2.7 rebuild in Palm Beach County

[JupiterJohn]

Hello to all.....I have a new project and would like to solicit opinions on who to source for assistance rebuilding a 2.7s ....I would like to disassemble myself and cary the old parts to a qualified/experienced machine shop for determination of what's what with the crank, journals case studs, ect. The plan is to have this machine work carried out, then turn over to a builder for assembly. Price is important but so is quality!

This is a lower rpm application in a 3,000 GVW vehicle so I'm looking at new 2.7 euro MFI Pistons n cylinders with E Cams or something close to that profile....PMO Carbs on top.....I understand that 34 mm chokes should be good ...I was considering 1.5 inch equal length primary tube headers ....but don't know how to best collect and exit the exhaust from that point, as my application is a 65 VW Single Cab Transporter.....space will be at a premium!

Any comments on the build and/or recommendations are appreciated ......yes I'm married to the 2.7 ....I have bore scoped the pistons and walls (their replacement is a given) .....so it's to expensive for a divorce.

[Flat6pac]

You're making it difficult. With two different people involved, the machine shop and the assembler and the problems with the 2.7..
Who is going to warranty the work?
Bruce

[JupiterJohn]

Point well taken....in my humble thoughts an experianced /qualified machine shop would know the pitfalls of the 2.7 short block, not to mention ......hopefully.....the kind souls who share their experiance on this forum will be able to keep me out of the woods. However, I absolutley agree with you that , this is an area of concern and should be part of the total build consideration.

On the other hand .....life is a learning experiance and I am not the type of person to deliver an engine and then write a check for the final product. In my experiance sometimes collecting on a guarantee is harder to accomplish, than becoming involved with the process start to finish.

Not to say I haven't had excellent rebuild results in the past by writing the check.....275 GTB/4 engine, Rob Shanahan San Diego ....brilliant rebuild along with excellent pricing ...but that was 20 years ago....and not a Porsche. Rob and I had also worked together , on a couple other cars.

Thank you for your thoughts,

John

[porschetub]

A lot of people get put off if they buy a project car has the engine in a bunch off plastic storage boxes it certanly makes the car worth less.
Your engine guy will see it as a hassle,it will add more cost to the engine build as he pays someone to sort and check parts.....before the real work starts.
What you are thinking of will cost you more.

[jhg41977]

A lot can be told during disassembly. I would not recommend taking it apart and then bringing it to a rebuilder.

[JupiterJohn]

Ok....thanks for the thoughts porschetub n JHG 41977....unfortunately this is an engine that according to the seller was rebuilt with new Pistons n Cylinders .....once I recieved engine and scoped cylinders....I found almost no cross hatch but did locate vertical scoring as well as a deeper rusty colored horizontal longer gouge.....obviously the cases have been apart ( new sealant ) .....obviously the Pistons and cylinders are in poor shape and won't seal (even) with new rings......the seller has evaporated, and if he were in play .....being such a liar, he will be artfull in dodging these circumstance....the legal path is cumbersome, expensive, and energy draining......I bought the engine, it's mine and now I'm going to fix it......the rest of the above will sort itself out.

So seeing that no one recommends taking it apart myself ...where do I go from here,

the last Porsche engine I delt with over 20 years ago was in central Florida .....a 2.2 with 2.4 p&c's S cams, crank fire electromotive ignition , in a tube chassis with a plastic 356 body....went pretty good.....German Motor Works in Orlando did the machine work Bill Messier was the owner of that shop and Jimmy Dean was the machinist....Steve Macione ( ex Nort Northam technician ) assembled the engine and helped me sort out the car.

I called Steve the other day, he explained German Motor Works is long gone....Jimmy Dean, is making piles of money in the yacht service industry ...not available, Steve is up in Talahasee building a new library at the USF campus's... not available.

So even if I deliver this motor to a shop for disassembly.....I need someplace to go!!

[jhg41977]

Wow, sorry to hear of the troubles with the seller.

You can check out the 901 shop up in the Stuart area. I do not have personal service experience with them but I did stop by their shop. Judging by what was in there, I think you'd be happy.

If you are a patient person and somewhat mechanicaly inclined I see no trouble with you rebuilding it. If it's all going to a shop to reassemble though, it's usually best to let the rebuilder disassemble to note any issues.

There is a ton of knowledge out there to assist you in rebuilding the engine yourself if you feel comfortable.

Jim

[JFairman]

I know a guy in West Palm that does good work building 911 motors. I just called him to tell him about your post here. His name is Chris and I got his voice mail and left a message.
The 2.7 liter mag cases are known to warp when they are split and usually need a line bore to get them right again. That makes them one of the more expensive 911 motors to rebuild correctly.

I used to live in Jupiter and Juno Beach with the little lake and the Juno Pier is my favorite place in Palm Beach County. You're lucky to live there

I hope you get in touch with Chris, he's a really good guy and excellent mechanic.

[ganun]

The best is the 901 shop, though it won't be cheap.

[Steve@Rennsport]

Originally Posted by ganun

The best is the 901 shop, though it won't be cheap.

Absolutely.

[JupiterJohn]

Thank you, George, Jim, Steve, n J Fairman,

"J" ......yes if Chris is available I would like to speak with him.


I purchased my new p&c's from David at Road & Race .....my first question to him was....are these real. My next concern is proper cams for carbs....I belive it was Richard at PMO who's said ....that he was happy with the E cams for my application and said something I have heard only once before, but I didn't pay a lot of attention then as it was a Chevy at idle .......anyway the thought is S cams will have a hard time burning clean at lower RPM's....so other than the power band selection E cams are a better choice......I use a A/F meter while driving for my carb set up and Richard pointed out the false rich scenereo that develops with with S Cams.....I know I don't want S cams but would like opinions on optimal cams for 3,000 lbs street driving 2000 to 5000 RPMs....cleaner burn .....when I'm in 5 th just crack throttle. Why doesn't anyone use vacuum advance ? 2500 RPMs and no load ....seems to me timing could be 40* for a cooler cleaner burn..

Thanks again

[JupiterJohn]

My apologies to our host, in my last message, I spoke of an outside source for parts....I very much appreciate this site, and will be careful not to make the same mistake again....

[Lapkritis]

If the case has already been split recently then would you consider just doing a top end job? You can replace the pistons and cylinders without opening it up all the way. If you have the new pistons and cylinders on hand already, this might be your best option. No need for mailing the case out and working up a major machine shop bill. Then just inspect the heads before determining if you need to do any work there. Keep it simple if you can resist temptation.

[JFairman]

Originally Posted by JupiterJohn

Thank you, George, Jim, Steve, n J Fairman,

"J" ......yes if Chris is available I would like to speak with him.

Thanks again

I just gave Chris a call and he'd like to do your motor. He's not on these forums so I'll PM you his phone number.
He's a great guy, I hope it works out.

Jim

[JupiterJohn]

I think I follow your thoughts Lapkritis....yes the case was split on the rebuild befor I took possession...

So....if the heads n pistons n cyl's come off and the previous work (that will be then seen) is unquestionably good, then I might consider taking a chance on the bottom end....

That's a decent suggestion ....thank you, one of the reasons that I wanted to pull the engine apart myself, is to get a feel for the build quality.

....that will be a tough decision, crack or non crack....but one that dosen't have to be made right away

Thanks again
John