Introducing "Dirty Penny" - Former $2010[$2012] GRM Project, Running. Driving. Boosting. FUN! Options

[jpnovak]

I wanted to introduce myself as a new member to the World. I am new to the 914 but not new to air-cooled. I have two 1971 911s; a T - soft-window targa and an ST-replica track car. I am sure I have seen many of you on Pelican. With the 911 I have done it all, rust repair, paint, engines, transmissions and chassis setup. I felt it was time for something new.

Introducing my new project. "Dirty Penny"

Penny is a 1975 Porsche 914. She has been sitting unattended for a while. I found her at a friends house under the old oak tree. Penny is wearing copper metallic paint and had a white interior. Penny arrived without a heart. I am going to give her new life.

Penny will be built as a Grassroots Motorsports $2010 Challenge car. For those not familiar that means you have $2010 to build a car where it competes in a concours, drag race and autocross. The prize? Notoriety in GRM and ridicule from those who already think you are nuts and cheap. My wife doesn't affectionately call me Fred Sanford for nothing. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Here are a few pictures of Penny being unearthed from her previous home. The TX sun has not been kind to the paint, nor the interior. However, the dry climate has left her remarkably rust free. There is rust in the Hell Hole that has been previously cut out yet never welded back in. Rot is almost non-existent.

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How much money I have left to spend on the project.

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The plan is simple to do well at the Challenge. Get a car that handles well. Strip the weight out of it. give it some extra HP. Let's see... A 914 handles well. they are already pretty light. but the Type IV doesn't lend itself to high HP without major $$$.

A bit of late night ebay browsing and I came across a JDM Subaru EJ20G drivetrain. Yes, that's what I need. ITs still a flat-4 - yet has to be water cooled and makes 140+ HP/L in stock trim. I like it. The vendor was in Dallas which means reduced shipping costs. Yep, that's the rule. you must account for ALL purchases.

The new heart and soul... Oh yeah it will have soul!

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to be honest, work has been crazy and I have 13 months to build the car. Progress won't be fast. I am excited to make this go forward. The challenge of swapping the entire drivetrain begins with connections. The engine mounts are easy. Trying to get the shift linkage, clutch linkage and throttle cable done on the cheap is not so easy. I know there is a wealth of information on this site. Thanks to all those who have traveled this road before me.

Until the next update...

Now I have to figure out how to post images on this site rather than link external.

[jpnovak]

The engine failure was two fold.

1. The oil pan had been pushed in just slightly in shipping. This closed the gap to the oil pickup. It was not until I started doing high rpm pulls that this became a problem.

2. The oil pickup tube had a slight crack at the braze line. Apparently, this is a common problem.

After lots of reading you find that the rod bearings are crappy from the factory and any slight changes in oil pressure (even the wrong oil, including Mobil 1 synthetic) can cause a rod bearing to spin. It appears I may have spun several but I have not torn down the engine to find out. I will, in time.

The old motor is now out of the car and sitting on the floor. I will swap the engine wiring harness over the weekend and then bolt the new one in place.

Once the engine is wired and running I will be installing one of these reinforced oil pickups. If the budget allows I will also mount a reinforced oil pan.

http://www.killerbmotorsport.com/index_fil...ateOiPickup.htm

I cut the rear trunk and mounted the engine higher than most for more ground clearance. This helps but the sump is still vulnerable. I want every bit of protection. I am considering to make a skid plate that connects the center tunnel/fire wall to the engine mount. It will help should I ever "need" it. It would only take one OTE or road debris to make me have another really bad day.