3.2 to 3.5 - Part II

[Jeff Alton]

Ralph, glad to see you got the compression a little closer to where you would like it. I hope you get it finished soon. looks great!! Yamabond hey...... hmmmm have you used it before? Just curious, I know the subject gets a lot of air time on the engine rebuild forum, but I would be interested in your first hand observations.

Love the new Avatar header, I agree, that Moore guy just couldn't take a punch!! He He He He... I think it is Granville Island Time, got the steering rack out and need some motivation to put it back in!! After all it is 9:00pm here and I do have to drive it to my real job at 5:00 in the morning. I think I need a few more clients so I can get rid of the Real Job.

Once again, the motor looks great. I think you are building the motor the rest of us with Carreras want!!

Cheers, Jeff

[Carrera3.5L]

Originally posted by vanwyk4257
It's a thing of beauty Ralph, I can't wait to see the article in European Car magazine. I subscribed when they did the early 911 series of articles and am glad to see they're doing more 911 articles. I'm thinking of building something similar eventually for my '72 911 "rsr" project, so I'm following this thread very closely!

Thanks, European Car is shifting gears and trying to go back to their VW & Porsche roots. If the brief articles that I am writing for them are well received, expect to see much more Porsche features to follow. Mitch Rossi did the early 911 series of articles and he is waiting in the wings to do more with Porsche cars. You guys don't have to like my articles, but let European Car know in the coming months that you want to see more Porsche content!

Boy, a 3.5L twin-plug in an early chassis with no smog requirements? Sounds like you have the project to have! Andial did a 3.6L (from a 3.0L) with slide valve injection for a customer in Mexico City when I worked there. Would be a nice motor for your project!

[Carrera3.5L]

Originally posted by catca
I agree, that Moore guy just couldn't take a punch!!

Cheers, Jeff

Careful Jeff, I know its hard to believe, but not everyone is a Canucks fan.

As for the Yamabond, am not worried in the slightest. Steve has used it for years and years and years and doesn't have a problem with leaking engines. Every engine builder has their personal favorites, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Hoist a GI Lager for me! I miss sitting at Bridges on the island watching the boats enter and exit False Creek.

Ralph

[Jeff Alton]

I was only kidding anout the hockey reference. Don't forget there was the odd woman to look at while at bridges as well!!

Jeff

[Carrera3.5L]

Update for Wednesday the 27th:

Today was the day we did the final checks to make sure all is well with the valvetrain assembly. When I got to Steve's shop, he had just finished re-torquing the ARP head studs to 38 ft/lbs, fitted the chain housing boxes and installed the engine oil cooler that my buddy Eric Bloss at PMNA ultrasonically cleaned for me.



We then fitted the Web 20/21 cams in the cam towers as well as the retaining plates, cam sprockets, and the 2 outer black chain ramps (the other 4 are already installed). The idler sprockets and cam bolts were also loosely installed in preparation for setting the cam timing and checking the piston to valve clearance. Note Steve's "tool" between the idler arm and chain housing to help keep tension on the chain without the tensioner installed



Steve then installed the rocker arms and shafts on cylinder #1. The newly polished shafts have been "updated" with the RSR seals (the shafts don't have the seals stock even though the grooves are there) to keep oil from potentially leaking from this area.



The valves were then adjusted on #1 to .004" (.102mm). The 19mm cam bolt was torqued down to 90 ft/lbs. using Porsche tool 9191 to hold the sprocket.

Turning the motor over by hand, Steve was able to measure the piston to valve clearance by inserting a screwdriver on the valve adjusting screw and gently tightening it until he could feel the piston and valve make contact, then backing off. He measured 2.0 mm of clearance on the intake and 2.5mm of clearance on the exhaust. How did he know? The adjusting screws are M8x1 and thus every thread on the screw represents 1mm. According to Web-Cam's instructions, a minimum of .050" clearance on the intake and .080" (2 mm) clearance on the exhaust is required. No problem there.

Steve then proceeded to do the same thing on cylinder #4. Again, the rocker arms and shafts were installed and the valves adjusted. No problem either with the piston to valve clearance.

Steve also timed the cams within Web-Cam's range for the 20/21 profile which is 1.9mm-2.2mm. Mine is right at 2.0mm.

With the cams properly timed and everything else installed and torqued down to spec, the only thing left was to reinstall the chain tensioners. Here is the finished product:



Last for the night, I quickly removed the stock oil restrictors from the cam towers and replaced with the updated version with the smaller orifice:



Tomorrow we will finish installing the rest of the rocker arms and shafts, adjust the valves, install the 12 plugs and fit the upper and lower valve covers. We will also install the chain housing covers. The only thing left to install on the case is the 993 distributor, which I still need to change the drive belt on with a new one I picked up.

The headers are out being ceramic coated in a "titanium" finish that looks very nice and much better then black. May do the same with the Extrude Honed intake plenums as well.

People who have been following this project from the beginning on a different thread may remember the 935 conversion Vision Motorsports is doing on a '79 930 to race in historics. Here is the latest pic:



Bodywork is from the same mold that was used to build the Howard Meister/ANDIAL 935 that Rolf Stommelen drove.

[Carrera3.5L]

Wow, no one even responds anymore, are you guys getting bored with the thread and just wish we would hurry up and finish? I've gotten to that point as well.

Here is the latest update from tonight:

Steve installed the rocker arms and shafts for #2 and #3 on the left bank and #5 and #6 on the right bank and then set the valve clearance.



In the meantime, I installed the chain housing covers and when Steve was done with the arms/shafts I installed the newly powdercoated "Bavarian Silver" upper and lower valve covers while Steve worked on the cam oil lines for both sides of the motor.



A few ancillary pieces were next, including the oil pressure sender and a couple of cadmium plated brackets that will be used for the injection and air conditioning (yes, mine actually works and will stay on until it doesn't). The fan strap was then put through the case in preparation for the fan housing assembly installation tomorrow.

Lastly, the twin-plug 993 distributor is tentatively installed as we need to measure the spark plug wire length distance for each cylinder so Magnecor can make up the custom wire set. The distributor was picked up cheap on ebay ($210) and has been fitted with a new drive belt, dust shields, caps and rotors. I also have the vent update kit as well.



Only problem tonight is that we had to remove the stud on the case that holds the distributor in place. The stud length is too small for the 993 distributor so it is discarded in favor of a bolt. Problem solved!

Last picture is Steve messing around with the fan shroud. He told me he didn't want to be shown in any pictures but what he doesn't know won't hurt him.



Tomorrow we will attempt to measure the spark wire lengths, fit some of the engine sheet metal and install the fan shroud and alternator/housing/fan assembly.

The intake plenums arrived from Extrude Hone today, the fuel lines have been redone in braided hose and the fuel rails are now anodized black. We will work on the injection next week while waiting for Magnecor to send the wire set.

Only other parts we are still waiting for are the headers to arrive back from being ceramic coated (early next week) and for my buddy Kerry Morse to send me the RSR fiberglass heater block off for the left side of the motor.

I can start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The motor first came out on September 8th so we are going to be at approx. 8 weeks before she is finally fired up!

Ralph

[MotoSook]

Oh man! That's a purdy enigne...drool..

[dickster]

are you guys getting bored with the thread

certainly not! its a great write up.

[skinnerd]

Really looks great! You must be learning tons of great stuff about engine building. Nothing like "hands-on" schooling.
I don't even know you, and I'm getting fired up about your engine and drinking a beer in your honor. Keep up the great photos and play-by-play.

[Porschekid962]

wow thats awesome. tons of great info too since my dad and I are contemplating something along these lines. you and steve are doing a top notch operation here, very nice that you can post all this for us. thank you and im sure your gonna enjoy it once its back in its proper place. btw i dont remember you mentioning anything earlier in the thread but are you beefing up the tranny at all?

[JeremyD]

Originally posted by Porschekid962
btw i dont remember you mentioning anything earlier in the thread but are you beefing up the tranny at all?

Ahhhh the beauty of the G-50! No mods needed!

and Carrera3.5L - let me know when you are ready to start on my engine looks beautiful!

[Randy Webb]

No not bored at all - keep the pics coming. I thought I did well to get that dist. for $400 when they are often going for $800 -- you got a real steal.

[ChrisBennet]

Like they said, not boring at all. Keep them coming.
Forgive me if you already mentioned this, are you using the Andial splitter to drive the 2nd coil or some other method?
-Chris

[jpnovak]

You make me want to pull out my motor. I have parts on the shelf waiting for the day. Sure is purty!

[Bill Verburg]

Wow, no one even responds anymore, are you guys getting bored with the thread and just wish we would hurry up and finish? I've gotten to that point as well.

Not at all, great stuff keep it coming.

[CBRacerX]

Don't stop with the updates, really enjoying it!~

Chris

[bento]

g-50 owner over here looking on with envy.

db

[Carrera3.5L]

Hey, thanks for the kind comments guys. This obviously isn't the end all be all engine rebuild, but it is kind of neat to hit all the high and low points of a rebuild (only one minor low) and show the general process as it unfolds.

Jeremy is correct, no mods for the G50 are needed for strength (especially with the hp this motor will have) but I would like to do some things anyway! Fortunately, the transaxle shifts perfectly (no grinding synchro rings) so it will be left alone for now. I would like to add a Quaife unit for street use and either change the final drive or perhaps regear but that is a project unto itself and will be done when the gearbox needs refreshing. Jeremy, any time you're ready, ship the motor!

Randy, I watched ebay for quite a few months and bid on quite a few 964/993 distributors. I missed the first one that sold for $250. Patrick Motorsports ebayed a used unit with a barely used 964 wire set that I also missed out on that ended up selling for just over $400. The one I ended up with was from a guy who was selling stuff for TRG and I don't think anyone else even bid on it! I think if you are patient you can find them for $250-$300. The plus to buying a rebuilt unit from a shop is that they usually come with a warranty from Bosch.

Chris, I don't think I have a choice. Ex-Andial employee with another ex-Andial/PMNA employee helping build the motor and other ex-Andial or current Andial/PMNA employees lending special services. Even if the Andial signal splitter wasn't the only option available (which it is in my case), do you think that I could ever show my face around there with a competitor's version? I could almost see Dieter's face. To be quite honest, the Andial staff in the late 80's and early 90's were/are a pretty tight knit group.

Motor is really coming along now. Alternator wired back up to the engine harness, fan housing, fan (with slight trimming needed to the fan due to a little excess powdercoat) and shroud all installed. Fan belt installed and tension adjusted.



Also installed the motor mount bar and the a/c brackets (yes, don't give me a hard time) along with the throttle linkage plate and ancillary pieces.



Spark plugs also installed and I loosely installed the RSR lower hold-down clips (remember, the plug connectors still need to be fitted). Also installed the new cylinder head temp sensor on #3.



Finally, the oil return line underneath the motor was fitted. The cool thing about running these headers (albeit no heat is possible) is that there are no modifications required to any oil lines unlike the SSI's for Carrera's. George's headers are done being ceramic coated and will be picked up on Monday.



We roughly measured the wire lengths needed and will be on the phone with Magnecor on Monday to get this sorted and sent out.

I also took a couple of images inside the extrude honed intake plenums. Let's see how these turned out...





I haven't gotten the before/after flow charts yet (I sent him a disk), but will share the numbers when I get them from Ed at Extrude Hone.

Interesting comment made by Steve tonight. He said this is his favorite part of the rebuild process. He says with the short block or long block the engine is just a bunch of parts and nuts and bolts and one is pretty similar to another but now with the ancillary components fitted it begins to have its own identity. He also believes this part is what separates a good engine builder from a great engine builder. The attention to detail with the ancillary components is often overlooked and shows with how different hoses, lines and wires are routed.

One last image taken tonight:

[jpahemi]

Ralph:
Before you install the intake, can you take a few pics of the large fuel line (connects both fuel rails). You mentioned it was aeroquip.
Regards,
J.P.

[Carrera3.5L]

Originally posted by jpahemi
Ralph:
Before you install the intake, can you take a few pics of the large fuel line (connects both fuel rails). You mentioned it was aeroquip.
Regards,
J.P.

Sure, no problem. I responded to you in the other thread as well. The lines have to be reassembled as I took them apart and had the metal portion of the 3 way line black anodized along with the fuel rails. Should have something for you sometime next week. Not sure if the hose/fittings are Aeroquip though. I think Mesa Hose is using components from XRP. Comparable though I guess. Same place that Andial and PMNA get their specialized hose and fittings. Literally within walking distance from Neil's as well.

Ralph