Just another v8 thread...

[deathbyspoon]

Hello fellow Pelicans!

Over the past few months, I've amassed a huge pile of parts, and the time is getting closer for me to put some serious hours in and get this project rolling. I thought I'd create a thread here just to share my project and get some positive feedback and any creative suggestions. That being said, I don't want to hear any posts about not liking v8's, me ruining a good car, etc.

Backstory:

In late 2009, after some heavy craigslist searching, i found a local seller who had an '83 930 euro car. He got the car from hsi dad who essentially walked out on the family, and left the kid two slant nose converted cars. I was stupid and didn't get a pre purchase inspection, and thought i was getting a pretty good deal because the car had only 44k on the clock, sport seats, the slant kit, boxed rockers, and was only $17k, down from asking price of $30. Here's what i came home with:










Looks pretty good at first, doesn't it? Not bad from 15 feet away.

[deathbyspoon]

Well, as it turns out, things weren't as good as they seemed.
*The car was repainted.
*Fuchs needed rechroming
*Boxes rockers were held on with screws of different shapes and sizes (wood, drywal, sheet metal)
*There had been some shady wiring work done over the years from various aftermarket alarm and stereo installers.





*The suspension was shot, and the rear sway bar was missing
*Rear torsion bars were the wrong size
*Power windows didn’t work
*Brake rotors were cracked
*Transmission needed a reseal
*Engine had been sitting too long and had oil leaks that required a rebuild to fully rectify.

So, after all that, i thought I'd buy another Porsche engine and do a minor resto mod. I bought a "fully built" 3.6 turbo long block from a local member on here. It was alleged to have gt2 evo cams, pauter rods, 993t pistons, fire ringed heads, fully ported heads, etc etc, with only a couple thousand miles of break in and dyno time. My friend who owns a Porsche shop advised me against using this engine because he wasn't familliar with the build or parts used. After a leakdown test came back with marginal numbers, I sold it. Turns out, the engine was garbage. There were metal shavings in all the oil passages, ceramic lining on heads was missing huge chunks, one of the valves was brand new (why?), head porting was meant for ITB's only, cams had wear from running on low oil, fire rings were pinched and not seated right.

[deathbyspoon]

In the meantime, I'd completely torn down my car. Here's some pics in no particular order.

[deathbyspoon]

With little money left and still with an itch for finishing what i started, I accepted that the only way for me to get the excessive power levels i was looking for was to go with a v8. I wanted to build a car that I could drive to work a couple days a week, and have fun with on the weekends at the autocrosses, or track events. Nothing crazy, and I’m not trying to compete in any racing classes.

So, I put the car in storage, and started collecting parts, upon parts, upon parts.



Which brings me to where i am today. A huge pile of boxes, and a car that needs to be put together.

Here's the specs of what's going on the car:

*LS3 engine, stroked to 6.9L with fully forged internals. Bought it from a legit friend, who only put 5k on it in his CTS-V, and made 522rwhp/490tq.
*Custom LS standaolone engine harness from PSI Conversions
*Rebel racing coilover conversion all 4 corners. Custom billsteins in front, adjustable billsteins in the rear.
*Rebel racing adjustable hollow sway bars, rebel racing poly bronze front bushings.
*Rennline battery relocation kit with Oddysey 925 battery.
*Nardi Deep Corn steering wheel.
*Elephant racing adjustable spring plate system (APS), and fully reconditioned trailing arms with monoballs.
*Sparco evo2 seats
*Fully rebuilt transmission with revised gear sets to optimise the v8 power band, and a brand new OS Giken Superlock LSD.
*996tt brake upgrade from Instant-G, with a dual master cylinder conversion with bias bar
*Hydraulic clutch conversion
*Renegade hybrids cradle, Kennedy clutch and flywheel.
*CCW 11.5x17 rear, 17x8.5 front.
*Dawes Motorsport - Rear fiberglass 930 fenders, widened a little and raised to prevent tires rubbing during suspension travel.
*Getty FRP front fenders, with euro H4 light conversion.
*Fiberglass roof, hood, and ducktail.
*Front ball joints converted to rod ends, another Dawe’s motorsport.
*Cooling system undecided. I’m trying to avoid cutting into the car, and I don’t want one of those goofy radiator in the wing setups.

Anyways, that’s about it for now. Keep checking back for updates 

[hcoles]

sub

[TWIN911]

Looking forward to seeing the build!

[deathbyspoon]

Hey locals! The car is in sunnyvale, welcome to come by any time I'm there and check out progress (or lack there of) :-)

[quattrorunner]

Where is the original engine?

[TWIN911]

pm sent

[Scott R]

I don't see this mentioned but it appears like this car was smacked in passenger side rear pretty hard. The repair was not done correctly as they left a common tell tale sign of having the lip out of alignment. I think I can also see this in the picture with the decklid closed, it's off on that side.

[deathbyspoon]

Scott - you're right. Nobody has ever pinpointed that, but it would explain why my right wheel was sticking out past the fender when i mounted it.

Whats the best fix for this, besides another car...?

[slow&rusty]

Nice build bro! Looking forward to updates, keep them pics coming and looking forward to the new chapter in this car's life.
Yasin

[Evans, Marv]

Hey, go for it! You seem to have gone through your share of pain with this car, but $17K is not tooooo bad as a starting point. You'll end up like most of us and have more money in it than it will be worth, but the journey is part of the fun. I'd say the body work pointed out by Scott might be the most difficult problem. Good luck & have fun.

[deathbyspoon]

Originally Posted by quattrorunner

Where is the original engine?

I sold the original engine months ago, as well as the brakes, tach, rear torsion bars, seats, and a few other small parts.

[deathbyspoon]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

Hey, go for it! You seem to have gone through your share of pain with this car, but $17K is not tooooo bad as a starting point. You'll end up like most of us and have more money in it than it will be worth, but the journey is part of the fun. I'd say the body work pointed out by Scott might be the most difficult problem. Good luck & have fun.

Thanks Marv. My wife thought it was a horrible starting point! But when i see complete rollers and abandoned projects go for less than half, i may tend to agree. Oh well. I always say that money is only good if you spend it!

[lin7310948]

dont feel bad about it. i took a really nice 78 930 and added a drive by wire ls7 with 700 chp and over 600 ft/lbs torque. never looked back!

[aadrew10]

dont feel bad about it. i took a really nice 78 930 and added a drive by wire ls7 with 700 chp and over 600 ft/lbs torque. never looked back!

Neither do the people you pass! LoL just messin with ya

[jrolstin]

Good one!!

[deathbyspoon]

Originally Posted by lin7310948

dont feel bad about it. i took a really nice 78 930 and added a drive by wire ls7 with 700 chp and over 600 ft/lbs torque. never looked back!

Larry,
I love your car. I think i read your build thread half a dozen times, and sent you twice as many e-mails :-)

Keep checking back in the thread for updates!

-Cam

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by Scott R

I don't see this mentioned but it appears like this car was smacked in passenger side rear pretty hard. The repair was not done correctly as they left a common tell tale sign of having the lip out of alignment. I think I can also see this in the picture with the decklid closed, it's off on that side.

Scott - I learnt something new today..

Cam - The CCWs look sweet!!
Yasin