[mtelliott]

Lesson’s Learned
The car is running so I thought I would post some observations and lesson’s learned from my experience.

1. Yes, it is as hard as it looks. Rebuilding an engine takes a lot of skill. Wayne’s book and the Bentley manual will get you through a large percentage of what you need to do however there are so many more things to know that couldn’t possibly be captured in a book. They come from experience.
2. The better the engine before repair, the easier the rebuild will be. It sound obvious however if you are rebuilding an engine from a bunch of boxes, be prepared to find all kinds of problems with the parts as you proceed. In my case, I found that I had so many vacuum leaks that I never knew about previously, that I had to have the engine pulled to fix all the ones that were found. If you are starting with an engine that you know everything about, then it’s easier to concentrate on just rebuilding.
3. Rebuilding is a marathon, not a sprint. Plan on it taking months, not weeks. I tried the week’s route, ended up with months. Of course, once you have the experience of rebuilding one, it takes significantly less time for the second one but the first time will take much longer than you anticipate.
4. Document, document, document. Take lots of pictures and notes from every angle as you proceed in the disassembly. This serves two purposes. One, it provides a reference for assembly. Two, it provides excellent knowledge of how your engine works while it’s still assembled. It’s like doing your homework before taking a test.
5. Make friends with every Porsche repair shop you can. Find the one you like best and develop a relationship with them. I worked with a number of shops in Denver but finally settled on STORZ garage. For me, these guys are excellent. They always answered my questions, took time to explain things to me, and helped me with my Porsche education. My engine and car would still be in my garage had it not been for their expertise.
6. Learn the search key on Pelican Board. Yes, sometimes you have to wade through a lot of misinformation but you’ll learn more than you were searching for in the end.
7. Ask for help locally from fellow PCA and Pelicans. I’ve made some great friends and been given a lot of assistance through both the PCA and Pelicans.
8. Wiring harnesses are hard to find and expensive to buy. I had to wait over 4 weeks for one to come from Germany (Pelican couldn’t get me one). Treat all parts of the engine gently because you can’t run down to NAPA to pick up a replacement easily.
9. Set expectations with your significant other. I have the greatest wife in the world, but sometimes she got a little frustrated with the amount of time I was working on my car.
10. Sleep on it. Sometimes, you just need to walk away from problems you’ll encounter. Many nights I would lay awake unable to shut the mind down but I usually found the answer the next day. Continuously working on a problem will not help. A fresh start and a clear head will.