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1975 Porsche 914 with 2270cc engine by Original Customs

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Location: Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Make: Porsche
Model: 914
Trim: Targa
Year: 1975
Mileage: 18,000
VIN: 4752902476
Color: Laguna Blue
Engine size: 2270cc Type 4
Number of cylinders: 4
Fuel: Gasoline
Transmission: Manual
Drive type: RWD
Interior color: Black
Vehicle Title: Clear

1975 Porsche 914 Description

I'm selling my 1975 Porsche 914 which was a lifelong California car until I brought it to North Carolina in December 2014. The previous owner I bought it from lived in Arroyo Grande, and prior to that it was owned by a married couple in Pasadena who were PCA members. This is an extremely solid 99% rust free car, the kind that you could only find in CA. The longitudinals, floors, and engine bay are as clean and solid as can be.
The color is L50C Laguna Blue. I don't think it's original paint based on some small areas of overspray on the floorpan. But it is an older respray likely done 20 or so years ago; an estimation based on the fact that there are some chips, dings, and touch ups that would only come from many years of driving. I know the car photographs well but the paint is a 5 footer. Nevertheless you'll still have people giving you constant compliments on how good the car looks. The light blue against the black accents really looks good!
Prior to my purchasing it, the previous owner spent a couple years from 2011 to 2013 doing a complete mechanical restoration which included many upgrades. The engine and trans were rebuilt by Mark DeBarnardi, who owns a very well known and respected shop called Original Customs, that specializes in air cooled Porsches. If you don't know of Mark or Original Customs, then to be honest you don't know 914's! Mark built the original 2.0 case up to a 2270cc.
Along with the rebuilt engine and trans, the car also received upgrades to the suspension, brake system, fuel system, shift linkage, and instrumentation which are all detailed below.
ENGINE
Rebuilt to 2270
Dellorto DRLA40 carbs (just rebuilt in March 2016)
Mallory Unilite distributor
MSD 6AL ignition module
MSD Blaster II coil
Tangerine Racing spiral wound spark plug wires
Chromoly pushrods
Swivel feet valve adjusters
Deep sump tuna can
Rebuilt 2.0 heads with 12mm spark plugs
78mm stroker counterweighted crank
Galley plugs tapped and sealed
Powdercoated engine tin and fan shroud
Tangerine Racing oil pressure relief valve
Tangerine Racing 1 5/8" headers
Tangerine Racing EVO II exhaust
Tangerine racing heat exchanger box
Tangerine Racing remote oil cooler take-off kit
External Setrab oil cooler with dual thermostatically activated 5" puller fans mounted under rear trunk
Tangerine Racing braided stainless steel oil pressure sender hose
All new seals and gaskets
TRANSAXLE
Rebuilt with stock gearing
Tangerine Racing firewall shift bushing
Tangerine Racing shift linkage
New CV joints
Tangerine Racing adjustable clutch pulley
BRAKES AND SUSPENSION
Brembo AM front calipers (rebuilt by PMB Performance)
Stock 914 rear calipers (rebuilt by PMB Performance)
New 19mm master cylinder
Porterfield R4-S brake pads
Braided stainless steel brake hoses
911 front suspension with 22mm torsion bars
911 vented rotors and hubs (front)
Redrilled 914 rotors (rear)
New front and rear wheel bearings
Elephant Racing polybronze suspension bushings with grease zerks (front and rear)
Tarrett 19mm adjustable front sway bar
911 struts (front)
Rear adjustable coilovers with 220lb springs over Bilstien shocks
Falken Azenis 205 50 15 tires on 15x7 Fuchs replica wheels
FUEL SYSTEM
Gas tank cleaned
Tangerine Racing stainless steel fuel lines
All new fuel hoses
Tangerine Racing rotary fuel pump and fuel filter
INTERIOR UPGRADES
Aluminum pedal board
Coco mats
Center console with added instrumentation
4 channel digital Cylinder Head Temp gauge
Digital Air Fuel Ratio gauge
VDO oil temp and oil pressure gauges
Repro hockey puck horn button
MISCELLANEOUS
New windshield
New ignition switch
Car was corner balanced
New window scraper seals
New door end cap seals
New door handle seals
New side targa seals
New front trunk seal
Center tunnel and pedal area treated with rust proofing paint
There are about 18,000 miles that have been driven on the mechanical restoration detailed above. The chassis itself has about 140,000 miles on it. The car is broken in, and ready to be driven and enjoyed for many years to come. Recent compression test results done at the beginning of the summer are as follows on cylinders 1 thru 4: 140, 142, 144, 138.
The only real issue I've had with the car is that the oil temp gauge is intermittent. Sometimes it works, but usually it doesn't. I've replaced the sender twice, and both times it would work for a couple weeks after and then slowly start not working again. I've traced through the wiring and can't find any faults. I'm really not sure what the issue is. But when the gauge does work, the temp is always right in the 200 to 220 degree range depending on how hard I'm driving. The thermostatically activated oil cooler and puller fans (which come on at 180 degrees) really do take all the worry out of your oil temps.
I also have receipts for EVERYTHING listed above. Including the cost of the car, the previous owner spent approximately $28k building this car. With 914 prices on the rise, you wouldn't be able to replicate this car today without approaching $40k. The engine and trans build alone cost about $11k (carbs and exhaust not included, which would add another $4k to that cost). You could buy a decent driver 914 for just what the drivetrain in this car cost!
I also have a stack of receipts and service invoices going back to the late 80's through the two previous owners that I mentioned earlier, back when the car was a stock 2.0. I also have a full set of 2 black keys, one red valet key, a spare blank black key, as well as an original leather PCA key pouch. And yes ALL of the locks work: doors, trunks, and glove box. I also have the original owner's manual, additional service manuals, California license plates, and a number of spare parts that will be included with the car.
Most of the weather seals are in excellent condition. I replaced the ones that really needed it with the exception of the rear trunk seal, which could still do with being replaced. I don't drive the car in the rain, but the interior does stay dry when I wash it. All the seals are from 914 Rubber.
The bumpers have been partially backdated to 916 fiberglass bumpers. It wouldn't be difficult to fully backdate them to stock metal bumpers if you wanted to. The mounting points and foglight conversion have already been taken care of. I did intend to do this when I first bought the car, but the 916 bumpers really grew on me. The fact that they match the body color makes the car look more like a modern car. And they're also much lighter which aids the performance of the car.
Having driven stock 914's I can say this car really is what the 914 should have been to begin with. The upgrades put the HP somewhere around 130 or 140 HP. You really have no problem keeping up with and not just passing traffic, but putting it far far behind you. Not something you can say about a stock 1.7! And with the suspension upgrades you can take turns at absurd speeds. My favorite thing is when I get some macho muscle car guy behind me trying to ride my bumper. Then when we hit some twisties I'm suddenly half a mile ahead, and he's left wondering what happened!
It's no problem to really drive the car hard, and your head temps will rarely get above 350 degrees. Typical cruising temps between 3k and 4k rpm are between 315 to 325 degrees, and even less if you're in slower speed limits that have you in 2nd or 3rd gear. Highway cruising in 5th at similar engine speeds will have you at 335 to 345 degrees. There's no worry ever of hitting, or really even getting anywhere near, 400 degrees.
As with most aircooled cars, it does leave a drop or two of oil behind after a drive. I recently had Black Forest Racing in Denver, NC replace the rear main seal back in early July of this year, but there is a still a drop or two that comes from that area. While I was there John Forbes, the owner of BFR, was eager to take the car on a test drive. He said he'd be happy to confirm the condition and performance of the car for anyone who wants to give him a call at the shop.
Since then I've bought everything necessary to replace the RMS again and more (new Sabo RMS, new flywheel crush washer, new felt washer, new pilot bearing, new trans front seal, new schnorr washers for CV joints), and all of that will come with the car if I am not able to get around to doing the work myself before the car sells.
I have a photobucket library with over 370 pics of every aspect of the car. Each album in the library focuses on a different area of the car. Link is here:
http://s86.photobucket.com/user/Porsche914-2270/library/
If you have any questions, feel free to call or send an email.
BTW, if you happen to have the 2016 914 calendar from Fourteener Motoring Magazine, you can see a small picture of this car on the very last page along with all the other cars that were in contention for this year's calendar.

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