Today's Progress - Cams, Timing Chain Housings and Sprockets
 

Snow day - so I inched closer on my build.

I detailed the problems I had with getting the woodruff keys seated in the camshaft and also addressed a tight fitting camshaft sprocket in this thread:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/911-engine-rebuilding-forum/792907-difficulty-installing-camshaft-woodruff-key-sprockets-3-2l.html#post7868775

That aside - there were some minor victories today. The timing chain housings went on nicely:

I followed Henry Schmidt's recommendation to apply a light coat of Loctite 574 on the housing gaskets (I applied to both sides):

This was about as light as I could get it - a very small bead that I spread around with the Loctite bottle nozzle:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1390367885.jpg

I was a bit surprised by how much squeezed out when I torqued the bolts:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1390368032.jpg


Tough day, with a few challenges, but hey - if was easy everyone would do it.

Thanks for the comments, tips and encouragement folks.

Gordo

I like using an 'acid brush' to remove excess sealant. The brush leaves tiny ridges of sealant the spread perfectly. I try to shoot for basically no squish out.

Brush on Loctite 574
 

Thanks for the tip - I'll give it a go for the rest of the gaskets.

Gordo

Thanks for sharing your build and for the great pictures. Just curious about your choice of pistons. Your calculated compression ratio of 9.16:1 is less than the stock US compression of 9.5:1 and the Euro 10.5:1. Those look like some serious valve pockets. Did you choose these pistons to compliment high lift cams for use with those carbs I saw in an earlier photo? Planning on running pump gas on single plug? I built a 3.0 years ago with 46mm PMO carbs and Solex grind cams. I had to cut valve relief pockets in the stock CIS pistons which gave me something less that the stock US 911SC compression ratio of 8.5:1. That engine ran great on pump gas with single plug; always cool and never pinging. Good luck with the build!

Piston Choice Background
 

TT - you pretty much nailed it in your question / responses.

I started planning my build based on a few principles:

- I wanted to improve my lower RPM torque, and
- I wanted an engine that was simple to set up and maintain

Cam considerations

Initially researched cams as I believe they define an engine's performance. Everything I found indicated that the stock pistons limit cam options. Looked at the S and others.

Spoke with John Dougherty who recommended his GT2-102 profile. Researched the profile and found Haycait911 (Don) used it and had the kind of results I wanted: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/502996-3-0-dyno-day-pleasant-surprise.html- I was sold...

Pistons considerations

Never considered machining my stock pistons - I don't know if that would have been an option for the GT2-102s. Interesting potential option, but I never found much info on it.

The cams drove me to the JE's with 9.5:1 being recognized as max CR on premium pump without dual plug. Dual plug went against my simple principle. As such the 9.5:1 it was.

Fuel Considerations

Carbs - back to the simplicity principle and plain cool factor. Picked up the PMO 46's.

Ignition Considerations

Single plug, but I am going a bit techie here - XDi system. Actually a relatively simple system.

The CR Disappointment

The calculated CR kind of floored me.

Totally unexpected - I was measuring out of concern that my heads might push me higher than 9.5:1 based on the machine work. Assumed they started life near 90cc's...

Out of curiosity, I ran the numbers on the JE 10.5:1's to see if they would have worked - comes out to 10:1, a bit high for pump/single plug.

I do still want to confirm my cheap burette is accurate though, since I can't find any info confirming normal 3.2L head volumes.

Sorry, long winded way to say - you guessed it.

Gordo

Gordo,

Your para under Cam Considerations that starts with "Spoke with John Dougherty... " contains a URL that comes up with TTOverSteer's thread reply that you were responding to. I was hoping to see more information about your discussions with Haycait.

Really enjoying your threads -- ALL of 'em. Keep it up. And good luck.

Brian

Fixed Link
 

Thanks for the point out & comments- I fixed the link, or so I thought. Hmm... something odd's going on with links.

If you advanced search the engine rebuild forum for "pleasant" in the title - you should pull up the thread I was referring to. It includes a dyno sheet on an engine that Don did that had the GT2-102 and other parts similar to mine.

Gordo

Camshaft Timing Complete
 

I finally got around to timing the camshafts this weekend.

Nothing really new here, but I did try a few ideas I found in my research to try to make the job a little easier.

Irwin 12" Micro-Grip Clamps Work Great as Chain Tensioners

For starters, I used 2 Irwin Micro-Grip Clamps (Lowes) to hold the chain tensioner sprockets / tension the timing chains. I started with a big vice grip C-clamp, but found the Irwin clamps worked better - the rubber ends allow it to stay in place better than the vice grip, and you don't have to worry about roughing up the surface of the tensioner arm:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1394422088.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1394422178.jpg


Razor Blade Z1 / TDC Pointer Trick Works Great

I also liked the tip to lightly tap a razor blade between the case halves to provide a precise & consistent pointer to line up the Z1 / TDC mark.

I confirmed the Z-1 mark on the pulley was in fact dead on the TDC before I started timing.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1394422512.jpg


Digital Metric Dial Gauge / Indicator Makes Timing a No-Brainer

I bought the cheap Harbor Freight Digital Dial Gauge ($29 - coupon discount). The Z-block that I bought included a dial gauge extension that didn't quite fit the threads on the dial gauge - I wrapped it in some plumbers tape and it threaded tight enough to work with.

I read Wayne's Engine Rebuild book and loads of threads on cam timing and it seemed a the gauge was a cheap way to avoid the headaches and potential for error associated with converting inches to millimeters and counting the number of times a dial gauge spins... The HF gauge worked great:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1394423240.jpg


Rotating the Camshaft to Adjust Timing / Lift

I kind of followed Wayne's "high lift camshaft timing method."

-Started with both cams - dots facing up.
-Spun the crankshaft 360 deg and stopped at Z-1
-Removed camshaft bolt, washer and pin and rotated the camshaft to the specified lift (4mm for GT2-102 cams).

I purchased a long threaded bolt to try to insert & lock into the end of the camshafts to allow me to rotate the camshaft to the desired lift, but it didn't really work. I couldn't figure out a way to lock the bolt & nut without spinning the camshaft.

I ended up using a small punch, inserted into the sprocket pin hole, to leverage against the chain sprocket and timing sprocket teeth which allowed me to rotate the camshaft exactly where I wanted it:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1394423726.jpg

As pointed out in other threads - I found the camshaft needed to rotate counter-clockwise to attain my settings, hence the bolt method didn't work (it would loosen and back out of the camshaft threads).

One last note, John Daugherty recommends setting the camshaft timing using zero valve clearance - and provided a quick response to my E-mail when I asked to confirm the zero valve lash (thanks again John)

Altogether not too bad of a job - my cams are timed and I was able to get both #1 and #4 pretty close to 3.94mm, just slightly off John's recommended 4mm.

Gordo

Bolt On's
 

Had a good friend, fellow NoVA Pelican-head COLB stop by yesterday for some Porsche talk, a few beers and some wrench turning.

Started in wrapping up the rocker shaft installations. Previous owner had installed RSR O-rings on all but 1 of the rocker shafts :rolleyes:. No worries, I needed another Pelican Parts order to replace the rocker shaft bolt that I chewed up when I disassembled:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1395045421.jpg

Once the last rocker shaft was in place and adjusted, the external components started to go pretty fast.

The 360 update:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1395045568.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1395045626.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1395045702.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1395045760.jpg

That is one gorgeous motor.

I made it home before the real snow -- just a little spit that didn't even require the wipers. Awesome drive around the back side of Quantico -- worth the trip!

Let me know when you are ready to install!

I'll try to bring the wife so I can do proper justice to the homebrew….

You'll get the chance to meet me if you come to help install. As for the homebrew, won't be much around unless my brother does some SERIOUS planning ahead. I get thirsty when I'm "helping"

Nice looking engine bro. It's coming together nicely. Keep up the good work.

Look forward to it. Gordo should consider this fair warning, and lay in the necessary provisions.

Love the Cab. You and Gordo got a great deal on that car. The profile pic looks nice.

Progress Update
 

For continuity - a link to my efforts to mate up my PMO carbs and connect the throttle linkage:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/911-engine-rebuilding-forum/801692-pmo-46mm-carburetor-installation-3-2l.html

Out with the Old...

The 3.2L engine is done; just need a few small parts off of the 3.0L (heater backdate tin etc.). As such, it's time to drop the old engine.

Nothing new to cover that hasn't already been addressed elsewhere. As such, I'm prepared for the 4 bolt drop tomorrow:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396146336.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396146531.jpg

Getting closer.

Gordo

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1390112896.jpg

Great looking engine!

I read through your thread and noticed that the picture you posted above looks like the plexi glass is not seated/sealed in the recess where the head and cylinder meet, it appears that one edge of the glass is over the edge of the recess and that space is in between. That could account for the additional space you measured.

CC's
 

Thanks snbush67 - hopefully it will run as good as it looks :)

Appreciate the thought on the heads / CC finding but don't think that was it - the plexiglass fit in the recess quite nicely and I'm not sure I would have gotten a seal otherwise.

I still want to confirm the accuracy of my burette but haven't yet.

Gordo

I bought my burette at a scientific equipment supply store. I had similar results as you, with my 3.0 heads. I wasn't getting exactly 90, I was getting 89-90-91. I don't think it's an issue with the burette. I just went with 90 for my measurements, pretty sure my stock heads hadn't been machined.

I removed the throttle plate bolts and filled the holes in the shroud with epoxy cleans up that area a bit, also the wrinkle finish would look really good on the shroud as well.

The great thing about your engine is its simplicity and the ability to dial it in without worrying about detonation. As well the lower compression should add to the longevity of the motor.

Engine's Out
 

Dropped the engine and started removing the parts I want to keep for the heater backdate. One more trip to the powder coaters...

The face off - if the new 3.2L lasts and remains as strong as the old faithful 3.0L, I will be a happy man for many years.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1396233910.jpg


Almost sad to see the 3.0L go - its been a rock solid engine.


For snbush67 - agree, the couple of lower tenths in the CR provides a bit more wiggle room for varying fuel quality, temps and ignition settings. The biggest issue I had is I did the measurements so I would know exactly what the CR was - meanwhile the odd volume has me second guessing...

Gordo

Even if you got it wrong you CR won't be over 9.8. Your good to go, it's gonna be a beast!

Make sure you read up on running the engine in,

Double check your CV bolts
Turn the engine without fuel to get oil pressure before you start it.
Start and run it in at 2000 rpms for 20 minutes
Check for leaks, etc. it will probably sound a bit rough, smoke etc.
Drain the oil and put some more cheap oil in it
Tune it the best you can and then go drive the dog snot out of it for a couple of hours.
Downshift, long pulls up long hills in the wrong gear, full out pulls through each gear from 1000 rpms to 5000.
Check your CV bolts again
Then drain the oil while it's hot and add another load of crappy oil.
After 500 miles drain and add some good oil, I like Amsoil 20-50.

I'm Sidetracked
 

Somewhat sidetracked taking on some necessities and some nice to do's.

Return Fuel Line Blockage

I found that my return fuel line had a stoppage/was plugged.

I had the line temporarily pinched off so I could remove the engine bay fuel lines. Meanwhile I forgot that I had clamps hanging down - backed my car down my ramps and the clamp on the return line fell off - major panic until I realized that nothing was coming out :eek:

I had a half tank of fuel and felt a strange sense of happiness to find the line was plugged - there would have been no quick way to stop the fuel from flowing all over the garage once the car was lowered from the ramps.

I took the fuel level sending unit off and siphoned the tank dry.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397879165.jpg

Removed the return line at the bottom of the tank and hit it with 100psi compressed air (spay nozzel with a rubber tip) - no more blockage...


Cleaned up the Engine Bay

The engine bay had 30 years of crud that had to go. I backed the wire harness out and tied it off at the swing arm. Moved the car outside (and knocked my return fuel line clamp off in the process...) - scrubbed with degreaser and hit it with the pressure sprayer:

The engine bay is now ready for some jewelry:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397880260.jpg


Cleaning the Oil Tank and Hard Oil Lines

With so much detail put into cleaning up the rebuilt engine - I couldn't bring myself to connecting it to an oil tank and lines that still probably have a bunch of old crude in them. I'm also going to be installing a Carrera front oil cooler - so why not remove the lines? :rolleyes:

The oil tank was a little painful to remove - required removal of the rear quarter panel bellows / valence.

I hit the oil line fittings with Kroil a few days before I went at them - broke free using a large crescent wrench.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397879532.jpg

Removed the hard oil lines, thermostat and trombone oil cooler as a single unit ( a good tip I found in my research)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397879623.jpg

Tomorrow, I'm going to flush them out the best I can with some mineral spirits and then hit them with the pressure sprayer and compressed air.

At some point the engine will go back in - hopefully I will still have some spring driving weather when it does...

Fun stuff.

Gordo

Did any debris come out? A kinked line will do that and then return to its kinked shape later. It might be a good idea to change the lines, they are old.SmileWavy

Ocd
 

I don't think it was kinked, it sat "open" for a week without a drip. The line to the tank kind of lightly popped as I hit it with air - then had no back-pressure, just air entering the tank.

Meanwhile, the tank looked really good - nice and clean. No surprise there though, I had it out when I installed my front adjustable sway bar a few years ago.

I considered replacing the tunnel lines, but think I will hold off - my OCD tendencies could turn that one into a few more "while I'm at it" projects :rolleyes:

And I really want to get the car back on the road...

Thanks again, Gordo

Thermostat Threads Shot
 

Ok,

I researched and somewhat expected this before I started - but for whatever reason, I thought the hard oil line nut was coming loose, so I kept turning it loose instead of cutting a slot in it and chiseling it off.

Of 4 lines connected to the thermostat, this one had clearly bonded to the threads (one of the hard lines)... The first 3 lines separated with no issues (hence my continuing to turn thinking it was loosening).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1397962848.jpg

I'm going to try to repair it with the "thermostat saver" here on Pelican - but the limited info I found on this doesn't sound too promising.

Gordo

this happens to many...dont beat yourself up...that is why this fix kit is available...the kit works 50/50...JMHO from experience, when I have used the kit and it did not leak, the next time the hose had to come off for what ever reason, u will have to replace the thermo then as u will have no threads left and/or ability to reattach that hose there again = the adapter u use in my experiences does not like to be disturbed which is what happens when u remove the hose from this new fitting...it is what it is as they say.....happy easter everyone...

I tried the kit, didn't work for me. Bought a new thermostat.
Boyt911sc (Tony) probably has a good used one for a fair price.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I did exactly the same thing. 3 came off without incident, the fourth stripped. I found a second hand thermostat in the classifieds.

Aluminum Weld New Fitting to Thermostat
 

Once the thermostat saver part arrives - I'm going to try to aluminum weld it to the body of the thermostat.

Will post as a separate thread and link it back to this one once I'm done.

Gordo

Updates - Thermostat Repair and Oil Tank / Lines Clean Up
 

I haven't been making much progress lately - a bit sidetracked, but crawling along.

Oil Tank Refresh

I cleaned out the oil tank with mineral spirits, then soaked it in the deep sink with TSP. I also hit the outside of the tank with 120 grit and sprayed it with truck bed liner. The tank is cleaned up and installed.

Before:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1398998287.jpg

After:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1398998467.jpg

My oil level sending unit had a bunch of crud on it as well - cleaned it with carb cleaner, a toothbrush and Q-tips.

I also put a new rubber seal on the oil level sending unit (same as fuel tank seal - didn't like the idea of cork...) and re-glued the oil fill/filter rubber grommet.

Oil Lines Clean Up

Scrubbed 30 years of crud off the outside of the lines a with scotch-bright pad.

To clean the old oil out of the lines - I capped off an end, added mineral spirits and shook around. Followed this with a good flush of water until clean.

Thermostat Repair

I also attempted to repair my thermostat by welding Pelican's "thermostat saver" onto the body of the thermostat.

Separate thread addressing this effort: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/809139-oil-thermostat-repair-attempt.html

Horn Relocation for Carrera Oil Cooler

I remounted my horns to make room for the Carrera oil cooler I'm mounting in the fender well.

A link to that goat-rope: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/809141-sc-horn-relocation-carrera-oil-cooler-installation.html

Fuel Line & Filter Configuration for PMO Carbs

I'm now in the process of figuring out my fuel line setup for the PMO carbs: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/809009-6-fuel-line-plan-cis-pmo-carb-conversion.html

More fun.

Time ticks on, and spring has sprung - must install soon...

Gordo

Beautiful job on the oil tank, Gordo. Which bedliner product did you use?

dho

Nice job on the tank Dan,

FWIW, this is what I did to mine.
I striped it, then cleaned it out. After trying acetone (which didn't cut it) a reputable guy suggested Varsol. That cut right through the decades old oil film and left me with a tank that still had the varsol film inside. I have some degreaser that I got from POR-15 for prepping before paint called Marine Clean. It is water based, and a few sloshes with 6 ounces of that and a half tank of hot water gave me a squeaky clean tank inside. Then I painted the outside with POR-15.

On the oil lines, I sanded mine clean with 220 grit, then with 320, then clear coated them. For the inside, I sloshed varsol back and forth a few times until it poured out clean, then ran a wire through and used that to pull the appropriate sized shop towel through (like a gun cleaner) soaked with brake cleaner. Then did one final rinse with soap and water to flush out any bits of the shop towel that might have been left behind.

I too removed the big gasket. I found that when I tried to install the new one on the tank, I just couldn't get a handle on exactly where it needed to be located. Since the location is pretty much dictated by the filter opening and the tank placement, I opted for not glueing it in place. I just left it free floating so I could fit it properly when I put the tank back in.

Nice job on the oil tank. Bedliner paint will probably hold up against dirt flying off the right rear longer than black engine enamel.

I cleaned mine out with gasoline or mineral spirits (can't remember which) shaking it all around in there and then filled it up with hot water and tide detergent and shook that around for a while around 6 years ago.
Then rinsed it out with a garden hose in the different openings for a while to get the Tide out.

Then hooked up a shop vac hose connected to the air outlet side of the shop vac to one of the openings on the oil tank and let air blow through it for an hour or so to get it completely dry inside.

Then I taped off all the openings and hose connections and sprayed it with several coats of black engine enamel. It's holding up good.

Duplicolor Truck Bed Liner
 

I used this stuff from Duplicolor:Duplicolor Truck Bed Coating, Black, 16.5 oz. Aerosol TR250: Purchase the best Truckbed Coating at Advance Auto Parts

Used because it was locally available at Advanced Auto Parts - and more importantly, because I had half can sitting in my garage.

It held up well on a previous project - I sprayed it in the footwell area before installing a dead pedal, and it has taken a beating well, so I figured I would give it a shot on the oil tank.

Like any other sort of paint - the outcome is highly dependent on the prep work.

Good luck,

Gordo

Update - Routing Clewett Spark Plug Wires to XDi Coil Packs
 

A minor update (the snail's pace continues due to too much research into engine wiring harness options :confused: ).

I spent about 2 hours tonight trying to figure out the cleanest / most organized way to route my Clewett spark plug wires to the Electromotive XDi Coil packs that are mounted on the Clewett Coil Mounting Platform.

Here's a few shots showing what I came up with:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1401334958.jpg

The spark plug wire clamps came in really handy, allowing me to organize the wires in an orderly, compact manner. I used these clamps: https://www.made4uproducts.com/cart/proddetail.php?prod=50-656

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1401335302.jpg

Options ranged from:
- Reversing the coil packs so that the contracts were forward / faced the alternator
- Slanting the wires left or right
- Figuring out the best /appropriate length wires to route to each plug and
- Routing the wires inside the the PMO manifold holes or around.

I think I may have OCD :p

That and I'm thankful I didn't go with dual plugs, I'm confident the options would make my head explode.

Gordo

Engine's In - But Not Quite Ready to Fire Off
 

Had a good Father's Day weekend.

My brother "Cabmando" (on the right) and his family stopped by this weekend to visit and give a hand getting the engine in:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1402973473.jpg

We knocked out a bunch of final checklist items to get the engine installed and were moving toward starting it up Saturday afternoon when we came to a sudden halt -

The B&B header was way too close to the S-Hose that connects oil tank to the engine oil cooler.

I thought I was good for all parts required to install the headers but somehow overlooked this one. We could have rigged something temporary up, but I figured I would wait until I could order the B&B line to replace the S-hose (prefer to avoid a premature dump of my oil while I'm breaking the engine in).

Also an update to link the thread on building the wire harness for the engine: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/911-engine-rebuilding-forum/812816-engine-harness-multi-pin-connector-carb-conversion-83-sc.html It came out nice (assuming it works...).

Getting closer...

Gordo

Ya know what's missing in that picture? A Kolsch.

How did we forget that?

Looks great guys. Nice work.

Looking good (the car) :D

Looks good ! :-)

Thanks for the thread w/ pics. Sub'ed. I am checking my head to piston clearance and the going on from there. The cam timing section is prolly gunna help me. Cheers, Mike.
Where do you get through Kolsch? Homemade?

We are both into home brewing. Don makes his variety and I make mine. Both good but mine is better. Just ask me, I'll tell you :D

Sweet. Another area I have yet to delve into, but would like to. Cheers. :cool: