[87944S]

Guys, new here and about to undertake a motor rebuild project on my 87 944S to correct for a worn thrust bearing. Figure I’ll follow through on my usual strategy that repairs are a good excuse to improve or clean up those “while you’re in there” things too. Car is in overall excellent shape except for the motor, so I figure it’s worth the time and effort.

Anyway, I’ve got a bunch of questions so I thought I’d throw some of them out there to see what you guys think. Since I track the car at DE events (90% of it’s future use) I’d like to try to get some more power out of it without going broke, but most everything I read tells me there is not much room for improvement on the 2.5L without spending $$$$$. I’d like to see if I could get 200-210HP with some carefully chosen improvements.

So here is what I was thinking I’d do, and I’d like to get some opinions as to the value of some of it.

Head – Stock rebuild with multi angle valve job, cam chain and tensioner. What is the performance gain by porting and polishing the intake and exhaust ports? Is there a benefit doing one but not the other? Is anybody making performance cams for these motors? Anyone have any experience with them? Any real value in what I think I saw as a “wide fire ring” head gasket vs. OEM?

Block – Clean up, lightly hone cylinders to get seating surface for new rings, replace all seals/bearings for balance shafts, oil cooler. Etc. Water pump all belts, etc. Anything I'm missing with the block?

Crankshaft – Repair whatever damage the thrust bearing wear has caused. Cross drill, micro polish, new bearings. I read about “knife-edging”. Can someone tell me what it is and what power gains can be had? Looks like it grinds the counterweights to reduce and reshape the mass, but I could not find any real info on it. Any power gain to be had? Assume it only makes sense with a lightened flywheel too? Anyone have any experience with crankshaft coatings (said to help shed oil and improve power)? Bearings – Glyco vs. OEM. Any recommendations?

Pistons and Rods – Plan to clean, check and reuse original, replace rings and pins, replace bolts. Anyone have experience with thermal coatings on the skirts? Any real power gain to be had? Balancing the piston/rod assembly add any real power gain?

Oil Pan – Install baffle and reinforce pickup. Anyone install a crank scraper? Any power gain to be had?

I’ve also seen a lot of discussion on removal of the AC using an AC delete bracket. Assume a decent weight loss helps performance. Any big issues with this? Looks easy enough.

Anyone install the light weight Odyssey (PC380? I think) battery? Looks like some decent weight reduction to be had, but I’m wondering about how well it will crank over in cold or hot weather those early season and mid summer track days.

Appreciate any recommendations or input form your own experiences. Thanks!