engine rebuilds

[ike84]

Originally Posted by Oldcarguy

Well said JFP. I didn’t drink any ‘koolaid’ and I resent all that phrase implies in the context of my choice. I researched available M96 performance engine build options and it came down to FSI (Jake) and Hartech (Lee Jenkins). I’m in the US so FSI it was. My 3.8L Street Performer Plus never disappoints and it was well worth the nine month wait to start my four month turnkey build. The same is true of my friend’s FSI 3.6L Track Performer build. His 996 was two cars in the queue behind my car.

Jake doesn’t need a ‘forum voice’, his cars on the ground do all the talking.

Oldcarguy, my comments are not intended to offend. Despite my use of the colloquialism, Im trying to look at this situation from an objective point of view A car such as yours probably costs close to $50k to build, right? 15k for the door vehicle, 25k for the moto buildr, and 10k in labor plus additional parts. And what is the end result - a 986 with 8lbs/hp. That is a formidable vehicle! But to what end?

F6I builds never recoup their money at resale (not that I've ever seen, at least), and most every modified porsche depreciates in value compared to their stock brethren.

From a racing standpoint, I don't know about PCA rules, but if you race that vehicle in scca you would be put into the super street modified class. You are up against crazy good competition there! When you line up next to the beefed up z4s and Elise sc's, suddenly your 8:1 isn't so impressive any more.

My point is that these builds are in their own very special niche. And that niche, mind you, is a tiny sliver of an already small population of porsche enthusiasts. For some, such as yourself, a vehicle such as this represents the pinnacle of motor sports excellence. Others, such as myself, would beg to differ.

But hey, what do I know. As my best friend says, I'm nothing more than a redneck with a degree

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[flmont]

ike84,..yea,.I dig,I was and still might, buy that video for the M96 rebuild and yes I thought 600.00 is kinda steep,.But,if it saves you from other people making mistake's on your engine,then it may be worth it, I would trust it is spot on for at least the generic rebuild,ByProdriver took Mr.Raby's class or classes and built his own engine,.to what the real expense was for him IDK,.but it may be worth asking his opinion on the best way to DIY..I would sure like to know if the Laymen could accomplish that task at home !,. plenty of people rebuild Subaru engines..and they are Boxer engines. But I don't think they suffer with the same issues as the M96 engines do,But iam sure its not the same design either..?

[Oldcarguy]

Originally Posted by ike84

Oldcarguy, my comments are not intended to offend. Despite my use of the colloquialism, Im trying to look at this situation from an objective point of view A car such as yours probably costs close to $50k to build, right? 15k for the door vehicle, 25k for the moto buildr, and 10k in labor plus additional parts. And what is the end result - a 986 with 8lbs/hp. That is a formidable vehicle! But to what end?

F6I builds never recoup their money at resale (not that I've ever seen, at least), and most every modified porsche depreciates in value compared to their stock brethren.

From a racing standpoint, I don't know about PCA rules, but if you race that vehicle in scca you would be put into the super street modified class. You are up against crazy good competition there! When you line up next to the beefed up z4s and Elise sc's, suddenly your 8:1 isn't so impressive any more.

My point is that these builds are in their own very special niche. And that niche, mind you, is a tiny sliver of an already small population of porsche enthusiasts. For some, such as yourself, a vehicle such as this represents the pinnacle of motor sports excellence. Others, such as myself, would beg to differ.

But hey, what do I know. As my best friend says, I'm nothing more than a redneck with a degree

Hi Ike,

Thanks for your considered response and tone. My 550SE with the Raby engine is my ninth Porsche amongst ownership of many other marques. I’m appreciative of the cars I’ve been fortunate to own but I’m not enamored with any particular brand or model. I’ve also participated in a lot of motorsports across the decades and occasionally still enjoy a random autocross or HPDE. But it’s not the end of the world if I never see track time again.

Respectfully, it’s presumptuous for you to assert that “for some, such as yourself, a vehicle such as this represents the pinnacle of motor sports excellence”. Nothing could be further from the truth. You don’t know anything about me, my experiences, my values, viewpoints or my life journey.

I undertook my 550SE project as a form of self expression. Not to build a track car, a competitive car, an investment car, a formidable car or a pinnacle of anything. I don’t care about impressing anyone with power to weight ratios, value, appearance or any other metric. I undertook this multi year project for me, to create a car built to my specification, modified mostly by my own hands, to realize my vision for a personalized roadster.

Anyway, thanks for the dialog and I’m sure our paths will cross in the forum again.

[azlvr]

Originally Posted by Oldcarguy

I undertook my 550SE project as a form of self expression. Not to build a track car, a competitive car, an investment car, a formidable car or a pinnacle of anything. I don’t care about impressing anyone with power to weight ratios, value, appearance or any other metric. I undertook this multi year project for me, to create a car built to my specification, modified mostly by my own hands, to realize my vision for a personalized roadster.

Anyway, thanks for the dialog and I’m sure our paths will cross in the forum again.

Well said, I have also headed down the same path and feel the same way. I've spent tons of money and did all the work myself but that doesn't matter. You have a very nice car.

[Oldcarguy]

Originally Posted by azlvr

Well said, I have also headed down the same path and feel the same way. I've spent tons of money and did all the work myself but that doesn't matter. You have a very nice car.

Thanks Azlvr, As you, I’m very satisfied with my results. IMHO the fact that you did all the work yourself on your car matters very much. There’s nothing like driving a vehicle that is alive due to your efforts.