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

[78targa]

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?

[Steve@Rennsport]

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,........

[78targa]

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?

[Steve@Rennsport]

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.