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Was able to get a tour of Ollie's. Pretty cool. They had motor parts shipped from all over the world being machined there. They examined my parts and we discussed the work. I didn't think about bringing my pressure plate and pulley so I have to ship tbose to them. They will balance the crank, flywheel, pulley and pressure plate all together. They also added another item for my crank, which is to cross drill the crank for better oil distribution across the rods (particularly the #2, #5 rod bearings). Good news was that the eyeball test said that my crankshaft looked really good.
Here are the guys I met at the shop
Here are some photos of the shop. I could have spent all day in there!
Good news is that I have a short wheelbase knee pad to replace the ash tray/separate knee pad look of the long wheelbase cars. I really don't like the look of the LWB dash as it is broken up and the ash tray is clunky and often misaligned - and certainly don't need an ash tray.
Bad news was that the part I purchased wasn't as advertised, as it was completely rusted on one end.
Here is the part with the vinyl cover removed. Light surface rust across most of it except one end.
Here is the end that was completely rusted.
Most of these SWB knee pads that I had seen had some degree of rust - as they are all quite old now. Rather than give up on this part, I figured I would attempt to make a replacement end. I cut off the rusted end, flattened it and traced the shape onto sheet metal. I cut the part out and used paper templates to shape the edges. I took my time with the paper templates and measuring to make sure it matched very closely to the original side before I attached it.
I had purchased a left over roll of high quality correct German grain vinyl from a guy in town that recently finished a restoration project. My plan was to use this for the vinyl that runs along the A and B pillars in the car, but have enough to do this knee pad and probably enough for the dash.
Using the old piece, I traced and cut out the new piece.
I had the piece media blasted to remove the surface rust, then painted in black paint.
I used JB Weld epoxy to attach the end piece I crafted.
I used the original backing instead of replacing with new foam backing. I may regret this.
Here is the finished part sitting in sunlight to see if the vinyl will soften and smooth out a bit - it is a bit bumpy which may be due to the 5o year old backing lol. I struggled a bit with two of the tight curves. I can peel the vinyl off and try again if needed - or take it to a pro as I now have an appreciation for people who do this professionally!
Stopped by Andy's shop today to drop off my new front bumper. He will check it for proper fitment once the front end repairs are all done. Not much progress to report as he and his crew were off for the holidays. My car did have a new neighbor - a '72 S former race car. That car is having a crazy amount of sheetmetal work done. Decades of racing takes a toll on these things.
Here is a quick shot of the two '72's hanging out next to each other waiting for the day to shine once again. You can see that both rear quarter sections have been completely removed from the former race car.
Researching oil pumps across forums is enough to make your mind spin. A lot of opinions on pumps, but my primary focus is making sure my pump has a clean bill of health - as with everything else I have shipped off to experts with this build. Anyway, based upon my research and a recommendation from experts I trust, including Ollie's, I am boxing up my oil pump to be sent off to Glenn Yee Motorsports for their GT SERIES 1 exam/rebuild, port and polish. So, I will be retaining the stock pump for my build, but it will be fully examined and 'enhanced'. Ollie's is performing the oil bypass modification on my case - between that mod and servicing my pump, I expect no issues with oil pressure and will have peace of mind that my pump is good to go. What is interesting, is that one of the primary benefits of the oil bypass modification is reduced windage - not just benefits to the oil pump/pressure/etc. I thought I would share that for those that maybe didn't know this, as I recently saw discussion about knife edging the crankshaft - this mod may actually help more with windage in non-race motors.
What are you doing spec-wise for the engine? 2.7 type RS build right? Anything else tricky or sticking to that general formula?
We looked at this for mine and decided a later pump was better due to the flow and pickup designs. Of course, i’m doing doing anything period correct on the engine here :-)
What are you doing spec-wise for the engine? 2.7 type RS build right? Anything else tricky or sticking to that general formula?
We looked at this for mine and decided a later pump was better due to the flow and pickup designs. Of course, i’m doing doing anything period correct on the engine here :-)
Oh man your motor is going to be amazing.
With my hotrod I am inspired by old school, period flavors. I am kinda weird like that though. I like watches that you need to wind and I prefer to listen to music on turntables with tube amplifiers. That is why I am so attracted to the older air-cooled 911's. I am even going to be using a trombone/serpentine oil cooler up front instead of the more modern radiator style because I cannot get myself to attach an electric fan to it
Anyway, my motor build is inspired by the 1972 2.5 ST. I am also being a bit cautious as I have an early 3R/4R (numbers matching) case, so I do not want to remove any more material from the case (e.g. bore spigots, make room for bigger pump, etc) as it isn't as robust as the 7R case. So my build is fairly modest, but should provide me with the experience I am looking for.
Basic build specs:
2.5 MFI Longstroke
87.5 slip in Nickies with JE Pistons (this actually gets me closer to 2.6). No boring needed.
Bump to 9.5:1 compression (no higher to avoid dual plug and issues with crappy gas)
DC30 Cams (which is a mod Solex cam - sort of between an E and S). Many discussions with John Dougherty to arrive at this decision. Was leaning towards DC40 but was talked out of it based on where I want my power range.
Increase/bore throttle body and head port sizes (S spec); port and polish heads
Modified MFI Pump to match motor (S spec)
Classic Retrofit CDI+ ignition (looks stock and will work well with stock distributor, but provides double spark at all RPM’s, advance curve and rev limiter adjustability)
Those I have talked to feel I should be in the 200hp range and have a broad, usable power range - and finally, it should be reliable. No where near the power you will be putting down! I have continued my weight loss strategy too, which I am now calculating the car will come in ~2,070lbs and should give a very nice, balanced feel to it. Someday at least!
That sounds really fantastic. Should be stupid fun. My car is likely in the 170HP range now (a CIS 2.7 with carbs + SSI) and it’s quite a bit faster and more torquey than others I’ve driven with T E or S spec motors. These cars WANT 200 HP in them :-) They really wake up. But there is a limit, you don’t want to go too far. You go beyond the chassis and then you’re doing all sort of things to keep up and its a huge slippery slope. With mine, we are doing doing a bunch of tricky things but I really dont care what HP it makes, as long as it’s FUN to drive and rip up ACH, Malibu, and PCH. “Lively” is the key.
Should be awesome.
BTW, I like mechanical watches and vinyl too... seems to be a thing with old mechanical stuff.
That sounds really fantastic. Should be stupid fun. My car is likely in the 170HP range now (a CIS 2.7 with carbs + SSI) and it’s quite a bit faster and more torquey than others I’ve driven with T E or S spec motors. These cars WANT 200 HP in them :-) They really wake up. But there is a limit, you don’t want to go too far. You go beyond the chassis and then you’re doing all sort of things to keep up and its a huge slippery slope. With mine, we are doing doing a bunch of tricky things but I really dont care what HP it makes, as long as it’s FUN to drive and rip up ACH, Malibu, and PCH. “Lively” is the key.
Should be awesome.
BTW, I like mechanical watches and vinyl too... seems to be a thing with old mechanical stuff.
Luckily I don't wear watches as much as I used to, and ran out of room to store any more vinyl in my collection, and am happy with my current audiophile setup, as I am dumping all of my 'hobby' money into this stinkin' old Porsche!
Pump is back from Glenn Yee Motorsports for their GT SERIES 1 exam/rebuild, port and polish. Going to leave it sealed up until it is ready to go into the case.
did they provide any info on oil flow, pressure etc. increases?
They claim 20% gain in flow which translates to pressure gain. Honestly, this is great and all, but I really wanted an expert to go thru my pump and they have been doing it since 1981 and for race cars. I thought I could buy a used SC or 4 rib pump, but I would have felt compelled to ship it off to have the same service to provide peace of mind.
The timing of your post is great.
I went ahead and procured a new oil pump for my 2.8L build (on a 77R). But now I am thinking about returning it and having the existing pump sent off to these guys.