3.6 Conversion Gurus, how did you do your conversion?

[FenderGuy]

I've recevied a lot of information on a 3.6 conversion in my SC. All seemed to indicate upgrades in the suspension to brakes and cooling.

I received the Dec issue of Excellence and there is a Tech article on a 914 3.6 project. They are building the car as a driver, which is what my cab would stay at. Its an interesting article and curoius on the 3.6 conversions out there.....

What was needed and what did you upgrade while doing this conversion?

[Bill Verburg]

Have you tried a search?

[Jack Olsen]

In my opinion, the suspension and brakes don't have anything to do with a 3.6 conversion. If you're driving the car on the street, then these are mostly just 'because it's more fun' upgrades. Stock SC brakes will continue to stop the car just fine, no matter what engine you've got in the back. The stock suspension is old, and should get regular maintenance, but it also doesn't care about the engine's displacement.

Upgrading your brakes and suspension makes sense if you're increasing the demands you're going to be putting on them. It's no harder to turn or stop a car with the difference in weight between a 3.0 and a 3.6. If that was true, we'd need to upgrade our brakes whenever we put a piece of luggage in the car.

No one's going to be boiling brake fluid in street use unless their system is comporomised or they're driving like a complete nut job.

For the most part, 'increasing the demands' means you're going to track the car. And if you do that, it makes sense to upgrade an SC's brakes and suspension for track use no matter what engine is in it.

Even the additional cooler is something that guys with street-only 3.6 swaps have shown that they can get by without. For track use (or if you live in a very hot climate), it's a must.

If you're driving aggressively, then a 3.6 (or any significant increase in power to your 911) is going to put more stress on your transaxle. In my opinion, any 911 that's used regularly on the track should have a transmission cooler.

Six years after my swap, I still think Steve Timmins' parts kit is the smartest way to go. You might save a few bucks inventing the wheel on your own, but it's going to slow you down in the long run.

A lot of guys get caught up in the drama of 'reinventing' their cars when they do a 3.6 swap. There's nothing wrong with that (I was certainly as guilty as anyone), but you can run a Carrera exhaust for next to nothing, with a ducted and vented single Carrera cooler with a fan, stock brakes and stock suspension and have a huge power increase at a fairly modest price.

[mb911]

Originally posted by FenderGuy
I've recevied a lot of information on a 3.6 conversion in my SC. All seemed to indicate upgrades in the suspension to brakes and cooling.

I received the Dec issue of Excellence and there is a Tech article on a 914 3.6 project. They are building the car as a driver, which is what my cab would stay at. Its an interesting article and curoius on the 3.6 conversions out there.....

What was needed and what did you upgrade while doing this conversion?

the person writing that article is another fellow pelican

[FenderGuy]

Originally posted by Jack Olsen
In my opinion, the suspension and brakes don't have anything to do with a 3.6 conversion. If you're driving the car on the street, then these are mostly just 'because it's more fun' upgrades. Stock SC brakes will continue to stop the car just fine, no matter what engine you've got in the back. The stock suspension is old, and should get regular maintenance, but it also doesn't care about the engine's displacement.

Upgrading your brakes and suspension makes sense if you're increasing the demands you're going to be putting on them. It's no harder to turn or stop a car with the difference in weight between a 3.0 and a 3.6. If that was true, we'd need to upgrade our brakes whenever we put a piece of luggage in the car.

No one's going to be boiling brake fluid in street use unless their system is comporomised or they're driving like a complete nut job.

For the most part, 'increasing the demands' means you're going to track the car. And if you do that, it makes sense to upgrade an SC's brakes and suspension for track use no matter what engine is in it.

Even the additional cooler is something that guys with street-only 3.6 swaps have shown that they can get by without. For track use (or if you live in a very hot climate), it's a must.

If you're driving aggressively, then a 3.6 (or any significant increase in power to your 911) is going to put more stress on your transaxle. In my opinion, any 911 that's used regularly on the track should have a transmission cooler.

Six years after my swap, I still think Steve Timmins' parts kit is the smartest way to go. You might save a few bucks inventing the wheel on your own, but it's going to slow you down in the long run.

A lot of guys get caught up in the drama of 'reinventing' their cars when they do a 3.6 swap. There's nothing wrong with that (I was certainly as guilty as anyone), but you can run a Carrera exhaust for next to nothing, with a ducted and vented single Carrera cooler with a fan, stock brakes and stock suspension and have a huge power increase at a fairly modest price.

Jack thanks for the insight I just found that site today thanks to another pelican who pointed them out for me

[FenderGuy]

Originally posted by mb911
the person writing that article is another fellow pelican

Is it you Ben?