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Posted (edited)

I've recently bought a Varioram lump to replace my 3.2SS. Try as I might I can't get the fuelling right on the 3.2 and I'm sick of spending money on it and getting nowhere. I know a set of carbs would solve the problem straight away, but I can't bring myself to do that to it. A friend of mine wants my 3.2SS for a rally car he's building which made the transplant decision a little easier.

Anyway, a 993 lump came up for sale so I thought boll***s to it and went for a look. It's a bit moist underneath, but I'm going to replace the oil return tubes with some collapsible alloy ones and the lower rocker covers with some billet ones, checking headstuds as I go, although I think these had dilivar from the factory so I'm hoping there's no issues here. It gave good results on a leakdown test so it should be in reasonable fettle. It came with the wiring harness and ECU. I've stripped off the mufflers, power steering pump and fresh air blower and I'll be giving it a good once over and new ignition bits.

I'm currently getting all the parts together to convert. I've had a lengthy discussion with Steven Timmins at Instant G. I'm a little torn on his exhaust solution. The Happy Crab looks a good bit of kit and works with a rear impact bumper, but doesn't fit with a backdated rear end and I may go that way over winter. He offers a Happy Crab RS, which does work with a backdated rear end, but does away with the factory aluminium crossover pipe. I want to keep the 993 heat exchangers as I had a pre-varioram 993 many years ago and remember it having the best heating of any car I've ever owned. I'm reluctant to have bits of silicon hose all over the engine bay. I'd love to keep my current muffler, but I can't see an easy way of attaching this to the 993 manifolds while keeping a reasonable length on the exhaust legs.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have lots of idiot questions as I go along. With a bit of luck I should be able to take it out for my traditional Christmas Day blat on the local lanes.

 

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Edited by Kenny Senior
Posted

Excellent work Kenny. :ani_clapping: The more false t1ts the merrier.

Keep us posted on the updates and fire away with the silly questions.

 

Posted

Cheers guys.

40 minutes ago, ALEX P said:

The more false t1ts the merrier.

Ha! It'll be a veritable Pamela Anderson if it all goes to plan. Only less hepatitis, hopefully.

Posted

Today has been about giving it a good fettle while it's on a pallet in my shop. Had all the rocker covers off. All head studs are solid which is a relief. Cam lobes and rockers look lovely and clean. New gaskets and billet bottom covers on. New ignition leads, dizzy caps, rotors and spark plugs put in, The old plugs were all a lovely caramel with no blackness or wetness. 

Whilst down there I had a good think about the exhaust. I would dearly like to retain my Eisenmann 4 out silencer because it looks cool and it sounds nice. I fired off an email to Eisenmann in Germany to ask if I could buy a pair of their 42mm primary heat exchangers, but with the flanges loose, rather than welded on. That way I can orient them correctly for the 993 heads which I seem to recall are 90° out compared to the earlier cars. These are 39mm I.D. which is the same as 993 heat exchangers. It'll be a shame to lose the 993 exchangers as they give such great heat, but it's either a case of lose these or lose my 2 in 4 out Eisenmann muffler. This way I can backdate at will, too, without having to mess about with exhausts.

I'm worried that when the engine is in and an inch lower (due to the spacers required to get Varioram to fit) it may make the silencer too low, but for now this seems to be the best solution.

 

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Posted

Looking forward to seeing this pan out - nice project!

You could easily make an MDF varioram intake and 'bubble' the rear shelf for clearance to save using the spacers!

Posted (edited)

MDF Varioram? As a template? Is there anywhere with clear pictures on what's required to bubble the rear shelf? I see PMO make a tray so you can cut a hole in the shelf and weld this in its place, but I'd really rather not do that. Is it possible to push the shelf up and get enough room? Sounds a bit brutal.

Edited by Kenny Senior
Posted

Exactly, an MDF template to adjust the rear shelf where required. Wont be by much but might give enough wiggle room to use the exhaust you like.

Posted
2 hours ago, jevvy said:

Exactly, an MDF template to adjust the rear shelf where required. Wont be by much but might give enough wiggle room to use the exhaust you like.

I think that may well be beyond my bravery. I would be happy to farm the job out to someone who knows what they're doing, but bending the parcel shelf myself isn't something I'd take on. I'd rather stick a couple of longer bolts and spacers in the rear bar.

2 hours ago, Leicestershire said:

Great project.

Have you given any thought to backdating the cam timing sprockets? 

Obviously much easier now before it gets fitted in your car.

I'm not going to start stripping the heads just yet. I just want it up and running first. Whilst I might be throwing a few hp in the bin by sticking with the later sprocket design, I'm happy to do so for now. The plan is to get it in the car, running, mapped by Wayne and enjoy it for a bit. Once I've got a feel for it I'll know better if it'll benefit from some further tinkering. If I fit it with the spacers it'll be half out already and easy to drop again in an hour.

Posted

Conversion kit is now ordered from Instant G, minus any exhaust parts. I'm sure something exhaust-wise can be worked out on this side of the pond, even if it means getting Germany involved. It'll soon be time to drop my current engine I reckon.

Posted
19 hours ago, Kenny Senior said:

I think that may well be beyond my bravery. 

Eh? You're happy to graft a 3.6 in but not modify a parcel shelf?!!

Posted
6 hours ago, Kenny Senior said:

Conversion kit is now ordered from Instant G, minus any exhaust parts. I'm sure something exhaust-wise can be worked out on this side of the pond, even if it means getting Germany involved. It'll soon be time to drop my current engine I reckon.

There's a whole load of exhaust (and heat) options on this side of the pond. Nothing is impossible on that front.

Get things mocked-up and see what space you have left to play with.

Posted
19 hours ago, mean in green said:

Eh? You're happy to graft a 3.6 in but not modify a parcel shelf?!!

Nuts and bolts are easy. Bodywork is terrifying. I'll stretch to doing the tinware mods, but only because I can throw it in the bin if/when I make a hash of it.

13 hours ago, ALEX P said:

There's a whole load of exhaust (and heat) options on this side of the pond. Nothing is impossible on that front.

Get things mocked-up and see what space you have left to play with.

My thoughts too. I'd dearly like to keep the 993 exchangers. There must be a way of piping these into a two-in silencer. The Eisenmann has a smaller diameter than a Dansk sausage. I reckon it'll squeeze in where the cats are currently whilst keeping the heat crossover. 

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Back in October I was due to be made redundant. I was planning on taking the rest of the year off and using the time to make a decent fist of fitting it. I've been given a reprieve and I'm working full time for the foreseeable. I just won't have the time now so I've chickened out and dropped the car and engine off with my specialist. Sorry to ruin the thread, but working at weekends alone it would have taken me years to do and probably find me single too.

Anyway, he's keeping me abreast of what's what. He's taken the crank pulley off to machine off the outer two grooves so that the early engine hanger can be fitted. This negates the need for bending the 993 one to fit. The aircon compressor plinth has been done away with. I've come up with a plan to keep the 993 exchangers and my Eisenmann 4-out silencer although it remains to be seen how successful it will be. It'll be a suck it and see once the engine is in the car.

 

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Posted

Well, he doesn't hang about. Just a test fit for now to see what's what. It definitely goes in the hole though. It'll be coming back out for the final fettling on tin, etc, but it might be ready for mapping before too long.

 

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Posted

Nice one Kenny , how did he get on machining the pulley ? I seem to remember mine being surprisingly light, tbh thought it must be hollow so surprised it could be machined .  You going up north for mapping or more local? 

Posted

I think the pulley is still away at the machine shop. This was just a test fit to get a handle on what needs to happen with the tinware and connecting it all up.

I've tentatively booked in with Wayne in a couple of weeks. Unless there are any major snags that have been overlooked, or a foot of snow, I should get my Christmas day run out.

  • 2 months later...
Posted

It's alive! Just.

Drove it for the first time yesterday. Got about halfway from the mechanics to home (about 15 miles) and it died. It hadn't been running well anyway. Did my due diligence; checked fuses, DME relay etc. I noticed that the ignition amplifier/trigger module was hot enough to burn my fingers. Tried one from another car and it runs again. Bingo. I'm now on the hunt for a large heatsink to strap a new one to. 

It was a bit stuttery prior to dying and I noticed that the tailpipes showed signs of lean running too. It might have been down to the ignition not firing properly, but it's spurred me on to fit the Bosch 044 fuel pump I've had on the shelf for a while.

One issue is that the alternator light is glowing gently. It doesn't change intensity no matter what revs or electrical load is on. I also have 13.8V at the battery when running so I don't actually think I have a problem. If anyone has any ideas I'm all ears. I think I need to add an extra spring to the throttle. It feels very light underfoot at the moment. Other than that it goes well and everything feels very "factory" for a car with an engine it was never meant to have.

Posted

Good work buddy, have a look at the 993 PET parts as there is a factory heat sink which isn’t too much ££.

Maybe check the fuel pressure at the fuel rail before swapping the pump, you should have enough unless the current pump is kippered.

do the volts at the battery change with some revs?

 

 

Posted
2 hours ago, jevvy said:

have a look at the 993 PET parts as there is a factory heat sink which isn’t too much ££.

True, but it is just a simple lump of alloy that is easy to cheaply substitute.

It is bolted to the metal tray that sits under the 993 passenger seat...

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Not my pic, but I have one in the shed and can take some measurements tomorrow. As long as a homemade heat sink is at least the same mass you will be OK.

Mark

Posted

I have mounted the new one to a piece of  5mm aluminium plate, but after a 15 minute drive it's too hot to hold. That's probably how it's meant to be, but I have ordered a proper heatsink to mount it to now.

 

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It looks like it is thin and misformed in that photo. It isn't. It's 5mm thick and a hefty bit of ally. It was still roasting after 15 minutes of driving.

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