So what do I build? I've got lots of parts and many options...
 

I have been wrestling with this for over a month now and I am still completely wishy-washy over what to do. In an effort to secure an engine for a project car, I ended up with 2 engines.

You know, one of those, I promised I was going to buy something and then a better deal came along kind of things.


Here is what I have at this point: a stock 1987 3.2L engine and a 2.7L engine out of...dunno, lets call it a '76.

Both need to be rebuilt. One gets sold to recover my cost and hopefully a modist profit. The other will go into a 1973 RSR street hotrod/club racer that I am building. Technically (i.e. what I told my wife) is that I am to sell this car. It an extremely clean chassis built on a 1972 in Mexico Blue It has a 6 point custom cage in it and will have all the racing goodies you would want (coilovers, big reds, fuel cell, etc.). My thought was to make a car that would be a blast on the street or could be modified slightly (door bars) and be competetive in club racing. As a result a 2.8L or 3.2L engine would work well.

I have a set of 40mm Webers that I got for the 3.2L knowing they might be too small but might work for a street application. I think I can get a 2.8L RSR P/C set and build a 2.8L, just to complicate things...

Bottom line is that I have all my money sunk into Porsche parts right now and I need to figure out how to sell off what I don't need. Along the way I want to make a fun car to drive.

So do I build the 3.2L with carbs and go for big displacement?
If I did that I could rebuild the 2.7 and sell as is with CIS or build the 2.8L and sell that engine separately.

Or do I build a 2.8L and put it in the RSR? I would then need to figure out what kind of intake to do on the 3.2L and sell it separately.

Grrr. I love these cars and have spent way too much getting cool bits. What do you think would be the best way for me to maximize the value of what I have?

Casey:

Lots of decisions to make here and all I can offer is that anyone building/speccing a race car needs to know what venue & class one will race in. :)

Failure to do that beforehand, risks wasting a great deal of money.

In short; build the car/engine/chassis to the class you intend to race in,........:)

Yeah, That is the problem I'm facing. I don't know what the car will be used for. I guess I was targeting PCA or HSR club racing. A 2.8L would work well in it since it would be a top-of class car. But for street drivability I would think a 3.2L would be more fun... :)

I guess it might make more sense to phrase my question this way:

Is it cheaper to build a street tolerable 3.2 or a 2.8? Which is worth more?

Oh, my tagline is a bit confusing. I have decided to use the 69 longterm for my racing...the 72 will be the street/track car that I plan on selling....

Wait a minute! Steve, you might have been reading through the lines too well. I "say" I'm going to sell it......hmm. Maybe I should build what I would want.

Are 2.8's very desireable as an engine only?

Casey:

2.8's are very competitive in PCA GT-4 racing,.....3.4's are competitive in GT-3. :) You need to choose the class you wish to race in otherwise you "park the horse behind the cart". :)

There are two ways to build these and neither are cheap to do, if you want durability AND competitive performance.

Both engines require a good number of expensive parts and the same level of preparation to be durable, with the 2.8's mag case requiring some additional machine work.

The first question I always ask a prospective customer is: "What is your budget for doing this project?" The answer to that defines what can be done and what the final product will be.