Need advice on 2.8 hot rod Purchase

Elombard · 08-05-2003, 06:42 PM

OK guys need some good advice. I am thinking seriously about buying a fellow pelicans RS look with a 2.8 twin plug. I would use it as a weekend driver, DE, Trackday, AUtoX car.

I am concerned about living with a $20K race motor on the street. Here are the specs I know of.

11 ish:1 compression
Twin Plugs
Electromotive Distributorless ignition
Webbers
8000 rpm redline
All reciepts available, very low mileage motor
reportedly can run 59s at Lime rock (what ever that means?)

Originaly built as a GT4 car. converted back to street.

In Georgia our premium is 93 octane. Not interested in running race gas all of the time, never seen a station carrying it except at the track. At most I am willing to add a bottle of Octane boost with each fill up.

Can I live with it? will it require constant fiddling? Will it need to be freshened on a fairly short cycle? I think I would rather have a good fresh 3.0 with webbers and ~9.8:1 compression but....

Save me!!! I love this car...

jmz · jmz's Garage

That is alot of compression for the street even for a twin plug. ...go lean on one of those cylinders and ouch!

I think I would have a hard time turning that one down too though.

Early_S_Man · 08-05-2003, 07:44 PM

An RS clone would be worth the trouble of putting a 3.0 street engine in it ... storing the 2.8 for occasional track workouts!

Randy Webb · 08-05-2003, 07:53 PM

The whole car is for that price? Might be hard to turn down, tho what are you gonna run it on?

The 2.8s when done right are supposed to be killer engines.

jmz · jmz's Garage

OK, more details needed. How much for the car. What case mods were done...shuffle pinned, time certs? What rods and rod bolts were used. Who built the engine. Perhaps you could buy it and put a motec injected system on it and run it a little more safely on the street.

twin plugged targa · twin plugged targa's Garage

My twin plugger is 11:1 but with twin distributors, webbers etc.
Custom crane Cam but not so aggressive that it will not idle.
I run on the highest octane available and she is showing no signes of problems after about 3K miles of ownership!
If it is really set up as a race engine I would save it for exactly that! - racing!
The rest of the car is probabley worth the money and sell off the engine maybe?
a 3.2/3.6 transplant would give same perf. but with longevity
hope this helps
ben

Elombard · 08-06-2003, 04:07 AM

Thanks guys

I am not sure on the motor internals, there is a stack of receipts and the description by the owner made it sound as though all of go fast bits were taken care of. I assumed (but will verify) that all of the mag case shortcomings have been addressed. I am on a bit of a budget so keeping the motor for race weekends and swapping in a fresh short stroke 3.2 is not an option. I had forgotten how "Peaky" race cammed motors can be, I dont think I would want to drive that on the street. The car is $25K. WHich is a deal but perhaps not for me with that motor. I would be better off buying another member Orange RS look with 2.5 that has proven streetability.

The whole point here is to get away from my current project and into something that is ready to go. Between very young kids, horses and a job I am not having much time to devote to my project RS look.

rs911t · 08-06-2003, 04:53 AM

I have a single plug 2.8 in my T. It was "built right" 25 years ago and is still going strong. And, a total hoot to drive, both on the street and track. I use 2:1 mix of pump 94 and Sunoco 110 for street driving (with the timing retarded a tad) and straight up 110 on the track (with timing advanced a tad).

steve930t · 08-06-2003, 05:39 AM

For what it's worth, one ride in this car would sell anyone. (it's my car). The thing idles at 900 rpm and will do so with out fouling plugs. It has lot's of torque and has been idled around town for hours without any driveability issues. At full throttle, holy s**t. The lightweight car, short gears and almost 300hp, what a combo! I wouldn't want to use it as an everyday ride, but for a weekend car and some DE's it's awesome. I can understand why people get scared of hot rods. We have all seen the piles of crap that are thrown together and barely run. I can't imagine putting a 3.0 in it, may as well buy an SC and put a duck tail on it!...just my opinion.

Elombard · 08-06-2003, 05:46 AM

Ughh Steve I melt when I look at that car!!! So its not that "cammy", hmmm. Thats amazing that it idles at 900. You think I could run it with 93 octane and a bottle of booster for any around town stuff??

DId you check on the heat components yet?

Jim Richards · 08-06-2003, 05:50 AM

Steve, your car is just fantastic.

Superman · 08-06-2003, 05:52 AM

Breathtaking car. I'm convinced it is a BLAST to drive, but maybe not convinced it makes 300 hp. Or, put another way, if a 2.8L engine makes 300 hp, it would not be fun to drive on the street.

JonT · 08-06-2003, 05:58 AM

"I can't imagine putting a 3.0 in it, may as well buy an SC and put a duck tail on it!...just my opinion. "

That kinda hurt Steve.

steve930t · 08-06-2003, 06:00 AM

Don't buy the car if it's not what you want. Were quite a few hours apart so it's not too easy to take a test drive. Everyone will have a defferent opinion of what you should buy, and everyone will have a different opinion about a 2.8. You need to decide what YOU want.

steve930t · 08-06-2003, 06:03 AM

JonT, that comment wasn't ment to offend anyone. The two are just completly different animals.

jpachard · 08-06-2003, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Elombard

reportedly can run 59s at Lime rock (what ever that means?)

Yikes, if you don't know what that means you shouldn't buy the car, especially if you're a "track guy". Go to the PCA website and look at the results for the Club Race this year and it will become apparent. This car is a ROCKET!!! Not to be driven by the faint of heart...

Cheers, James

jmz · jmz's Garage

I vote buy the car. Put a head temp sensor guage and a air/fuel guage on the dash. Watch those like the other guages. Purchase some leaded race fuel from time to time and mix it w/ premium and drive the snot out of it!

In the event that the engine is too peaky or troublesome on the street keep it in the car let a racer come test drive and review reciepts then put a 2.7 RS spec motor in it or "gasp" a 3.0 ...actually I really disagree with Steve on this one. A 3.0 w/ good breathing heads the right cams and compression is very much in the spirit of the 2.7 RS. I have had both a 2.7 rs type and my current 3.0 in my car and am very happy w/ my cammy 3.0.

Elombard · 08-06-2003, 06:14 AM

Good advice, I have never been to Lime rock so I am not familiar with a good time there. I believe its a rocket, I just figured some you would know exactly what that means. Man you guys are talking me into this!!!

JonT · 08-06-2003, 06:28 AM

Steve--no offense taken--why are you selling that beautiful machine? Thats got to be one of the PP boards most beautiful rides!

steve930t · 08-06-2003, 06:40 AM

I really want another 930. If it ever stops raining and I get the time to drive the car again, I'm sure I'll fall in love with it all over again and decide to keep it.