Chain ramp repair
 

Greetings. My 1978 SC track car has suffered a chain ramp failure on the left side chain housing. No apparent damage to engine is visible as it still runs well (stopped running it once I determine the problem and realized I was running the engine on borrowed time). The failure is that one of the chain ramp pins has come out of its hole. I have not removed the cover as of yet. I have ordered a new housing, ramps and gaskets. My question is.......assuming I do not find additional damage, how should I proceed. I would prefer not to disturb any of the engine timing if possible. Can the pin be pressed back in or epoxied into its hole without removing the housing. It seems possible but I do not know exactly how Porsche anchors the pin. The pins are part of the housing and do not appear to have separate part numbers. Any builders out there with some advice? Thanks Paul

Last summer I replaced a chain box pin that had fallen out on a friends SC. We removed the pin from an another chainbox and tapped it into the hole (it was a snug fit) and epoxied it so he could get to the track the next day. So far it seems to be holding up fine.

If you replace the chain box you will need to reset the cam timing because cam sprocket will need to be removed to replace the chainbox.
-Chris

Thanks Chris. Hopefully your friends scenario will apply to my situation also. Paul

I pulled the housing cover last weekend. Everything was good except for the missing pin. It was the pin that does NOT clip onto the rail. I dropped the oil strainer and Voila...there was the pin. I used the medium JB weld and epoxied it back into its appointed home. We'll see how long it lasts. Now, what do I do with all of those parts I ordered from here? Paul

For my 78 rebuild, I noticed one of the pins came out during cleaning and I will have to put it back as well. Is JB Weld the epoxy of choice for this? How reliable will it be?

I think so. Many posts regarding epoxy have reffered to JB Weld. I looked at all of the epoxy that was available locally. The JB weld was the only one that could take hi-temps. I found three types of JB Weld. The middle one that I chose was rated for 300 F. There is another JB weld that was stronger. I hesitated to use it because I though it may too stong and ruin a good housing if work was required doen the road.