2.7MFI spruced up & ready to plug-in

[skinnerd]

Completed driveline swap between my two cars, and wanted to share my experiences in detailing one of the engines.



1) All new cad plated fasteners used where possible; others sent out for cad plating. Did a big box for less than $75.
2) All sheet metal was powdercoated satin black. Fairly inexpensive (<$100), and the finish is bulletproof. Had the fan housing powdercoated a matt black finish that has a hint of texture (not enough for the fan to touch the housing).
3) Drilled out rivets in fan hub, sent hub out for cad plating, bead blasted fan clean of corrosion and treated with Aludyne (chromic acid conversion process used in the aircraft industry to leave a corrosion resistant coating on aluminum), and re-riveted hub to fan (the factory rivets are still available.... don't ask me where, as a friend of mine had a box of these he had recently obtained). This leaves a nice medium gray color to the fan with the Aludyne giving a very faint yellow tone. The Aludyne is simply brushed on, and hosed off.

4) Wet sanded the green air shround to remove all the pits and scratches from the wiring harness rubbing on it, and then clear coated it. Amazing how easy this was, and how good the final result was. I chose to leave the shroud green to attest to the heritage of this motor originally being an 2.4E. Plus it usually generates lots of questions.
5) 80% of engine wiring harness rebuilt. If you bent one of the original wires the least bit, the insulation would crack and break. I was amazed and frightened at how brittle the old wiring was, but I guess it is nearing 30 years old (73E). Bad deal I thought. So I purchased the factory connectors and borrowed the correct crimping tool from a local independent shop, and went about replacing the majority of the wiring in and around the engine. It was necessary to completely redo the 14 pin connector, as the harnesses between the 2.7MFI and the 3.2Motronic (engine being swapped out of the 75 Carrera from earlier conversion) were not compatible. I also learned how to use heat shrink tubing. The end result though not concours, is much improved and gives me a better state of mind.
6) Lots of elbow grease, scotch brite pads, and polishing compound cleaned up the MFI lines.
7) The engine was down to a longblock, so it was easy to remove the little bit of gunk that had accumulated over the past couple of years with a can of Gunk spray on engine cleaner. My wife's toothbrush busted out the stubborn dirt (when she smiles at me now, I can't help but smirk... heh heh).
8) I did the WD40 trick in cleaning up the plastic velocity stacks. Spray in on, let it sit, wipe it off, repeat. After a couple of times, they looked like new.

The end results are shown below. Excuse the poor quality of the photos (a nice digital camera is on my short list), but I think you get the idea.

The engine is a stock 2.7MFI (8.5cr) that puts out 208 bhp at the rear wheels. Factory S cams, Mahle pistons/cylinders, turbo oil pump, and Raceware fasteners reside within. A set of SSI's and original "Pressler" exhaust eject the spent gases. The Pressler exhaust is not quite as raspy as your typical twin outlet sport exhaust; I'd describe it as more of a lower, throaty sound. Those of you that have heard one of these, know what I mean. It is still fairly quiet; never had an issue with the tracks with the tight decibel restrictions. Transmission is 915 with stock gearing and factory LSD with S clutch package.

This driveline is to be installed in my 75 US Carrera that will shortly become a Euro touring RS clone. The car will weigh in the range of 2370 lbs. It has been specifically designed to hunt for SC's and 3.2 Carreras.... just kidding.

I learned a few things doing this, and thought someone might find it interesting.

[john_colasante]

Very nice writeup. This is my kind of detailing. Where did you have the cad plating done? Is there any prep required on the parts before plating? Can you do brake calipers with this process?

[dougcl]

Doug,
Beautiful engine. Well done. I can't wait to see this one in the parking lot!

-Doug Clauder

[Jack Olsen]

Very nice!

[Early_S_Man]

Nice job, Doug!

You should consider getting a 7:31 ring & pinion installed in your 915 along with a ZF limited-slip ... or a spare '72-'73 transaxle so you won't be lugging the S-cammed engine with that 8:31 r & p!

[skinnerd]

Warren:
This is the entire drivetrain from the 73, so it already has the 7:31 R&P. No lugging around on the S cams with set-up.
The 75 Carrera (the other car) originally had an 8:31, but proved so sluggish even with the 3.2 installed, that it quickly got a 7:31 as well (w/ Quaife). The 3.2/Quaife drivetrain are now in the 73.

Jack:
Thanks

Doug:
You'll see it in the parking lot in a couple of weeks.

John:
Only prep need for cadplating is clean & rustfree (bead blasting). It was done here in the Portland area (I can get you company name if interested). I suppose it depends what the brake calipers are made of. Aluminum is not possible. Not sure if you really want something this shiny there anyway?