914 Widebody - k24 swap

In reply to AAZCD-Jon (Forum Supporter) :

I'll be in touch soon once I get a better idea of what it needs besides the drivetrain. Debating on the 5 or 6 speed but I'm sure we could chat more about that when the time comes.

In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :

That thing has to be a handful. It's kinda like the Icon Derelict series I imagine?

I traded some messages with a guy who's running a transverse k24 with a stock tsx transmission.  He sent me this gearing comparison between the tsx unit, Boxster 5 speed and Boxster 6 speed.  I'd have chosen the 5 speed Boxster unit if there were any bolt-in kits for it, but there are not.  I wasn't interested in tansverse mounting the engine.  Renegade claims the 5 speed "isn't near as strong" as the 6 speed, but they're running big torque v8's, not Hondas.

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Funny you mention that. I was looking at the gearing of my k swapped FRS to see which transaxle would net a similar gear range. It was an amazing pairing so anything similar to that would be gravy.

I think the Audi/Porsche 5 speed was closer but haven't really got to sit down and run numbers and confirm which direction I wanted to head. I originally was considering the Passat or Audi 1.8 but kinda didn't want to fudge with linkage vs a cable setup.

Edit:

Also interested in the transverse setup. Wondering how that packages while keeping a trunk lid.

only pic I have .  Dude's name is Tixoc Loza on facebook.

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Yeah I think I'll stick with a transaxle. Looks tight and probably creates more problems than solutions I imagine.

I think i saw i k swap adapter for audi a4. Should work on a boxster.

Have you considered a subaru flat 6? A ez30 or even ez36 can be found for less than 1k with decent millage. Will bold on a 200$ impreza transmission or any other subi trans and use stock clutch.

Would require a stand alone ecu with variable valve capability and throttle by wire unless something is adapted.. ez36 commonly do 240 whp when tuned properly and.. proper porsche flat 6 sound :)

In reply to physician :

I've looked into that a bit and besides the heavy weight penalty it ends up costing the same as a k swap or just a few hundred less. I could be doing my math wrong and it's not completely off the table. Subaru trans in this area are thin on the ground for $200 it seems and then having to deal with a linkage vs cables is why I prefer the Boxster idea. I'm also familiar with the k series platform which helps quite a bit.

In reply to physician :

If you're willing to give up a few HP, the EZ30d doesn't require a standalone, and with the integrated exhaust manifold it's a bit easier install.

In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :

I may look into that one a bit. My biggest worry with any of the flat 6 options is the amount of sealing surfaces when doing timing related activities. With the chain driven ones it's a lot of fiddly work and hope you end up without leaks.

Last night I got about 30-40 minutes to poke around. The frunk has been the most obvious area to inspect so I got the shop vac out and got to sucking. From the bottom I could see there were some welds about the middle of the pan but after clearing the inside I could see the path goes inward then over to the driver strut tower. This car has seen a collision on the driver side and it was patched with a newer model section. This explains the driver side having the added inner brace near the bumper area while the passenger is without it. I don't think the suspension is out of whack and after tweaking the hood a little it fits like it should. While it's not a gorgeous repair I think it's all gonna be fine. So up next I want to get the car in the air on cribbing blocks to measure that we are in fact square with no front control arm binding whatsoever.

It's hard to tell in this pic, but this is vacuumed. The coloration really hides the welds. Notice the arc brace near the bumper area on the driver side.

Here you can see the weld work it's way back.

From the inside with a little side lighting the weld can finally be seen. Maybe not.... It's really hard to capture what's been done, but I imagine once I hit it with a wire wheel all sins can be revealed.

Here you can see it by the strut tower going further back just below the seal flange.

This weld blow out is what I was seeing when unlocking the brakes.

A reminder of what the inner fender looks like. See the line that runs parallel with the strut? That's the patch line.

In reply to captainawesome :

2010 up outback/legacy are already cable shifts. But harder to find. It sure always depend on what is available in your area.

Im in quebec canada, in the last 4 weeks, there was 3 3.6 outback and legacy around 1000$ for complete cars, and some 800$ impreza for transmission. 

I want to build a 914 someday.. torn between the great flat6 sound and the 9krpm k20 can give..

The k24 have more potentials to go overs 240whp thats for sure. And if engine need a rebuild, it sure will be easier to rebuild or replace and

For the swap stuff, some 2010up transmissions are already cable shift, but according to nocones its not hard to do.

There is a guy in uk that build a subframe to bolt subaru engine and trans in 914.

And subagear make the spool to convert to mid engine, and the stub flange to run vw or bus halfshafts that other 914 and air cool vw use in their conversion. There discussions on 914world on that subject.

In reply to physician :

I'll have to keep digging further down that rabbit hole before officially deciding which direction I'll go. There's so many options and combos available it's kinda hard to navigate but I got plenty of time to figure it out I think.

After work I had one goal. Get the car up on cribbing blocks but also do a quick vacuum of the rear trunk area before doing so. I've already pulled the carpet and got the passenger side vacuumed but due to space constraints hadn't been able to get the driver side. With the wife's car out of the way I quickly got that done and then onward to the trunk. I used a nylon brush to agitate the dirt and grime before suctioning which helped quite a bit. I knew that the passenger corner by the tail light had a little spot but also found one by the driver side as well as near the latch area. I think they will be quicker patches but until I get to cutting them out it's hard to say.

With that out of the way I got to raising this junker in the air.

I slid under and took a gander at what I have to look forward to. Luckily most of the pan seems to be in great shape with some bumps and bruises but light on rust holes. I think there's going to be lower firewall to pan patching but that's about it.

There is this one spot near the master cylinder that looks a little buckled. Not sure if I should be alarmed or not but the few measurements I was checking seemed well within range. Notice the crease in the pan left of the brace? You can just barely see a similar crease to the right of it.

Also got a better look at the front trunk floor patchwork. I feel like I keep rambling about this but after seeing the amount cut out of this section to install an A/c system I'm less stressed on it. I know I'll need to cut a hole for the radiator tunnel to pass through as well.

Things are crusty but I think after some wire wheel and paint it will all be good to go.

Since the passenger trim that covers the longs and jacking point was not attached at the bottom I removed the top screws for further inspection. We have the first scary rust peeking out now. I haven't tried to poke it yet to see if it's thin and going to need a deep cut but it visually looks repairable. Also it looks easier to repair than a lot of the ones I've seen. Fingers crossed it just needs the exterior support of the square tubing replaced and the innerds are still solid.

Also noticed these 3 shims at the passenger trailing arm. Haven't looked into the driver side yet. Maybe this is common?

I tried to free the longs cover on the driver side but the three screws on the bottom don't want to turn much. Even with an impact hammer they will only go so far. I decided it was a good place to call it a day after spraying some penetrant on the fasteners to soak in.

I believe the trailing arm shims are for doing wheel alignment.  

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

That makes sense.

I'm learning as I'm poking around here and there. Looks like I got 914-6 rear axle stubs, 911 or 914-6 GT rear vented rotors and the calipers must have the spacers to match. I know it all doesn't look to be in best shape, but they are all items I'd probably be tracking down regardless. What I don't have at all is a front sway bar. Apparently not all 914s came with them, not even the hole provision for it. So I'll need to try and track one down that's budget friendly at some point. Then drill the holes to install.

In reply to captainawesome :

My car came with no front bar as well.  But I transferred over the aftermarket unit that came on the car I inherited from my dad.  
nice bonus on the 911/914-6 bits you got!

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

I think they make up for the rest of the car's condition..... Yikes! I just keep reminding myself one thing at a time.

Another evening poking around. Pulled the driver side long cover and got showered in tons of dirt. Two different piles shown below.

The first pile was mainly loose but the other pile was packed in between two hoses and the jacking point. It looks like the rear tire flings it up into that cavity where the hoses kinda trapped it all. I stabbed it all out with a screwdriver, and it appears the rust is mostly superficial. The jacking point looks better than the passenger side and may only require a little patch work.

I also noticed there's been a chunk of metal removed from the top of the driver side suspension console. Weird.

Here's what it should look like using the passenger side as an example.

Maybe I'll get some time this weekend to start wire wheeling the floor pan from front to back. I want to get all the crud off from the bottom up cleaning and painting as I go.

When I first saw the photo dump, not going to lie, the amount of visible rust made me a bit worried for you because rust can be such a pain. But now seeing how much is surface level and how your plan is progressing with each new area, I am very excited to see how this build turns out. Keep up the great work.

In reply to Paris Van Gorder :

I've been holding my breath each time I peek behind the curtain and thankfully things are turning out as good as expected. If I can spend a couple hours a week on the car I think things will progress quickly. Also if I get tired of paint and cleaning I can start test fitting or planning out drivetrain stuff.

Edit: Also I think the reason we are seeing way less bad rust is because the car has been garaged for probably a couple decades now with no extreme exposure to moisture. Also the battery has been removed for who knows how long explaining the lack of hell hole rust. I really wish I could track down the last couple owners to get the history on it's "racing" pedigree.

If you have a TIG welder, silicon bronze rod seems to work better on rusty metal than carbon steel rod ...ymmv

In reply to TurboFource :

No tig welder but maybe there's a cheap one that could do the trick? I haven't looked into welders in over a decade and I'm still using flux core. I prefer to not use flux core and have a MIG kit I've never installed on my Lincoln 125 Weld-Pak. Just not sure I have enough welding projects on this to justify getting the tig machine? I do need to look into what a small bottle of gas will cost me.

A feature of the 914, a soft brake pedal is partly due to the master not solidly mounted.  That area looks a little rusty, so it might need some work anyhow.  The stronger pedal assembly should include mounting for the master, but it doesn't.

   You really do want to upgrade to MIG, you will like that a lot better than flux core.  Getting Argon refills is a little annoying, but the welding results are so much better.  TIG is a much different skill, better for parts that can be welded on the bench.

   Looks like a lot of work, keep us updated.

captainawesome said:

In reply to TurboFource :

No tig welder but maybe there's a cheap one that could do the trick? I haven't looked into welders in over a decade and I'm still using flux core. I prefer to not use flux core and have a MIG kit I've never installed on my Lincoln 125 Weld-Pak. Just not sure I have enough welding projects on this to justify getting the tig machine? I do need to look into what a small bottle of gas will cost me.

Mig with gas is the way to go for old thin sheet metal.  Doing the tack, tack, tack method that Nohome detailed out is money.