Buying the Right Tools for the Job...
 

Someone recently was asking me about shortcuts to buying tools for rebuilding their engine. I responded with the following:

In answer to your comments about taking shortcuts. It's not the correct way of doing things, and you can make mistakes, and mess things up by not using the proper tools. Rebuilding a 911 engine is not easy, and if you don't use the correct tools, then you are already behind a step. Recommending the use of a universal or weaker stand is foolhardy, and unprofessional. It's akin to recommending that you stuff blocks of wood under your car instead of using jack stands. Yes, it can be done. Yes, you can probably do everything using large blocks of wood instead of using jack stands. But, it's just not the right way - there is much more room for error, and there is much more opportunity to make mistakes.

Rebuilding your own 911 engine is not an easy task - there are many, many, many mistakes that you can make during the whole process. It costs $$$ to do the rebuild cleanly and correctly. If someone is starting off by not buying the proper tools, then they do not have the right attitude going into this rebuild, and they are setting themselves up for failure.

I'm a firm believer in saving $$$, and I don't recommend that you purchase tools that you don't need (you don't need the pulley or flywheel installation tools, for example). However, there are some tools that you just should not do without, particularly when rebuilding your engine.

-Wayne

And which tool(s) would you be talking about?

The tools that I am specifically referring to are:

- Five pronged engine stand
- Camshaft holding tool and/or 46mm crowsfoot wrench
- Dial Indicator w/z-block or universal stand
- Torque wrenches (two ranges needed)
- Flywheel bolt tool
- Heat exchanger nut removal tool
- Head stud removal tool (can't use a regular allen too w/extenion because it hits the side of the camshaft housing)
- Clutch alignment tool
- Good ring compressor tool

That's all I can think of off the top of my head...

-Wayne

The earlier engine stand with 4 arms is fine as well. Look in your Factory Carrera ('84-89) manual for a picture. The 5 arm engine stand wasn't available until some time in the 90's I beleive.
-Chris

Wayne,

You forgot the infamous East Texas White Trash Engineered tool to ensure your flywheel and crankshaft splines are lined up correctly ;-)

Some of the 4-arms stands are made for VW engines, which are much lighter. I know of no way to determine the difference, so I recommend that people be safe - use the five-pronged ones. These 911 engines are heavy...

??? There are no splines on the crankshaft - the flywheel bolts attach the flywheel to the crank...

-Wayne

Wayne, I agree with on getting the correct tools. I did when I rebuilt my engine. I didn't need to use a special tool though to remove the heat exchangers or the cylinder stud nuts. Used an ordinary allen socket and extension.

Also used ordinary allen wrenches to remove the rocker shafts. I didn't encounter any problems.

Keep up the great work

Wayne,
Speaking of the right tool for the right job. In your preview edition, you mention the change of the camshaft sprocket holding bar in early engines(pre early 80's) was P202. Subsequent years the design of the sprocket and holding nut requires a new tool P9191. I can not seem to find the tool on the Pelican parts site. How do I obtain this tool, anyone?

Thanks,

Dave

If Pelican does not have a special Porsche tool, I ususaly try EBS racing. They also have a very complete list of all the Porsche tools for your reference.

http://www.ebsracing.com/tools.html

SIR tools makes most of these special tools now, so you can also search for that too. I've seen a few places that rent them. Again, try Pelican first.

Thanks JP
I'll start the search.

Dave

Wayne,

I totally agree that you need the right tools. However the more echonomy minded like myself (cheep) like to improvise as much as possible, afterall our time is "free".

For example:
I use an old spark plug to remove the timing chain sprocket pin.

I made my own flywheel stop using a scrap piece of aluminum and a junkbox bolt.

I made my own dial indicator (Harbor Freight $10) fixtures for setting valves and timing.

I made my own piston stops, uping scrap metal and junkbox bolts.

I made my own flow bench using a shop vac, and homemade manonometer using plastic pipe a board and an old ruller. Filled manonometer with rain water (its free) and a spare drop of antifreeze for color. Of course I borrowed time on a real flow bench to make calibration parts for it.

Anyway you can tell I have as much fun building my own tools as I do engines.

Snowman, totally agree with you. I made my own 914GT steel flares, 914/6 engine tin, accellerator linkage. That alone saved me more than 3K.

OK, i agree, its not NOS stock. But in the end, it may be important for some, its not for me. Like you, i am having as much fun TRYING to do something than DRIVING the car. What i have no fun doing, is simply lay out money and have someone do the job if i can do it. Of course, there are things i cant do. So i dont.

Some might disagree, if they have the money to pay for everything, then fine. They may find a reward just at LOOKING at their car. Im not. Doing more i can do makes me feel like i really own and know the car.

Best to all.

>In your preview edition, you mention the change of the >camshaft sprocket holding bar in early engines(pre early 80's) >was P202. Subsequent years the design of the sprocket and >holding nut requires a new tool P9191. I can not seem to find >the tool on the Pelican parts site. How do I obtain this tool, >anyone?

I realize that this is a unique situation, but with my 68' 911L motor, the left camshaft runs a smog pump and the cam billet is cast (or forged) to fit the smog pump pulley so the P202 or P9191 don't work. Neither one does! And the workshop manual of course doesn't mention it. You have to improvise by using a 17mm box wrench to hold the cam and then the 46mm to break the nut. Overall I was disapointed in the 46mm crawfoot. It wants to pull the nut off and strip it. The more pressure you exert on the nut the more it wants to come off. We ended up having someone push forward on the top of the crowfoot with a 2x4 to keep it from twisting off the nut as we turned it. The old workshop manuals show a more robust interesting looking tool for the job.

Ken-

Is this what your crow's foot looks like?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/..._foot_P203.JPG

This is the Sir tool version of P203. I personally would not try to remove the cam nut with a generic crow's foot, considering the torques involved. The correct Porsche tool (P203) is the only way to go, (and I'm really cheap).

As for the left cam on your '68 911L, my vote is to cut off the air pump drive, and buy a new chain cover. That's what I did on mine. The chain tensioner upgrade kit comes with a new cover anyway.

Thanks JP,

Yeah that's the same crow's foot I have. I bought everything used so I saved a bundle. Everything is pretty much brand new, used maybe once.

Our 68' 911L is a concours queen so cutting off the air pump drive isn't an option ;-) None of the smog equipment actually works but it's all complete and original. As for the chain tensioners, I just had my machinist weld up a boss on the front of the old chain cover and tap a hole for the oil fittings. You can see an example in Anderson's book. Piece of cake.

Kenr-

Woops, sorry for presuming you were not using the correct tool. I'm glad to hear the concours judges don't count off for the chain tensioner upgrade. I guess it's like sleeving the break calipers in early Corvettes. It's an acceptable change since it is such a critical improvement.

Why do you have to use a crow foot to remove the chain tensioner?? I used a std socket with an impact wrench.

To install it might require the crows foot if you insist on using a torque wrench, otherwise an impact will work here as well, although careful selection of the air pressure is required. This does not appear to be a critical torque requirement, just compress the lock washer and you are done.

Snowman,

You might want re-read the posts above. In this instance were not talking about the chain tensioners. Were talking about the cam nut.

Kenr-

I'm glad to see someone has at last exposed that torque tightening of fasteners is a waste of time......just use an impact gun!!!!!!
Jeez...

Sorry I ment cam nut. The tensioner nuts wouldn't last long would they.

I said CAREFUL use. These are very big and very forgiving nuts, its hard to break them or the cam. IF the air pressure is set to just flatten the large lock washer it should be safe enough and tight enough. You are not going to distort anything. Unless you are using some big impact for truck use I don't think you could strip or break this one even if you tried. This is allmost the only place where I would use an impact this way and its almost the only way to REMOVE big nuts and bolts on the end of a crank or pully, like the alternator. I would not use an inpact to install any of these though.