Customer Reviews

How to Restore and Modify Your Porsche 914 and 914/6 (Motorbooks Workshop)

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"How to Restore & Modify Your Porsche 914 & 914/6" doesn't tell how to do either. Its best section describes the many places to look for rust when buying a 914. Most of the rest is filled with generalisms and pablum, much of which is not even specific to 914s. The book is filled with annoying technical errors that individually seem minor, but are collectively inexcusable and indicate insufficient research. Example: the author claims that compared to the stock 17mm master cylinder, the larger (19mm) master cylinder's "main advantage is to increase the brake pressure of the system." In fact, for a given force applied to the brake pedal, it does the oppposite. Another example: the author cautions us that the terms "backspacing" and "offset" of wheels are often confused, then he gives an incorrect definition of "offset." Thanks for muddying the pool of knowledge!
On modifying the cars, we are advised that certain components can be replaced with better ones, but the author does not tell what parts to buy, how to install them, or what gains in performance we can expect.
There are many better books on 914s available. "914 Tech Tips 700" by George A. Hussey, IV, gives practical maintenance advice. "The Porsche 914 & 914/6" by Dr. Brett Johnson gives an excellent model year history and shows what parts are original. Neither of these books was mentioned in Mr. Paternie's list of suggested reading. Neither of these books goes into modification in any depth. For that, buy "Up-Fixin der Porsche" (11 volumes) from the Porsche Club of America, or subscribe to Grassroots Motorsports magazine.

I thought I was getting a book that explained modify my 914, like technical info on big bore kits and engine swaps. NOPE! The whole engine chapter is an article about some guy who talks about where he took his engine to get it rebuilt and and he thinks about some parts on the engine. When it got to the section about 914/6 and engine swaps basically it said GOOD LUCK ! I feel outraged that I spent money on this book. If you are looking for good basic reading on what people think about the 914 this is a good book for that. Other then that this is not a technical book. I dont see how there is any modification info in this book!...Dont waste your money, get the haynes manual.

At long last, a how-to book that shows you "HOW TO!" Paternie, along with technical photographer Wayne Dempsey, do a really good job of how to do tons of mods and restos to a 914. A lot of books promise this, but few come through. This book is like a hundred great tech articles all under one cover. Would highly recommend this to anyone who owns a 914 or is even thinking about buying one. ALSO, folks that are into air-cooled Volkswagens may also benefit from this one.

If you want a book to help you on how to restore your porsche 914, this book doesn't help you so much.
Instead, you can buy a Haynes workshop manual that goes deeper into the details on all your porsche 914, and a haynes restorer manual on the specified subject (interior, engine, bodywork.
Those will teach you something.

This book is not really a hands-on project book but it's quite entertaining! It's better than short magazine articles and perhaps better than the books being written on how to modify Hondas which are available these days.

Basically it tells you the history of the 914, and gives examples of modified 914s, restoration, buying, etc.

If you own a 914 or are planning to buy one, then you should get it but don't expect it to replace a workshop manual or parts book!

A very poor quality copy of the original. You have the feeling that Motorbooks did this with a 16mm spy camera in the dead of night. It is, however, readable and therefore worth the money.

Good info for the 914 lover. This is a must have book if you are looking to buy or just fix up a 914.

There is some good "how to" information in the book but don't expect the book to open any magic doors for you. I consider this a good addition to your Porsche 914 library. The photos are very good and certainly good on a technical level. Porsche 914 owners are bound to find some information here that they did not know. The guys involved with this book are true 914 guys, reason enough to buy the book.

I shot most of the photos for this book, although I did not edit the text or review the content. The photos for the projects are reshoots of the many images available at the Pelican Parts website. The book has a broad focus on the 914, giving you a taste of history, and also pointing out troubled areas. The How-To procedures are good, however, they are merely overviews - don't expect step-by-step procedures. The book serves mostly as an overview to projects that you may perform (or have to perform) on your 914. It's a good title, particularly for someone wanting to learn about the 914, or perhaps purchase one for restoration. For the price, it's about the best book out there for this information.