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Originally Posted by rennch
I'm going to have to push back on this a bit. Porsche engines are *notoriously* difficult to rebuild, and require MANY special tools , and the experience to use them. I think a DIY rebuild of a Porsche engine is a much bigger deal than most hobbyists will want to tackle. You have to know what you're looking at in terms of machining all of the parts, how to measure to the thousanth, and the "do's and don't's" when assembling. I consider myself quite experienced in the garage, and it's something I'd like to tackle someday, but is still quite daunting to me.
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That's fair, and I appreciate the perspective. Maybe I'm jaded, or have lost sight of how "daunting" Porsche flat sixes are to the first time builder. To me, though, they are one of the easiest, most pleasurable engines I have ever rebuilt. Everything fits, everything makes sense.
My background consists of big block MOPAR drag motors, Harley motors, VW motors, Ducati motors, and some others. All of those have some inherent annoyances, some real "gotchas" that can ruin your day. I've just never felt that way with Porsche motors. Lots of pieces, yes, some things to measure, yes, some special tools (but really not all that many compared to some of those others I've worked on).
So, I guess it's a matter of perspective, and I do appreciate yours. You should do it someday, though. With what I've seen here, I'm here to tell you, you will have no trouble. Piece of cake compared to what you have accomplished with this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rennch
In contrast, when you receive this kit, it comes in a crate and is completely assembled and ready to go. You bolt the engine to the trans run the power and ground wires to the ECU (and a few others) run the pre-cut, pre-assembled hoses, mount the radiators to the brackets, fill it with oil and coolant, and drive away. (That's a bit simplified, but that's the jist)
It can be done in a weekend with a toolkit you buy at Harbor Freight and fluids you get at Autozone, with little to no experience. (I include a tutorial install video) . I would rate it a 3-4 out of 10 in terms of how difficult it is, whereas an engine rebuild I'd rate at least a 9 out of 10.
Plus, all that being said, you're getting a MUCH more modern, tunable, cheaper to maintain, more powerful engine that no one would even know is under there unless you tell them.
It's invisible, by design.
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Sounds fantastic, but color me "skeptical". I've seen my share of problems when swapping Porsche engines into cars they were not originally found in. I've seen my share of problems installing oil cooler kits specific to our cars, wiring harnesses, etc. I can't imagine a radiator and water hose kit and a wiring harness representing parts that were never there to begin with.
The problems I have seen (and the above is a very abbreviated list) stem from the variation in these tubs, being hand built as they were. Motor, trannies, etc. are a piece of cake compared to anything involving mounting and routing stuff on the tub itself. Then there's those darn wiring harnesses...
A great example is something like an "R" or "ST" style crossover oil line "kit", feeding to fender mounted coolers. We've been mounting these since the late 1960's. I have one on my car, and I've helped many others install theirs. Each and every time at least one of the lines has to be remade because the one included in the kit didn't fit. And it's never the same line. I've almost got enough "cast offs" to build a whole new kit, and I'm sure most of them would fit on whatever car I try to put them on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rennch
In a way, this makes my point. Take your purist, 90 hp, matching numbers engine out and stick it on a shelf so you don't blow it up. Install my kit in a weekend, have a 300'ish hp sub 2000lb car to rip around, and bolt your original engine back in if you'd like to sell it. My kit is completely non destructive.
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Yup, absolutely. This is what I see as the very best application for this.
What I see as a rather dubious value proposition, however, is a 911 with a tired or damaged engine in need of a rebuild and installing this kit instead. I believe that by the time either is actually finished and running, the cost would be a wash. And now you have a 911 whose value is severely diminished with the installation of a Subaru motor. There is just no getting around that.