The "Outlaw Motor" Build, Documenting my 2.0 Rebuild Options

[Brando]

So, last year, yeah... I had to sell off what was going to be a badass 2056 to go to school -- which I failed that semester. Oh wells, only $3500 down the drain...

So now I've got the makings of what will be a high-compression 2.0 running L-Jetronic, the equivalent of a 912E with 9.5:1 compression (or higher?). Yes it will end up on gasoline higher than 91 octane (found a place locally that can supply). Enough about what it might end up as, and on with how it goes.

Last month I acquired an engine from our very own SLITS, who in turn purchased the engine on my behalf from a local 914 guy, Bruce. I still owe SLITS $500 for the engine itself, which I am still trying to pool together. After I got the engine over to my employer's shop, I began tearing into it. Compression was good, and leakdown numbers were great! Compression showed 130-131-129-132, leakdown was 8-9 on all cylinders (cold).

Then came the first hiccup:
The best time to set the valves is when you are doing a leakdown test. With feeler guages I set all the valves, .008 ex .006 in. Then I got to #2 exhaust and... Why is there no adjustment left on the rocker adjuster? Wait a minute... Why are the valve stems on #2 sticking out so dang far? I decide to pull the head and inspect, all while my boss is yelling "Take it back! That engine is no good."

I pull the head and find that the seat for exhaust #2 has been squished (or compressed) far into the head, causing the valve to stick out into the rocker arm further. I saw this as a potential problem later down the line, as I intend to use this car for combination auto-x/street/funrun use.

Bruce, being the good chap that he is, offers to replace the head with a good one. I say sure. I get the new head and it's dirty, but in cherry shape. No cracks, valve guides are FIRM and smooth. I disassemble the head, lube it up and re-assemble. While doing so I notice something funky about how the lifter looks. Upon closer inspection (and compression) I see that this engine is equipped with ... hydraulic lifters. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

After seeing how much silicon RTV sealant was used on the case, I made a decision: Tear this engine down, clean it up, put a new cam in it, and reassemble it.

Fast forward to yesterday. I get the engine apart (completely) and notice that the last through-bolt that goes into the threaded case section and also holds the windage tray in wobbles a bit. I then see that the case has cracked on one side in that spot. Great. I call Rimco and ask for an estimate... $50 no align-bore needed. The further I go through I notice the crank bearings are in need of replacing, the cam has become friends with it's counterpart lifters (in the trash bin) and that there are some rough edges on the crank-bearing surface.

Today I did a quick rinse on everything, took apart the crank and rods, and drove down to RIMCO. I'm having the case repaired, align-bored and lapped. The heads will get surfaced to the same deck height and matched to 58ccs. The crank will get polished and balanced, rods will get rebuilt. So far I'm looking at maybe a little over $1000 for this to shape into a well-rebuilt 2.0. Pictures and updates will come as I get it together (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)