gmorat

I'll save up and when this happens it happens. Best thing about knowing about this before I bought the car is that you don't read these posts and immediately start looking for the fire escape.

47,xxx miles and all is well.

NYC993

Just drive it more, change oil and you won't need the rebuild.

NP993

A full (stock) rebuild, assuming you retain p/c's, is nowhere near $25K. That's crazy.

1990-964

I agree that it's crazy but that in no way means it is not true. I choked a bit when he told me that. Bob went on to tell me that it would include other things that come along with the engine rebuild like oil lines and tank, and refinishing engine tins. There was more but I don't recall now but the reason I named him, his shop and who recommended him to help validate the estimate.

C4S993

My 993C4S was with Autohaus Pa service manager agreed $12k (full case split rebuild, heads blueprinted, valve guides w/a few new valves, lifters, bearings, chain guides etc) but I supplied new-to-me 30k miles Ebay stock pistons. Runs great. Their Don did the work between Boxsters and VWs ! Took three months. In hindsight I should have supplied Don a Euro 3.8 upgrade kit which includes new factory 3.8 pistons, factory RS cams and factory heads and added GT3 oil pump. Also, I should have sent my trans to Guards in West Chester too and added LMW flywheel.

Martin S.

I'd probably rebuild it...or look for a used motor, used motor being cheaper...then sell the car, go to Renegade Hybrids and stuff an aluminum Vette motor in there....weight of the Vette LS-1 engine and the 993 are very similar. Of course I'd halve to self ban myself from the 993 Forum

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/911/LS-1.html

Also note, this is a "natural" conversion on a 996 car, with the water plumbing already there.

race911

Do the math: ~60 hours of labor, from drive in to final drive out, $2K in sublet machine shop labor, at least $5K in parts (including new P/C set).

But the larger question, asked above, is why one of these engines needs a rebuild. Top end? Sure. Clean up oil leaks? Sure.

(From my end, I've got to comment on the headache of dealing with internet forum age customers. I don't know why any independent stays in this sub-specialty. No question I pull at least 3X the income from running two dumpy, don't even need a high school education level businesses, all while working probably 2/3 the hours versus if I was dealing daily with 911s and the owners.........)

XavierLaFlamme

I like your posts. Very down to earth way of thinking about these cars.
Michael

hkspwrsche

I can see the ad on the side of a bus now!
"Make more money with less work. Stop working on Porsches and make 3x the amount. Call now"

I'm sure that your business is successful because you're sharp and not everyone can make it like you have or you'd have more competition.

race911

Thanks. Will get back to your PM when I've got time. Actually working "hard" today!

Believe me, I'm the last standing in my area with either a local call center or mid-sized vending company. Yeah, it's about placing the right people in places, then managing things. Which is counter to something like working on 911s.

I'm so glad I had the experience in my 20s and 30s, but now? (And it's not the physical work component once we get past 50. For me, anyway.) I honestly don't know how you'd run a $2M+ grossing Porsche SPORTS CAR shop to generate the income most of us expect once we're established in our careers. If you're just going to hang a "Porsche" sign out there to change brakes on Cayennes.........well, I'd rather deal with getting vending machines filled.

Contrast this with my life post-sale of businesses (next year?), where I just have 3K sq ft somewhere with an alignment rack and some tire equipement, couple of lifts, and can piddle around on interesting projects without a care on the money side of things. (But a full 3.6L air cooled rebuild will still punch into five figures!)

Van1

Refinish engine tins? And why would oil tank and lines need to be replaced as part of an engine rebuild?

Kein_Ersatz

^^^ This ^^^^

Kein_Ersatz

The old while you are in there factor . . . also know as the slippery slope.

When it is staring you in the face, a shiny new thing next to a dull / rusty thing (tins), it is easy to rationalize. Also a new engine rebuild maybe once was undone by a dirty oil tank / lines, once burned, twice shy.

1990-964

I really don't have the answer to these questions. Only passing along the opinion of a well respected shop owner that has been doing this for 3 decades. I have talked to other shops in the area and received similar quotes for an overhaul. Though they could be full of it, that was the result of my search.

RodKnock

Well, one small difference is that Van1 lives in Omaha, Nebraska and RMG is located in the midst of Silicon Valley. I just recently had a PPI done in Omaha, NE on my SY Cab and I can tell you that a PPI is about twice as much here locally.