Aurel`s engine rebuild thread

[Aurel]

That is it, I took the plunge. A month after purchasing a house with a garage, my long overdue engine rebuild has started,with the engine drop that went rather well this week-end. On my to do list are:
- Broken headstuds
- Carrera tensionner
- Valve guides
- 1st and 2nd syncro gears
- Differential bearing

The car is a 78SC Targa with 110,000 miles
Of course, the list may grow as I start tearing things down...
I will go slow, at least the whole winter, and plan on taking many pictures and post my questions and experiences in this thread.





Regards,

Aurel

[efhughes3]

Welcome to the club! Good luck.

[rw7810]

I can guarantee the list will grow.....

[Aurel]

Update: I`ve removed the CIS, and separated the gearbox. It was uneventful, but boy, is this thing filthy...I can see major oil leaks already. Some serious cleaning sessions are ahead of me...

[efhughes3]

Think about how much lighter the engine will be, and how much cooler it will run with all of the gunk gone...

[gigem75]

You are a lot cleaner than I was after I dropped mine!

[dweymer]

Do a search for differential bearing replacement. Depending on which bearings it will require the use of a special and expensive(like 2k) tool. It has been discussed at length.

[gigem75]

The only thing I forgot was the speedo cable, fortunatley I caught it on my last check before lowering.

[MBEngineering]

Originally Posted by dweymer

Do a search for differential bearing replacement. Depending on which bearings it will require the use of a special and expensive(like 2k) tool. It has been discussed at length.

Hi Do you mean this tool;







regards mike

[Dan in Pasadena]

Aurel,
Lurking on your thread with great interest.

A couple of "just curious" questions. What reference books do you have at your finger tips for this project? I assume perhaps Wayne's Engine Rebuilding book and a Bentley manual? But do you have Porsche factory manuals? Other?

Second, assuming you have a regular 40 hour, 8-5-ish job - are you working on the engine rebuild daily? How long do you think you are able to spend on the work daily or weekly? It has been years since I've done any serious engine rebuilding work and back then it was small block Chevys...so obviously not much translates. I have been doing brake jobs of course and and relatively minor work for years which has me wondering if I have the long term stamina to do this job myself? I can be anal retentive as hell and very organized which; according to Wayne's book, is helpful and even necessary but I wonder about my tenactiy, stick-to-it-ness?!

[gigem75]

I think your good on the stick-to-it-tive-ness.

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Aurel,
Lurking on your thread with great interest.

A couple of "just curious" questions. What reference books do you have at your finger tips for this project? I assume perhaps Wayne's Engine Rebuilding book and a Bentley manual? But do you have Porsche factory manuals? Other?

Second, assuming you have a regular 40 hour, 8-5-ish job - are you working on the engine rebuild daily? How long do you think you are able to spend on the work daily or weekly? It has been years since I've done any serious engine rebuilding work and back then it was small block Chevys...so obviously not much translates. I have been doing brake jobs of course and and relatively minor work for years which has me wondering if I have the long term stamina to do this job myself? I can be anal retentive as hell and very organized which; according to Wayne's book, is helpful and even necessary but I wonder about my tenactiy, stick-to-it-ness?!

As far as books, I have the two Wayne books, and the Haynes manual. I do not have the Bentley, but I`ve heard good things about it. As far as time, I leave home at 7 am and back at 6:30 pm. I can work about two hours every evening when my 18 mo daugther is sleeping. Basically, I would be watching TV if I was not in the garage. It forces me to a slow pace, but that is good because I can read to prepare each session. Monday night, I separated the gearbox and removed the CIS. Tonight, I removed the fan, shroud and wiring harness. On the week-end, I may be able to spend 6 hours/day. Also, I have access to a machine shop at work, which is very cool. Finally, I have saved about $5k for the whole rebuilt. We shall see if I blow the budget or not. For the tenacity, my day job is in research, so tenacity is something I know about. I think the secret is to enjoy the rebuild as a hobby, as much as driving the car. Luckily, I drove it for 5 years, so having it off the road for a while is ok.


Aurel

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by rw7810

I can guarantee the list will grow.....

Yup. First unexpected finding: my fan housing is badly cracked. I will need a replacement one. I`ll post pics later.

Aurel

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by gigem75

I think your good on the stick-to-it-tive-ness.

That's funny. What did I say/writethat has you thinking that? Probably the 4000 posts, huh? Naw, that just means I spend too much time on the computer!

Aurel, Sounds like you are spending about the same amount of time I would be able to spend if I take it on. Your budget sounds a bit low based on what I've read about the likely need for new P/C's. You are assuming you have Nickasils? I have an experienced Porsche friend who owns his own shop and claims to have successfully rebuilt a number of Alusil engines using the original P/C's and new Goetze rings. I know that this is the subject of a LOT of controversy here....and I'm not trying to resurrect that argument. But wondering what are you plans in that regard?

If I do this I pretty much plan on buying new...that same friend has offered to get new P/C's for me at his wholesale price! Plus I just wouldn't want to go through as much time/work/worry as an engine rebuild represents and later regret not having used new. My plan would be to clean, rebuild, update, blast or paint, etc EACH sub-assembly as I remove it from the engine, package it for preservation until the rebuild was complete and set it aside. NOtcertain that would be best but it appeals to my anal side!

[Aurel]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

That's funny. What did I say/writethat has you thinking that? Probably the 4000 posts, huh? Naw, that just means I spend too much time on the computer!

Aurel, Sounds like you are spending about the same amount of time I would be able to spend if I take it on. Your budget sounds a bit low based on what I've read about the likely need for new P/C's. You are assuming you have Nickasils? I have an experienced Porsche friend who owns his own shop and claims to have successfully rebuilt a number of Alusil engines using the original P/C's and new Goetze rings. I know that this is the subject of a LOT of controversy here....and I'm not trying to resurrect that argument. But wondering what are you plans in that regard?

If I do this I pretty much plan on buying new...that same friend has offered to get new P/C's for me at his wholesale price! Plus I just wouldn't want to go through as much time/work/worry as an engine rebuild represents and later regret not having used new. My plan would be to clean, rebuild, update, blast or paint, etc EACH sub-assembly as I remove it from the engine, package it for preservation until the rebuild was complete and set it aside. NOtcertain that would be best but it appeals to my anal side!

I do not know yet what P/Cs I have; But considering the fact that my compression numbers were all within 135-145 psi and that the motor had 110,000 miles, I am hoping being able to leave them together and reuse everything. Of course, only examination, measurements and advice from the board will tell if that is doable. As far as the transmission goes, I may simply get a rebuilt one from vertex. And sure, cleaning and repainting cosmetic parts is on the program too.

Aurel

[304065]

Aurelien, a tip on the fan housing from Vertex-- check the threads here with photos of that piece before you plunk down after-tax dollars for it-- the casting quality is approximately that of the 13th century. Expensive as they are, I would reach out to Dan Pechtel down in Bordentown, NJ for a used one.

Thanks for your contribution to the forum, keep those photos coming!

[Aurel]

Thanks for the tip on vertex fan housings and Dan Petchel.
I just had a little chat with our machine shop guy on how to best and quickly clean motor parts. A power washer with soap is an option. Or, a sheet of plywood covered with paper sheets, put the parts on it and spray gunk remover. Too bad my driveway is sparkling new...I may also borrow that steam cleaner he`s got here...Here are some pics of the shop, and some of the goodies that are in there (lathe, band saw, bridgeport milling maching, Sarix electrical arc milling machine, etc...). Still, I need to find a good local shop for the heads work.





Aurel

[dweymer]

Call Bob at anchor atlantic
(856) 589-5577

Did a great job on disfin's heads, and is a good guy as well.

[Aurel]

Update: after removing the fan shroud, I can see that the side oil cooler was totally gunked up. No wonder why the motor was running *a little hot*. I probably won`t get much done this week-end, since I have promised wifey to repaint a room, finish unpacking the house, etc...Thanks for all the tips and phone numbers already. This board rocks!




Aurel

[Aurel]

One more pic:



Aurel