Chris Baker’s LS3 Powered Porsche 914 [FEATURED BUILD]

"I’d never wired anything and knew nothing about electronics. HPA courses gave me the confidence to go after wiring the entire car. And it all worked from the get-go!"

This week’s featured build comes from Chris Baker in California USA, with a project that’s been progressing for the past 8 years. A 1975 Porsche 914 with an LS3 V8 and some exceptional craftsmanship to make it all fit.

Chris came into the project with the goal of building a true all-rounder — a street car that gets used for spirited canyon carving, cars & coffee events, and track days. It needed to handle well, look good, and have enough power to leave everyone behind when required. 

The build quickly turned serious, with every component removed from the 914 chassis to fix every speck of rust and make the chassis rigid enough to accept the potent power and torque of the LS3 engine. Chris went as far as moving the firewall forward to fit the engine in the best location, installing a set of door bars and reinforcing the chassis with folded plate to increase rigidity. The result is an impressive-looking structure that dramatically increases the rigidity of the car, without going to the extent of installing a full roll cage.

Rigidity means nothing without good suspension, so Chris’s next job was to re-engineer the car’s geometry to allow it to sit lower without causing issues with bump steer or bad roll centre. In the rear, the trailing arm pivot mounts and upper shock mounts were raised by 2 inches which allowed the car to be lowered considerably without changing the factory suspension geometry or travel. Chris says “This was an absolute TON of work and I’m really proud of how it turned out.”

When it came time to wire the car, Chris knew he wanted to do it himself. He’d never done this type of work before and knew nothing about electronics, so he enrolled in every one of the HPA Motorsport Wiring courses and watched every members webinar about wiring that he could find. This allowed him to complete an intricate install, using a Holley Dominator ECU, Holley digital dash, Ecumaster PMU-16, and a Summit Raptor wireless steering wheel control panel.

Chris says, “HPA courses were a game-changer for me. I’d never wired anything and knew nothing about electronics. In the end, the HPA courses gave me the confidence to go after wiring the entire car. Every wire and connector in the car — from the chassis harness to the engine harness, every connector — everything. And it all worked from the get-go! I regularly get asked, 'who did the wiring?' Many have a hard time believing it’s home done.”

The project has now been on the road for around three years. Chris originally worked on it at the weekends, then after retiring from his career as an IT professional, he managed to work on it full-time and get the car to its current state within a year or so. 

Future plans for the car are to actually get it “finished” (we understand… projects like this are often in a constant state of development). The dream is that he will one day get the car to a point where it is “done” and then paint it. 

Chris’s has three pieces of advice for anyone taking on a big project like this: 

1. Always remember, it’s only metal! Or wiring, or whatever. If I screw something up, it’s not the end of the world. I can redo it.
2. It’s your build. Don’t worry about the opinions of others. (so long as you aren’t endangering anyone!)
3. It’s easy to be excited and motivated at the beginning of any build. It gets harder when you run into issues, unknowns or setbacks/disappointments. When this happens, I remind myself that “in six months, this will just be another story about the build…” Then I either get back after it or step away for a bit to clear my head.

If you want to see keep up with Chris’s builds, you can check out his YouTube channel "At The Red Barn" and his project thread on 914World.com. He’s currently working on a Ferrari 360 powered 914 and we’re looking forward to seeing it come together!

Build Specs

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION

• LS3 6.2 liter V8 (430 hp)
• Reversed turbo-forward headers
• Holley Dominator ECU
• Boxster S 6-speed transaxle
• WaveTrac LSD

SUSPENSION, BRAKES, WHEELS

• Tangerine Racing 2” raised rear suspension pick-up points: consoles & upper shock mounts
• Raised front spindles
• 911 hubs and brakes
• Reinforced trailing arms
• Patrick Motorsports adjustable toe link kit
• Elephant Racing adjustable coil overs
• Koni Yellow Sport shocks
• Elephant Racing racing bump steer kit
• Elephant Racing bladed sway bar
• Elephant Racing spherical control arm bearings
• Tarett monoball camber plates
• Ronal R9 wheels: 8x16 / 9x16

CHASSIS

• Inner chassis reinforced with 16 ga steel
• All chassis stiffening: 1.5” x .095 wall DOM tubing
• Drive train moved forward 1.5”
• GT flares in steel
• Hood vents
• Ventilated rear panel

INTERIOR

• Summit Technologies Raptor wireless steering wheel button controls
• Ecumaster PMU-16 (programmable replacement for fuses and relays)
• Holley digital dash
• GTS Classics Le Mans seats
• Tilton pedal assembly