Intermeccanica 3.2

[Schubs]

Hello everyone,

I'm not sure if this is more suited to the 911 forum or the 356 forum? My apologies if I get it wrong. I recently embarked on my first project, and thought I’d introduce myself and my plans and record my progress. A few weeks back I jumped in the deep end, and bought a dismantled Intermeccanica Roadster D. The original owner had great things planned for the D and started converting the chassis and drivetrain to 911 spec.

A custom frame was fabricated to use the front and rear torsion bars, motor and transaxle from a 1984 Carrera 3.2.

Additionally, a stock pile of parts came with the deal, including a G50 trans, an early 70's magnesium case (unfortunately not a 7R), along with all kinds of brakes and suspension components, service manuals and more.

Over the coming weeks, months… years… I plan to sift through the parts, sell what I don’t need, and use the proceeds to get this thing back on the road.

First things first was deciding on a transmission. I made the mistake of searching the forum for opinions on the 915 vs G50… I barely came out the other side alive. I decided it was probably best to take more of a direct approach.

I originally thought the best way to go was to use the 915 as it matched the 3.2, uses a cable actuated release bearing and offers (from what I’ve come to understand) an “old school” shifting feel. The car is more for cruising and doing some spirited driving on the back roads, not bangin’ through the gears at the track. The only really concern was there was a hole in the tail housing, and I was afraid that whatever bits found their way into the case had now chewed the guts all up.

So apart came the 915, and surprise, surprise… it looked pretty good! No nicks or grooves in the gears, sharp dog teeth, sliders, clean and complete bearings and best of all no tail housing pieces!

With this in mind I started looking at upgrades. One piece bearing retainers, internal shift gate, posi… But once I started to add it all up, my budget was quickly evaporating. In my travels I had read that many of the upgrades available for the 915 were already baked in to the design of the G50. The hydraulic clutch is really only a minor inconvenience, and if it’s in as good of shape internally as the 915, perhaps that would be better way to go? (I am absolutely open to opinions).

So apart went the G50! And… second drum roll… Its also in really great shape! The previous owner seemed to spend his time sourcing good parts, and that’s a huge relief. I’ll try and post some pictures to see if anyone catches anything I didn’t see.

Next steps will be to get the extra parts listed for sale, including a pair of black heated leather seats, . I also have a set of 2-piece Etoile rims and set of Racing Dynamic rims that will need to get cleaned up and sold, and probably the 915 in the coming weeks. The extra case is on the 911 parts thread . Hopefully that will be enough to get everything but paint and interior finished up.

Over the Christmas break i'm going to try and get the suspension and drivetrain components mounted to see whats left to be fabricated and finished. I'll also need to comb through the 3.2 to make sure its in good condition (anything in particular i should read up on?).

Cheers,
Mike

[Schubs]

Here’s some pics of the G50. Looks pretty good to me so far? Going to get everything cleaned up a bit more to get a better look.

[SalParadise]

Please post a pic of the car and the suspension setup.

[Trackrash]

Personally, I would use the 915 and sell the G50$$$. But there is a lot to consider.

What year 915 do you have? The older 915s had lower gearing and used a mechanical speedo drive.

You will need a shifter, shift rod, pedals, and clutch set up for the trans you use, those are different for each.

It is hard to judge the condition of the gears unless they are clean and completely dry with no oil on them. Then a close up pic may show any wear.

Looking forward to seeing this project progress.

[75 911s]

I would also sell the g50. The g50 doesn't make sense in a speedster in my opinion. You can use that money to sort the car and do a decent interior. That's where a lot of these cars look half done, the interior. Make it simple, clean and high quality.

[Jack Stands]

Should be a fun project as that’s a lot of horsepower in a light car! Post pics along the way of your assembly.

[Schubs]

I’ll try and get some body and chassis pictures up shortly. Both are sitting in storage at the moment, so not readily available.

That’s a good point Trackrash, I have seen a pedal set and shifter/linkage, but I’m not sure which trans that’s for. Will try and check this weekend.

What’s the difference in sale price between the 915 and G50? I’ve seen the 915 in the $3-$5k rang and the G50 at about $5-$7k. Mine is a later model (915/68).

The interior is definitely important, and I’ll be going directly to Intermeccanica for any replacement parts. I know they have a good reputation so I’d like to maintain that level of quality.

[Schubs]

This weeks had some ups and downs. Spent some time sorting through parts and found a a new set of 964 cams for the 3.2! Those should go nicely with the chip and SSI’s I hope to add.

The down side was finding out that the clean set of power & heated seats i was selling were in fact originally blue and were dyed black at some point :/ Not sure how desirable that’s going to be, or what kind of price I can get for them, but it certainly won’t be as much as a factory black set. Oh well.

Managed to also spend some time on the G50, and got it cleaned up for an inspection. I’d be interested in hearing anyone thoughts:



















I’ll try and get some pictures of the 915 internals up for comparison soon. Still not 100% sure which way I’ll go, but the G50 is such a cool transmission with its internal shift gate, I’m kind of leaning that way.

[SalParadise]

Lots of very nice photographs of...gears. No photos of this strange 6-banger chassis and suspension. Oh well.

[Schubs]

Unfortunately, I don’t have any more gear pictures, but I finally got the chassis into the shop to start mocking things up!

[Trackrash]

Nice. That is going to be a beast when you are done.

[john walker's workshop]

Looking at assembled gear stacks really doesn't tell you much, other than gear face condition. Gotta take it all apart to get a serious inspection done.

[911pcars]

Weight comparison:
G50: about 146lbs....

and "99 lb for the '69-'71 901/911 (last) version of the 901, and 119 lb for the early version of the 915 ... per the spec books! "

The 3.2 engine is many pounds heavier than earlier engines.

Engine Vehicle
64 2.0 184 kg (aluminium) 404.80 lbs
71 2.4S 182 kg, total 1070 kg (magnesium) 400.40, 2354 lbs.
74 3.0 200 kg, total 1120 (aluminium, alusil) 440 2464 lbs.
83 3.2 210 kg, total 1160 462 2552 lbs
964 3.6 238 kg, total 1350 523.60 2970 lbs.
93 993 232 kg, total 1370 510.50 3014 lbs.
95 993 239 kg 525.80

I'd use the lighter 915 or even a lighter 901. Longevity will be fine if you shift it correctly. The combined 3.2 and G50 drivetrain concentrates more weight to one end of the chassis (~33/67%, F/R assuming the Intermeccanica is ~1800 lbs)). Use the G50 if you're planning more torque, and/or for drag racing. If you weren't so far along, I'd suggest a mid-engine install. Or disregard the above if balance/weight distribution isn't a high priority.

MHO,
Sherwood

[Schubs]

Thanks John and Sherwood. Those are really good points.

Unfortunately the 915 is now gone, in the end I chose to go with the G50 due to its reputation and flexibility for down the road.

For now my goal is just to get this thing together and see how I feel about it. In the (very) long term, i’d love to see this evolve into something even more different. I figured this would be the trans that would support whatever harebrained scheme I came up with next.

The weight distribution point is a good one though, and definitely something I’ll need to try and balance out.

[Schubs]

Some more progress!

[Schubs]

Front shock towers will need some modifications to allow the body frame to drop onto the chassis.

Rear shock mounts will need to be located.

Engine and transmission mounts will need to be fabricated.

Does anyone know the factory install angle of the motor/trans? Ie. is it tilted towards the front or the back or is it level in a 911?

[MadeofOak]

Watching!
I have a similar car, but it's a real deal 911 with a Speedster body. Didn't realize how high up the shock towers are.