SOT: Cayman X lives, take a ride!, 3.4 to 4.2L DFI 9A1 engine built our way! Options

[Jake Raby]

It may be water-cooled and modern, but I figured you guys would get a kick out of seeing what Blake and I have been working on along with Charles from LN Engineering since October of last year... Its still mid-engine, so don't bust my balls too bad :-)

We started with Charles' wife's track car, a 2010 Cayman S with a stock 3.4L 9A1 DFI engine. We stripped it out, carefully disassembled it and put it all back together again as a 4.2 liter beast... Its seen both bore and stroke increases and this engine currently displaces more volume than anything from the Porsche factory! So what if they have a 4.0?? Hell, we have a 4.2!

We finally got it fired up yesterday and got it on the road and dyno today.. It keeps lighting the tires up on the rollers (needs more tire) and the PDK tranny has some issues with holding the power, but we should be able to solve that with some ECU flashes. Today it made 320 at the wheels with the tires lighting up and it still has the stock exhaust and stock ECU flash..

We completed this project with only one Porsche special tool set and no manual, because the manual doesn't exist.. All performance components were designed and built by LN Engineering or RED.

I think we are on the leading edge :-) Here are some pictures of the internals.
:Note the cylinders, pistons and rods in this engine are from the same materials we use in our Type 4/ 914 builds :-)

104mm big bore Nickies 9A1 DFI crankcase half.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550058.1.jpg)

Stroker crank and billet connecting rods..
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550060.2.jpg)


DFI piston, what a bitch these were to design, to include the hard anodized top ring land..
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550061.3.jpg)

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550061.4.jpg)

ECU controlled multi-stage lube pump..
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550061.5.jpg)

Inside the sump its a little different than a 914!
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550062.6.jpg)

Blake and I torquing the camshafts after setting valve timing.. What a bitch!
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550062.7.jpg)

Complete 4.2 liter DFI longblock
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550063.8.jpg)

Here is the complete beast ready for install back into Cayman X...
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net-1095-1332550063.9.jpg)

Rumor has it there might be a challenge between Cayman X and a Cayman R at sometime in the future and a review of the two might just end up being put into print :-)

And now here is the video... It is disgusting, even with the PSM it still roasts the tires and gets sideways in the first 3 gears.. Not too bad for the first generation of development for the 9A1 engine. Blake did one hell of a job assembling this one and overcoming the challenges..

http://youtu.be/62i7wYcHAYg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62i7wYcHAYg



This post has been edited by SirAndy: Mar 23 2012, 08:06 PM

[HAM Inc]

Damn! 12 seconds of tire shredding!
I'm not surprised though. Taking an engine that is already a bad-ass and pumping it up 800cc's...

After flowing the heads and spending lots of time with them I can say that they have lots of potential... and need further development. And they have some issues that I would not be surprised to find addressed by Porsche in future models.

I can't go into many details here, but after years of working with (and falling in love with) M96/97 heads and seeing the evolution of the port designs from the 2.5 through the X51 I was a bit surprised by the design Porsche settled on for the intake ports of this version of the 3.4 9A1.

They clearly applied lessons learned from the M96/97 ex port evolution as it is quite spectacular, but for some reason they did not apply them to the intake side. I'm certain that the DFI has something to do with it. And I have a hunch that these ports are sort of "blanks" ready for future development. Only time will tell.

The 9A1 castings are the most exquisite I have ever seen in a cylinder head. They are absolutely breath-taking. I had been putting off buying an industrial ultrasonic parts washer, (knowing full well that one was in my future) but when these heads landed in my shop in Nov. I knew it was time. There is no way these heads should ever find there way into a media blaster. For carbon removal on these heads there is only one viable option. I'm glad I spent the money, because if these heads are any indication there will be a lot of carbon to remove from DFI 9A1 heads in the future!

Beautiful castings, bad-ass engine, but there is work to be done. I'm tickled pink to be part of the "Solution", and expect big things from this platform in the future. I applaud Charles and Jake for having the intestinal fortitude to tackle this obviously pricey piece so early in its life. Gotta love their spirit.