My 3.6 conversion story

[wfbal]

I own my 79 911SC for four years now. I mainly use it for DE.
I did some track upgrades since then, among them:
-Roll bar, Sparco Evo2 with 6 pts racing harness
-Seine gate shift with OEM short shift
-22/28 torsion bars, Carrera sway bars, Bilstein sport, Elephant racing monoballs and offset balljoints.
-Front 944T brakes, rear Carrera brakes
-7&8X16 fuchs with Toyo RA1 (205-225) tires
-Carrera oil cooler
-Duck Tail

Now, I was thinking about the next step: more power. There was nothing wrong with my stock 3.0, but with 27 year on it I could use an extra 80hp.

So, four months ago, I was browsing on eBay and found a 3.2 twin plug, complete (DME, harness,...),located in my home town (Montreal, Qc, Canada).
I won the auction for $2800. What a steal but unfortunately this was just a scam.
Since I was really getting use to the idea of more power a kept looking for another engine.
I found a 94 3.6 complete with all the parts required for a conversion for $5500 (shipped) at Lonestar Imports.
I contacted Steve Timmins from Instant-G (http://www.instant-g.com) about his conversion kit.
Since he offered to get my 3.0 in exchange, we agreed to get the engine shipped to him for a local installation.
I purchase the engine and got it shipped to Timmins.
Timmins did a Leak down test and result was very positive (less than 2% all around). I order the conversion kit with these options:
-PowerPack clutch kit
-Cyntex ship
-PS blockoff
-Fresh Air Filter
-Shroud Blockoff
-AC bracket delete
-Single Pulley conversion
-George Mild steel 1.75" headers (no heat)
-Custom made Flomaster 2in-2out muffler
-44 row Mocal oil cooler kit for driver side fender.
Timmins quoted me 21.5 hours (@$95/hr) to prep the engine (cleaning, valve adjustment) and install every thing in the car.
We made an appointment to get the engine installed on the week-end of September 29.

Here are the outcomes of this experience.
The goods:
-Timmins skills: This guy really knows his stuff. He have done countless conversion and it shows. He works very fast (you really get you $95/hr worth).
-Timmins hospitality: Steve was really nice, he fed me all week-end (ask for the pork chop), drove me to and from my hotel.
-Timmins conversion kit: A package that works.
-The muffler: The 3.6 with headers and Flomaster 2in-2out muffler combo makes a wonderful sound.
-The local installation package: Drive in, drive out, all done right in a week-end! His effort estimate was spot on.
-Instant-G parts inventory: What ever problem you will find he will probably have the parts in stock to fix it quickly. This was very useful.
-The added power and torque: Men this car really fly now. It is scary at first!

The bad:
-Timmins hospitality: Steve is a really nice guy but not the gentleman kind. He likes to work alone and if you stay in the shop you will get in his way (he will let you know, load and clear) and you won't be able to help much. This was rather frustrating.
-Timmins work load: This guy has way to much work for a single man operation (he is also a university professor). It Was not a problem for me since I was on his back all the time!
-Timmins conversion kit: Some parts could really go to finition school. They works but you won't win any beauty contest here.
-The muffler: Wonderful sound but to loud. I won't pass my local track sound inspection with it! Built to last but seems on the heavy side.
-The added power and torque: Well, the car is more difficult to drive. Motricity is now an issue (any LSD for sale?)
-Lonestar Imports service: The engine arrived very badly packed, with all the conversion parts (DME, Harness, coils pack assy, wires) missing.
After 3 weeks and countless calls to Lonestar, it found out that these parts where still on the donor car, so I finally got them shipped.
-The engine condition: The engine pull very strongly and doesn't leak but it is smoking a lot at idle. Exhaust valve guides seems to be the problem $$$!

My recommendations:
-Timmins services: Highly recommended, just don't stay at the shop when he works.
-Timmins kit: Recommended, again not pretty but it works.
-Timmins muffler: In my case it was not the greatest experience. For 900$ you might find a better (maybe bolt on) solution.
-Cyntex ship: Not sure about this one, it has a hard time managing the idle. (more on that later when I complete some test).

Bottom line: $10K (and counting) plus my engine exchange (2850$).
Not a very good investment but I would probably do it again.
FYI Timmins is working an a GT3 engine conversion for older 911

[wfbal]

Here is the car in action, some more pictures will follow:

[Cory M]

thanks for sharing your story, I have been considering a similar conversion.

[GrantG]

Originally Posted by wfbal

FYI Timmins is working an a GT3 engine conversion for older 911

That sounds incredible, but how expensive will that be? I think a crate motor is close to $50k. Not sure what a used one is worth, but it can't be cheap. Seems more reasonable to buy a GT3 instead (though the weight will be higher).

[84Euro]

It may well be worth purchasing a sorted out conversion if this is the route you want to go. I have a 84 that I have a few offers on. PM me if there is any interest.

[dreeves]

looks nice, walter. exiting turn 5 at lcmt?

[wfbal]

Originally Posted by dreeves

looks nice, walter. exiting turn 5 at lcmt?

Yes this was at Mont Tremblant this year.

This car went a long way since I bought it from you. Did you regret selling it?

[dreeves]

Originally Posted by wfbal

Yes this was at Mont Tremblant this year.

This car went a long way since I bought it from you. Did you regret selling it?

That's for sure. It certainly wasn't track-ready when you bought it.

Selling it was the right decision at the time, but I'd like to have another one at some point. It's a fun car. The hard part is finding a good one without a sunroof.

[wfbal]

Originally Posted by dreeves

That's for sure. It certainly wasn't track-ready when you bought it.

Selling it was the right decision at the time, but I'd like to have another one at some point. It's a fun car. The hard part is finding a good one without a sunroof.

If you are looking for a track car, I recommend you look for one already track prepared. You will save a lot of money.
Maybe 84Euro has an interesting one.