ANYONE DONE THIS AROUND HERE ?.........Bruce
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Yes
914 Limited in Peoria, Illinois.
Brad Mayeur is the owner.
I know they have done this in the past.
I think a Suby engine in a 914 would be a very good choice. Power, torque, Factory ECU possibly turbo if you want to go crazy power. Flat low center of gravity like the 80 HP type 4 most of them have but more than double or triple the power depending. AC and heat all pluses. I vote yes, every time!
I built a 914 in the early 2000's that had NOS steel factory flares and a tricked-out turbo charged Chevy Corvair flat 6-cylinder engine. The car ran very well with the 250 or so HP it was making.
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More is more.
A friend of mine owns one and is talking about getting rid of it. SOoooo......I got to thinking how a 6cyl Suby engine and trans would be in this car. I could probably get it for $10 to 15 K. Hmnn......future project ?.............Bruce
914's handle great! Even a 4 cyl Subaru engine mated to the 914's (901) 5 speed would be a fun car!
my buddy put a built Corvair motor in his 914 a couple years ago , '
if anyone cares I have a Corvair to VW gearbox adapter plate for sale 
Stock 4 cylinder 914 was 100 hp and 120 lb-ft torque.
NA Suby EJ25 is 180-ish HP all day, every day. 150-ish torque at 3000.
Type 4 engine is ~285 lbs dressed.
Suby 4 is about ~270 lbs.
Suby 6 cylinder is ~400
Corvair engine weight is 360 lbs.
Chebby small block is 580 lbs
A turbo Suby 4 is going to weigh in the low 300s and make 300+ hp and 290 torque before you start messing with it. And the engine is smaller and lighter than the stock 914 mill.
It's astonishing, really, that anyone would go with anything else.
As cool as a Corvair 914 would be, especially a blown one, seems like a lot of work to put in what I assume is a dwindling resource. Or am I mistaken? Are Corvair engine bits still relatively easy to source? It’s been years since I looked at Clark’s.
Personally, I think 2.8 Type IV like Danny’s makes more sense. Or a whole hog Renegade LS.
Over the years - I can't say I've ever seen but a few Corvairs that the rear wasn't cover with a black oily coating! Guess it would solve the rust issues that 914 seem to have! Plus you still have issue of cabin heat and air conditioning
@edsnova posted:Stock 4 cylinder 914 was 100 hp and 120 lb-ft torque.
NA Suby EJ25 is 180-ish HP all day, every day. 150-ish torque at 3000.
Type 4 engine is ~285 lbs dressed.
Suby 4 is about ~270 lbs.
Suby 6 cylinder is ~400
Corvair engine weight is 360 lbs.
Chebby small block is 580 lbs
A turbo Suby 4 is going to weigh in the low 300s and make 300+ hp and 290 torque before you start messing with it. And the engine is smaller and lighter than the stock 914 mill.
It's astonishing, really, that anyone would go with anything else.
According to GM, an LS crate motor is 409. Plus whatever a radiator, fans, 20’ of 1.5” hose, and 5-10 gallons of water. (No idea what the coolant capacity of those is)
Oh, and it comes with a warranty.
@dlearl476 posted:According to Ford, an LS crate motor is 409.
A Ford LS? Gotta see one of those...
... I'm also curious about the 285 lb T4. Is that "dressed" with a stock (and heavy) snorkel fan and alternator setup? Stock mechanical injection? I can see no possible way that a T4 with a DTM and carbs weighs 285 lbs.
The Subaru 4 needs piping and a radiator, along with a couple of gallons of coolant (at 8-ish pounds/gallon). I know they're a neat bit of kit and I've got no objections to them - but 180 hp in stock trim seems like an OCCF (Orange County Correction Factor) was involved.
I'm sure an iron block/iron head SBC weighs over 550 lbs, but an LS with Aluminum heads and a better cast block does not, and doesn't come near it. The fact that it makes 2-3x the power of the EJ25 cannot be overlooked either. There's a reason people do LS/LT conversions on 914s and Boxsters/Caymans.
That's interesting. Not the cut-outs and the wings, but the roofline.
The 6.2 L N/A Camaro SS LT1 is the unsung value of our lifetime, no matter how old you are. There has never, nor will be ever a better deal in an automobile. Crazy power. Unbelievable chassis. All the good track-ready go-fast stuff. Dirt cheap.
@Stan Galat posted:There's a reason people do LS/LT conversions on 914s and Boxsters/Caymans.
Looking for a weight for the LS motor just now I see that Renegade also does a 6 speed Boxster trans in their LS conversion. It also says the LS is lower and there’s more room in the engine bay, too, which I’m having trouble visualizing.
@Stan Galat posted:That's interesting. Not the cut-outs and the wings, but the roofline.
The 6.2 L N/A Camaro SS LT1 is the unsung value of our lifetime, no matter how old you are. There has never, nor will be ever a better deal in an automobile. Crazy power. Unbelievable chassis. All the good track-ready go-fast stuff. Dirt cheap.
Street version of the new GT-3 race car, built by Multimatic in the old Ford GT plant. SC 5.7 V8/8 speed DCT. At $300K, it certainly can’t compete with a bitchin’ Camaro.
@dlearl476 posted:As cool as a Corvair 914 would be, especially a blown one, seems like a lot of work to put in what I assume is a dwindling resource. Or am I mistaken?
@dlearl476, I think you are right. Now-a-days there are better choices than a Corvair to repower a 914. Like, aren't Porsche air-cooled sixes more readily available and more easily convertible? And isn't that a more desirable end result than a Corvair?
BUT, back-in-the-day, 62 years ago (I was 13), dad took a retired VW 19-window microbus ambulance and converted it into a family camper van; including replacement of the used-up power whimper with a Corvair.
I was too young to know anything about the technicalities of how he did it. or have any interest in the project at all. But I do remember dad hanging around with some Cal Club buddies telling this funny story about the other day he was on the freeway and some guy in his Porsche came flying past him. To the hilarity of his listeners, dad told how he pulled over into the Porsche's lane and sped up in the microbus until right on the Porsche's bumper. Naturally the guy in the Porsche saw this microbus in the rearview, like WTF, and floored it to get away, which didn't really work, so he pulled over to let the microbus (of all things) pass him. How humiliating.
Back in those days, replacing a clapped-out 25hp VW engine in a microbus with a 'fresh' junkyard 80hp Corvair made sense, especially for a mountain-pass climbing camper van. But there is not much net gain replacing the stock Type 4 in a 914 with a stock Corvair. Even the later 150hp/180hp turbo versions of the Corvair don't really get you there -- you can pump up the Type 4 and do better. I don't see the Corvair as a good option.
Camaro SS with gull wings anyone?
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@RS-60 mark posted:@dlearl476, I think you are right. Now-a-days there are better choices than a Corvair to repower a 914. Like, aren't Porsche air-cooled sixes more readily available and more easily convertible? And isn't that a more desirable end result than a Corvair?
BUT, back-in-the-day, 62 years ago (I was 13), dad took a retired VW 19-window microbus ambulance and converted it into a family camper van; including replacement of the used-up power whimper with a Corvair.
I was too young to know anything about the technicalities of how he did it. or have any interest in the project at all. But I do remember dad hanging around with some Cal Club buddies telling this funny story about the other day he was on the freeway and some guy in his Porsche came flying past him. To the hilarity of his listeners, dad told how he pulled over into the Porsche's lane and sped up in the microbus until right on the Porsche's bumper. Naturally the guy in the Porsche saw this microbus in the rearview, like WTF, and floored it to get away, which didn't really work, so he pulled over to let the microbus (of all things) pass him. How humiliating.
Back in those days, replacing a clapped-out 25hp VW engine in a microbus with a 'fresh' junkyard 80hp Corvair made sense, especially for a mountain-pass climbing camper van. But there is not much net gain replacing the stock Type 4 in a 914 with a stock Corvair. Even the later 150hp/180hp turbo versions of the Corvair don't really get you there -- you can pump up the Type 4 and do better. I don't see the Corvair as a good option.
My brother had a Corvair powered bug. Kennedy has been making the adaptor plates since the 60’s. No he has a mid-engined Corvette V8 powered Corvair, go figure.
Hey, remember that wickedly customized Meyer’s Manx Dune Buggy that Steve McQueen drove in the beach scenes of the Thomas Crowne Affair? I was out there at the “Cape Cod Dunes National Seashore” when they were filming that. You needed a Mass Beach Buggy Assoc. Dunes Beach sticker to get out there and then they restricted “spectators” to six vehicles in a designated spot 1/2 mile away. Still, we got to go over to the shoot area later in the day to check out the buggy and we actually met Steve and Faye Dunnaway but we were more interested in the buggy (not really).
Steve’s buggy started as a 180hp Turbo Corvair powered, customized Manx buggy. He wanted to go with the turbo 180hp version of the Corvair but the turbo lag was ferocious and way too much for him, so the place that built it had a non-turbo race version of the engine built that they said was 230hp. McQueen told us that was the spec, but he said that “It feels more like 200hp, to me!” With a wink.
The production crew had assembled a camera to the nose of the car, making it hard to see what was ahead. He told us he was looking for a good dune set-up near the beach where he could do a launch off the dune crest and “give Faye some excitement”, so one of the guys told him where a good dune sequence was, but it was in Ipswich, MA, close to the New Hampshire state line, so Steve had him talk with one of the set managers to see if they could shoot there later that week. I think his launch got used in the film and she looked honestly terrified.
I remember seeing something about the buggy being in a Bonham’s auction back during the Covid thing, so I guess it’s still around.
@LI-Rick posted:Those are not gull wing doors, those are scissor doors.
I thought they might be "butterfly" doors but they aren't. There is definitely a difference between butterfly and scissor doors. The butterfly doors differ slightly to the scissor doors in the fact that they have their hinges alongside the A-pillar, while scissor doors have them at the bottom of the A-pillar. The butterfly doors also open straight up, although making a shorter movement, and they also open out afterwards to give more space to the passenger.
Scissor Door:
Butterfly Door:
Gull-wing doors:
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Modern LS and LT engines are too much for a 914. Unless you want to cage it and go racing. But even then.
Screen door
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Duh. Yeah, scissors door is what I meant to say. 
I’ve not heard of these variations of scissors/butterfly doors, probably because Toyota does not include them on their $30k cars.
Then there are front hinged, pocket, sliding, suicide, canopy, tailgate, and the ever popular conventional door. What else?
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How about a pocket door.
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@Carlos G posted:How about a pocket door.
No thank you.
Anyone look at the Brazilian Subaru/VW install kit? It includes a nice shortened cast oil pan. Price seems reasonable at $799. Includes bolts not shown.
Subaru Engine Adapter VW Type 1 Bug and 002 Transmission + crankcase + flywheel | eBay
Condor ....
@edsnova posted:Stock 4 cylinder 914 was 100 hp and 120 lb-ft torque.
NA Suby EJ25 is 180-ish HP all day, every day. 150-ish torque at 3000.
Type 4 engine is ~285 lbs dressed.
Suby 4 is about ~270 lbs.
Suby 6 cylinder is ~400
Corvair engine weight is 360 lbs.
Chebby small block is 580 lbs
A turbo Suby 4 is going to weigh in the low 300s and make 300+ hp and 290 torque before you start messing with it. And the engine is smaller and lighter than the stock 914 mill.
It's astonishing, really, that anyone would go with anything else.
I would think that if you want raw turbo a subie is what you want for a NA then a 6 might be what you want also a H6 subie 3.0 is 348lbs FYI, but the plumbing is there as well. It is more costly to build.
I would think that enough people have done small v8 and know that conversion well.
Other than that, a nice Raby type IV is simpler to do IMO with a solid hp output.