DIY Engine Rebuild

[james ashby]

Can anyone offer advice on rebuilding an engine, Ive never done any engine before but am fairly competent and mechanically minded. Is it a foolhardy thing to think about. My car is just so much worse than i originally thought and am trying to erase a few expenses that i may be able to do. Thanks in advance

 

[2.4te]

James,
I haven't rebuilt a 911 engine (though hope to one day) but have done Mini engines. The danger of tackling this project is that you will get 'nickled and dimed' to death, meaning that it is very difficult to budget the cost. The temptation is very strong 'while you're in there' to replace items that may or may not need doing, but if you don't you won't have peace of mind, eg- the oil pump! I went through this dilema recently with my own 911 and solved the problem by buying a running engine and installing it. My original engine is waiting for my time and money. The other aspcet is that when you sell your car, a prospective purchaser could be very cynical about your engine building capability (compared to having a receipt for eg an Autofarm rebuild) and you would struggle to recoup a fraction of the costs. There is an SC engine 'that can be seen running' in this month's Porsche Post ca. £2k I think (nothing to do with me)- I can send the details iof you need me to. The Wayne Dempsey engine rebuild book is excellent and well worth purchasing, if only for bedtime reading! Hope this helps.

 

[Guest]

if you want to build an engine, firstly get Wayne Dempsey's "How to Build a 911 Engine " and Bruce Anderson's "911 Performance Handbook" and give them a thorough read. These book s will help you decide what you want to build (not sure if you're thinking about a striaght re-build or somethign different)

They also give detailed explainantions of the parts you may or may not need.

Do not go into this half heartedly, rebuilding a porsche engine is WAY more expensive than any other engine I've built. Firstly the parts are more expensive, Secondly the machining work needed is rather specialised and hence expensive, Thridly the tolerenaces are critical (not so on other old engine's I've worked on) so you need to be precise.

I'm looking to build a 2.5 short stroke engine, have alolowed myself at leas 18 months to comlete it and reckon it's going to cost me about 6k just in parts. Ok I am going to have to buy a donor engine and induction, so you can knock off 3k, leaving you with 3k in parts/machining, which you'll agree is not exactly a trifle.