2.0 Motor Rebuild - What would you do?

[OCG911T]

Oh yeah, whatever you decide just make sure piston/valve/head clearances are within specifications with all the proposed changes. I just looked on LN Engineering’s website and they have a good deal on some 84mm nickies with mahle 911S pistons that would give you a 2.2 liter with 9.8:1CR. Just add an S cam, open some 2.2 heads to S specs, recurve your distributor and adjust your webers and you have a 180hp engine that is tried and true. It’s the route I should have taken instead of messing around too much for another 10hp.

[Alaskan911]

Oh yeah, whatever you decide just make sure piston/valve/head clearances are within specifications with all the proposed changes. I just looked on LN Engineering’s website and they have a good deal on some 84mm nickies with mahle 911S pistons that would give you a 2.2 liter with 9.8:1CR. Just add an S cam, open some 2.2 heads to S specs, recurve your distributor and adjust your webers and you have a 180hp engine that is tried and true. It’s the route I should have taken instead of messing around too much for another 10hp.

Oliver, thank you much for your suggestions, I like how you think. I've got some serious thinking to do, and I think I may be in the market for some 2.2 heads.

[OCG911T]

No problem. This forum has been invaluable for me as I tried to decide what to do with my 2.2T rebuild. Some of the lessons that I have learned was there IS a point of diminishing returns to the guys who are building an engine on a budget and a lot of potential issues/added expenses arise when straying too far into unknown territory. I think ultimately the best thing you can do, in general, is stick with the known/tried and true options. I ended up purchasing my cams (DC40/“Mod-S”) and then found out the safest bet for my engine was to upgrade the valve springs and retainers and port the heads, which were not on my radar before and cost an additional ~$1500 and recurving the distributor ~$600. In the end it all depends what you are willing and comfortable with spending on the build but be aware sometimes extra stuff pops up when you are choosing a novel build. I have a second engine that I am cobbling together just for the Hell of it, but I will keep that build in check and go with something that doesn’t require a ton of extra work/resources to complete. I have decided it will either be a 2.5 short stroke and have my T camshafts reground to E and just upgrade the rod bolts to ARP, which essentially “only” involves the extra machining required for the larger P&C’s and regrinding the camshaft or go the 2.2S route I mentioned to you, which would require some additional dough to port the heads and possibly get another counterweighted crank. Either way they are engines that have been built by a lot of people and so you know what you will end up with and there aren’t any surprises. The more modern camshaft grinds, ignition systems and P&C options have really improved people’s ability to experiment with different builds, but also require additional considerations to make sure you end up with a drivable and reliable engine. Again, I have found a ton of support on here and have been impressed with the amount of patience and time some of the real experts in the Porsche community put into helping other enthusiasts. Keep us posted!

[Richy]

OCG911T , where can you find ARP rod bolts for a 2.2 rod ? and how do you "cobble " together a 2.5 short stroke without spending money on custom made pistons if you want a decent compression ratio .

[OCG911T]

Richy,
ARP makes the M10 rod bolts and the stock 2.2 rods can be machined to accept them. You can find used 90mm 2.7 RS P&Cs for sale without looking too hard for reasonable prices and have them machined/refurbed if they need it and either accept the lower CR or pick up some custom JE pistons in whatever CR you want for about $1350. A person could sell the Mahle 2.7 RS pistons and probably cover the cost of the custom JE Pistons as long as they were in good shape and within specs. No matter what you do there is no escaping the high cost of any engine rebuild, especially with the magnesium cases, as I’m sure you are aware. That said, if you spend a little time and keep your eyes open there are plenty of good deals to be had on the used parts platforms (here, pelican, ebay, some of the dismantlers, etc.) which can keep the overall “upgrade” costs in check. I have had great luck just posting in the “parts wanted” sections of these sites and meeting people who are always buying/selling/trading parts and would suggest to Alaskan911 (and anyone else for that matter) they try that route if they ever get in a bind and can’t find a part that is NLA or even just to give finding a good deal a shot. Happy Holidays, Oliver

[OCG911T]

Richy,

I should also clarify what I meant by “cobble together”... I have a 2.2T long block in spare parts that I have accumulated over the years and want to put another engine together with those spare parts. I know it will require everything that goes along with a rebuild, I just meant I want to use what I have and just replace the P&Cs and machine the case and heads to build the 2.5SS with either the T or E camshaft that is mentioned in Bruce Anderson’s book.

[Richy]

Hello Oliver , thanks for the answer . I guess custom machining connecting rods and buying custom J & E pistons is not really my definition of " cobbling together " or actually yours either .