3.6 Engine Work
 

So as some of you know, I've been shopping around recently for ways to make my 986 faster. 3.4 from a 996 was my first route, but I turned this down in favor of a larger 3.6 engine and after Raby said it had a lot of failures. Raby, Brad Roberts, and a few other people here have been extremely helpful.

I finally found a shop that will do what I wanted. It's a small shop in Riverside that my brother takes his 996TT to. I was quoted for a 3.6L re-sleeved from a 3.2S. I thought I'd share it with you to get some feedback, and whether or not this is trustworthy and accurate.

I drive a '99 Boxster base

Engine case machine work will be done to a 3.2 to make it into a 3.6
Custom JE pistons to make it into 3.6
I'll have to get a new chip, various gaskets and bearings
I'll also need the third radiator setup, and a new front bumper that has the vent


He says I get to keep my non e-gas setup. He also says that it'll mount straight up to my current tranny with minimal fabrication work. I asked if I needed new gauge pod, and he told me that I could use my current one.

Is there anything obvious that I'm missing from this? Is this a reliable setup?

There's a DIY on Pedro's site on how to add the third opening to your current bumper cover. Otherwise, you should confirm what they mean by 'resleeve'; if they are just boring out the engine and dropping a larger sleeve in then beware. These sleeves have lips at the top that obscure coolant passages. If they are using lne then there is no issue as they have a different bonding process that doesn't require the lip.

Porsche 986 Boxster GT Style Front Bumper Fits 1997 2004 Models Body Kit | eBay

Boxster/996 TK

That's the front lip I plan on getting (less the nose grill). Will the third radiator fit with the vent at the bottom? I really abhor nose grills on Boxsters.

They claim they are not boring out anything.

You could a 996 bumper cover. It is open in the middle already

True, but I like the style listed above. It's loud and noisy. Will the third radiator work without the nose grill?

If you are referring to the bumper grill trim....no the third radiator bolts up to the body work behind the bumper cover on the S. The rad stays with the body of the car. The S opening has no grill. I am assuming that the S third radiator fastening can be reproduced on the base car

On my S I removed body/duct work from the bumper centre opening in order to mesh the opening...no issues

Done correctly the engine will be more reliable than the original engine.

987 airbox & filter
987MAF housing & hose
996 plenum "T" & 996 cable controlled throttle body
987 clutch
1999 996 DME reflash
Headers, midpipes & muffler
Injectors cleaned & flow tested
Engine balancing
LN triple bearing IMS upgrade
ARP rod bolts or LN rods

In addition to new gaskets & bearings, replace everything inside the engine that is worn.

To go from 3.2 to 3.6 you need to either bore it or stroke it. The question you should ask them is how they intend to re sleeve it.

I'll ask him tonight. He was kind of vague. Are there any other specifics I should ask him?

I would also ask him about the 'chip'. Probably a semantics thing but you don't chip these cars. You can however re flash the ecu /dme with updated programming. According to the lne website, a new flash isn't required so you may wish to hold off on that for now. I say this as I've heard that a 3.2 3.6 conversion can be quite peaky in power development due to restrictive intake and exhaust. So, to do it right you should put freer flowing intake and exhaust systems in (typically from a 987, etc as per the earlier post). The thing is depending on what intke system you decide to go for you will need a different flash. So, given that flashes can cost a lot, you should hold off until you know what you want.

The reputation of the shop that does the work means everything. You want someone who is doing the 12th, not the 1st. And someone whose reputation you can verify.

Additionally, while the engine is out, what preventative stuff do you want done that can be done faster/cheaper while the engine is out. Water pump? AOS? Heads? RMS? Coils, plugs, tubes? Throttle body? Headers?

Doing it right takes $$$$, more than your car is worth. Think where you want to stop. Know you'll never get your $ out if you want/need to sell.

This car is going with me to the grave. I am willing to fork out 15k. He gave me an awesome price. Says he's been doing it for 15 years or something.

Kravig is the last name

I would just start corresponding with pro driver and have him do it. He has done at least three that I know of and was trained at rabys

An awesome price is always suspicious.

What isn't he doing that others do? Parts cost everybody pretty much the same. And labor rates in CA can't be cheap. So I'd be trying to figure out what I wasn't getting if the price difference is awesome. Get a quote from Raby and compare the list of what he does for much more and see what you are missing. And then if that difference was worth spending on ... or not.

I would go with MikeFocke's thinking. I think Raby is the only one I would trust to do this kind of work albeit it is not cheap but they have the experience to backup the work.

I've been talking to Raby over the past year. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer my car any services. Changing engines from different years is too risky, and unless he builds the block himself from the ground up so that he knows the ins-and-outs, he won't do it. It's highly unfortunate indeed.

He did give me some pricing. My price isn't cheap, but it's competitive to be sure. That's why I'm here talking to you guys.
This is something I wanted to see.

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-parts-sale-wanted/33609-boxster-3-6-rebuilt-engine.html

Respectfully submitted for your review.