HOLY MOLY! Check out what I found at Pomona today!!!

[Wayne 962]

I know that not all of you will share my enthusiasm, but I have to pontificate! In the 7-8 years I have been going to the Pomona Swapmeet, I have scored some pretty darn good deals. I've gotten a lot of hard-to-find parts for my cars, and I've bought and resold stuff many times. Today beat all of those previous times.

Okay, so I'm walking around at Pomona and out of the corner of my eye, I see a 911 deck lid. Now, this was no normal decklid, as it had the emblem 'Carrera 3.0' on it. As many of you know, the 3.0L Carrera was only a European car, and was the precursor of the 911SC.

Well sitting right next to the engine decklid was an engine case. Hmm, closer look, yup, it's aluminum. Look at the serial number, and engine type. Hmm, 930/02. Heart starts pumping. I ask the guy what he wants. He mumbles a rediculously low amount. I look at the case again, and ask him again. Same amount. I tell him to hold on a sec, and I run back and grab one of those handy-dandy Engine Rebuild books with all the serial numbers and engine types listed in the back (you should really get one if you don't have one as they are really handy in situations like these! ).

Anyways, type 930/02 - yup 1977 European Carrera 3.0L! HOT DIGGETY DOG. I immediately hand the $$$ to the seller, and walk away with the case. Oh, a good 2.7 crank that was recently worked on was included as well! Not only do you almost never see aluminum cases at Pomona (very, very rare), but you never see Carrera 3.0 / Early Turbo cases. In fact, I can't remember ever seeing one that wasn't already installed in a 76/77 car.

Out of all the production engine cases, I believe that this one is the most rare, and one of the most highly sought after, by people in the know. Why is this? There are a number of reasons, which I will now share, now that I have one of my own (and I'm not going to encourage a whole flock of people to compete with me for one).

First of all, the Carrera 3.0L case uses the older style crankshafts - the ones used with the 2.0/2.2 and 2.4/2.7 (66mm and 70.4mm stroke). The 3.0 and 2.7 crank are identical in stroke, but differ in rod bearing journals and in the end of the crank. The 3.0 and 3.2 cranks and rods are very expensive. 2.7 cranks/rods are plentiful and relatively cheap. So you can use the 2.7 crank with this 3.0L engine and save some $$$ right off the bat.

Using the 2.7L crankshaft means that the engine will fit *any* 911 from 1965 through 1986. This particular crank works with the 901 transmission (using the early 911 flywheel), or the 915 transmission, using the 2.7 setup. It makes it the perfect solution for early 901 cars.

The case is aluminum, which means that it's much stronger than the magnesium cases. The mag cases are good for about 210-240 HP if they are reinforced with case savers, brought back to standard bore, and have had the cylinder spigots bored (see the Engine Book for more details). However, the aluminum cases are the similar type of case that was used on the 800HP 930 - it can handle quite a lot more.

Finally, the Carrera case has the cylinder head stud spacing that accomodates the 3.0 and 3.2 cylinders. You can run an almost endless number of options, creating a short-stroke 2.8 with the early crankshaft, or go all the way up to a short stroke 3.2 or bigger!

This case is also perfect for the 914-6 conversions (which is what I am using it for). The 2.7 crankshaft will mate directly with the 914's 901 transmission without the use of any messy or heavy adapter plates (just use a 901 flywheel).

So which engine am I going to build, and how much would it cost? I'll assume that you have a core motor to scavenge all of the smaller parts off of (alternator, fan, cam towers, chain housings, etc.) Here's the details:

911 Carrera 3.0 Case (also Turbo 76/77) $1500
911 Turbo Heads ported and twin plugged $1500
'S' cams or perhaps a profile slightly more aggressive cam like the GE20? $700 for regrind
Weber 40s (could go to 46s, but I have a nice set of 40s right now) $1500 rebuilt
2.7 Crank and rods $650 completely reconditioned
3.2 Mahle Pistons and cylinders with 10.5:1 compression (made especially for the 2.7 or 3.0 crank and rods). $3500
Twin plug system, about $1000, depending upon which option is used (HPX or 964 twin-distributor).

Not counting incidentals, it should be about a $10K price tag for a killer and very unique engine. I would estimate that this puppy would put out at least 240 HP. To me this is a much better option than buying a used 3.2 with accessories for a total of about $7K. The 3.2 will have rod bolt problems, head stud problems, valve guide problems, and who knows if the thing is worn out too?

On my short stroke 3.2 configuration, you can cut costs by using used 3.0 pistons and cylinders (makes it a 3.0L), or using Nikasil cylinders that have been relined and used with JE pistons (about $2400 versus $3500 for the Mahles). Personally, I like the Mahles. You have to also make sure that your car is off the smog laws to use an engine like this one...

Here's a pic of my new baby:



-Wayne

[jluetjen]

Cool Wayne! Good Job. BTW - A GE20 is wilder then an early S camshaft????

[Wayne 962]

It's different - not necessarily 'wilder.'

-Wayne

[snowman]

You can get 240 HP out of an old chevy Belair for about $300 complete.

At least thats what my wife said.