3.2l rebuild, the quest for more power

[michael lang]

Yes, I made the mistake of misreading the gap gauge. My bad! All fixed.
The long block is now sealed and I'm putting on the exhaust and with a little luck I'll be able to have that done today as well.
I spent a lot of time today doing the final cleaning on the valve covers. Here's what I did:
I started with the valve covers that I took down to the shop and ran through the parts washer. I think I did probably 5 or 6 cycles on those things.
I decided to go with the natural aluminum look on the valve covers. I ordered the paint prep and the aluminum prep from Eastwood.





This is what I started with:



The instructions are to apply a coat liberally and wait 3-5 minutes and then buff to finish. Repeat as many times necessary until desired results. I think I ended applying 7 coats with some brass brush and scouring pad buffing and even a Mr Clean wipe as a final finish.





Making progress



A lot of elbow grease later, this is where I stopped:

[DSPTurtle]

Lookin good!
Next time you might add up all the money and time and consider having them glass bead blasted. It's a lot less work but the reality is, you did it yourself and there is some intrinsic motivation when you can say that!!

Heres a set I did Friday night for a customer with a turbo for comparison. No special chemicals, just some quality time in the blast cabinet with good music on the headphones.

[michael lang]

You're right JB, there is a lot of motivation in being able to say I did it myself. Last night I spent some time with the blast cabinet at the shop after work removing the paint on the engine mount bar prepping it to be refinished. I will spend some more time blasting atleast another piece of engine tin getting it ready for refinishing today. The trouble I find in this whole process is being able to find some quality time to do these little projects that end up eating up so much time. Although it has been frustrating at times, I have enjoyed this process since I started it. If I had to do it over next time, I probably would have expanded my tools and parts list before getting started. There have been various delays because I had come across something that I needed to do but was unable to move to the next step because I did not have such and such tool or because I did not know that I should replace "X part" while I was at that point and had to stop progress to either go buy or wait for something I ordered to be shipped. That has probably been the number one frustration during this whole thing. I have to admit there have been a number of times where I was thinking I should have never taken the damn thing apart. But I kept pushing, I'm getting close and it's good timing too because my car is almost ready. I can't wait to get back to the track this summer.

[crg53]

Originally Posted by DSPTurtle

Lookin good!
Next time you might add up all the money and time and consider having them glass bead blasted. It's a lot less work but the reality is, you did it yourself and there is some intrinsic motivation when you can say that!!

Heres a set I did Friday night for a customer with a turbo for comparison. No special chemicals, just some quality time in the blast cabinet with good music on the headphones.

In my humble opinion, that is very poor advice, glass or sand blasting, should NEVER be performed on engine parts that are in contact with the oil, just think of all those tiny particles of glass and or sand getting into your bearing shells.

[DSPTurtle]

I agree with your concern. When glass blasting any part it is imperative to clean it very well prior to reassembly. Your scare tactic is a little over the top though. I think a little common sense is just what the doctor ordered. Thorough rinses and good, sound cleaning processes should be in place before putting any part back on regardless of method used to clean it. Brass and steel brushes can leave bristles and scotch-brite pads leave little green hairs that would also be detrimental to bearing shells, oil squirters or any other number of small orifices that require clean oil. Bead blasting is no more risky than those methods if a good follow up cleaning process and inspection is not performed.

[crg53]

Bead or sand blasting will imbed particles in the metal that will not be removed with a thorough cleaning, but can be released over time. Why run the risk, when there are other methods of cleaning, that have no risk.
No scare tactics here, just well proven facts.

[DSPTurtle]

Hmm... I'll be your huckleberry. Since you told everyone what not to do, how about you offer advice on what to do. I'm always up for learning something new. Let's hear it.

[crg53]

I am very sorry if I offended you., why don't we just leave it at that.

[RedCoupe]

Originally Posted by crg53

I am very sorry if I offended you., why don't we just leave it at that.

No, seriously, please outline some of your recommended no risk cleaning methods!

[DSPTurtle]

No offense taken here! I'm genuinely interested. Over the last few months I have tested a few different chemical processes and they haven't worked out well. I've tried alum-I-brite and alum-a-brite and some other magical liquids. They tend to leave a dark, mottled finish and do nothing to get good clean gasket surfaces.
I would love to know what can be done, besides low pressure bead blasting with very expensive glass beads to ensure that nothing embeds itself in the metal. And then the 30 or so minutes of cleaning, rinsing, blowing and repeating that process two or three times to ensure the surface is sufficiently cleaned. All before lapping the sealing surface. Please share your method.

[JFairman]

Baking soda blasting cleans pretty good and doesn't leave any abrasive silica powder or nuclear fallout behind
Whatever is left on the parts dissolves and rinses off with water.

[DSPTurtle]

Jim, I have the conversion kit for soda in my tool drawer. I was hoping to see some pics somewhere of how the soda ends up making the parts look. It would be awesome to just rinse the parts. I know that a few of the left coast guys swear by soda but I haven't really seen any pics that show sparkling parts after they are done with the process. Do you have any pics you can share? Is it aggressive enough to make for a nice gasket sealing surface?

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by DSPTurtle

... I was hoping to see some pics somewhere of how the soda ends up making the parts look...

More pics/details in this 2012 thread:

Originally Posted by TT Oversteer

...

[michael lang]

I have been waiting so patiently to get to this point, I really feel like I am getting close.



During the installation of my nearly new SSIs I came across this on one of my super trick ARP Racing manifold studs



I emailed Troy at EBS Racing (my salesperson at EBS) this pic on Sunday and today a replacement spacer arrived. Please keep in mind I bought these from him last summer and had him ship them directly to Anchor Atlantic in NJ where my heads were being done. Lots of ???s along the way about what could have happened, his reply to my email "I'm sending you a replacement".

I would totally buy from them again, hands down!!

[boosted79]

"No offense taken here! I'm genuinely interested. Over the last few months I have tested a few different chemical processes and they haven't worked out well. I've tried alum-I-brite and alum-a-brite and some other magical liquids. They tend to leave a dark, mottled finish and do nothing to get good clean gasket surfaces.
I would love to know what can be done, besides low pressure bead blasting with very expensive glass beads to ensure that nothing embeds itself in the metal. And then the 30 or so minutes of cleaning, rinsing, blowing and repeating that process two or three times to ensure the surface is sufficiently cleaned. All before lapping the sealing surface. Please share your method."

Soda is the way to go. When done spray the part with vinegar in a spray bottle then rinse with warm water, done. Absolutely no chance of contamination. A cabinet blaster can be set up to use soda.

[nevzatcan666666]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

I was just wondering if there was a reason for it.

Yes the "WYIT" is the "pass go" card

BTDT and I'm also in waiting of doing my engine which at that time will probably Supercharge her.

Will be following your journey

T. Yu. M euo

Originally Posted by michael lang

My engine rebuild started 9 1/2 yrs ago when I bought my car. I always knew that someday I would get to this point, I just didn't realize how I would get here. I have wanted one of these cars since I was a young child, my father got me hooked. He was always a Porsche fan and at one point had a 356. Then he got married, my parents had me so the 356 went away for a VW Beetle but my father never was cured of the bug (no pun intended!). The past 9 1/2 years have been absolutely awesome, I cannot imagine ever being without my car. Last season, while exiting T9 @ Summit Point Main I over rotated and went sideways. I went both feet in, I slid a little bit and I start rotating back to facing forward. Just when I thought I was going to be alright, I was hit on my pass side by a driver that in my mind could have avoided me. After very carefully thinking everything through, I decided to keep my car and have it repaired.

Fast forward to present, through this forum and various materials like the Bentley manual and Wayne's 101 book I have learned how to do a number of things so I had the confidence to do my rebuild myself while my car was away having the body repairs completed.

I would like to share my experience, my challenges and my victories as I go through my engine disassembly, cleaning, upgrading, dealing with subletters like machine shops and parts suppliers, reassembly and ultimately reinstall & start up. Hopefully some of the things that I encounter, others will have already dealt with and will be able to suggest the best ways to deal with those things. Additionally, some of the things that I have successfully worked through will help someone get past that obstacle if/when they are facing the same set back.

My goals are relatively reasonable for my engine, 250bhp. I am getting sick & tired of having 986 & 996 cars leave me on the straight only to catch up when the track gets tight again so it would be nice to have a little extra go go in the juice. I feel as though my plan is realistic, 964 cams, upgraded exhaust and reprogramming the fuel management system.

Any suggestions, help in sharing your knowledge and experience or guidance that anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

K013 cihazmdan Tapatalk kullanlarak gönderildi

[nevzatcan666666]

Originally Posted by JJ 911SC

I was just wondering if there was a reason for it.

Yes the "WYIT" is the "pass go" card

BTDT and I'm also in waiting of doing my engine which at that time will probably Supercharge her.

Will be following your journey

Yu. F. Â. !igt

K013 cihazmdan Tapatalk kullanlarak gönderildi

[michael lang]

This thing is really starting to come together. I just wish I could take a day and just finish it. I guess that why they call them projects, you fit it in when you can. Kinda like a work in progress. Looking more like an engine every time.







I ended spending a couple of hours bead blasting the alternator housing and fan, the time investment was completely worth it.

Now comes the second parts I feel intimidated by...wiring harness and intake. Good thing I took the time to take a ton pics before I took it apart.

[preston_brown]

Better clear coat those parts or they will oxidize again pretty fast.

[RD911T]

Originally Posted by michael lang

Now comes the second parts I feel intimidated by...wiring harness and intake. Good thing I took the time to take a ton pics before I took it apart.

Great work Mike. Get a good wiring diagram and have it blown up at Staples or similar store. Laminate it too. Well worth it. If you get stuck, refer to it. I was intimidated by my wiring too and this really helped me work through it.