[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by 941MXVET

I hope I was clear, I stated that the costs were NOT prohibitive. Meaning I didn't think that the prices I've seen so far were anything but fare. If I wasn't clear, I apologize. Cali suks NV is much better!! I don't blame you my wife's Aunt lives near Helen Ga, and it's very nice, a great place to visit

I am 5 miles from Helen GA :-)

I don't think jakes prices are out of line at all, especially for the expertise and experience you get from him. Its like any business, you just want to find someone you can trust, will finish the job, finish it right and stand behind it. From what I have read, Jake brings all this to the table.

Thank you! We've always delivered in botht the aircooled and watercooled Porsche world..

My dilema isn't price, its that I have been iching for more power(Same thing happened when I bought my Vmax bike). My internal question: is it more prudent for me to just get a new bigger engine. I bought this 2001 "s" knowing it could be a time bomb and if it happened I would probably upgrade engines. And every road on Porsche engines led right back to Jake.

My program is the only way to get more power AND an updated engine. The 01' S is a perfect candidate for a 3.6 big bore in either stage I or stage II trim.

Thanks for the detailed response Jake. I totally understand your point of view if some other shop installs your IMS upgrade, for example, and then something goes wrong, you should not be responsible for it because your shop did not supervise the install, and something could of been improperly installed or damaged during the upgrade.

Exactly.

However, what happens if the car comes to your shop, you install just the IMS upgrade, and then something happens whereby the upgraded IMS bolt fails (proven after you tear down the engine)? So there would be no recourse for the customer?

If that happened and the work had a guarantee there would be finger pointing and it would not be fun for anyone. Lots of other things can fail inside this engine that may APPEAR to be the IMS and the engine can be so destroyed that it would be impossible to determine what failed first. Due to that we assume risks together, I can't gold plate the process or guarantee that no issues will occur because its purely mechanical.

If the remainder of the engine that we can't update withiut a full tear down was so risky I'd have no problem guaranteeing this work. The worst nightmare for anyone is to have a warranty and the grat areas not point to any conclusive source of the issue.. We end up with red tape, court cases and bad reputations when that happens.. I'd much rather be up front, do the best job possible and support the job as much as possible the olod fashioned way should something occur.. I will not promise anyone a rose garden unless they buy MY version of this engine with the updates applied, and even then there are stipulations.

I see what you are saying about how a warranty does not prevent issues from happening, but it does protect the customer if that something should happen, no?

Maybe, maybe not... I am not big on the whole warranty thing, probably because I have been around mechanical things all my life and have seen perfectly good running engines die because of something that could not be explained... If the Warranty gives you the security you are looking for, lets just hope you don't end up in court trying to make them pay when reality strikes.

I just finished installing a test engine into the customer's car that had the crankshaft fail. He had no warranty (full track car) and didn't have to ask me to do this for him to finish his season.. He was fair and I went out of my way to accomodate him and I'll guarantee that no piece of paper on this planet would have forced any other shop to install another engine into his car after his failed ON THE TRACK- I offered to do this for him... See if Porsche will give you a loaner engine and let you take it on the track... I told him to try to blow it up, and I mean it.

This test engine has an IMS retrofit (the second one ever done) as well as a pair of cracked heads that we repaired with a new process and it has experimental camshafts.. We ripped the heads off, ported them, did a good valve job and repaired the cracks... Then bumped up the CR at bit, but we didn't crack into the block- thats all OE. A few minutes ago it made 250 RWHP from a bone stock 3.2 with 88,000 miles. It has over 500 dyno pulls on it and is stronger than ever!

I tried to PM you, but your mailbox is full. I've been reading your engine posts with interest and have a couple quick questions.

Sorry about that.. This topic has filled my inbox, mostly with complainers...

1) I've been interested in your 3.2-3.6 stage II upgrade and might be able to swing the cost over the winter. I know you are learning new things about these motors almost weekly now

We will be for the next two decades, at least... . Do you think you'll have a really solid product with your stage II by December or would it be best to wait a bit further into the development process?

The STageII is fully developed right now. We have already standardized it's design and components. If you are waiting for me to "perfect" it, well you'll never buy one!!! Development is a constant evolution here as we learn and apply even small changes. Waiting will just make it cost more money!!! :-)

I guess I don't want to do the stage II in a few months only to have the same conversion be +30hp 6 months from now if you know what I mean. Also, what is a ballpark cost on the stage II (assuming I drive my healthy 19k mile anniversary edition car to you and leave it to pick up when you are finished)?

Based on a few variables the cost would be roughly 20K out the door with install, dyno and ECU reflash.

2) I have a friend who has a similar Boxster S to mine except his only has about 15k miles. He just bought a house and doesn't have the cash to do the 3.2 to 3.6 right now. However, he is interested in having you solidify the motor now which sounds like at a minimum it would be lifters and IMS. What would be a ballpark on the cost of you most basic "sturdiness" upgrade on the 3.2?

3-6K with lots of variables in existence. This includes RMS/IMS retrofit bearing/clutch package/ lifter service,variocam service, oil sump inspection and new chain tensioners as well as vario cam solenoids. While we are there we can install some of our camshafts if you'd like :-)
We also dyno the vehicle and I'll put 200 miles on it with my telemetry in place.

Of course I won't hold you to these prices, just trying to get a ballpark. Feel free to PM me or let me know when it's a good time to call your shop.

This is a solid weeks work, so its not cheap.. We don't really work by the hour, there isn't a clock in my entire facility, all work takes as long as it takes.