first porsche engine rebuild

[lazyeyedog]

Okay, so I'm fairly new to this board, but loving it. I'm beginning the info gathering process to rebuild my 79' 3.0 this winter. So far the ideas that sound good to me are :

Increased compression. Obvious, but I've heard that too much will damage the engine without a twin spark setup. I really don't want to go that far with it so what's the max comp ratio I could reliably go with a good MSD ignition system?

Upgraded Ignition system (as stated previously).

Upgraded cam tensioners. What is involved in doing this conversion?

Upgraded cams "964 cams" seem to be the popular upgrade.

Now the burning question, What kind of power can I expect to get from this tentative plan, and at what cost?
I've heard astronomical costs for rebuilding these engines, and I have to say I don't really understand why. Gaskets, bearings, cams, timing chains, pistons, cylinders (ok, these ARE ridiculous) where is the huge expenditure?

As always input is greatly appreciated.

[Rot 911]

It is the "while I am in there" that ups the costs. Just like the things you are listing. Even if you don't mod your engine, things add up. I rebuilt my 3.2 and if I hadn't done any mods it still would have run me over $5k and the only thing I had sent out were the heads. I did the rest myself. Then I did SSI's, cams, clutch, flywheel, etc. and before you know it my rebuild was $8k!

When you average it out an increase of 1hp (that's right ONE) will run you approximately $100. It is much more cost effective to remove weight.

[SCrescue]

Lazy,
Welcome to the board...

To add to Kurt's comments, I'm currently rebuilding a 3.0 and can attest to the high cost of a general rebuild with minimal upgrades. Standard gaskets and bearings alone will set you back $800+...

Do yourself a favor and buy Wayne's book "How to Rebuild & Modify Your Porsche 911 Engine."

You also need to consider unique tools such as engine stand adapter, cam tools, zee blocks, etc.

If you're concerned about keeping costs down, forget going twin plug. Keep compression below 10:1 or less depending on availablility of 93 octane. You'll likely have alusil cylinders in your motor, not good candidates for reuse if your motor has high mileage. New Mahle nikasil P&C's can set you back $3k+, or you can look for in-spec used set for under $1k.

Search through the tech articles for a very good synopsis of the tensioner upgrade with pictures.

Your tentative plan is not really a plan, just a snippet of things you need to consider in realistically planning the rebuild, much of which will depend on what you discover during teardown.

Increases in HP/TQ are very subjective. General consensus relative to basic rebuild of 3.0 with minimal performance upgrades (Webers, SSI, 964 cams) is approx 30 hp +/-, hence Kurt's recommendation to reduce weight rather than buy additional HP.

Mike...