turbo

mcruickshank · 02-18-2002, 09:32 AM

I am wondering if any one has turbo'ed their 912. I have recently acquired a restored '68 912, 5 speed. Love the car, but is underpowered compared to the cornering ability. I have read all of the posts on this site and others, searched the web and I haven't found a turbo solution that fits my needs. Part of the problem may be my ignorance. The car has the original engine (rebuilt), which is the same 1600 that came in the 356, right? Still not sure what engine that is. CBPerformance hideaway turbo and AJ Sims of LowBudget budget turbo have solutions but I am not sure if they will fit a 912. Has anyone already been down this road? What did you find?

Thanks,

Mark

wastintime · 02-18-2002, 01:41 PM

e-mail Bob Tomlinson at CBPerformance. He'll know if that turbo is compatible with the 912 engine, and how to make it work.

JuiceMan · 02-18-2002, 02:25 PM

Well to be honest it is very possible to do. However the 912 engine has a weak crank as it is and if you brbeak it thats going to cost $$$$$. What I would do if I wanted more power would be to remove the 912 engine and replace it with a VW engine. For the price you sell your 912 engine for you can get a decent engine and turbo setup and have more power

wastintime · 02-19-2002, 09:36 AM

Just another thought about an alternative to Turbos. How is your engine set up? I've kept my stock 912 engine, but it has 44IDFs, a header system, and some other goodies. It definitely has more than enough power.

mcruickshank · 02-19-2002, 09:52 AM

Wastintime,

I am not exactly sure of my set up. I received that car last Thanksgiving, drove it for a couple of weeks and put it away for the winter. I believe the only changes from stock are Weber 40s and electronic ignition. The car was restored less than 5,000 miles ago. It runs great, except the carbs need to be tuned. I would like to get about 150-180 hp out of the engine without killing it. I am interested in the turbo option because they are kits. I have access to a lift and tools at my buddy's garage but he is not a Porsche mechanic and he doesn't want to become one. Also, I want to upgrade/maintain the car myself. Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Mark

josh912 · 02-19-2002, 11:03 AM

A few things, if in fact you do have a 1600 cc engine a big bore (1720 cc) will give you a lot more torque. The biggest thing however seems to be the webers. Webes come stock with 28 mm venturis which is way too small for the 912 engine. They are the equivalent of zeniths, for the 356 60-75 hp motor! Through Claud's Buggies you can upgrade the jets and venturies, and put on some velocity stacks while you are at it, all for under $100, I think, its been a while. Another big thing is the distributor. If the car has webers there is a very good chance that it has an 009 which is about as bad as putting a 911 (6 cylinder) distributor in the car. The 031, 022, and the more common 050 are supurb distributors which will increase performance, response, and drivability emmensly. Also check the throttle linkages to make sure that you are getting full throttle, and as you mentioned tune up the carbs. If you are willing to work on the engine, increasing the compression, bigger valves and stiffer valve springs, along with a hot cam will give you considerable amounts of performance. Headers also will increase performance, but I like the stock setup myself. If you take the engine apart, the key is balance. Balance everything to a T and the car will run smooth and very, very fast. As you can see, there is plenty of room for performace increases on the 912, its just a matter of taking the time and doing it right. It can be relatively inexpensive, and unlike the turbo, you engine wil last a long time, 100K or so (if done right) Just a few thoughts to get you going, and don't forget....

Keep the 912 faith!

Alan.UK · 02-20-2002, 05:46 AM

Josh what venturies were you running.
I'm using 32's in mine and it ran beautifully.
Rest of the set up was
40's IDF's
32mm venturi
Accelerator pump jets- 40
Idle jets- 50
Main jets- 135
Airs- 200
F11 Emulsions

elec fuel pump and 050 dizzy.

Alan.UK

josh912 · 02-20-2002, 07:35 AM

Right now I have solexes!

But Alan, you hit the setup right on the money! That was my setup. However, idle jets can range from 50-55 and you can use F7 and F11 emultions. The big thing is the 32mm venturies. Now if anyone wants to go back to 28mm

, I've got everything you need sitting in a box!

Alan.UK · 02-20-2002, 07:58 AM

Me too,
I have a load of weber parts inc a set of 28 ven's. In fact if anyone is interested I have a pair of weber 40 IDF's that some one might be interested in for parts. If anyone is interested I can get you some pics.

Alan.UK

PS. Josh what did you do with your carbs ?

josh912 · 02-20-2002, 08:50 AM

They're on the race motor.

Enrique · 08:54 AM

There was a turbo'ed '69 at the Fall '00 Baltimore Swapmeet. It was for sale (asking around $8k I think). I don't remember many details, but it was largely fabricated. Here's some pix:

Enrique · 02-20-2002, 01:52 PM

I can't seem to get two images to load on one reply...

JuiceMan · 02-21-2002, 03:08 AM

Enri: Do you have any pics of the engine?

Enrique · 02-21-2002, 08:57 AM

funny, on my mac the engine picture was showing. I checked on a PC, and there were two pictures of the car. well, here goes another try...

PorscheDV · 02-21-2002, 07:01 PM

OOOOHHHHH...

yummy!

JuiceMan · 02-22-2002, 03:17 AM

Now that took some creativity. Thanks for the pics!