how much should I pay for a 3.2 longblock?

[Kurt B]

I guess this includes the engine minus the intake, exhaust and DME.
Someone mailed me a good compression 84, 130,000 longblock for 4k. Is that about right?
In any case, if anyone has an idea as to what I should look for in a 3.2? My plan is rebuild the engine from top to bottom, but I do NOT want to spend thousands more on the rebuild. I want to get away with replacing a few things, pistons okay, valves and stuff, but needing a new crank and all that, or welding the block etc, no way.

And one more thing, where did the extra few horsies come from in the 87 and new 3.2s? Is this to be found in the long block or in the management system? I'd like to have 217 if I can.




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Kurt B
1984 Carrera Cabriolet
911 Page
carrera_cabriolet@yahoo.com

[Eric Coffey]

Hey Kurt,

Assuming that you were going with a completely stock setup, the intake, exhaust, DME, and harness will probably set you back another $2k, which would put the "complete" price at around $6k, which, to be honest, sounds a little high for an `84 with 130K miles. For example, I sold a complete 3.2L engine (including exhaust, intake, flywheel, DME, harness, and tachometer) with 90K miles out of my 1986 for $5500. Even if you find something out-of-state, it can't cost more than about $350 to get an engine shipped anywhere in the US. The guy who bought mine lived out of state, and he had it shipped to him for $200.

-Eric

[Early_S_Man]

Kurt,

The extra power from ROW engines came from higher compression ratio, 10.3:1 vs 9.5:1 in USA cars, and also more agressive DME mapping for higher-octane gas that was available in Europe. NOT a great idea for current or future gas in CA!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa
1992 Dodge Dakota 5.2 4X4 parts hauler

[Wayne 962]

The higher HP did come from the increased displacement, higher ratio, and the better control of fuel and timing from the Motronic. I usually suggest that people stick with the Motronic with the 3.2s, as anything less is a bit of a downgrade.

On the subject of rebuilding, you never quite know what you are going to get when you buy a used motor, so you may encounter some problems. You may need new P&Cs, which mean another $3K at least on top of the normal rebuild costs. It is far better to purchase a good running used motor with low-miles on it (if you can find one), then a high-mileage one that needs to be rebuilt.

As mentioned previously, the costs of this motor seem really high, considering that 'it needs to be rebuilt' or 'you are planning on rebuilding it'.

Sounds like a bit of a gamble to me...

-Wayne