Well as others have seen, things got ugly!

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I have no idea how it happened. Bearing was fine, clearance checked out with plasti-gauge, and turned super smoothly!

With the advice from some really good people I decided to go with a new case.

It is at the shop being opened for the 102s by Friday!

But now the painful part, new Time certs, for RaceWare head bolts, new bearings main and cam, and rush charges at the shop. OUCH $$$$$$

Hope to start putting together this weekend!

You will always pay when you rush.

My suggestion if you re going to put this engine together in a weekend. Clean up while you are waiting.

Get everything you will need laid out on the table(s) all tools, all chemicals, parts everything. White board note pad what ever and build a check list. All tools and supplies applicators etc... must go back to the spot. Count your danm rags.

I use paint pens also to mark when bolts and studs have been torqued. Torque, mark, torque mark. Clean tools put them back on the table in the same spot. Count all my rags, sponges, qtips what the not.

You are an engine surgeon , you must be precise and know what, where and why.

Take the upcoming days to prep well, and you will be ready to get it done.

HAVE A FREAKING
CHECK
LIST AND USE IT!

Don't know how many times I have skipped a step and paid hard for it latter. The more I am rushed the worse it gets.

I built an engine once, got it fired up, and promptly left the oil fill cap off of it. That almost cost me a nice race engine. I was trying to get to an event the next day. Do not be like this bone head. Learn from my mistakes. All my car guy friends seem to have a similar story.

So true!

But I am going back to the beginning and cleaning everything over again between now and the weekend.

On the first go I set myself small incremental goals for each night which seemed to work well. Tonight is pull rods, timing gear, and dizzy off crank.

But I think i will write it all out just to be sure!

Went back and reordered some parts that I don't like to use over like woodruff keys. I know they are fine to reuse but...

Also going to go back through and check all of my clearances and such. That would be a good list to have for stock builds.

OK so I am getting back on track.

Big shout out to Jorge at European Motor Works as I am sure he put a few things down to work on my new case but he got it done in record time!

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Opened for 102, line bored, and he even drilled and tapped the galley plugs.

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I will have to clearance a few points for the crank when it gets here but this should get me back on track. My local shop offered to pay for the whole case but because I was asking them to rush I agreed to split it with them.

OK so whats the cost of this mistake?

New case and machine work $550
New Time certs for Raceware Head bolts $70
New crank and cam bearings $200
Miscellaneous parts $50
Lost build time of over a week $???

But in the long run it will be cheap as compared to trying to implement some type of crap fix using something like JB Weld and then losing the whole engine its very cheap.

One of our guys was building an engine for himself. 3.0 six. He either forgot a circle clip or didn't seat it all the way in the piston. Engine ran for 5 minutes and then let go inside. It wasn't pretty or cheap.

I am so happy you remembered (learned, or already knew from) my mistake.

Now make sure you do that on the FINAL assembly.

Well things are back to square 1 essentially Well maybe not that far back.

But new crank arrives today. Had Jorge verify the bolt fit.
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May not be real smart but I am capable of learning!

Verified clearances of the 78mm crank in new case. All good there.

Took crank timing gear and dizzy drive off old crank. Amazing how easy this is with a press!

Tonight.
Put new Raceware time serts in case.
Install head bolts
Clean case for assembly
Verify rod fitment and clearance on new crank.
Put crank timing gear and dizzy drive on new crank.
Clean all parts for assembly.

Been knocking out a few other things like adding new 914 Rubber alternator harness. Makes it look very nice!

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Got all tin cleaned and ready.

Mike it looks like you just may make it on time!! you are going to be chasing it down to the wire like I did last year!

14-hours in the garage and the short block is done!

Couple of minor set backs during the build. Funny seemed to have no clearance issues on the first mock up. But in the end cam bolts were to long and had to be ground down and removing a few broken sheet metal screws sucked up some time and finding a lost rod bearing that was not anywhere in the garage but eventually found its way to my pocket sucked up more time

Tomorrow get the PCs on and start setting up the valve train. Did not get time for many photos. Man am I tired.

Great to hear it is going well. I spent all day installing shift cables and the shifter.

We can park the hard luck cases next to each other at Okteenerfest.

Slept in this morning and didn’t get to the garage until 0600. But a really coolmsite to start from compared to yesterday.

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Yep and there are going to be some stories to tell.

Not to self, don’t let Clay weld your shifter.

Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.
~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

Nine -
Fourteen -

Did a lot of rechecking on parts Sunday. Not much progress.

Had major scare. Was checking out all of the internals with a bore scope and thought the spacer ring between the timing gear and dizzy drive was cracked. pulled the case apart and found it was only a scratch. Looked much worse on the borescope.

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A little lost time but was very happy to put it back together!

So funny checked the gaps on a few of the rings before and they were all good. Figured I would fly through the piston part give that. But every other one required filing. Some of them essentially had no gap. Make sure you check your rings!

Tried installing one of the cursed JE Piston C-clips in piston and it shot out of the garage into the yard. Said screw that and got on line and purchased a tool!

Will install pistons without clips tonight and start valve geometry.

Mike, thanks for posting this build thread. This should be a great engine.

Is that a chipped gear tooth in the photo above?

Crap that might be.

Well pulled the case apart again and could not find a chipped tooth on the cam gear!

Progress is being made. These guys are my new best friends.
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If you ever tried to put in the Circlips on pistons you know some are easy and some are impossible. JE Pistons are the worse. But this little gizmo from Stomski Racing took away all that frustration. Well worth the $90! Almost impossible to do without this tool.

While the JE circlip is a pain in the ass the ring compressor they send with a piston set is awesome. Easiest piston install ever!

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So end of the night I have almost an engine.
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Stephen Stompski stops by our shop ever couple months and we have every tool he makes for 911 engines and suspensions. He's a smart guy.

Looked through their products and all of the were so well done. Would love to meet them sometime because their stuff is worth every penny you spend.

I tried for about 4 hours to get the clips in by various methods. Buy this tool and I was done in about 1 minute per piston.

I really doubt I could have done it without this tool and not damaged some expensive pistons and Nickies cylinders.

It was a shadow from the exposed gear tooth tip of the crank gear.
paranoia.

Yes but just because I am paranoid it doesn't mean someone is not out to get my engine

After the broken case issue I am a bit touchy!

But looking at it from the shadow viewpoint that makes me feel a bit less crazy because I could not find anything on the gear! I was going have to go with some engine fairy came into the garage and switched the gear. But the shadow explains it!

Mike,

I'm sorry my comment regarding what looked like a chipped gear tooth caused some aggravation. But, when I look at the photo in post #65 that silver colored gear looks like it has a chipped tooth. I am glad everything is okay.

No worries. I was convinced it was chipped as well. But that is why we come here. Get different opinions and views. I did not see it in the photo at first. If it had been real I could have been tossing $10K of engine out the door.

So I spent about an hour splitting the case and putting it back. Cheap compared to missing something that bad.

Brutal day. Got the valve train setup. Took about 8-hours. Got decent numbers in intake 503 lift on intake and about 498 on exhaust.

I think I have more parts on the engine than off now.

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Getting there.

Looking great! It’ll get there and it will be an amazing motor.

Mike,

I think you forgot to install the other two cylinders....




It's looking good. Keep after it.


Clay

Another brutal day building but really made some progress. Have not had time to document as well as I should but got the Spec Stage 1 clutch installed.

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Just need to add a few more bits and then install.

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GO MIKE!!!!!!!

Did not have time to completely unpack and get pictures but my Tangerine Racing exhaust was delivered yesterday.

Chris makes some goo stuff!

100% Chris' stuff is always Way to get after this, see you in a week now.

A few pictures.
Exhaust porn!

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Ready to go in!
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Might be time to consider revising this?

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No time for pictures but it is in! Will skip out from work today and get it wired in and go for start on Sunday.

Do you have a busy Saturday planned? I hope it is not a waste of our time...

I am considering not going but my wife says I cant be a baby so I guess I am going. Got extra tickets if you are in the need of some pain!

Copycat!!!!!

Glad its in the car again...

Can't say I am looking forward to it myself. But I plan on numbing the pain starting at noon.

Maybe I'll have a second to swing by on our way home Sunday. Course, if you've seen 1 TIV engine you have seen them all.

True!

Now just have to chase down all those issues like you are doing! But I am hoping that because I had a working base before they will be minimal.

Lets see essentially every part in the engine is new and nothing is stock but the case. What could go wrong?

What could go wrong? With our luck, lots!!!! Mine has run less than a minute now.

Mike.. when you get a minute we would love an update on your progress.

Clay

Last push in the mornings and should try starting after lunch.

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Well things took longer than they should but got everything ready to crank and build some oil pressure before trying to start. No go. Hoping it is a dead battery as the voltage dropped to 10 almost instantaneously after the starter engaged then nothing.

It has been sitting a year. New battery and try again.

Sorry dude. BTDT.....That is a letdown after all the work. Don't let it get you down. You are sooooo close. You already have the programming done on the FI, so it should be quick.

BTW, Oreilly auto parts sells Optima batteries.

Sometimes it’s the simple things! If you remember last year it was me trying to get all the stuff back in my car, and couldn’t get into start night before, didn’t get it figured out until the morning of day leaving for Helen, ended up being my fuel pump ground!
Good luck with new battery hoping for a successful start today!

Best luck ok .

Well after all the struggle I have achieved failure!

Going through careful steps for starting cranked over until oil pressure built.

Started checking out all of the ECU functions and when sorting a lose wire something went to ground and smoke was emitted from the ECU!

Luckily the 2 Amp fuse was still good so I at least I can use that over.

Time to call it and put it aside for a while.

What kind of ECU were you using? Is a replacement ECU easily obtained?