Porsche 914 Factory Tool Kit Contents
The Incredible Shrinking Tool Kit
All Porsche 914 and 914/6 vehicles were delivered with a tool kit in
the front trunk. The four-cylinder Porsche 914 was assembled by
Volkswagen, and the tool kits provided
greatly resembled the VW kits of the era. While not as robust as the
914/6 tool sets, the early Porsche 914 kits were sufficient for the
most basic maintenance needs.
Unfortunately, multiple rounds of cost-cutting reduced the Porsche
914 tool sets to
almost nothing by the final year of production (1976). As shown below,
this disappearing act is very poorly (almost comically) tracked in the
annual
progression of Porsche 914 owner's manuals.
Current eBay
listings for Porsche 914 tool kits (compare listed kits with those
pictured on this page to ensure authenticity and model year
utilization):
1970 - 1971 Porsche 914 Tool Kits
The
earliest Porsche 914 tool kits were comprised of the following:
- Vinyl tie-wrap bag (colors were grey, black or brown, tie straps were black, grey, red, blue or off-white)
- 160 mm combination pliers
- Long shaft 21 mm spark plug wrench with four positions (holes) for tommy bar
- 190 mm straight Tommy bar (for use with spark plug wrench)
- 140 mm long 19 mm lug bolt socket
- 370 mm "bent" Tommy bar (for use with lug socket)
- Combination screwdriver with black plastic handle
- Hazet "V-10" 8x13 mm open end wrench
- Hubcap removal tool
- Towing eye.
The tool kit information as printed in the 1971 Porsche 914 owner's manual is reproduced at right (the 1970 manual includes identical information).
1972 Porsche 914 Tool Kits
The 1972 model year Porsche 914 tool kits are documented as
containing the exact same components as the earlier kits with the
exception of the 160 mm combination pliers. Many early 1972 Porsche 914
tool kits, however, included the pliers. As was common practice with
tools (at both Porsche and VW), the pliers were likely included in the
tool kits until the supply was exhausted. More information on the
pliers is available on the "Pliers" page (obviously). The tool kit
information as printed in the 1972 Porsche
914 owner's manual is reproduced at right.
Early 1973 Porsche 914 Tool Kits
Early 1973 Porsche 914 tool sets included the the same tools as the
1972 kits (without the pliers). The only difference from the prior sets
was the appearance of white-handled screwdrivers which are unique to
the 1973 model year. Other than the color, these tools are identical to
the black-handled screwdrivers. Not all early 1973 Porsche 914 tool
kits contained the white-handled screwdriver, but most did.
The tool kit information as printed in the an early version of the
1973 Porsche 914 owner's manual is pictured at right. As can be seen,
the information provided is identical to that in the 1972 manuals.
Mid - Late 1973 Porsche 914 Tool Kits
Beginning partway through production of the 1973 model year, a cost cutting effort reduced Porsche
914 factory tool kits to the following components:
- Black plastic bag with ventilation holes, secured with black rubber band
- 140 mm long 19 mm lug bolt socket
- 370 mm "bent" Tommy bar (for use with lug socket)
- Combination screwdriver with white or black plastic handle
- Hazet "DIN 895" 10x13 mm open end wrench*
- Hubcap removal tool
- Towing eye.
*Like the hubcap
puller, the existence of the resized (10x13 mm) open-end wrench is
documented in the parts catalog but not the owner's manuals.
The tool kit information as printed in the later 1973 Porsche 914 1.7
& 2.0 owner's manual is pictured at right. Note that these later kits have been
diminished to the extent that they no longer warrant pictures.
1974 Porsche 914 Tool Kits
Tool kits included in the 1974 model year Porsche 914 cars were
identical to those found in the mid-late 1973 model year vehicles, but
the white-handled screwdriver had vanished. As documented in the parts
catalog (but not the owner's manual), the hubcap
removal tool was still included in
all Porsche 914 tool kits despite the introduction of styled steel
wheels and the resulting elimination of hub caps for the 1974 model
year. The tool kit information as
printed in the 1974 Porsche 914 1.8
& 2.0 owner's manual is pictured at right. 1975 - 1976 Porsche 914 Tool Kits
The last two model years of the Porsche 914 came with tool kits
resembling those delivered with the 1974 cars, but the lug bolt socket was shortened by 40 mm and gained a plate
finish. This change likely occurred
during the 1975 model year (as opposed to between the 1974 and 1975
model year production runs) as supplies of the prior version
was exhausted.