SC Upgrades... What's next?
 

So far on my '82:

pop-off valve
turbo valve covers
Carrera chain tensioners
spring-centered clutch
turbo tie rods
steel (turbo) head studs (24)
Carrera oil cooler

I also recently replaced the front brake pads, changed brake fluid, and exercised the pistons, so I'm good on brakes for awhile.

Any suggestions on where to put my money next (other than H4s, 9" wheels, etc. - nice, but not priorities right now)? Or should I just quit spending for now and just drive it? :D It's basically a street ride, but would like to do a D.E. sometime in the future. Thanks!

Suspension....

21/28 T-bars with off the shelf Bilstein Sports or adjustable Konis. New bushings for A-arms and spring plates...then you just gotta learn to drive it :D then get the thing set up (alignment and corner balance) by someone good... if you are brave...replace the trailing arm bushings with monoballs...

what Souk said + Carrera sways

Yep..sways..I would go further if you are rolling in it and get adjustable sways..fronts or rear or both..then tune it. Simple see? :)

SSI's and a sport muffler for fun. Ditch the ac thats free. Replace all the bushings in shifting the shift linkage, 954 sc rs short shift kit from the factory. Better seats, aftermarket pedals to make heel and toe easier if you need it, steering wheel, comfy shift knob, lighter battery, park the windshield wipers on the right, lightweight carpet and rs door panels....

It goes on and on. Like everyone else said get your suspension dialed by a good shop that knows what they are doing.

Thanks for the input. :D

I kinda knew someone would say "suspension". Can someone ballpark the cost (parts & labor) of Souk's suggestion:

"21/28 T-bars with off the shelf Bilstein Sports or adjustable Konis. New bushings for A-arms and spring plates"

No sways, monoballs, etc. just yet.

SSIs then a 964 type cam.

Definitely new shocks!

Very nice improvement at a reasonable price and easy DIY.

I have questions on the 964 cams. How long of an installation is it for someone mechanically inclined, but has not taken apart a 911 engine? My engine is is good shape - good compression and leak down results a few thousand miles ago - so it would not need a rebuild yet. Is it worth doing just for the cam, or should it wait for other work? Also, I have read that you can have your cam reground to the 964 shape. I would think it requires adding material, then regrinding? Or, is it better to just buy one? Lastly, what kind of performance increase from the 964 cam and does it require other work to be effective? Thanks in advance.

Since tires and their supporting strutures(wheels) are you primary connection to planet Earth, I would suggest wheel and tire upgrades.

gate shift kit. . . feels so much better.

A suspension rebuild like that may be $2000-$3500 depending on the parts (brand) and service charge (shop hourly charge). I have seen/heard of suspension rebuilds running in the $5000 territory which was performed by “the known guys” with big names in Porsche-dom. That is just for the old t-bar cars. Nevermind what some of the modern 911s and available suspension parts will run you. You’ll have to sell the earlier cars to fund it! :) You’ll want to find a shop that knows something about setting up the suspension when the parts have been installed. A good suspension tuning is not a quickie job.


As for installing 964 cams on a healthy 3.0 or 3.2, it’s not that bad. You’ll need to take the chain boxes off the engine, disassemble the cam box by removing all the rockers (edit: no need to take the cam box off the heads). I’d recommend you inspect the rockers and rocker shafts at this time. You can recondition them yourself, but I’d recommend you send them out to a shop that has experience with re-bushing rockers and machining rocker shafts (if you need a name, contact me). You can regrind your SC or 3.2 cams (essentially same cams). It does not require welding the cam, material is taken off back side of the lobe (sort to speak). Run a search in the engine forum. We have discussed this before, if you’d like to know how it’s done. I’ve had cams re-grinded with excellent results.

So! You get your cams, rockers and shafts worked on and returned. Then you can opt to use the RSR rocker shaft seals to make sure you don’t leak out the shafts. This is an easy process and worth it if you plan to build an engine that you never want to touch again. The seals are a little spendy for what they are, but it’s one of those things that you may one day wish you had used…if you passed on them now. Anyhow, you can then assemble the top works. You should have cleaned and prepped everything while your parts were out for machining, so it’s just a bolt-on process. I’ve assembled and timed this portion of a rebuild (including all “new” rockers, shafts, seals, cams and chain housing) in just a few hours, and that’s being as methodical as I can be for an anal crank like myself.

Everything beyond that is just bolting parts back on your engine (tin, muffler, engine mounts, etc…)

ikarcuaso:

The wheel and tire "upgrade" was a huge improvement on my 87 Carrera (9" Fuchs rear, 7" Fuchs front). Getting the ride height adjusted (24,3/4 F, 24,1/4 R) and having the car aligned and corner balanced were key and also made a huge impact visually and dynamically.

The wheels were expensive, but worth every penny.

Mike

Thanks for the cam info. Sounds like a good winter project, when the garage is done. I would have thought the cam would need more material for lift, duration, etc. How does removing material - making it smaller - give better performance?

Ed,

You have to envision the entire cam lobe. If you remove material off the back (base circle) of the cam lobe, the rocker will see more motion (lift) as the lobe rotates. The rocker starts (at zero lift) closer to the axis of the cam shaft (the base circle has a smaller radius now). We can get into it more, but I suggest you run the search.

Souk,
Thanks again. I can picture what you are saying. Another question - I have a '79, which I have read is lower compression than the later 3.0, and stock CIS, and that the cam change will not be as effective. Is this correct? Is it still worth doing? If it matters, the only other modification is the older design (no cat) exhaust. Thanks again.

Ed,

I have not heard of nor seen any reliable data that would suggest 964 cams on the 8.5:1 compression 78-79 3.0 won’t yield positive results. We’re allowing the engine to breathe better with the 964 cams. Wheter the engine has 8.5:1 or 12:1 CR...air entering and exiting the combustion chamber still has to go through the valves. You can also advance the cams too (even before you upgrade the cams ;-) ). This is a little tricky and you’ll need to check piston to valve clearance.


PS. Where in Upstate NY are you? I’ll be in that region this fall for a few days.

Souk,
I'm about 25 miles east of Binghamton, NY. Where are you going to be?

I'd like to know more about the cam advancing. Is there somewhere I can find out how? Or, if you will be in the area...

Ed

do the DE, and then let the fun and games...decide. i bet your list of upgrades, shift a bit.

Ed,

Nice area, -My family is all from that neck of the woods, Actually I'm driving my sc through there next weekend on the way to a cottage we have just over the PA border near Halstead/N.Milford area.

-Adam