Assembling 1966 901/05 Engine: Phase IV- Final Items

[304065]

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted an update on my engine progress. Lately I have been focused on the body, which is going into final paint. Along the way I have sorted out all the rubber, replated every nut and bolt, had the seats refinished, new carpets, new headliner, refurbished the gauges, had the dash and steering wheel refinished, etc. So now it's time to turn back to the engine.



Plating the manifolds came out well- -these were flash copper over the bare magnesium, followed by cad, followed by a yellow chromate dip. The finish is very, very close to what I found underneath the linkage brackets and will patinate over time.

I had the SSI heat exchangers gray jet-hot coated. These are absolutely gorgeous. The muffler is going next.



I needed some head-to-carb insulators so I used the phenolic ones, these are an original 911T part.



I took the fan apart to plate the hub and have some chips in the blades repaired. I then riveted it back together. This took a couple tries to form the rivet heads correctly but I am happy with it now.



The alternator was rebuilt, I'm using a 55A Bosch.

After timing the cams I let the #1 and #4 rockers sit in the engine. Bad idea-- the rocker faces RUSTED and when I was removing the rocker shaft I managed to gouge the bushings-- these went back to Ollies to be polished and rebushed. So the rockers are ready to go back on-- I need to do them all and get the valve covers on.

So it looks like the final items are:

Rockers, set valve clearance, put valve covers on

Install oil lines (being remanufactured by Rebel Racing with new Cohline hose)

Install alternator strap. The original parkerized one will be saved for show and a black zinc plated one used for dyno and driving. These tend to rust because water drips through the engine lid grill right onto the strap-- that's why the factory put the foil timing decal there later on.

Install fan belt

Install engine tin and engine mount

Install oil cooler (rebuilt by Pacific Oil Cooler)

Install distributor (rebuilt by Ed Fall at Vintage Werks)

Install carburetors (rebuilt by Harry Bieker)

Install air cleaner housing (have to assemble the replated latches)

It's the little things that hold you up-- I need to replate the speed nuts for the fiberglass shroud and the oil breather tube (the one with the rubber cap on it).

When this is all finished (a couple hours more work) the engine is going to Peter Dawe for break-in and carb tuning on his engine dyno.

This should be done by the end of the summer!

[ratpiper71T]

Looks great! Have you made any internal mods, and are you going with solex or are these webers you're talking about? Off subject here but can you include a pic of your body and how it turned out? Never saw the finished results of the paintwork.. Whoa!... car body that is, thought it better I clarify!

[304065]

The internal mods are basically as follows

Bore to 81
JE 9,5 to 1 compression pistons with "S" valve reliefs
Supercup 102 by John Dougherty
Piston squirters, SC oil pump, oil bypass mod

Basically every moving part is either rebuilt or new. This is one of the first Weber engines.

More available if you search tag "901/05"

[Tar356]

The fan/pulley look great.

Can you detail the process of removing and reinstalling the rivets for us?

Thanks

[ratpiper71T]

Looked at some of your earlier threads. Since you're building this 911 for concourse, I guess internal mods are overlooked? - or not visible, maybe. I see you've stayed short stroke. What are your thoughts on the 66mm vs. 74mm crank?

Oh and I couldn't find this.. What tensioners did you go with and why?
Very cool..
Thanks,
Eric

[304065]

Originally Posted by Tar356

The fan/pulley look great.

Can you detail the process of removing and reinstalling the rivets for us?

Thanks

Punch the center of the countersunk side
Drill the rivet out
Remove hub
Replate hub
The holes are "clocked"- there is only one way the holes line up
New countersunk rivets
Rivet head formed with a simple steel rivet set and a hammer
Have to be careful not to bend the rivet shank sideways and keep it straight.

[Tar356]

Steel or alloy rivets?

Thanks again...

[304065]

Originally Posted by Tar356

Steel or alloy rivets?

Thanks again...

Aluminum rivets, countersunk head, I used 3/16 x 3/4.

Remember that this fan assembly can rotate around 10,000 RPM so you must do a very careful and precise job of assembling it. I had to do it more than once and drill the new rivets out to make myself happy.

[304065]

Originally Posted by ratpiper71T

Looked at some of your earlier threads. Since you're building this 911 for concourse, I guess internal mods are overlooked? - or not visible, maybe. I see you've stayed short stroke. What are your thoughts on the 66mm vs. 74mm crank?

Oh and I couldn't find this.. What tensioners did you go with and why?
Very cool..
Thanks,
Eric

Eric, from the other threads you can see I went round and round with what to do but ultimately concluded I would try to keep it stock appearing above all else-- SWB 911s aren't valued for their big tires and huge power, they are time machines that transport us back the Swinging Sixties!

That said it's flatly impossible to NOT take advantage of innovations in materials, coatings and machining technology over the last 40 years. Hence, the coated pistons with trick features like anti-detonation grooves, the modern lobe profile on the camshafts, and every other "factory" innovation like squirters, oil bypass, oil pump, oiling holes in the spraybars, frangible rockers, chain tensioners, etc.

I am using 930 tensioners, will put the collars on after a few hundred break-in miles as they won't fit until the chains wear a little.

I thought about using the stroker crank, but I already had a 66mm crank (which got rust on the journals and is being saved for a race motor where the journals will be turned to 2" NASCAR size), rods, etc. To go 70.4mm would have required a new crank and rods, only to gain an extra 135cc, which I didn't deem worthwhile.

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by 304065

Aluminum rivets, countersunk head, I used 3/16 x 3/4.

Remember that this fan assembly can rotate around 10,000 RPM so you must do a very careful and precise job of assembling it. I had to do it more than once and drill the new rivets out to make myself happy.

Any need to balance the fan/hub assembly?

[304065]

Originally Posted by Flieger

Any need to balance the fan/hub assembly?

I was worried about that but note above, the holes are "clocked" e.g. the circumferential distance between the holes varies, such that there is only one orientation that mates the hub to the blade. Same principle as the VDO oil and fuel level senders or the brake rotors. Since there is no perceptible variation in mass between the rivets and the hub and blade are reassembled in the same orientation they were balanced in 44 years ago, I don't expect any imbalance.

But now that you mention it I'm going to set the fan up on my buffing wheel and use the iSeismo iPhone app to see whether there is any measurable vibration. Fun with technology.

[Flieger]

I suppose having a rebuilt/new alternator could effect balance more than the Aluminum rivets, now that I think about it more.

[304065]

Making some final progress:

[ratpiper71T]

Sweet!!