Oh yes, it's a 540is in the background...my favorite of the BMW's I've owned. I'll probably keep it until the wheels fall off ;)

Stock steel head studs never break but in turn they rarely seal properly with a Nikasil cylinder.
They don't offer a consistent clamping pressure adequate to prevent head movement under load conditions at all temperatures
Without doubt, the Supertec head stud offers the best/most stable platform for all types of air cooled 911 engines.

The engine below was built (by someone else) with steel studs 23000 ago. No studs were loose during disassemble and you can clearly see the head movement.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1340919438.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1340919532.jpghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1340919647.jpg

Good job!!!!
 

You did pretty well dropping the engine by yourself considering this was your very first attempt. Any particular reason why you removed the engine without the transmission? Putting it back would be a challenge doing it solo. One thing I noticed after looking at those pictures was the absence of an engine holder/stand. I'll give you A+ for your effort and determination. Keep us posted.

Tony

Thanks. The shop I wanted to use had more than a month long waiting list to take the whole car, but said they could take the pulled engine right away (they only take as many cars as they can shelter indoors - which I like, actually). So, I figured that was all the excuse I needed to tackle a job that's tantamount to a rite of passage for an older 911 owner. The guide I followed suggested an engine only removal and that made sense to me given my objective...and I figured, since I'd be working alone, a lighter load to manage would be preferable. I just moved to a new neighborhood and don't have the sort of neighbors (or relationship with them) that would allow me to ask for a hand, my friends from work aren't the sort to get their hands dirty and the rest of the people I know are all girls (which is fine for everything except engine removal - no offense to any females).

I didn't get an engine stand since the plan was simply to remove the engine and take it to the shop, but my ambition outpaced my planning and before I knew it, I had it down to the block...and now, I'd like to see it through. I recognize that proper assembly is the more nuanced and important phase of the project and have been appreciating all the feedback, tips and advice this forum has provided.

I'm expecting rocker reassembly and cam timing to be the most challenging parts and if, at any time I feel the requirements exceed my abilities and that moving forward on my own might compromise the quality of the build, the shop option is always open to me.

I expect remounting to be really challenging and am working on a more stable way of supporting the engine than the 2x4 and floor jack method that I used for the extraction.

You've done the most difficult part.........
 

Ducatist,

You have done the most difficult part of engine rebuilding!!!! That's taking the engine off the car by yourself and doing it with the transmission left behind. You have removed the broken dilavar studs, the rest are easy. If you have the time and interest to do the engine rebuild, I'll strongly suggest you do it. You have demonstrated your ability to do work and the determination to overcome a difficult task. So why deprive yourself the joy and satisfaction of engine rebuilding?

The rest of the engine rebuilding could be done almost sitting down while enjoying your favorite beer during the process. Get a few reference manuals like Bentley and Wayne's Engine rebuild book, some metric tools, etc. and you are on your way to your first engine rebuild project. In case of doubt, simply post a question in this forum and you'll have the answers in your finger tips.

There is really nothing difficult about it if you use care and prudent judgement. The most hardest part is overcoming the fear and anxiety of the unknown territory (engine rebuilding). Once you have decided to do it and take that extra step forward, the rest of the way would be smooth sailing. Think about it before you bring the engine to your mechanic. I will personally assist you in my limited capacity that you succeed doing the project. Keep us posted.

Tony

+1, when time comes I'm looking forward to it.

All

Please note that no matter what book you have always check for corrections. Here is the link for Waynes one: How to Rebuild and Modify your Porsche 911 Engine: Corrections & Updates

Thanks for showing the in-service performance example of the steel studs Henry. Good to know for future service on my engine.

Engine update
 

Almost all of the parts are in from our host...should be able to start the reassembly later this week. I damaged a piston during disassembly and had to order a matching replacement (rookie mistake), but otherwise, it's going well. New SS head studs are installed and the rest of my time has been spent cleaning stuff. That carbon buildup on the pistons is a real pain...finally used some POR15 caliper cleaner and wished I'd been using it all along - melted the stuff off quickly.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341288888.jpg

Considering the age of this engine I think it would be folly not to split the case and do a minor refresh. Your going to be real mad if the pick-up tube seal fails next week and you lock the motor up.

I would worry about the o-ring that seals the # 8 main bearing.
With time they get hard and leak, especially after an engine R&R. This leak requires a case split and o-ring replacement to properly repair the leak.

Thanks again Henry. I appreciated all the time you spent with me on the phone yesterday...your insight and advice were very helpful.

I am in about the same spot. Waiting for an intermediate shaft timing chain gear from our host to glue the case together. I also had a damaged piston, (1). Had to go off board to procure that. Does your passenger side oil tray in your chain box have a groove cut in it from the chain? That is why I am rebuilding. Tensioner failure. Aluminum in the engine. Good luck. Mike.

This may sound dumb but i don't see what you mean by the "movement" from using the steel studs. Please explain!

Not really... And I'm also like to hear the details

As illustrated in post 22, the steel studs offer inadequate clamping pressure to keep the heads from moving excessively. This constant movement results in poor if not horrible head to cylinder sealing. Dilivar head studs show the same type of sealing anomalies under high stress situations.

Speed Buggy,

Mine had three broken headstuds, but everything else looked and ran fine. My tensioners have the saver collars from our host which are supposed to prevent the kind of damage from tensioner failure that it sounds like your engine suffered.

Where did you end up finding your piston? I've been working with the guys at EBS Racing since last Friday and they told me they're sure they have one that matches mine, but they still haven't managed to actually pull it from stock. I guess the holiday put them behind or something. Hopefully, they'll turn up the piston soon since it's really holding me up. I have the Alusil pistons that some of the builders just throw away rather than reuse, but the guys at Parts Heaven charge $150 per (EBS is only $50) and like I said, some builders just sell them as aluminum scrap. Apparently, my damaged piston is a little uncommon based upon the dome markings.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341517066.jpg

Darn. I was planning on spending my money on a set of steel studs, but i guess after reading this I'll have to go with the more expensive high performance studs instead.. I don't wanna risk having problems down the road.

I got mine at Parts Heaven. Couldn't find anywhere else. I had a couple of maybe's but they fell through. My machine shop recommended P.H.

Still having no luck finding a matching piston
 

So far, none of the places I've searched (EBS Racing, Parts Heaven and Henry Schmidt) has a replacement piston to match my damaged one. Buying a whole set seems like overkill and I'm told the difference between a "1" and a "3" piston is less than .001"...so, I'm pondering buying a "2" since no "3's" appear to be available. Either way, I'm stuck until I find a solution.

Here are pics of my piston and cylinder markings...any advice would be welcome.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341959772.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341959787.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341959820.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341959841.jpghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341959921.jpg

One thing I would suggest is for you to create new threads, here, in the 911, and in the parts for sale & wanted forums requesting the piston you need. I remember a while back someone needing a piston and a member, maybe MBurns, said he had a wide variety of them . . .