So begins another project for me. I tend to only build the wild and crazy stuff, as everything else tends to bore me these days. I've been working on this one for a while already, but it was finally time this week to move it into the clean room, and begin the first mock up assembly of the short block.

The engine started life as a 1990 C2 964 base with 40K miles. While this beast is based from a 964, it won't be finding its way back into a 964, or any 911 variant. It will be fitted into a very special Beck GTS (904), and because of this, the engine will have several unique twists.

Externally it will look much more like a vintage 911 engine, and I am making special preparations to the crankcase, and all hardware to help the engine better fit the character of the car. All the hardware has been yellow zinc plated, and the crankcase has been dulled and cleared a bit to have a consistency more like a vintage engine would have. A resin fan shroud will be fitted, and instead of the engine ancillaries being cluttered with EFI components, atop this engine will sit a pair of very large, and highly modified PMO carburetors. Ignition will be via direct fire, so the absence of a distributor won't look very vintage, but it will remain clean.

Internally I have retained an OEM 3.6 crankshaft, but all other internals have been addressed with overkill engineering from A to Z. You will find the approach that I have taken to the modifications to be a bit unconventional. Pushing a car that will weigh in wet @ 1800 pounds, the engine combination requires quite a bit of alteration, and the addition of carburetors to this engine further changes up the engine combination.

Why not EFI? I'll answer that question before its even asked! It boils down to simplicity, a vintage feel, and what fits the character of the car more than anything.

The 904 GTS is an ultimate platform for this beast. No doubt! Fully dressed it weighs 1800 pounds.
Here is the Facebook page for the vehicle build up:

https://www.facebook.com/BeckRaby-41L-GTS-B...6244547/?ref=hl

Len is still finishing the head work, so I'll likely build the bottom end, then have a bit of a break before I end up finishing assembly. The heads should hit the flow bench in 3 weeks.

I have two more similar builds to this one planned over the winter. One of them will be for my recently completed 964, and the other will be for an RSR clone. Both of these will be EFI versions. The engine being built for my 964 will be a high torque configuration.

Here are the first round of photos, as I began mock up assembly, and finished ultrasonically cleaning the block, after soda blasting it. Other photos will follow, as I finish the engine.




Soda blasted 964 crankcase after a bath in hot ultrasonic solution.





Its almost time to tango!





Full ARP hardware kit, cryogenically enhanced.





PC-3 coated main and rod bearings. Auto Verde billet oil pump, but I decided not to use the pump, and rather go with a 996TT pump.





LN Engineering/ Flat 6 Innovations billet chromoly rods. Fitted with ARP 2000 Custom Aged bolts. Cryogenically enhanced





Custom forged pistons in 106.7mm. These pistons will see skirt coatings, ring land coatings, and thermal barrier coatings after they are balanced, fitted and modified.





ARP hardware








Iwis Motorsports chains, cryo enhanced





Rauch & Spiegel billet #8 main bearing





Set all my bearing clearances, and installed main bearings. Mocked up the 996TT oil pump with the intermediate shaft, and needed to do slight clearance work to make it just right. Took the time to disassemble and true the layshaft/ chain sprockets.

Now I'm ready to dynamically balance the rotating, and reciprocating masses, which I will do on Monday. Then it's time to move forward with short block assembly.





























Assembly update... Case halves are sealed! Ready to finish the heads now..

Nice view from the assembly room out the window.

Thats my 512TR Testarossa in the background. I have it's engine out for a "Major" right now.





Before... The engine had never been out of the car, since 1992!





During steam cleaning..





After steam cleaning








Guts of a Flat 12

Nice project

Next time I'd give the Supertec headstuds a try, they are way superior than the ARP head studs.
Just IMHO as I've used both types.

..too....many....shiney.....parts....

I have used both as well. I just used the Superrich on this first year Turbo Carrera engine (I wish they would have let me put it back 100% original, rather than intercooled) and used the Supertec on it. It was a full blown overkill restoration, as the engine had sat for 30 years, outside.

What did you prefer with the Supertec over ARP?
Click to view attachment

This is the kind of stuff I dream about. Maybe I need to start buying Lotto tickets again?

Whatever it takes!

Having fun with these, for sure.

Funny, we are finishing up an early turbo build and scheduled to do a major on a Tessa. The boss wants to put a 3.8 with mfi into my 914. But our engine room isn't nearly as pretty.

The Testarossa is a breeze to work on.. I'll do them all day long. I want to build a big bore for it, and stroke it.. Gotta find a core engine, as my car is numbers matching.

The engine room took lots of work. We have 3 engine rooms at the regular shop, this engine is being built in my world, at my training facility. I work there alone, and just finished the building at the beginning of the year.

Jake,
We have seen you grow up from a country boy to the big times in the Porsche world.
But, still a good guy.
Good looking engine work, we are proud of you.
Tom

Still a country boy! How many Porsche engine builders have a food plot behind their shop?
Lol

That is one sweet looking motor assembly. What makes the 996TT oil pump better than the other 2?

I didn't know they even made aftermarket oil pumps for those motors, just figured the factory stuff worked fine. Thanks for sharing.

Your work area has come a long way since the Type 4 Engine Rebuild Video. NICE...

Seriously into this project! Between the jump in displacement and major head mojo and Jake's bad-assed tuning this is going to be a real rocket!

The Auto Verde aftermarket pump has an extra scavenge built into the bottom of the pump. I decided to use this one for a 4.1L track car build I have upcoming based from a 993 vary- ram platform. It needs this pump much more than the 904 engine does. The 996TT pump fits the application for the 904 engine much better.

The 996TT pump has larger gears, and also has an aluminum body, not magnesium, like the 964 pump.



We actually didn't want to shoot the video in a clean room. I had two at the time I shot that video, over 15 years ago. We feared that a setting like a clean room would make people think that you HAD to have a room like this to build an engine, which is not the case.

We have all come a long way in the last 15 years. That said, you'll see me build up a 2270 T4 in this same room in a few months, and take it to my level of detail.

That's exactly what I was thinking. You should be proud of your hard work and sticking to your dreams. Keep it up!

Some seriously cool engine porn with the 3.6. Few of us could ever take on such a task, myself excluded.

Very proud, and still just as driven as day #1... We have also remembered our roots, matter of fact I have a 914 engine on the dyno today!

Love this picture! Only in Georgia!

Guess how I pulled the engine out of the car??? You got it!
At least the tractor is a Deutz, aircooled diesel. Love that beast, use it almost every day!

Click to view attachment

Love that picture....someone needs to send it to Ferrari

Now that is the country boy way to pull the engine!! I am sure they would be spinning backwards at the Ferrari factory.

............so this is a Ferrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrareeeeeeeee diesel?

Notice that the hood panel on the tractor is held on by a cargo strap.... LOL!

If they hook a generator to Enzo's body, they could power all of Rome!


Thanks for the 964 engine pictures. That is the future for my car. I just need to find the 964 engine.

With the cars being so sought after, finding a core can be challenging.