Alpine951

I have been out of the 951 game for a few years. Life has been busy. Daughter is now a freshman in college with three years socked away and its time for wife and I to spend money on ourselves. Its time to get my hands bloody on the car that has been sitting in my garage. About 3 or 4 years ago I had scored cyclinders and bad compression and leakdown. Is it possible to find a so called good used short block, put a head on it and I am good to go? What does good mean when describing a good short block? Does it just mean no scoring? If I do this it seems to me you don't know if compression or leakdown will be any good until the motor is put back together. Car will be a daily driver in spring, summer, and fall, and it has been a long hiatus away from the track. The car will see some track time. Wondering how to approach a used short block.

docwyte

Just remember that any used block is over 20 years old now. I'd contact Chris White and get something built.

slap929

I like Chris White(man is a genius with 951 from what i can tell) but that hardly answers the question. The block might be 20 years old but I dont remember seeing any aluminum block just loose form over time.

If your cylinders are scratched you will have loss of pressure and thus down on bph. Many people would suggest that you bore and sleeve if that is the case and depending on how bad the cylinders are. This is not a cheap options because of all the machining and the price for pistons that would work. In the end, I think finding a good short block with out scratches might be better for the price.

My suggestion, for what it is worth, would be what I am doing. Find a good used short/long block(ie not warped, the cylinders arent gouged, ect.) and reseal from the bottom up. I plan on modding in that order as well for a race engine. Rennlist would be a great resource if you plan on buying parts as needed. Good luck with your rebuild. Good to hear another 951 is coming out of hiding and is going to be used properly.

Own Goal

Well, being a cheap skate I had same problem on my Alpine White 86. Engine is in and when warms up will wrap it up but still have vac lines and hoses to go. Since only a weekend toy and don't plan much if any real track use had it sleeved back to stock and had stock pistons coated. Of course have to use like molly rings or whatever but was fairly reasonable all in all. I think had short block all done, machined, balanced etc. for about $2,250. If had sent off to U S Chrome and reconditioned back to new like a bit under a $1k but might need bore then some nice JE or Wossner etc. pistons....well, send it to Chris and get it done right probably is answer.

blown 944

IMO these blocks hold up quite well to mileage. If you can find a new used block that is not scored, does not have any wear ridge..etc you can build a nice platform with new pistons or used pistons that are still in good shape. You can even use Na late blocks.

I personally have been involved in 2 engine builds using this method and they both have great compression, etc..

Just my .02

Chris White

Wow….a member for almost 10 years…!

‘Good’ used blocks are getting harder to find. If you can get your hands on one then you can use it for a good build. Unless its really cheap you need to verify that is good before buying it – no scoring, no taper and a flat deck. If you can get all there then you could do a rebuild without machining the block.

Even if the cylinders check out OK I would still replace the bearings and rings. There is no way to verify that they are in good clean shape without taking it apart. That would also give you the chance to really clean up the block.

BTW – a block with a little scoring will pass a compression test. Leak down tests if done correctly will give you a better indication of condition….but you can’t run either on a ‘short block’! (no head).

The real guidance depends on how much work you do yourself – on one extreme if you are paying a shop to pull the engine then it makes sense to refurbish everything since the cost of R&R is so high. If you are doing all the labor yourself you can decide if you want to risk the possibility of having to pull the engine out again.

My advice for your project (assuming you are doing a lot of DIY) – get your block Nikasil coated (that will clean up the bores and get them back to factory spec for straightness and finish) get some new rings, bearings and gaskets and put her back together (somewhere around $2k in parts) – add some new pistons if the budget permits. Great rebuilt that is ready for more power mods in the future. I can help you out with the Nikasil and parts if you want. chris@944enhancement.com !

JohnKoaWood

This sounds oddly familliar... would also be the route I would recommend to everyone wanting to remain at stock (or even slightly modified) displacement..

Tedro951

I like slaps' AND chris' advice. There's no way of knowing if a block is good as is without checking the three things Chris mentioned.

Complete engines with good (but seller provided) numbers are going for less than a few years ago, but its a little bit of a crap-shoot.

Going through your engine will take more time and probably more money, but you'll know what you have.

Either way, you'll probably want to get your current head refreshed.

Alpine951

Wow... has it been that long?? Thanks for the insight Chris. The wheels in my head are starting to spin. So I can reuse my pistons with Nikasil. I like that.