Scruffy is alive!!!!!

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 05:49 PM

She's back together and making sweet noises again. Fired her off earlier today, and so far, it's the driest mag case engine I've ever seen. No leaks. Bone dry. I'm very very happy. (Yes, I know it's a mag case motor, and it's only a matter of time, but I'm going to enjoy the dryness while it lasts!)

You may remember when Jack Olsen and I ran the snot out of her Spring Mountain in Pahrump, Nevada while practicing for the upcoming Open Track Challenge. She served us well, and ran beautifully all day long. It wasn't until the last session when Jack went out that I noticed She was smoking pretty heavily in the braking zone for turn one. But She stayed together all the way back to L.A., where a couple weeks later I finally tore her down.

Little did I know what I would find. It was unbelievable. I pulled the top-end apart and found that a piston circlip had broken and destroyed the piston and cylinder!

This was obviously something that had happened some time ago by the looks of things. That cylinder had been pumping oil for a while. Well, no big deal, I'll just find another piston and cylinder and do a top-end overhaul. The engine only had 30K on her since the last rebuild about 7 years ago, so I was pretty sure the bottom end was fine. My oil pressure was great, so no worries.

But the more I thought about it, the more I figured it would be stupid not to do a complete overhaul and do some nice reliability upgrades. So, I tore down the bottom end.

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! What I found was a disaster. The #7 main bearing was hammered to death by the pounding it was taking from the #4 piston against the cylinder. It was hammered so badly, that it closed off the oil feed hole. That's why my oil pressure was fine! My case, of course, was junk.

Hmmm..... The crank doesn't look too bad. This looks like it can be polished out. That's what I was thinking when I turned the crank around and noticed the hairline crack right at the radius of the #7 main bearing. All that hammering killed the crank too! It was literally holding on be about 5mm of material.
I'd say Jack and I were very lucky to have driven that car home from Nevada. And even luckier that it didn't let go in the middle of a session at the track. That kind of stuff can get ugly really quickly.

So, with a lemons-to-lemonade attitude, was looking forward to a little more power. It sucked having to basically start from scratch, but at least it would be all new.

Here's what I ended up doing:

Time-certed 2.4 mag-case with oil pump update and oil bypass mod.

2.2t pistons with valve pockets machined for Solex cams by Competition Engineering. Effective compression ratio= 9.8/1 (deck height reduced .75mm)

E-cams reground to Solex spec by Elgin.

Webers for now, but MFI after break-in.

170 to 175 horsepower estimated.

The car pulls like a 3.0L!

Also got my ducktail on Friday. My RS-look is complete. Just picture Black Beauty I, but with a soft top, and black primer.

I'm going to borrow Denis (Speeder) Hartigan's digital camera and take pictures of the engine carnage, and the Scruffy's new look on Monday. Hope to be tearing up the tarmac of all the local So. Cal. racetracks in the near future!

She's alive!!!!!

pwd72s · 07-26-2003, 05:59 PM

Great post, Tyson. Now tell me...are all those bunnies still hopping about Newport Beach?

nostatic · nostatic's Garage

Good deal Tyson...sounds like a sick little ride.

350HP930 · 07-26-2003, 06:05 PM

Congradulations

Though I am sorry to hear that your old engine was such a basket case its amazing to think that it carried you all those miles and through several track events.

Hearing about your loss and recovery makes me feel better about all the old yet immaculate 930 engine parts scattered about my garage.

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 06:11 PM

Thanks!

Paul, I don't know. I'm too busy to go to the beach! But, now that the car's back together, I'm going to learn to surf. (Oh, so that's why you have a ragtop, so you can fit a surfboard in a 911!..........you might have been heard to say....)

Yeah, I used to think my high compression T motor had throttle response. This new one has more, and just keeps on pulling! It feels like the perfect street/track compromise. And I still haven't rejetted the carbs and put in larger venturi's, or recurved the distributor yet. And then, the MFI goes back on!!!! This is as close to Christmas as an adult can get, I think.

Funny, I've driven much faster 911's, (almost everyday) but when it's your own, it feels better somehow.

Jack Olsen · 07-26-2003, 06:16 PM

The amazing thing was how well that old engine ran, even as it was tearing itself apart from the inside. Tyson's got the chassis on that car reinforced in some very clever ways, and the suspension balance is perfect. We were beating on every other car at Spring Mountain, that day, with a 1972 911T Cabriolet.

With a fresh motor and a few extra horses, Scruffy is going to humble an awful lot of bigger-displacement Porsches.

Congratulations, Tyson.

82SC · 07-26-2003, 06:17 PM

nice work tyson...

I've seen that motor in person and it looked pretty jacked before it got TLC from Tyson...

LOL it is funny you said that about the surfing...that is what my targa is for!!!...hahaha

MJ

Eric Mckenna · 07-26-2003, 06:18 PM

Tyson,
I am glad to hear that Scruff's back up and on the road.. I like that little runner,,, it's is a great little machine.

Eric Mckenna

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Eric Mckenna
Tyson,
I am glad to hear that Scruff's back up and on the road.. I like that little runner,,, it's is a great little machine.

Eric Mckenna

And you named her too!

MJ, we need to hit the waves together in the near future. I can't live in Southern California, and waste all this awesome weather. I've got 32 years of Seattle rain to make up for!

Jack, are you ready to hit the autocross scene with me in this thing? When's the next good track event? I need to break in this motor the hard way.

Jack Olsen · 07-26-2003, 06:29 PM

Now with a ducktail and a little extra spring in its step:

Jack Olsen · 07-26-2003, 06:33 PM

Aug 16-17, POC Short Track Series at Streets of Willow? (It was only 100 degrees out there today.)

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

Tyson, why the Solex grind on the cams??? I've got Solex cams in mine and love them, but just curious. -- Curt

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 06:39 PM

Wouldn't it look cool with a twin-pipe sport muffler? Love the way it would sound, too.

Streets of Willow would be O.K. I was hoping for the Big track, (I wanna knock that 1:39 down to a 1:37) or maybe Laguna Seca. This car would kick ass at Laguna Seca!

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cegerer
Tyson, why the Solex grind on the cams??? I've got Solex cams in mine and love them, but just curious. -- Curt

The Solex grind was the most aggressive grind I could get on my E-cam cores without welding. Welding would've shot the price almost triple. Also, Solex cams would allow the valves to clear the pistons, since I could only pocket the T pstons 1.8mm intake, and 1.5mm exhaust. It basically allowed me to use my existing cam cores, and existing pistons.

So the short answer is "Budget constraints". But I got a lot of bang for my buck. Now, if the bottom end had been fine, I could've sprung for some S cams, ported the heads, ti retainers, Aasco springs, etc. etc.

But instead I'll make do with 170 horsepower or so, which is just fine. The car kicked a lot of butt with 140 hp, so I'm happy as hell with 170.

RoninLB · 07-26-2003, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyson Schmidt

MJ, we need to hit the waves together in the near future. I can't live in Southern California, and waste all this awesome weather. I've got 32 years of Seattle rain to make up for!

if you really do live in Newport and commute to work? try a slow ride thru the beach/cliff road in Palos Verdes.. you can see a great surfing area with plenty of people in the water from up high on the cliff.. and you'll pass thru some very nice coves for free diving.. some trophy fish has been spearfished in those coves.. BTDT.........Ron

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RoninLB
if you really do live in Newport and commute to work? try a slow ride thru the beach/cliff road in Palos Verdes.. you can see a great surfing area with plenty of people in the water from up high on the cliff.. and you'll pass thru some very nice coves for free diving.. some trophy fish has been spearfished in those coves.. BTDT.........Ron

Cool! I'll check it out. My GF is really into Scuba. Maybe we'll try that. I don't live in Newport Beach though. I live in Koreatown in a pretty hip little area filled with aspiring young actors. They all look at me funny when I tell them I'm a Porsche Mechanic. They just assume I'm an actor like them. I tell them, "I'm not an actor, but I play one on T.V.") No, I don't tell them that.

Anyway, when are you fellow So. Cal. guys going to come to a DE with us? Nostatic? MJ? You haven't lived until.........well, you've heard it all before.

pwd72s · 07-26-2003, 06:58 PM

Tyson, Just food for thought...I had an Uncle who lived in Costa Mesa. He told me he never had the time to make it to Newport Beach...too busy playing golf at his "club". Hmmmm

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pwd72s
Tyson, Just food for thought...I had an Uncle who lived in Costa Mesa. He told me he never had the time to make it to Newport Beach...too busy playing golf at his "club". Hmmmm

O.K., so what you're saying is, go to the beach while you're young, and don't wait until the only thing your rickety old body can handle is riding around in an electric vehicle over hilly pasture while trying to hit a ball into a hole while wearing tacky clothing? Just kidding. I love golf.

I'll definitely check it out.

RoninLB · 07-26-2003, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tyson Schmidt

Cool! I'll check it out. My GF is really into Scuba. Maybe we'll try that.

those coves are usually filled with fish and other wildlife.. you'll have plenty of privacy on your own beach surrounded by rock.. SCUBA in the coves is probably a waste..SCUBA is another story ........Ron

Tyson Schmidt · 07-26-2003, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RoninLB
those coves are usually filled with fish and other wildlife.. you'll have plenty of privacy on your own beach surrounded by rock.. SCUBA in the coves is probably a waste..SCUBA is another story ........Ron

I hear ya. I'll have to do the free diving with a buddy then. My girlfriend can't swim!!!! That's why she scuba dives. Sounds weird, I know, but she did it to confront her fear of water and ended up loving it.