The Sunburnt Lobster a 1976 Porsche 911S

[roca1976]

quick project update...

Early this year a small puff of blue smoke became a larger puff of smoke which was followed by a loss of power and a cylinder dropping out.

Compression test showed cylinder 1 was well down.


Engine drop to take a closer look


Worst fear confirmed, piston 1 rings mashed and skirt broken off.



Any thoughts of dropping in a new piston and cylinder soon forgotten when worms of black silicon sealant had blocked a piston squirter and camshaft oiler.


The engine had been apart in the past, nasty rattle can black paint had saved the cases from any corrosion, they are absolutely mint which was pleasant surprise

[Huskyman]

Ouch. Too much sealant kills engines…
Are you planning to rebuild to standard spec and just enjoy it, or do you have more plans? I imagine a full strip down and assessment is in order?

[roca1976]

Unfortunately not a planned rebuild so limited by funds!

I scored a set of NOS Mahle Nikasil piston and cylinders (CIS spec) so will keep it CIS spec - I liked how it drove before, it has a Megasquirt EFI so is probably a few bhp up on the old CIS powered cars.

I sent the MS1 away to be updated to MS2 and now has LS2 COP plugs and trigger wheel so no more dizzy and MSD ignitor.

[Jake899]

What a truly beautiful car. Thanks for sharing the story and best of luck with it. NEVER SELL IT.

[roca1976]

Jake899 said:

What a truly beautiful car. Thanks for sharing the story and best of luck with it. NEVER PAINT IT.

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[shalmaneser]

roca1976 said:

Unfortunately not a planned rebuild so limited by funds!

I scored a set of NOS Mahle Nikasil piston and cylinders (CIS spec) so will keep it CIS spec - I liked how it drove before, it has a Megasquirt EFI so is probably a few bhp up on the old CIS powered cars.

I sent the MS1 away to be updated to MS2 and now has LS2 COP plugs and trigger wheel so no more dizzy and MSD ignitor.

Cool, I bet the modern ECU is a big improvement over the old clockwork.

[roca1976]

Yup loads better, starts first time hot and cold.
The new add on will incorporate a wideband lamda so should keep it at optimal AFR.
180bhp punching along a light car geared for 130mph is definitely a sweet spot for a road car.

[Krikkit]

Lovely car, as a lot of folks have said the patina is gorgeous. Dunno why this hasn't got more draw in here, I'd love to see some more pics etc

What was the depth of the work with the engine in the end? Did you have to split the cases to clean everything up?

[roca1976]

Once top end is torn down, the bottom end is relatively quick.
Everything has been cleaned and all plugs will be removed and cleaned to ensure no future debris can cause damage. The engine is a lovely piece of engineering but takes its time to build up to ensure everything is shimmed, level, etc. Fortunately a grown-up has been helping me...

[woodnut67]

Wow what a beauty!

Well jell even more so due to having a Cumbrian reg plate. How did you manage to bag that or is it luck of the draw?

[roca1976]

Well after various drama, the crank nipping up when dry built so cases need machining and pinning the bottom end is now buttoned up. My man has rebuilt the heads so once barrel heights have been adjusted it should be relatively straightforward.

Thanks to Peter for lending me the cam tool.

[Mr Tidy]

Definitely a brave purchase - well done!

I hope you get it back up and running soon in time for summer.

[gary71]

Getting that case back together is a huge step, the crank binding must have a been heartbreaking

[roca1976]

I am not sure what was worse the 1k bill or the realisation I wasn't out of the woods yet!
Fortunately still well under the value of the car and with added reliability of a fresh motor, modern efi and crank trigger CoP ignition. It will almost be like a modern car!

[roca1976]

Engine back up together, turns over by hand lovely. Cam's to be timed-up this weekend and then just last few bits to fit before chucking it in the back of the 911.

[Huskyman]

Cor that looks good! What are you using to block the hole where the dizzy lived? I bet your looking forward to hearing that flat six sing again this summer.

[LordGrover]

Bigger balls than I, Gunga Din.
Love it.

[gary71]

Nicely done. Best of luck with that scary first start.

Whatever you do don’t forget the big washers on the engine mounts, even temporarily whilst you are ‘just getting it bolted up’.
My engine uninstalled itself 2 hours after I put it in…

[Speedgelb]

Hero!

[roca1976]

The guy rebuilding the engine is an engineer so turned up a diz blanking disc with combined trigger sensor mount. £25 generic 36-1 trigger wheel, much cheaper than the bespoke kits.