionally I have needed to bore out the large diameter as it can happen that a groove gets worn into the surface. I also can make the throttle plate. As a machinist, this is easy for me to do. I should note here that the plate is not a round disk. It is a special operation needed to properly create one.
I plan on offering the service with plated parts and larger openings for those wanting a larger bore.

Try to shake it off as I am sure that, in addition to myself, there are many here who are SUPER appreciative that you even do this for the community. Thank you.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[gms]

Mark ( @Bartlett 914 ) is a talented machinist who has helped me out many times!
He has made many parts from scratch for my projects...and he is a great friend!

[914werke]

Mark there is clearly a need for such a service but as specialized as it is, you can assume it'll never be high volume.
Ill say that from my perspective Ive seen a number of cars with difficult tuning issues that can benefit from this service.
I was one of Phils customers & transacted a few TB's for customers. In every case the tuning issue we chased was solved or its application pinpointed another failure to help correct that cars problem.
I initially had a heartburn with the cost of his service but after seeing the end product & result, not so much.
There is always a lot of debate about the OE FI being old an problematic, but if you step back & look at the issues you notice that electronics typically operate or fail, but its the mechanical parts that *wear* & only gradually degrade to failure which is easy to overlook when you are seeking an expedient solution to tuning problems.

I think this service would be highly valued depending on price point & If you are accepting jobs I have a couple I can send your way.

[Aerostatwv]

Hey Mark,

I setup a plating line and my only thought to pass on is keep the muratic acid stuff outside or in a well ventilated area. I minimized the open container for plating and it rusted anything that was bare metal in my shop.

It's pretty rewarding when you see the finished product, but it does take some tinkering to get it right.

Chris

[Van B]

Mark there is clearly a need for such a service but as specialized as it is, you can assume it'll never be high volume.
Ill say that from my perspective Ive seen a number of cars with difficult tuning issues that can benefit from this service.
I was one of Phils customers & transacted a few TB's for customers. In every case the tuning issue we chased was solved or its application pinpointed another failure to help correct that cars problem.
I initially had a heartburn with the cost of his service but after seeing the end product & result, not so much.
There is always a lot of debate about the OE FI being old an problematic, but if you step back & look at the issues you notice that electronics typically operate or fail, but its the mechanical parts that *wear* & only gradually degrade to failure which is easy to overlook when you are seeking an expedient solution to tuning problems.

I think your this service would be highly valued depending on price point & If you are accepting jobs I have a couple I can send your way.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) Perfectly stated!

Once I got my 1.8 running close to spec, it became very clear that some of my remaining issued are traced to the TB.

[Tdskip]

Holy cow, how did it get to be August already. Sent PM on getting this over, and just as before I am super appreciative that we have a community member willing to take on this work.

[Highland]

This is the latest thread I can find on throttle body rebuild.

Is there anyone out there still offering this service?

I have a '73 2.0 D-Jet TB I'd like rebuilt.

[TJB/914]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Here is a contact I used back in May 2022 to rebuild my TB.
Excellent workmanship, price & turnaround service.
I don't know if Mark Kinnaman is stiill on 914-world? "Bartlett 914"
Mark has a shop in the Chicago area, but I don't have a phone #.
His shop name
Electronic Gravure Service Inc.
632 Scheider Drive
South Elgin, IL 60177
* Try to look up the # & hopefully he is still active.

[Highland]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
Here is a contact I used back in May 2022 to rebuild my TB.
Excellent workmanship, price & turnaround service.
I don't know if Mark Kinnaman is stiill on 914-world? "Bartlett 914"
Mark has a shop in the Chicago area, but I don't have a phone #.
His shop name
Electronic Gravure Service Inc.
632 Scheider Drive
South Elgin, IL 60177
* Try to look up the # & hopefully he is still active.

Thanks for the information. Alternatively I'm currently using a '74 rebuilt throttle body. Are there any procedures to adding a vacuum advance port (above the throttle plate) to the '74 version?

[76-914]

Mark (Bartlett) was on the board here 4 days ago. PM him.

[StarBear]

Mark (Bartlett) was on the board here 4 days ago. PM him.

Yep; he did mine this past winter.