Practice Engine?
 

So I'm rebuilding a 75 911s. It's going well and I've been enjoying my first car project. I will hopefully be rebuilding the engine early next year. I absolutely want to rebuild the engine myself. It will be a straight forward rebuild - not planning any major performance mods - just the usual reliability upgrades. I have never rebuilt an engine of any type.
I have been wondering if there would be much benefit to rebuilding a VW bug engine first for practice? There are lots of bug projects I would be interested in, it is a cheap rebuild, and I have been wanting to develop some welding skills so this would be another reason for a practice car. I'm just a little nervous about the 2.7 being my first rebuild because of the investment involved and I want first class results. So is there enough cross-over knowledge/experience to be had from a vw rebuild to make it worth the extra time and money?
Sorry for the long post but I would appreciate some opinions.

Foreknowledge or practice is a nice thing to have.
If you can...by all means...grab a VW and rip it apart.
However...be advised...the VW might suck up a considerable amount of your funds....you get into the "might as well" attitude when you get inside.
VW and Porsche share a lot of the same design aspects...but there are a lot of differences too....so rebuilding a VW will not give you complete insight for the real build.
Read every post you can here about engine rebuilding.. .especially those with picturres.
Then...go for it .... nothing like getting to know the love of your life intimately .... LOL
Bob

Hands on experience......
 

JP,

The experience you would get from rebuilding a VW is not a bad idea. But doing your first 911 engine rebuild would feel very daunting and nerve racking at first. The next would be less stressful and as you get familiar with the processes, it is like assembling a Leggo set!!!! No matter how much you read and prepare for the rebuild for the first time, you'll find some doubtful moments and would be asking yourself 'is this correct?'.

The last 2 years have been a fruitful seasons for engine rebuilding experiences for me. I'm doing my 10th engine rebuild projects and 5 engines the past 2 years. And it won't have not been very successful without the assistance from people in this forum. Specially from several members who have been very helpful in answering questions and giving advises.

But I find it most advantageous to have a 'buddy system'. I found a couple of engine engine rebuilders (members of this forum) that saved me from a state of confusion and turned it to confidence building. As long as you apply prudent course of action in your rebuild and don't take unnecessary risk or short cuts, you'll be able to rebuild your engine like hundreds of people have done before us. I like to do a rebuild engine project atleast one per year to keep the experience and momentum going. Got an engine waiting for the fall season. Keep us posted.

Tony

Thanks for the input guys.

Working on cars gives you the confidence to, well, work on cars. That being said, why waste time building an engine that's not the one you really wnt to build? Unless, of course you have absolutely nothing else going on in your life?

Personally, I'd cut to the chase and dive in. Might as well go for it.

+1 to what winter said.
If you've never worked on a car working on various can give you the gist. But the 911 engine is so special in so many ways compared to others-- go for the gold!!! If you haven't already, buy Wayne's and Bruce's books and become a Porsche zombie.

You might find it beneficial to search out other Pelicans nearby to where you live and ask to "lurK' on their project for a bit. See what they're building, ask questions, offer to clean parts and help - there's a lot to absorb seeing stuff with your own eyes.

Not sure rebuilding a VW type I would be that beneficial. But why not look for another 2.7 or 3.0? Swap for your current motor or rebuild it. That would mean you could take your time to pay attention to detail on the rebuild while still enjoying your car. Also, you could then resale an engine to help defer the costs. I have a complete 2.2 that I've used to practice taking critical measurements, modifying (porting/polishing, etc.) and assembling.

Nothing like working on a Porsche engine to learn how to work on a Porsche engine ;)

It seems like the big advantage of the VW engine is that it is a very cheap rebuild (1000 or less to do a very complete job) but I could be wrong. I have been talking with a guy who was a 67 Ghia with a frozen original engine + a second running engine. The complete car with both engines and some othe parts is $1000.
I figured I could get it, rebuild the engine now for practice then let the car sit till I was done with the Porsche then restore it.

That would be "has" a Ghia not "was". Not sure what I'm gonna do.

Don't bother with the VWs. You have limited time and resources so jump right into the 911. With this board and Wayne's book its just not that hard! Seriously! when you have a question that can't be answered in the book or search function just post it. It will be answered by pros.

Unless you actually want to restore a VW? Not that that is a bad thing, but every moment spent on the VW is a moment NOT spent on your Porsche.

-Michael