How the time flies. I have been making slow but steady progress, finally reached a major milestone today. Chain covers, tensioner oil lines, distributor, rockers, and valve clearance all done. It's all rolling downhill from here, right? :D

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Looking great John. How did the cam timing go? This is one of those tasks that seems to require both precision and patience.

Frank - cam timing was fiddly but not difficult. Having two dial indicators, one on #1 and one on #4 made it quicker and easier, especially for a first timer - easier to know where you are at when turning it through as you adjust #4, and for confirming both sides are close when you are done. Idler blocks for the cam chains (thanks John L) were very helpful also. I think clamps would probably work just as well, but the blocks are just cool. Once I understood what is being measured and how to it dial in, it was just a matter of time and patience. Bill came over and we both learned the drill - it was great to have two brains and two sets of hands as we figured out what we were doing - we really just followed the book. Of course I am also grateful to Jamie for the encouragement - and checking our work afterward.

The book is a little unclear in its treatment of oil-fed tensioners depending on whether you are adding new ones or re-using them. I figured it out eventually- I think - but there were some head-scratching moments. You absolutely must have a pin of precisely the right size to hold a tensioner compressed for installation, and I did not even try to fill them the way the book describes, the springs were too stiff for me to compress the pistons by hand in a bath of oil, I just filled them little by little with an oil can while compressing and releasing in my bench vise (with rubber jaws).

Yes I just had a crack at cam timing on my 964... Did you install all the rockers or just the ones at intake 1 and intake 4?

When you removed the pin, did your cam move?

Hey Mike -
Put in the #1 intake, timed the left side, then put in #4 intake and timed the right side. Straight outta the book. Yes, it moves a bit after putting in the pin, it was a bit of an iterative process. I found I had to go a little past my target, then insert the lock pin.

Woohoo!! A Longblock...

Getting closer.

Good work John!
All downhill from here;)

Some busy work last night, putting on the valve covers, installing spark plugs, and cleaning up the studs for the oil sump plate. It's time for me to get serious and start thinking induction. I still need to finish cleaning the throttle bodies and bore them to match the intake ports.

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I didn't get a lot done on my motor tonight, but I did manage to complete a major milestone - in particular, installing the part that, had it been used in the prior build, would have no doubt resulted in a much longer-lived engine. Some enterprising soul, instead of purchasing this $25 Porsche part, used a cheap plumbing fitting instead, which resulted in a crack in the case around the fitting and a nasty oil leak. I took great satisfaction in torquing this bad boy down on a fresh seal ring:

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Looks nice.. curious, did you use any sealant on the threads?
Loctite?

Mike,
No, I didn't use any thread locker or sealant, the book doesn't call for it. I did wonder about that as I was putting it in, but just left it dry and put in a new seal ring. Does anyone suggest any different?

the seal ring will do the job. I jut use the seal ring on my new fitting and it worked fine. PO put green bearing retainer in the old one and I had a hell of a job getting it out. spent three days with a dental pic working the threads

i have not looked at your whole thread but looked at your latest pics . it differs from my 78 3. litre.

did you relocate your engine oil pressure and temp sensors. it looks like you have the pressure sensor located where the idiot light would normally be . did you use a dual function sensor that would eliminate the need for the temp sensor at the normal location ?
if so why did you go this route ? i would normally like sensors where i can get to them.

Hey iceman -
I have just put things back where I found them. It wouldn't be the first incorrect thing I have found with this motor. Could you be more specific about what you are talking about?

sure of course .. but yours may be completely stock . it may just be year to year differences. Im sure someone who knows can chime in .. i will post a couple pics of my setup , maybe things did change from my 78 to yours.
i did see you didnt put your temp sensor back in yst , thats why i didnt see it there..

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1475608446.jpg

on mine the can type pressure switch is mounted at the back of the engine and have a seperate switch at the front ( the one i covered in epoxy ) at the front to trigger the oil pressure light.

I guess on later cars they used the can type switch at the front for both as i see two leads coming off yours and only one on mine.

This could be good as the one i have covered in epoxy has a habit of "popping out" time to time and spewing oil everywhere. never done it to me so i used the JB weld as an ounce of prevention.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1475608903.jpg

Better pic of my idiot light switch for oil pressure ( before i coated it in JB weld ) a little different type switch to yours. If i had known i could change the switch to your style i would have.

Ok, I see now what you are saying. It might be different due to my motor having been put into an earlier car, not sure of the differences in the harness, etc. Mounting the can pressure sensor at the rear as you have must require a 90 degree elbow of some kind?

yeah it comes out from the case goes to a block that the sensor is mounted in then the cam oil line goes from there. So the cam oil line will be shorter on my car too.
i wish i had a better pic of the area.

got onehttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1475676817.jpg

notice i have only one connection on my can sensor ?

i bet your two connections are for the switch and the guage ( much cleaner in my opinion )

Progress update - I had found a "correct" '72 yellow shroud on eBay a while back. It had a big crack between the oil breather housing cutout that ran up the "hump" of the shroud - you can see it in this picture - I repaired with some epoxy and nylon mesh tape on the underside, it won't really be visible once the intake is on. To install it, though, I had to take the back of the alternator off again - the book said to connect it, but I discovered afterward that the harness with all its connectors and branches would not pass through the hole in the shroud - lesson learned.

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I did some trimming on the shroud for clearance around the injector adapters with some needle files, and was able to get the shroud mounted without drama.

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With the shroud installed, it was time for the tin, which I had powder coated a while back. The tin is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, but since it really only fits one way, not that difficult to figure out. I dry-fitted the throttle bodies, stacks, and air box to give myself a big feeling of accomplishment.

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Almost there...

Did Mark Motshagen do the restoration of your fan & housing?

I just did my 964 too.. not that far ahead. I noticed that a lot of the bolts for the engine tin are a special "triangular" cross section.. ie not perfectly cylindrical.
Yet when I ordered new ones from my local porsche centre, I received normal perfectly cylindrical ones.
I still used them, since they are all nice and shiny :)

Hey Frank - yes, he did - they are stunning, too. Looking even better with the stainless Rennline fan strap that came in a box courtesy of the previous owner. My shroud has some patina, though.

Good to know. I sent mine to him about a month ago. What was your turn-around time, not that I'm in any hurry? I may want to drop by to take a look when it comes time to decide on color.

Whew, it has been a while since I have posted. Somehow this project has stretched out a lot longer than I ever imagined. Life intervenes...

Also, I did the rear suspension, changed out the torsion bars for one size up, added Carrera adjustable spring plates. I redid the soft fuel lines front and rear, and plumbed in the new EFI fuel pump.

This last weekend I got the MFI throttle bodies and stacks assembled and installed on the motor, along with the crossbar and linkages.

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I hope to get the remaining odds and ends buttoned up and the motor back in the car in the next couple weeks!

What an impressive thread! Thank you so much for documenting all the process. It's very nice to read the problems that a home mechanic finds as you go along and helps keeping my expectations in check for a similar project I'm planning to do at some point.

Looking forward for details about the EFI setup and tuning.

A very eventful weekend! Huge thanks to Jamie and Bill who came over to make it rain! Bill and I had installed the clutch yesterday.

Today, we finally got the motor off the stand - put some 2x4s on the ramp of my four-post lift, and set it so we could lift the motor and support it while removing the stand.


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With the motor on the ramp and the stand out of the way, we spun the motor around on the 2x4s, then lowered the ramp to the exact same height as a motorcycle jack. Once in place we began to carefully slide the motor a little at a time, one-by-one transferring the 2x4s onto the MC jack. It sounds more complicated than it is, we got the motor onto the jack very quickly.

Then, things got off track a little. We filled the gearbox, then went to mate it to the engine, and it would...not....go....on. Clutch misaligned? Tried loosening the pressure plate bolts, getting it exactly centered, tighten, nope still wouldn't go on. Took it all apart, whoops, the clutch disc was the wrong one, must be for a 901, not 915. Doh! Long story short, we found the one I had removed from the car at the start of this rebuild, and it was in decent shape, plenty of meat on it, so we put that one in instead, and it slid right on. We scavenged some studs from another case I had lying around, and managed to get it mated and bolted on. Originally, we weren't going to put the motor in today, but with the gearbox on, we all looked at each other and said, "Let's git this thing in the car!"


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No, we didn't forget the last-chance engine bay photo...


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Here is Jamie rolling the jack into position.


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Raised the MC jack as high as it would go, then lowered the car on the lift down onto the motor.


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If I were to do this again (perish the thought) I would have cleaned off my rolling toolbox and put the motor on there, so when we lowered the car down, we would still have lots of room to work under the car to get the trans mount bolts in place. Still, it went in just fine, Jamie was able to persuade things into the correct position and get them in. Then, it was up top for the motor mount bolts.

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Here is the motor in place. I can't tell you how excited I am to finally have reached this point, it has been a two-year journey. I remember thinking I would get this done in a couple of months.

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Here is the view from under the car.


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Still plenty of work left - reconnect clutch and throttle linkages, oil lines, and of course, the EFI installation. But I am elated to at long last have the motor installed in the car, and I can't thank my friends enough for helping me get to this point today. I am savoring the moment!

Great to see it all (most) back together, John. Now on to EFI set up and then start and tune. Fun project you have there, going to be a really interesting coupe. Let's see, 3.0 motor, MFI hardware, electronic FI conversion, Ferrari seats, should be a rocking good ride!!😄

Congratulations on completing the motor assembly and getting it back in the car. When do you plan the initial start-up?

Congrats! I can't wait to hear this car run....and go for a ride!

It all depends on how long it takes me to get everything hooked up. I have deliberately avoided deadlines because I didn't want to add stress to the project. In retrospect, that has probably been why it has taken so long.

Still, it is hard to plan when you get partway through a task and then have to stop and order a part, which injects more delay. For example, after we got the motor in, I searched for and found my throttle linkage rod, and noticed it's pretty worn at the loop end. I'm sure it would work, but I ordered a new one.

Still, seems realistic to be firing it up by August 1, right?

Made some more progress yesterday. Bill somehow thought to check to see if we had the trans mounts properly installed, and found a thread on the forum here on that very topic. If you look at the pic above, you can see they are bolted to the bottom of the crossmember, which is incorrect. I re-installed them correctly, on the top.

I hooked up the clutch and shifter, and started cleaning some of the remaining parts - oil crossover, half-shafts (and ran out of degreaser on these). It is amazing when you have an oil leak how it gets everywhere. As if the half shafts need any help being messy. Hey, at least the hardware isn't corroded - I had some of the nastiest looking hardware ever come out of the cleaner gleaming like new.

I pulled the rear anti-roll bar out of the frunk, and found that all of the bushings are shot, and ordered new ones. It's amazing how these seemingly minor tasks can eat up a day. Still, the frunk is now empty of major components, and with the shifter and clutch somewhat operational, it almost feels like a car again when I sit in it.

Looks like all my images are still showing, but I just found out that Photobucket is doing away with their free image hosting, and charging $500/year to host images like in this thread.
I hate to think of how many threads on this forum and others will lose their photos.

When I put my motor back in, I didn't bother about installing anything like sway bars or drive shafts. Just enough to get it in and do the camshaft break in.
Lucky too.. cos I had an oil pressure switch decide to fail, and leaked oil EVERYWHERE!!

Motor came out again, right after cam break in...

Mike -
Sorry to hear that. You make a good point. I have a lot of work to do yet getting the EFI going, so my time might be better spent on that to avoid having to undo all that later.

John,
You spoke too soon about your photos. A big chunk of them are now MIA:mad::mad:

I knew it was coming. Really annoying, but Photobucket is in the death spiral. Not surprising, I suppose - just exactly what was their business model? The worst part is letting their subscribers know like this. Their site had become really obnoxious with all the ads. It was fun while it lasted.