Thank you all for the continued advice. This will be a journey. The engine will be pulled from the car in a few weeks time. Having other bits worked being done while she’s sitting idle (wiring, trim refinishing, making sure all the switches and lights work, LEDs all around for better night vision, etc...) as I plan to drive her much more frequently than in the past. Tear down is planned for the summer with the build over winter. Goal is to be finished by next spring. This should provide ample time to get it right. The builder at Auto Associates is great and has done some relatively minor work on Phoenix before.
The engine is unfortunately not the original. The infamous MotorMiester took care that many years ago by “misappropriating” the 7R case without informing me. (There’s an old thread on this here or on Pelican.) Took me a while to find that out. I also believe they were the fundamental cause of the engine fire. The current case is from a ‘72t. After the fire, Farnbacher Loles rebuilt the engine again which I got back just after they closed up shop. This build should purge all past sins.
I want this engine to be “right” (fun spirited drive w/ low end torque) and last a 100k (reliability/ bulletproof/etc..). I’m still working on the build sheet which is continuously evolving based on what I’m learning here and on Pelican from all you fantastic experts. The current build sheet is as below. I would like to make this sheet as detailed, transparent and thought through as possible to ensure the builder and I are on the same page. Any advice on filling in the specifics is VERY much appreciated. Of course all must stay in budget which is good but not unlimited.
Phoenix Engine rebuild:
At the moment the thoughts are:
- 93 P&C‘s nickies w/ J&E’s
- 9.5:1 CR
- 70.4 stroke (existing)
- PMO 40 (existing)
- Mod S cams
- ARP rod bolts
- ARP flywheel bolts
- ARP head studs
- Time-cert threaded inserts
- Case savers
- Keep current exhaust and SSIs
- Front mounted oil cooler
Still open and being discussed are:
- pistons: Mahle vs JE. Why not German made Mahle? Have JE really rectified there past reliability issues?
- Port Heads 36 (S specs)..?
- Port Inlet trumpets 38 (S specs)... ?
- Throttle body to match heads and inlet trumpets... ?
- Narrow the cooling deflectors/tins
- Lightweight Rods to match the lightweight P&Cs? (Pauter / Carrillo?)
- Pressure plate... lightweight?
- Clutch disc...? (I believe there is a Sachs in it now)
- Flywheel... aluminum? lightly shave OEM/ steel?, standard OEM?... goal is to balance free revving with Streetable. I heard there are stalling and chatter issues if it’s too lightweight.
- Engine mounts. Do we need to change these to help manage the increased torque?
- Steel/ stainless steel fuels lines wherever possible (reliability and to prevent leaks... anything to prevent a 2nd fire!)
- Case... Original 7R is gone. Would love to find another. Other obtainable / affordable options?
- Transmission gearing. Would there be a noticeable benefit to changing the transmission gearing to better/ best fit the new engine Dynamics? (It must be worth the cost as the transmission has already been rebuilt and now also has a LSD.)
I’m hoping to complete the build sheet by the end of next month or so to ensure there is plenty of time get parts and line up good machinists. The process so far has been enjoyable and I’m learning a lot from here, PP, Bruce’s book, etc...
Thank you all for your support! I‘ve asked the builder to send me lots of fotos of the tear down and the build which I will post here. I will try an post a foto of the current motor. I suspect the final build won’t appear much different to the casual observer though what lies beneath will become a different story... a good sleeper.
Many thanks to all. Stay safe and healthy! ... Oliver