84_Carrera

Hey guys, as you know I'm going to be doing the clutch on my '84 3.2L in the next month or so due to failure.

Well, a friend of mine in the SHO community is a ceramics engineer and does side work updating the Taurus SHO's TOB with aerospace-grade ceramic ball bearings, etc. He mentioned he was looking to expand into other markets to maximize the investment he's made in equipment, and asked if I was willing to be the alpha tester on the 3.2L 911's TOB. I've used his ceramic TOBs on the SHO before, they're pretty nice, but double to triple the price of the standard TOB because you have to buy the original, then have it pulled apart & rebuilt.

I was thinking of trying to pick up 2, one to send him and one to have ready on the shelf in case his rebuild didn't go well. Any thoughts from the field? Thoughts on the guide tube & tolerances there?

jakeflyer

T/O bearings are about $20 and may work well and need little if any improvement. It takes me about 2 days to out and in a 911 engine and trans. Say 12 to 16 hours for me the novice(and old at that), with the right jacks, jack stands, and the shoe support that goes into the jack to hold the engine steadfast as you lower and raise it. If there was a 20 HP gain or a shifting improvement, then maybe you would consider going to a modified unit, as is WHY do it with the risk of having to re-do it if it dont work. Beside the T/O gearing and the clutch plate, you may want to change the front and rear crankshaft seals and fix any areas that may leak. If you have any indication of high temp operation, check or replace the thermostat on the back of the engine. I am adding to my own list-- replace the front/shifter fork transmission seal. Mine leaks and I talked to a 911SC seller a couple of days ago with the same problem.

84_Carrera

I have a bit of "while it's out" work planned as well, but I was just curious about the TOB.

My temps don't go high at all, just the opposite, making me wonder if the t-stat was stuck open. Once completely warmed up I get above the 1st major line, but no higher. Takes 15-20 minutes to get to that point too. Replaced the gauge sender last year.

Anyway, I was just curious about the TOB. On the SHO, the movement was smoothed up nicely with the ceramic. If the replacement ones available now are a-ok, I'll pass that along to the guy.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi Fred,

Under the heading of, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it",.....Sachs TOB's last 100K+ with proper clutch habits and a lot less if one doesn't,..

They are both relatively cheap & rugged.