karl ruiter

It is doable as a home project, but it takes a bunch more time. Normally, for home projects, you want to tackle one thing at a time and try to avoid the 'while we're in there' disease. When possible I try not to tear apart any more than I can put back together in the same weekend. Taking that approach a car can gradually get better over a period of many years. The trouble with this approach is that the first things you fixed will be needing attention again by the time you get to the last things.
Sometimes it gets to big for that and you end up with the situation of my convertable where it has been on stands for something like 2 years with me poking at it most every weekend a little bit. The problem with this is that by the time you get it back together you have many new problems to do with it sitting so long. My convertable's CIS was in working order when I took it apart 2 years ago, but a total disaster now.

Bill Ball

Incredible job getting this done on such a tight schedule..

Remember, if he needs a local wrenching partner, tools or whatever to deal with any of the residual issues, I'm only too glad to help either at his place or on my lift, as needed. He can email me at billb_msn "at" msn.com.

jorj7

Congrats on getting the car done in time. Doing this at home requires a
knowledgeable and willing support group, which I'm lucky to have here in
the Bay Area. I sure couldn't keep my car going with out them.

GregBBRD

This is a great approach...on anything that functions. Just would not work, on this particular car, since the engine was toast.

I've got a half a dozen different personal projects going, at all times....it's nuts, but I've always been like that. When I get tired of one...or need some special part that is going to take months to get...I go and work on the other. I've got a 63 Nova that I took your approach to. Never wanted to take it so far apart that it didn't run for long periods of time (unlike other projects.) I rewired it, redid the brakes, redid the suspension, built a new transmission, built an 540ci all aluminum big block and stuck it in...all one step at a time. I knew if I took it completely apart, it would be years before it ran, again. Some of these things took weeks, but none took months....or years.

I've got the other kind of projects...things that have not run, in years.

This project had a deadline...which turned out to be really tough. If the car only had to go a few miles every day, I would have tackled it differently. However, since Kyle wanted to drive it back to school (400 miles), I needed to replace things that were probably good, but old. And this all needed to get done in a month.

Mike B

Thanks for taking the time to photograph and document everything. That is a job by itself! I really appreciate your attention to detail and your methodology. I learned a hockey sock full of things.

I'm adopting your method of marking torqued bolts and those yet to be sung to specs. The beauty is in the simplicity.

Thanks again for the tutorial and the adventure!

Imo000

Excellent work...so how much more ponnies is that engine making now?

Iwanna928

Dyno? Engine mods, heads, cam's, compression. Absolutly beautiful work! I wish I had the funds or know-how to do what you have done! Thank you for sharing. Every page tells me things that I should do.

Charley B

It's probably a toss up as to which memory will be the sweetest, 40 years from now. The Berkeley years or the 928 project with dad. Well done.

When my teenagers began to make noises about driving one of my "fun" cars, (5 spds), the pre-requisite was simple. On our rather steep driveway, they needed to be able to hold the car stationary, without the brakes, and without over-reving the engine. Once mastered, driving a "stick" was a piece of cake. They learned quickly and it saved me the aggravation of endless unpleasant rides around town.

Mrmerlin

Greg thanks for posting your restore photos, you do really nice work and when you have the cash to do it right the results are spectacular.
I hope your son enjoys his new GT racecar

GregBBRD

Once the engine was in, the problems (which I tried to avoid by replacing everything that could be a wear item) began. The long 8mm bolt that the alternator pivots on pulled the helicoil out of the block (I'd carefully inspected this insert and the hole before assembling the engine...should have tried some "torque" on it). Pulled the silly thing at about 5 ft.lbs.

I've fixed dozens of these things...and have a half a dozen different methods of repairing them...depending on what is wrong. This one had not been "hacked" at, by some prior mechanic, so it was really pretty easy. Therefore, the entire hole was perfect, except for the treads.

Here's how I do it: (I'll insert some pictures from a block out of the car, if you guys think they are needed.)

1. Pull out the stainless helicoil insert, with a pair of needle nose. You can't go any farther than this step, until it is completely gone. You simply can't drill, tap, or do any further work until all of the stainless is gone.

2. Realize that the existing stripped threads, after the insert is removed, is 10 x 1.25. Unless you install a "Bigsert", or weld, there is no way to return to an 8mm bolt. It was silly to put all of this load on an
8mm bolt anyway, so I almost always repair this to 10mm. Since it is already 10 x 1.25mm, you can't thread directly to 10 x 1.5mm. You need to install a thread repair, of some sort.

3. Use a 10mm Timesert kit. Plan on inserting the 23mm long insert (special deep insert).

4. Drill the hole. You will need a 90 degree drill motor. It will be easier with the radiator removed. It is super easy to drill this straight, since you have the front of hole to visually guide you.

5. Thread the hole with the tap from the kit. Same thing...super easy to hold it straight.

6. Do not use the countersink enclosed in the kit. Instead. enlarge the untreaded portion of this hole to 1/2". Drill only to the beginning of the repaired thread area! Drill straight! (When this is done, you will have a hole that will give the "insert" that you are about to install a shoulder for the front of the insert to stop on....essentially the same as if you'd used the Timesert countersink tool.)

7. Determine if you have enough thread depth to install the 23mm insert. If not, use the next shorter size.

8. Install and expand the insert. You now have a 10 x 1.5 mm threaded hole of very high quality.

9. Drill the upper pivot hole on the alternator so that a 10mm bolt slips through. (You will want to remove the alternator and do this on a drill press....to get it straight.)

10. Drill the support bracket (behind the oil tube to the oil pan) for a 10mm bolt.

11. Drill the power steering bracket for 10mm bolt (I do this one, in the car.)

12. Use the 10mm upper pivot bolt from a late car (part number: 900 074 197 02 which is
10 x 130mm). If you use a thick washer (900 025 008 09) for support and a lock washer, you will only need to remove 2-3mm from the end of this bolt for it to fit perfectly. You can torque this to 32 ft.lbs...but to be safe and make sure this repair lasts forever, I only torque to 25 ft.lbs.

13. Re-assemble.

14. Smile that you have a repaired an early block and you've only sucked about 4 hours out of your life.

LT Texan

Greg,

Where did you find this hose? I haven't been able to locate one and my "fabrication" leaves a bit to be desired.

Thanks,
Dan

GregBBRD

928 107 315 00, which superceeds to 928 107 315 01. 928 International usually has them. If they don't I keep them, in stock.

Droplink

What an awesome thread. Maybe my car will be this good, someday.

blown 87

This has been a great thread.

GregBBRD

Stock as a rock??? I can never tell...or remember.