915 to G50 Conversion on my Euro 3.2 911 SC

[Blackbyrd]

HI, Efren here ...some of you may know me over from the 911 Used parts department but besides selling parts I actually really enjoy owning my 911.
all that hustling is to pay for this "project" my True love.

You will see not only my 915 to G50 swap but also the general transformation of my car. The ever so familiar "while I'm in there" phrase will get tossed around quite a bit.

Really this whole project started because.....


I could no longer stand the 915 transmission (sorry 915 fans)
To me it was slow shifting, This coming from someone who had previously owned only G50 aircooled 911s.

I drove around in my SC for a couple of years
Pulled the engine/trans several times and was never really happy no matter the improvements.

At one Point I planned to build the ultimate 915 trans

acquiring:
Euro factory Oil cooler kit
7:31 ring Pinion
Low/Tall gears
a Mag case
LSD
and other trick bits for what was suppose to be a Frankenstein 915

but none of that ever came to light and now those bits That I swore never to sell have found there way on the used parts section.

Here is a pic of what my Euro engine/915 looked like before installing it for the 3rd time into the Sc


The shifting of the 915 (even after the rebuild) got so bad (in my head) that I wanted to sell the whole car and just start over again.

After coming to my senses and the fact that I have so much love for my lil Sc
I decided that I had to give my car a proper gear box.

The G50 can fit several ways ( I won't go into detail)

but...

I'm taking the short bell housing method

No modifications to the Chassis Other than coil overs (not needed) and setting the stock torsion bars to a Neutral position
(rather than removing the torsion bars and loosing strength in the chassis)

I Will modify

G50 Case
Shift coupler
Trans mount
an a few other bits


I already choose the REBEL RACING Coil over kit at the Rear w/ Bilstein Sport shocks that I had previously rebuilt.
http://www.rebelracingproducts.com/images/coil-over-rearcokmoms1.jpg
they offer this kit for $300 not bad really (looks pretty too)


So far I have sourced most of the used items needed for the conversion such as

G50 Pedals + master
3 hydraulic lines
Shifter assembly
Transmission mount
reservoir + line
Slave cylinder
G50 starter

I had a slightly used light weight clutch kit but will only be able to use certain parts due to short bell housing, more on these mods later.




Will be posting photos of process so stand by

Any advice or comments are well appreciated

[redturbo911]

Sounds cool keep us posted with pics.

[pksystems]

subbed.

Any idea what size the g50 hardline/fittings are? They look bigger then brake lines.

[Rodsrsr]

Cool project....I'll be joining you in the future. Please keep us posted on your progress.

[KTL]

I would recommend looking at creating something like the Patrick Motorsports adjustable trans mount. It worked fantastic for our '70 Motodelta racecar.

G50 SBH Transmission Carrier Mount Porsche Part Distributed By Patrick Motorsports

Point being is that I don't think the factory G50 trans mount is going to fit in terms of being a bolt-on installation. May require some massaging and that's what the PMS mount does- allows for adjusting the location of the mount.

I'm curious why you're installing coilovers. You don't really need to, since you're not cutting out or modifying the torsion bar housing, correct?

[quattrorunner]

subbbb

[Blackbyrd]

I will start taking apart the car Tuesday

KTL wow good one!
For $288 that is NOT bad, but fabricating my own might be lighter and at no cost. Now if I was someone who had zero machines and help from knowledgeable friends I would buy the Patrick motorsport steel 915 style trans mount they sell in a heart beat, Its pretty clever.

Anyone know the weight ?

I will use the aluminum G50-01 engine mount, modified though or how KTL puts it "massaged" photos of these mods coming soon.


If I wanted to weld on the chassis (I don't) this might be a "cheaper" solution
http://www.patrickmotorsports.com/part/pmp-g50sbh-930-78-85/

Coil over aren't necessarily needed you are right, but I still think there might be a issue with the axles too close ? also I could save money/time when it comes to corner balancing. If I really don't have to use them I most won't.

One of the biggest reasons is because I'm getting the Rebel Racing coil overs at a GREAT price that I just can't pass up.




As for the G50 hardlines

they are standard G50-01 87-89 Lines factory
pretty easy to get ahold of.

[sc_rufctr]

Cool project. I like my SC the way it is but I have thought about doing the same.

Subbed.

[quozl]

Subbed, this is something I would like to do in the future to my car, looking forward to following your progress.

Cheers Al

[Rodsrsr]

I have the same coil over kit on my car, but I use them as helper springs in addition to T-Bars to eliminate squat with the turbo. I also welded in the RSR type gussets on the shock towers. They're not designed to adjust ride height when used with T-Bars so they wont help with corner balance. You really dont need them.

[Blackbyrd]

Been Awhile since I updated this:

The G50 conversion turned into a Slippery slope as my coworkers say.
One project turned into a full blown 4 corner upgrade

I can only work on the car 2-3 hours after work and only when My coworkers actually want to stay in to work on their one stuff...


(cleaned the hell out of the fender wells, this was very enjoyable


Now the new upgrade include:

Boxster Calipers all the way around:


Seeing how my car needed new rotors and pads in the rear
I decided it was time to upgrade my brake power.
NOT only for the braking power but also for suspension reasons.
Seeing how the boxster calipers weight almost half of what the stock calipers weight it was a no brainer.


SC calipers

I purchased the full Rebel Racing mount kit
Nice and light w/ a cool finish + hardware included.
The twist is I'm not using the SS lines provide in the kit.
Although they are good SS lines I would rather go with custom made hard lines.
So it looks and feels stock....maybe even lighter too.


The weight on SC caliper VS Boxster Caliper was about 18 pounds
I will post a whole other thread about this conversion.
Also replaced the master cylinder to 23mm Turbo (had one new in box)

(link of conversion will be posted here)

Next I addressed suspension:




My suspension on my car is one of the weakest points.
1 corner of the car is higher than the other side and reversed at the rear
not to mention struts feel blown. The Rear shocks are actually brand new from a previous "while I'm in there" project


with the front I rebuilt the front end
Bilstein for Boge Inserts Sourced from Rebel Racing
Doing something a little different with the front end to save weight...more to come on this

The rear end of the business:
I picked up a Rebel Racing Rear Coil over kit from my friend over at
BISMIMOTO (new up and coming Porsche Tuner) he was using them for mock up reasons.

I was told I did not need coilovers since I'm modify the trans in such away that it's not necessary. Seeing how I got them in a trade from I couldn't pass up the chance to "bling" my car with more of Clints products.




Due to the fact that used rear shocks (unknown miles) were installed on the coil overs I now have to take apart the rebel racing coilovers and pull out the old shocks...then modify my (newer) Bilstein Sport shocks to machine a groove for the circlip. (FYI: non Sport shock don't work for the coil over kit)


Oil cooling system:

Seeing how my car still had the trombone Oil cooler and SC Oil tank... I figured I would upgrade both. My old SC tank doesn't have the breather vent in the tank
so the 3.2 Euro engine runs a little rich.

So I picked up a complete Carrera oil tank from LA Dismantlers
(they had a few to choose from)

Ran it in the parts washer at work then dropped it off along with the Oil cooler
at:

lamfied ultrasonic in Carson

One day turn around and the price was pretty damn good.
Nothing came out of either the cooler or the tank but better safe than sorry.
(cheap insurance to clean them)



SO MOVING ALONG
TRANSMISSION CONVERSION ITEMS

Now back to actually doing the conversion.
I already pulled out the following 915 items off the chassis that won't be used:

Shifter assembly (few bolts)
Shift Rod assembly
Pedal assembly
clutch line


The pedals were a little tricky
I had to remove the clutch line and the throttle cable ball pins
1 rod and 1 flat bar that go to the brake booster
Then removed the lower Oil pump/steering rack cover
Followed by two nuts that hold the pedals from the outside
(this is why I like the 964 style pedals a little easier to remove)


I will be posting weight differences between both kits.
Since this is a popular subject.


Located all the G50 items from the same Local Dismantler where I got the Oil tank
(LA Dismantlers) at a reasonable cost


Bottle for fluid + mounting bracket + blue fluid line
Hydraulic line (long)
Transmission Hydraulic line w/ slave
Transmission mount
Shifter assembly w/ boot
G50 Pedal assembly with slave cylinder


The only thing I could get was the Hydraulic line from the Pedal slave to the long line in the tunnel. That short line was cut in half to remove the pedals faster I assume.
This line will be custom made (to look like stock)



another update to follow.. with more photos

I will being putting in a big parts order this coming week
and will most likely take a couple of days off work to hammer away and finish the chassis portion of the conversion.


more to come

[Discseven]

Nice project Blackbyrd!

[Blackbyrd]

Yikes

This project has turned into a "while I'm there"


I have been replacing all sorts of stuff and doing little mods here and there.


A piece of advice "while you are in there" Replace the rubber bushings for the Throttle rod in the tunnel take 3 of them. Mine literally fell apart as I touched them.


The front brake mounts being adapted.
What no one tells you with these "bolt on kits" is that you have to actually modify the brake shield


Or worse the little problems, This nut killed me for what felt like an eternity
then my friend came along and in one smooth move cracked it with some pliers... seems the previous owner over tighten the line


The next little hump in my adventure was this little bushing !

901.423.227.00 (x3 needed)

"while I was there" I inspected the throttle rod only to find that the bushings were in a state of deterioration




Not to mention I found all sorts of dead leaves n dust...
The bushing came on pretty easy all I had to do was pull the tabs holding them down then reverse the process..

If you have to do this from scratch
you must (from back to front)

- Bushing # 1 remove the coupler access plate and move the coupler/rod
- Bushing #2 remove bolts for the hand brake and move/slide the hand brake over to access the bushing
-Bushing #3 is under the shifter

Lets hope I notice the difference




In the Trunk:

I removed the Brake booster to make space to drill a hole for a brake fluid line and also to add the new 23mm Master cylinder.


Sorry about the flash (or lack of)
This shows the line going through its newly drilled hole w/ the proper factory grommet.

I had to also loosen and move a couple of Hvac lines...not a big deal
(note: the fume lines in the trunk will also be replaced)



This is the 23mm Master cylinder.
I had to remove the Switches since they were 2 prong and the wiring on my SS and previous master cylinder were 3 prong...simple solution
Also added the Carrera brake fluid bottle It was a simple bolt on.



More progress to follow

[Blackbyrd]

You guys will not believe some of the ideas that are flying around for this car.
I keep adding more things to do to the list, some Radical never before others subtle touches. I won't give away all the secrets but I will share what I can.
Stay tuned:

Adding to my update

Seems I'm working on my car 2-3 nights per week
Doing what I can.

Some sad news, It turns out my Chassis might be bent or heavily misaligned
It became apparent when I first added my Fuchs and confirmed by a second opinion the other night. After all my mechanical work is done it will go to a frame machine Along with proper body work..... Looks like I will have to sell more parts on the used parts section


moving along:

Brakes

I had to measure, scribe and cut the rear control arms to fit the Boxster brake Calipers + mounting kit.

First had to modify the dust shield


Here is the front Dust shield already Cut/shaped/filed
(seems I got too happy and cut it a little too short)
But did a much better job on the driver side, passenger side shield will have to be redone.

Control arms
This is what shops who sell these rear brake adapter kits don't mention upfront

Now you see me:


Still here


Few minutes later after grinding


This photo above shows the Rebel Racing brake mounts, seeing how they are coarse thread and I wanted to use the factory hardware I decided to go with a set a friend engineered, he just happen to have a set sitting in his drawers


His version sits in a slightly different position, He says they grab the rotor a little better. You be the judge
(he doesn't sell them only makes one offs for friends so don't ask)

You will have to excuse my rusty rotors

In this picture you can see how I cut the rear Dust shields
The proper way really would be to extended the other side.


This photo shows the dust shield on the opposite side



I did a few other little jobs like clean up the wiring from the engine compartment
In motion to remove virtually any items that can be removed from the engine bay.

more to come

[KTL]

Gotta keep the ideas to a minimum or the car will never get back on the road. Believe me on this. Myself and others local to me have gotten seriously bogged down by trying to make the bestest greatest awesomest 911 EVAR......

Why keep the shields? Especially if the car rarely ever sees rain like in Cali?

Caliper position really doesn't matter that much. Honestly, one of the best positions is down low, from a center of mass standpoint. But that usually isn't practical for various reasons. Here's a good article on it

April 2000

Actually 9 o'clock or 3 o'clock on the axle is best simply from the position of the bleed nipples- vertical. Vertical makes the bubbles get to the nipple the easiest!

Thanks for the pointer on the throttle rod bushings. I'll have to replace those on my racecar for sure. The rod is floppy as can be inside the tunnel and for some reason I never bothered to look for a part to replace!

[Ferrino]

I've seen a few people mention this "unholy trinity" of throttle rod bushings in the tunnel, so I thought I'd take a peek. All 3 of mine had disintegrated and fallen out! Thanks for the pics showing how they are held in by those metal clips that you manipulate by hand.