Engine rebuild, a few questions Options

[stugray]

I have rebuilt a type IV a couple of times, but I was young & naive.
This will be a 2.0L with stock FI for vintage racing.

1 - How do I hook up the stock fuel pump line(s) to a fuel cell?

2 - are there any Cams other than the stock one that will give me increased performance while still using the stock FI?

3 - What compression ratio should I target? I am working that step right now - CC'ing the heads & setting the deck height.

4 - The CAM thrust bearing has just one side with the thrust plate on it. If I recall, when I upgraded my last 914, the guy at the performance shop gave me TWO with the thrust bearing on it (one for each side). Should I be looking for those?

5 - After splitting the case, there were 2 or 3 "bumps" that needed a little "flattening out" with a file. Can the case be damaged by trying to clean up the nasty spots, or is there a way for me to make sure to get it right?

I imagine that the only thing I could do would be to remove all the studs and rub each side over some sandpaper taped down to a very flat surface...

Any help is appreciated.

Stu

[stugray]

ArtechnikA,


Thanks for all the comments

"There should be no mystery here. Your rulebook will tell you what is legal. Go find a distributor for ATL."

There is no mystery. I know exactly what is legal. The problem I am having is that there are HUNDREDS of choices out there and very few of them fit in the spare tire location in a 914 without cutting.

Since so many on this forum race, I figured someone could just tell me which one. I want it to work with the stock FI, be 10-12 gallons, and have a bladder. Of course being as flat as possible and still fit the spare area is a bonus.


"If you're so close to the edge that $500 is a deal-killer, you will be tempted to cut corners right & left and then wonder why it's not working out. Or, if you are scrimping on safety equipment, your heirs and assigns will be wondering."

You misunderstand. I purchased a fully race ready car (minus the fuel cell) and an extra 2.0L engine. As I reassemble it I have to choose my battles wisely. Do I just put the stock cam back in or buy a performance cam. I have to weigh my options. $500 is not a deal breaker, but maybe it is better spent somewhere else until I build a dedicated high performance race engine.

"These are _really_ basic questions for which answers are widely available. People here are happy to help but you must be prepared to meet them halfway by doing your homework first. Every basic racing & performance book has a chapter on how to measure and adjust CR."

I know exactly how to measure my CR because I did my homework.
When I search on this site for "Compression ratio" I get 15 pages of posts and after reading about 10 pages of them I dont see any that tell me what CR I should use under different altitudes & such.
I just figured that using the forum to ask the question is the quickest way to get an answer.

"FILE??!? Find yourself someone with a granite surface plate who knows how to use it."

Everyone is jumping to the conclusion that I filed the surface of the case I did NOT. I just used the file as a straight edge and went around checking the flatness. There WERE a couple of burrs and I did not go crazy or alter the flatness. AND I have a granite surface plate at work.
Is 100 tons and 25 feet long by 12 feet wide good enough?
I asked the question if I could "clean up" the edge by taping sandpaper down to a flat surface.

"Where are you going to race it? Are you in a 'pump gas' "
I am in CO. and I have access to leaded or unleaded 98, 100, or 110.

The only reason I asked about the flywheel is that both of my other ones are in the cars. I didnt want to drop the engine to pull a flywheel to finish assembly just to find that it doesnt fit all while tripping over another engine in my cramped garage.
I think I might just order a new lightened FW anyway, but if they WERE different, I could stop contemplating and just do it.

[ArtechnikA]

...there are HUNDREDS of choices out there and very few of them fit in the spare tire location in a 914 without cutting.

Since I first saw this done in 1975 I thought it was old news. IIRC it was an ATL cell, 'bout the size of a fat pizza box. Perhaps it has become more complicated in the intervening time. You are correct, quick searches on ATL and FuelSafe don't show off-the-shelf applications.

Try here, since you mention 'guys who race' - Chris is one of the good guys and can hook you up.

Tangerine Racing

I just figured that using the forum to ask the question is the quickest way to get an answer.

Not a lot of guys in the stock classes. Fewer who are willing to just post all the secrets ;-)

Everyone is jumping to the conclusion...

We can only go by what you posted in the original question. Go read it yourself and see if it doesn't create that impression. If I misunderstood, I apologize. But we get a lot of guys who think they can build a T-IV engine with a ball-pein hammer and a WalMart screwdriver.

AND I have a granite surface plate at work.
Is 100 tons and 25 feet long by 12 feet wide good enough?
I asked the question if I could "clean up" the edge by taping sandpaper down to a flat surface.

Cool. Again - lots of people have no clue. If your surface is _really_ flat (which yours should be) and you can assure that both halves get exactly identical pressure everywhere and can verify that the crankshaft centerline and camshaft bores are still round and centered, you should be in great shape.