My First Engine Build

[KMoore68]

Hi,

I wanted to create this thread to document my first engine build.

I have a 1977 911 S Targa with the numbers matching 2.7 and have owned the car for about 5 years. During that time I have done the suspension, brake lines and re-upholstered the sport seats. Earlier this year, I took the car to a local, respected mechanic to fix some of the niggling oil leaks and have a look at the engine. They ran a leak down test and 2 of the 6 cylinders came back as having bad numbers and the conclusion was the engine will need to be rebuilt.

Fortunately there isn't an immediate need for the rebuild as the engine and car are perfectly driveable for the foreseeable future. I am sure the car is down on horsepower but I'm not too worried about it as it still pulls ok. After polling some people of this forum and contact a few respected posters: Al Kosmal and William Knight, I decided to forego the 2.7 rebuild and look to source a 3.0 to replace it with.

Part of the decision in not rebuilding the 2.7 was the time to get the case work done at Ollies, at this point if I took the 2.7 apart and sent it to Ollies, the car would be off the road for probably a year or longer. I did talk with William Knight and decided that I would add his M1 Cam to this engine but build it with CIS and SSIs.

So, I purchased Wayne's book and started looking around for a 3.0 case that I could work on myself. I wanted to mention a couple of things:

1. This will be a budget-conscious rebuild and most decisions will take that in mind.
2. I am located in Canada and the cost for importing anything from the States, ie duty and exchange adds around 40% to the cost so I'm going to try and source parts here in Canada.

I did find a stock 1980 3.0 short block that was rebuilt by the local respected mechanic. It came sealed and complete as a short block with stock refinished P&Cs (not installed) and stock cams. I plan on selling the stock cams and installing the P&Cs that I have.

First things, first, I need to source an engine stand and yoke. I ordered a yoke from Vertex and that should arrive tomorrow.

My first plan is to get the yoke on the engine and then onto a stand. In looking at Wayne's book, I'm going to look at a flywheel and crank pulley install first, which leads me to the following:

1. I am looking at a lightweight flywheel as opposed to one that is available on PP, is there anything I should be aware of when buying a flywheel.
2. Ditto for the crank pulley, thoughts?

I am going to start looking for some heads, cam towers, shroud, fan, alternator, CIS, SSI and muffler and the myriad of other parts I'll need for this build so I'd appreciate it if you know of anything that'll work for my 1980 3.0 engine, I'd appreciate it.

I plan on updating this thread with my progress, thanks for reading!

[PeteKz]

You'll get lots of opinions. I'll provide mine based on your mentioning "budget conscious" and that you want to source things from within Canada to avoid delays and excessive duties.

The rebuilt short block may or may not be a good idea. It depends on what was done and how much it costs. These are complicated engines, so the mechanic must have had experience building lots of Porsche engines before this one. You should review the parts list of what was put into it--new bearings (what brand?), rod bolts, seals, chains, etc. Was the oil pump new or used or remanufactured? Was the crank tested, cleaned, and polished? Oil pump clearances do open up with time, and then the oil pressure does not come up as quickly with RPM, and the scavenge section has difficulty keeping up with oil flow, especially if you have an external oil cooler.

Can you get the rest of the engine parts with the short block? Otherwise you will have to buy those separately at $$$$. What work needs to be done on those? Valve and seat grinding? New valve guides? Rebuilt rockers? Etc. Will you get the COMPLETE CIS system with it? CIS parts are expensive if you have to buy them separately, and some may not be available in Canada. Likewise for the distributor, coil, CDI box, sensors, shroud, and engine wiring loom. If you don't get all or the great majority of the parts to build a complete 3.0 engine, then you will be better off buying a complete engine and then rebuilding it yourself. You may be able to swap over some things from your 2.7 engine to the new engine, such as the sensors, fan shroud, alternator and regulator, but you want to get a large 11-blade fan and housing, not the wimpy 5-blade in your 2.7. The 2.7 CIS should work on the 3.0, but I haven't tried it, so there my be some incompatibilities or modifications needed to get it to work correctly.

M1 cam: If you are staying with CIS intake and stock-style pistons, I think this is the best available cam. It uses as much lift and duration as possible without running into valve/piston interference. I used it in my 3.0 stroked to 3.2 engine with CIS. It gives noticeably more torque and power than the SC cams but maintains the drivability and efficiency of the CIS system. I can floor the gas pedal from just off idle in higher gears, and it will pull smoothly to redline. If I keep it at a constant 70MPH cruise, I get close to 30 MPG.

Lightweight flywheel: You are not building a race car or a high-RPM street/track car. Don't spend your budget here. Get a good used stock flywheel and clutch, with a new spring-center disc and new throwout bearing. The higher mass of the stock flywheel and clutch are better for street driving.

Crank pulley: stick to stock here too.

Remember the KISS principle. Other than the cam, do not stray too far from the stock parts and configuration.

And, measure EVERYTHING carefully.

[detroit]

KM, I have a complete CIS out of an '81 3.0 in a box on a shelf that I plan to eventually sell. No doubt there are many others out there as changing fuel systems seems pretty common, but lemme know if you're interested...

Eric

[Henry Schmidt]

If your goal is to minimize your budget, we have good used or reconditioned examples of everything you need.
" looking for some heads, cam towers, shroud, fan, alternator, CIS, SSI and muffler".
Maybe a package price can mitigate some of the import cost.
That said, be careful to plan as much engine as possible [while you're in there concept] so future upgrades are more easily facilitated.

[KMoore68]

Originally Posted by detroit

KM, I have a complete CIS out of an '81 3.0 in a box on a shelf that I plan to eventually sell. No doubt there are many others out there as changing fuel systems seems pretty common, but lemme know if you're interested...

Eric

Thanks, i'll reach out!

Kevin

[KMoore68]

Originally Posted by Henry Schmidt

If your goal is to minimize your budget, we have good used or reconditioned examples of everything you need.
" looking for some heads, cam towers, shroud, fan, alternator, CIS, SSI and muffler".
Maybe a package price can mitigate some of the import cost.
That said, be careful to plan as much engine as possible [while you're in there concept] so future upgrades are more easily facilitated.

Thanks Henry, I'll reach out for sure.

My plan is to keep it mostly stock with upgrade M1 cams and SSI. If the price is right I'd love to do ITBs but I have a sense they may be out of the price range.

[TargaCoupe]

Sounds like a familiar build. I'm just about to start a rebuild on a 3.0 for my 914 in Calgary. I've been stock piling parts just across the border and plan on making a run down this month to pick everything up. This really cuts down on shipping costs from multiple vendors and I've typically only been charged GST when I declare the parts at the border. Can't beat the US prices and availability.

If you're in Coquitlam (my home town), it should be an easy trip across the border for you.

[Discseven]

KM... what is wanted, ordered, arrived, from who, part numbers and costs for possible future reference, it all can get out of hand rather quickly. You might find a Google spreadsheet is a good tool to keep info organized.

[Emo993]

As to the engine stand, just have this one welded up. This is copied from Jerry Woods engine building class. Made to hold the heavy 930 engine. I had three made 20 years ago for two friends and myself. Best, Mark

[KMoore68]

Step 1 is complete, the engine is on a stand, now sourcing a rear main seal, crank pulley, front seal and coordinating to get the P&C refinished.