'74 2.0L Rebuild, Looking for advice Options

[mangrum]

Just about to drop the motor and trans on a '74 2.0L to rebuild the motor, and will be posting questions along the way. Thanks in advance for all who reply.

First things first. What advice do you have for cleaning the outside of the motor and trans? Any chemicals I should use or avoid? What prep work do I need to do first (eg, to protect sensitive parts)?

Thanks.

[tat2dphreak]

I like cleaning chemicals!!

I use a combo of ENGINE BRIGHT and B-12 Chemtool! if you are going to rebuild everything, these won't hurt anything.. I would pull the distibutor before you start spraying everything.

[Rusty]

Brake Cleaner... buy it from your FLAPS by the case. Don't be stingy - just spray the hell out of stuff.

-Rusty (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smoke.gif)

[Bleyseng]

Get a case of Berrymans Brake Cleaner as it washes away the grime with some force. Makes a mess on the garage floor but it evaporate quickly.

Geoff

[mangrum]

tat2dphreak,

Can you please clarify your response? What if I wasn't "going to rebuild everything?" What else should I remove besides the distributor (should I plug the hole before I spay)? Should I remove all wires, hoses, etc?

Thanks.

[tat2dphreak]

if I remember there are some rubber rings on the dizzy... b-12 will eat those. that's all I was saying... don't ask me how I know about B-12 and rubber...

as long as the B-12(or BRIGHT) doesn't hit rubber parts, you are fine...

[Brad Roberts]

You can spray it all. The brake cleaner wont hurt anything (unless the tin has been painted with Krylon).. then it will peel the paint off.

Welcome to the BBS Mike. Its good to see some more Michigan people.

The 914club is here almost 24/7 for you.


B

[redshift]

Welcome to the BBS Mike. Its good to see some more Michigan people.

The 914club is here almost 24/7 for you.


B

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

Did you start taking prozac today



M

[JeffBowlsby]

Re: rebuilds

I have wondered why pistons and cylinders are routinely replaced, they are a major expense and really dont see much wear (or do they?). On the premise that you dont want to increase displacement and that the original pistons are within dimensional 'spec', why replace them? Jake R even recommends boring out original cylinders in lieu of buying new cylinders because it is a better solution.

Do they fatigue and break under normal service conditions? I have yet to see a holed piston or cracked cyl on this site since it started.

If they fatigue...is there someway to check for defects like magnafluxing?

[mangrum]

The piston question is one that I'll eventually need resolved, but I'm far from that point at the moment. (Just got the engine out.) But it does bring up the question 'what should I do while I'm at it?'

It will not be a show car but I would like to improve performance and looks without braking the bank in the process. What can I add, replace or modify to increase performance? Again, without braking the bank.

I plan on painting the tin and replacing hoses and wires where needed.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

[tat2dphreak]

It will not be a show car but I would like to improve performance and looks without braking the bank in the process. What can I add, replace or modify to increase performance? Again, without braking the bank.

you can slap in some 96mm pistons to make it a 2056 with not much trouble.. you can also put a Crane or MSD ignition in... a good ignition is always a good idea to help HP... it's one of the easiest and cheapest hp bolt-ons...

[Dave_Darling]

More compression is good for power. Up to a point... 8.5:1 should be fine, even on the 91-octane crap they give us in CA. If you're out east where you can get 93 or 94, you can probably even go up to 9:1 without any real problems!! You'll have to mess with plug gaps and possibly timing, but hey.

You can go larger on the displacement. Get the stock (1.8 or 2.0 only!) barrels honed out to 96mm, get some 96mm pistons and go. That's the 2056cc referred to above. May take some tinkering with the FI to get it "happy".

If you're switching to carbs or an aftermarket EFI, you can go more aggressive on the cam. If you go big enough there, you can reduce your fuel octane requirements due to high compression, or you can raise the compression even more than above.

Porting and flowing the heads is always nice, provided it's done well.

...And there's a lot more than "can" be done!!

--DD

[Charles Deutsch]

What was the octane level of gas in the mid seventies? Was the 914's low c/r just for emissions purposes?

[mangrum]

Spent Saturday tearing down the motor. Got the heads and pistons off. #3 exhaust valve seat dropped and cut a groove in the piston top.

Spent Sunday scaping off gunk from tranny & heads.

Sprayed Engine Bright onto heads. It removed heavy stuff but they still look dirty. I've heard Easy Off oven cleaner works well. Anyone tried this?

Thanks.

[sj914]

Well, since the valve seat dropped, your probably gonna take it to get repaired and reconditioned, The shop usually bead blasts the heads clean so they can see their work.

[mangrum]

That takes care of cleaning the heads. What about the trans? Had the same results with Engine Bright. I scraped, wiped, sprayed with EB, rinsed, scraped, wiped. Still looks dirty in places. The question still remains: should I use Easy Off oven cleaner? Anyone tried this?

Thanks.

[Brad Roberts]

I have not tried Easy off oven cleaner.. from what I gather.. you need HEAT to make it work correctly (duh.. its a oven cleaner.. I know)

Stick with the brake cleaner.. and plan on spending 50-60$ on 2 cases of it.

The biggest headache of owning a 914 is getting it clean after 30+ years of road grime.. once you get it clean.. take care of it.


I use wire brushes sometimes to break up the big chunks while I spray with brake cleaner.


B

[mangrum]

So far it looks like brake cleaner, wire brushes and elbow grease. I was hoping for an easier solution.

I've heard that the heat issue with easy off can be solved by putting it outside in the sun. This could be hard to do with the gray days of winter here in Michigan approaching.

My worry with easy off is that there would be some undesirable chemical reaction. Ovens have porcelain interiors whereas the trans is aluminum alloy. Correct?

For the cooling tin I was thinking of removing all rubber and taking to the local machine shop to have it baked. Is there a better, more cost effective way? I have access to a sand blaster. Should I have the tin baked first?

Speaking of heads... What can I have done to the heads to increase power and improve longevity? I don't want to drop another valve seat. Keep in mind I will NOT be converting to carbs.

Thanks.

[Brad Roberts]

I'm betting the easy off would eat into the tranny case or at least discolor it.

Go ahead and take all your tin to the machine shop and have them put in their steam bath to get it all clean (I use brake cleaner and some old rags) DONT sand blast it unless you plan on havingit all powder coated again. Painting them SUCKS. The paint will come off with time... Normally the factory tin is in pretty good shape underneath the grime. Unless I'm planning on showing the car.. I just clean the tin up.

The heads: Most of the local machine shops are using vanagon valve springs which have a higher spring tension (and they are cheap)... you can have the exhaust ports polished to help some flow.. I have contemplated running larger exhaust valves .. but havent done it.. because of my local race rules.


B

[Boldylocks]

Again, its like sitting in a class and I still need to take the pre-requisite courses!!! But I'm taking notes.

Since we are in this guys engine, can I ask a question?

What would cause an intake valve to bend/brake??? Just wondering in order to start some sort of preventive thinking right now. My last 914 1.7 had an intake valve (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) pop/break/bend, and I would like to work to avoid this type of thing in the future.

I'll be taking apart that engine in order to learn as much as possible, but until then, are their preventive measures? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)