MichelleJD

We ended up doing three belt jobs in one night on the same car! He's experienced now.

Dr. Dynamics

GO FOR THE REBUILD!

Nah, with the workshop manuals you should be more than OK. Just make sure to pay attention to it. I'm a DIYer, done a few of motors but when I did the 951 (only one) when i went to Orlando and it was pretty easy with the manuals. Good thing to buy from the start since we didn't find it that easy was the orange loctite for the crankshaft bearings. Do not take a risk using silicone or you'll increase the bearing gaps. Another good thing is it will be much more easier to verify any exhast manifold cracks and all the usual.

Godspeed on your first rebuild

DanG

I know. I think the chances of him NOT getting a 951 are pretty nill.

He mentioned he'd like to build up an S2 cab with a turboed 968 motor. Sounds good to me!

cruise98

Tom mentioned some items worth consideration. Precision measuring tools are expensive, so you might want to have a local machine shop measure the clearances for you. Be very critical of the deck flatness. If it is not perfect, have it resurfaced, or you will have head gasket failure. I forgot the 3/8" drive torque wrench for the small fasteners like oil pan, balance shaft covers etc.

My .02 and tips...head studs - use the factory ones unless they have to come out for resurfacing the block, rod nuts - don't bother, just replace the rod bolts and nuts with ARP. Clean all the surfaces to receive orange loctite with laquer thinner to ensure an oil tight seal. Install the oil pump dry, you will prime it later. Use the Goetze piston rings.

Ski started an engine assembly list on another website that is very good. The actual engine assembly is the easy part, dressing and installing it is the hard part. To quote Michelle "the girl did it".

If you do not want to invest in the tools and spend the time, call Chris White or George B.. They are in your state and very knowledgable about these engines. If you were closer, I would say bring it over and I would put it together for you, but NY is a long way from AL.

Enough rambling.

OriginalSterm

thanks for all the advice so far everyone. anymore advice is highly welcome.

OriginalSterm

my printer is working over time cranking out a hard copy of the workshop manual. i'm in the process of enlisting local help and pulling together tools i will need. are the "special tools" (and no, not jim) required for this? if so, where should those be purchased?

ehall

Check Arnworx for a few of the "special tools". There shouldn't be any mysteries. How are you planning to pull the engine/ install? Top or bottom. That should be addressed in terms of jack stands/jacks etc. Might want to invest in an air impact wrench. Find a source for as much new hardware as you can. top of my head stuff.

OriginalSterm

the engine is already out of the car. haven't planned that far ahead as to how to put it back in. depends on resources...

ehall

Well count on an engine lift etc. because those are parts of the equation that could potentially add up fast.

ehall

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/home.asp hardware source + other stuff

dime1622

again, how are you reimpregnating the cylinders with silicon? this is KEY

Tom M'Guinn

There is a special boring/honing process, using Sunnen equipment. Typically, it is something left for a machine shop with the right equipment, although one of Rennlist's alfa-dogs recently used an at-home honing (no boring) process from Sunnen that seemed to work to some extent. Once you bore, the trick is finding oversized pistons to run in the Alusil bores. Stock oversized are hard to find and expensive, but aftermarket options are finally starting to show up.

Other options include sleeving it or nikasil (US Chrome) treating it to run traditional pistons (JE, etc.)

OriginalSterm

this particular block has been run through the sunnen process to eliminate minor scratches in the cylinder. another block has been sent out for nikasil treatment.

Tom M'Guinn

Where are you getting it Nikasil treated? Please post some pictures when you get it back.

DAR951

Just FYI... Alusil blocks are already "impregnated" with silicon, it's part of the alloy and the silicon particles are suspended throughout the aluminum... there is NO process through which you "reimpregnate" the silicon. There IS a process that relieves the aluminum and leaves the silicon particles "proud"... it's the last step of Sunnen Cylinder Conditioning and is accomplished with felt pads and a silicon compound designed to remove only a microscopic amount of aluminum.