LOL, dude gimme a break, it's my brithday... plus I can't keep track of all the 911s I work on. Right now I've got an Audi that's driving me insane... some cars were just not meant to be tracked... without tons of mods.

Couple of points... you are correct about the dist., like I said if you are not running as advanced as you should be you will be getting less HP, and running hotter. Advanced timing causes the motor to run cooler, and increases HP, but at the risk of knock which is why you run higher octane if you advance timing.

Running lean will do the same thing... well, not the HP with an NA car, but the leaner you run the hotter you'll run... and I still think the very first thing you should do is check your mixture. Then it's very easy to check the timing at higher RPMs with a timing light... plus we can't be talking that high of an RPM, I mean how fast can you possibly be running cruising on 526?

I know you don't have a bra, but maybe there is something impeding the airflow over the oil cooler?

That's a decent cooler... although I've seen an '85 cruise at those temps before.

I suppose it makes sense for your own validation to hook up the HEs, but it's not going to help except at idle... it's hard not to compare your old enigne to the new one because technically they shouldn't have any similiar issues, and yet.... which is why I'm wondering if the cooler isn't getting enough air now.

DUDE! What spark plugs are you running? Have you pulled any plugs since cranking it?

P.S. I liked the movie Old School, but let's not go driving any more 911s off of bridges. It can't be that bad... the motor is brand new!

I fixed my gauge wiring on Monday and Kevin came over to take it for a spin.

The car was missing big time - at least that is how it felt. I put the LM-1 on it and it was running seriously lean. I think it read 16 at idle. After messing with it a bit I got it to about 13.1 at idle.

I decided to drop it off with Stan at Rennsport so that he can sort it out. Honestly, after doing the rebuild and installing the SSIs / exhaust I am pretty tired of messing with it. Stan can get it tuned much faster and safer than I can. I dropped off the CIS, dizzy, wires from the 80 engine in the event that he needs to use some of those parts.

The interesting thing is that she ran cool on my 20 mile highway trip to Stan's. Only got up to 200 which is below the 9 o'clock mark. Probably had to do with getting the mixture back to the slightly rich side.

I will keep you posted.

Yep, you were running lean, and that could explain the missing too...

The missing was still there even though the mixture was on target.

Maybe it is just the wires. Still haven't heard anything.

Fair enough... I deleted my post. While I would never normally bash a shop openly... unless there was some really good reason, being a former shop owner myself I felt there was one comment I really needed to refute especially since it was posted that Stan had said it and was equally as uncalled for.

Trust me, I used to be Stan's biggest champion, I'm not anymore,. so I understand where you're coming from.

Well, I got my car back today and it is running like a champ!

The majority of my injectors were clogged - basically dribbling fuel and not spraying. They were all pulled, cleaned, and bench tested.

Also, my dizzy was not advancing properly. They pulled the diaphragm off of my 80 dizzy and put it on the 82 dizzy. Works great now.

Car pulls strong and runs smooth. The difference is amazing!

I was only able to drive it for about 20 minutes from the shop to work this morning. Traffic was moderate, outside temps around 90 (97% humidity in full sun), kept RMPs going up and down ... engine temps barley got up to the first white dash mark (90C). Sweet.

Anyhow, the shop did a great job. It was best that I left this challenge to the pros - would have taken me triple the amount of time and still probably wouldn't have had it tuned exactly right.

Cheers,
Craig

Glad to hear it is running good, I know you worked hard on this one. Good Job!!

awesome work AND patirnce there Craig !!
Time for break in maneuvers now !! Do a lot of slow~moderate acceleration up to 5k rpm and then decell (off the gas) down to 3k.
Best of luck !!
Bob

OK Now you can relax, forget about the $$$ you have spent over the past 6 months and enjoy the car for several years with vitually no investment.....oh wait what about the suspension...is the credit card on life support yet :-)

Yes, looking very forward to enjoying the car.

I still have to finish the heat back date - waiting on parts. Also need to bend my muffler down as it is making slight contact with the bumper.

Besides that, I am ready to roll!

Stan did say that my vavles may be a little on the loose side which he said is a common mistake for newbies such as myself. He offered to have me come into the shop and show me how to do the valve adjust with the engine in the car. He would show me some tips and help me develop the "feel" of a proper adjustment. I was blown away by his kindness and willingness to teach me.

Thanks for all of the support along the way. I am very appreciative for the wealth of information. I could not have done this without the Pelican community.

A special thanks goes out to Kevin for helping me with the cam timing and installation of the pistons. He also helped me drop the engine, install the clutch (well, he did all of the clutch), re-install the engine, crank it up for the first time, etc. I am sure there is more to add to the list - he spent many hours with me and kept my spirits up despite some hairy moments.

Also, thanks to Pelican for organizing the rebuild packages. I will admit, it was tough to sort through all of the miscellaneous bags but at least everything was there. My only complaint was the quality of the exhaust gaskets. Very thin compared to the new gaskets I purchased when I installed the SSIs.

Cheers,
Craig

Craig,

Are you coming to the October PCA DE with Kevin?

Craig, I am glad Stan was able to sort everything out. I know we mentioned the injectors but it would have been down on the list of things we tried simply because we don't have the equipment to do so. Like you said better left to the experts. No thanks needed. Other than the heat a few days, even the obstacles were not as bad in hindsite.
I am looking forward to taking a drive on your favorite road without the police escort we had in my car. I think he knew the V-1 was screaming as he escorted us.
Robert, I am looking forward to seeing you and the family in a few weeks. Not sure Craig will make it but I will certainly let him answer that one.

Great Job Craig...

Kevin

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it in October. I am planning on making the trip in February provided that our club can be worked into the calendar at CMP.

With only 80 miles on the new engine and everything "seeming" to be in order, I decided to go for a long run today to test it out.

Ran for about 70 miles down a rural road along a national forest. It was a beautiful drive - mix of sun and clouds, 87 degree heat index, 71% humidity. The car performed better than I could have ever imagined. Flawless from start to finish. Engine temps stayed below 9 o'clock despite frequent and fast rpm changes. I even hit some highway stretches over steep bridges in direct sun.

I can't believe it is finally done and there are no more lingering issues.

This is my face :D.

A big congratulatios! I'm happy to hear that your ride is running like a gem. My new replacement reconditioned rod has been shipped out from EBS, and should have it by this Wednesday. Hopefully in a few weeks I can say the same about mine.

Cheers,
Sabeo.

Congrats!! I've been following your thread and enjoyed the read.

Craig, You are way over due for the positive experiences you are enjoying now !! ENJOY, ENJOY & ENJOY !!
Tell us all now, was it worth the cost and what would you do and NOT do again ??. (you can wait a while to answer this as I don't want to ruin your basking in the shine of car fine times !!)

My best and thx again for the pics & cd zip... It has already helped a lot !!
Bob

It was certainly worth the cost. Aside from the SSIs and Dansk exhuast I spent about $6800. Local quotes for the rebuild ranged from 12 - 15K. So, yeah, it was certainly worth it.

What I would NOT do again: (great question)

1) Install my interal thermostat without checking to see if it works. It is easy to place it in boiling water on the stove and watch it open. For some reason I overlooked this.

2) Install my fuel injectors without bench testing.

3) Make multiple trips to the local parts store to buy brake cleaner. I must have used 50+ cans.

4) Do a rebuild during the summer months. The heat takes is toll on your body and mind.

5) Use mix and match exhaust studs. Should have done it right the first time and purchased new studs. Shouldn't have used anti-seize on the stud threads that go into the heads - just use it on threads where the nuts screw on.

6) Install pressure plate bolts without washers. Had to go back and redo.

7) Stress. In retrospect, I think I stressed too much. Lots of sleepless nights.

I will likely add more to this list.

I would absolutely do it again and imagine that I could do it in half the time. Really, the bulk of the work was cleaning parts.

Despite all of the hurdles the entire process was a blast. Rebuilding a 911 engine for the first time teaches you to be humble, to have patience, persistance, courage, and endurance. It builds character and sharpens your skills that apply to all areas of your life.

Just like your job, your marriage, your relationships with friends ... it all takes work and you will encounter obstacles, highs, and lows. You can't cave to the pressures or run away from the obstacels, you have to work through them.

It sounds corny, but it was much more than just rebuilding an engine.

Craig... sounds like you had a life experience you will never forget AND you learned a lot!!
Great write up and thanks again for sharing all of your work with the + and the - points along the way.
Now, go enjoy your ride and I always ask thread starters to try and post back updates on how it is going so we all can see what worked well and not so well.

Like any mechanical item, there will be issue(s) at some point, so don't get bummed if & when they raise their ugly heads... this a car afterall... but it sounds like you have a great attitude and view of the whole process so with that, go ride the snot out of it as it was made for and enjoy. AND wear a seat belt!!
Thanks again Craig for the journey!!
Bob

UPDATE ON ENGINE TEMPERATURES

Today I finished my heat back date. Previously I had been running with SSIs but my fan housing outlets were blocked off - so no air was moving through the SSIs.

Initially my temps were around 230-240.

My engine temps were vastly improved after getting the car properly tuned - got to 9 o'clock on the gauge on 90 degree day with lots of humidity.

But today I saw more drastic changes.

I noticed about a 20-25 degree drop in engine temps. It was only 80 degrees and low humidity but the temp needle stayed at the FIRST white line. And I drove the snot out of it. Seriously. On the highway and in traffic for nearly two hours.

Never seen that before on my 911.

So I guess that Grady Clay was right when he said that air needs to move through the exchangers in order to keep them from acting as a heat sink.

Then again ... I might have a car that is sensitive to humidity and anything over 80 degrees. Hopefully we will see another hot day so I can test it further.

this is an awesome/positive feed back ~ update that you are experiencing a drop in engine temps there Craig !!

I will hope for another 90 degree day, which, based on where you are, wont be tough. ;-)
and then you can see if the environmental conditions are playing with your cars temps.

I would lean towards what Grady is saying... makes sense to me... these engines have higher than liquid cooled engines exhaust gases temps... they really need forced air flowing over the exhaust manifold... more air than what swirls around them as you move down the road.

Take care,
Bob

I wanted to share a video that I made today. The first 30 seconds is basically how it sounds at idle when warm. The rest of the video shows some revving while driving down a country road.

The car has about 400 miles on it so I tried to keep the RPMs from exceeding 5k.

There are a couple of loose valves which I will address once I hit the 500 mile mark.

It was 82 degrees with 50% humidity. Car still ran VERY cool. Yesterday I also did the same drive (about 100 miles) and engine temps remained cool - about the 8 o'clock position.

You may notice that my oil pressure is pegged at 5 ... this is b/c I broke the sender when doing the heat backdate. Going to replaced the sender next week.

http://reactionplus.com/pcar/breakin_1.html

Sounds great!! Nice work there!

Sorry I missed you today Craig. I ended up adjusting valves and changing oil this morning. The car sounds great. Sounds like the power is smooth. I can see the smile from here...

No worries. I figured you would be doing some work on your car since you have a track event this weekend. Have a great time! Wish I could go.

Yep. Many many smiles!

Just wanted to share an update.

Right now I have roughly 4000 miles on the engine. That includes two trips from Charleston, SC to Richmond, VA.

The RMS started weeping a couple of weeks after the initial crank - enough to drip on the garage floor every other day after sitting. I had a hard time installing the seal with the engine on the stand - the yoke was a big obstacle.

After getting some Christmas money I decided to have a shop replace the seal, align, corner balance and lower the car. I am happy to report that the car is running great and I couldn't be happier with it. Right now I am out of stuff to do. Guess it is time to enjoy.

Here are a couple of pics of the car lowered. The torsion bars were not touched and no bump steer kit was added - I do have the turbo tie rods though.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1231881740.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1231881815.jpg

OH no you are not done. First H4s then get back with me and we can continue :-)

Glad you are enjoying it, that was quite a journey, I think the decision to have a shop do the seal was probably good for your sanity!

Really the next big step is when you are "used" to the power and bored. Then will come the FG bumpers and other lt wt bits...how about a custom geared tranny....I see a cash out Refi in your future :-)

Just curious how much you could lower it without touching the torsion bars?

Craig, Very nice looking, and nice riding car.

Craig I wish I could say that I'm experiencing the same weather you are , it is absolutely horrible and depressing in Chicago! Snow storm after another, with below zero temps is keeping my ride grounded. I have a really good friend who went to the university of SC and played for the Game Cocks, he always tells me how nice it is over there. Glad to see your ride in tip top shape. I would like to lower my car as well. Once it gets warmer I need to tackle my brakes. I have a caliper leaking...

I have the new measurements at home - will get them and post.

The ride height was previously untouched and the drop was significant. Everyone was surprised how much the rear spring plates moved the height.

That depends on how the adjustment is set relative to the current height on your car. You really need to look at your adjustment and see if you have room to go down, as all cars are different. At Craig's previous height, his adjustment was all the way up, so he had plenty of adjustment to go down. Now, after lowering the car, since his adjustment is at the bottom, if he wants to lower, he will need to adjust the bars.

(By adjustment, I mean the eccentric bolt that you turn on the spring plate, that alters the rear ride height.)

This is one of the cooolest threads I've gone through in a long time.
Congrats
T

Just wanted to share an update now that I have 5500 miles on the rebuild.

Happy to report that the engine is running well. Nice power, idles great, no misses/hesitation, etc. Engine is staying cool too! Even in 100 degree temps (at least that is what I guess it was on the highway at 5 pm on a 95 degree day) the engine temps remained around 210 - 215. When outside temps are 80 or below the engine runs around 180 (generally speaking).

A recent 1200 mile trip indicated 1/4 of 1 quart of oil use which is certainly good.

I do have two oil drips that occur when running - right chain cover and right chain box. Each will produce a couple of drops on the floor after a drive but then it stops once the engine cools. I plan on doing a winter drop to fix these two areas - the chain box won't be fun since I may have to remove the cams in order for the box to clear the case.

I wonder how many more miles I will need before I stop worrying about something going wrong? Hope it is soon.

You never stop worrying. It does lessen but you will always in the back of your mind "wonder if."
You have a good engine that will last many many years. You obviously have confidence in it by trips you have taken. They are great cars and the rebuild just brings them back to where they started.
Let me know when you get ready for the next drop. And while you are in there....:D

I would say if nothing has happened so far - not to worry. I would drive it like you stole it. Porsche made them to be driven. Enjoy.

Cheers.

Craig, Remember... " it's all voodoo!" That was great advice you gave me. I'm sure everything will continue to be just fine!

Ok. Last update on this rebuild unless something goes horribly wrong. I now stand at 12k miles since finishing the engine in September 08. I have decided to continue using Valvoline VR-1 racing 20/50 even though I bought some Brad Penn (accounts of higher temps has me wary of making the switch). Still using 1/4 of 1 quart per oil change. Again, very happy about this. Also happy to report that the car is running extremely well despite a couple of minor incidents this spring - cracked ignition rotor and failed 02 sensor relay.

Regarding that leak mentioned above. I JUST NOW realized that it wasn't the chain housing or chain cover seal. It was the oil pressure sender. Apparently it was dripping from the pressure sender block (inner side where it meets the engine block) and running down the chain housing. Phew! So I am now completely leak free. Honest.

Awesome dude, glad it working so well for you. I'll have to check it out the next time I'm in town.

Lol, yeah the oil pressure senders tend to be a leak source... In any motor, we had a drip there on the XTR when we first put it together.

The Valvoline is perfect for your motor and climate, and the 20/50 racing has great anti-foaming properties... Wouldn't worry about switching.

Leak
 

[/QUOTE]Regarding that leak mentioned above. I JUST NOW realized that it wasn't the chain housing or chain cover seal. It was the oil pressure sender. Apparently it was dripping from the pressure sender block (inner side where it meets the engine block) and running down the chain housing. Phew! So I am now completely leak free. Honest.[/QUOTE]

Congrats.

That oil leak is one that baffles many. We tend to look for the hard solutions i/o the easier ones. You're lucky you were patient! Best of luck!