Installing a 3.2L '86 in '77S

[trusouth]

I am new to the 911 world and I bought a 3.2L out of an '86 complete with DME, harness, etc. to install in my '77S.

Questions: 1) Where is the best place to drill the hole for the DME cable? 2) Does anyone make a conversion harness for the 3.2 conversion like the 3.6 conversion that Patrick Motorsports makes? 3) What other challenges to installing the engine?? I am going to use my tranny. 4)What kind of oil cooler should I upgrade to? I didnt get the oil cooler someone got there first.

Thanks,

mark

[Dan in Pasadena]

Somewhere here there is a link to "Marc's 2.7 to 3.2 Conversion Homepage" link. I have it but don't know how to post the link so you can see it. It gives a step by step, very detailed how-to for this conversion. Pretty accurately detailed. Good luck and PLEASe post blow by blow pictures for all us Mid Year owners!

[Dan in Pasadena]

P.S. His is a '77 too but the conversion is to an '89 3.2. Probably makes little if any difference.

[Shuie]

everything you need is here:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/MotorCity/marcesq1/

[Ohio911]

I had the carerra oil cooler for most of the summer in my 73t with 3.2 engine untill I accidentally sawzalled through the front of it while doing another project near the passenger headlight. Don't ask. Oil everywhere!! But after that I pulled my trombone cooler that I had on the shelf and installed it as a temporary cooler while I looked for another carrera cooler. I drove my car in 80-90 degree temps with the trombone with no problem. I might have been in trouble in a traffic jam in 90 degrees. Both coolers will work I would reccomend the carerra oil cooler because this will keep the temps down and as everyone knows lower temps are better. I just picked up my replacement cooler for $150.00 shipped from a fellow pelican. The thing was like brand new. I don't think you would have much trouble finding one on here at around that price for your project. Good luck!!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Ohio911 - I wish you were right but I've NEVER seen one that cheap around here or on Ebay, Craiglist, etc. If I could find a :like new" Carrera cooler for $150 I'd buy it RIGHT NOW. Anyone?

[IROC]

Originally posted by Dan in Pasadena
Ohio911 - I wish you were right but I've NEVER seen one that cheap around here or on Ebay, Craiglist, etc. If I could find a :like new" Carrera cooler for $150 I'd buy it RIGHT NOW. Anyone?

FWIW, you can also use a Mocal cooler and a SPAL fan and get similar results. This is what I'm using to cool the 3.2 in my '76 and it *never* gets above 80C regardless of temp/traffic on the street. On the track it will get up to around 105C or so.

Mike

[stlrj]

I still have the trombone on my 74 fitted with an 86 3.2 and haven't had any cooling issues.

Joe

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally posted by IROC
...This is what I'm using to cool the 3.2 in my '76 and..."

Oh man, you're killing me. How I would LOVE to drop a 3.2 in my '76. My car is cosmetically beautiful and the 2.7 runs fine though it leaks some and has 125K on it. So obviously a rebuild is upcoming.

Unfortunately, I live in California and "The Governator" SCEWED me and everyone else with a '76 or newer car by signing into law an abolition of the rolling 30 year exemption on smog requirements we used to have.

[Ohio911]

I must have been extremely lucky. The cooler I got was fresh off of a 930 from a shop in New York Who was doing a front cooler upgrade. He even threw in a cooling fan for 50 bucks. So the complete set up was $210.00 shipped. This thing was shiny black with no grease dirt etc...I find that a lot of times people on here would prefer to sell parts to another enthusiast for a great deal then try to scratch every last cent out of their parts. I bet you could find that deal again on here. Go to the fs pages and post there and I bet a used cooler pops up for around $150.00. You have to be quick and take it or there will be ten more people like you in line cash in hand. Good luck!!

[randywebb]

Dan - does this mean you are not allowed to put a lower pollution engine into an earlier car?

Or just that you'd have to do so much testing that it doesn't make sense?

OR... that you want to modify the 3.2L motor so it won't be stock?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Randy, In California you can't put ANY engine other than what it came with in the car. Lower pollution than the 125,000 mile 2.7 it came with? They don't care, it doesn't pass the visual portion of the smog check, they don't care what the numbers read. Stupid, I know. You can do a swap and go through the the smog referee process; but everything I've read indicates its less painful to have root canal surgery...through your ear!

Not to mention the little-by-little administrative burden of keeping track of the smog requirements for the ever growing number of cars built since 1976. At what point are you spending more State money to keep track of these cars than they are worth? The rolling 30 year exemption made a lot more sense. It says you care about controlling pollution levels but you're not so doggedly bureaucratic that you will theoretically track cars 40, 50, 60 years old.

[randywebb]

"Stupid, I know."

- Sorta. It's coarsely calibrated -- a one size fits all approach. It means the state doesn't spend tax $$ for them to verify that it achieves lower pollution levels and will continue to do so for 50k or 100k miles whatever. The burden you note has got to be a lot less.

They apparently sliced you a loophole but I agree it's probably not worthwhile for a Porsche (maybe a 959).

I feel your pain tho. Hybrids or fuel cells might someday bring down pollution levels enough that hobbyists are left free ...