Looking for S65 Engine Builder

[zdubz777]

Good afternoon,

I'm looking for suggestions for engine builders to rebuild my S65.

Long story short, I broke the oil cooler a mile from my home and my car stalled at the end of my driveway when I pushed in the clutch. My initial thought was I had broken the oil pan and it didn't seem to be leaking very bad so I thought it would be okay to make it a mile down the road to my house. Huge mistake. There did not seem to be any knocking or smoke so it came as a bit of surprise when my mechanic replaced the oil cooler and all of the plastics to find out that the engine is seized.

I have read all of the threads I could find on reputable engine builders for these engines but I am having a hard time getting a hold of the one I would prefer. Open to all suggestions.

I am located in NH so I would prefer to use Jim Colley (Jcolley in the forums) in Maine at Fast Attack Motorsports. However, I have tried every way possible to get a hold of him to no avail.

I have also heard Troy Jeup in Michigan is a wizard. Does anybody know the name of his shop or how I can get a hold of him?

Another option I can only find limited information about is E-megatronic run by Elio Mitri in Connecticut. They claim to do a full rebuild on the S65 for $7500 on their eBay ad. People say the place is always full of 911s but I haven't been able to find any info about any S65s they have built.

Carbahn Autoworks Stroker motor is unfortunately out of my budget at $27500. Has anyone had a stock refresh done by them and have any pricing information?

Although I'm sure it is the cheapest option, I am uninterested in putting a used motor in the car. Not knowing the history of the engine is far to much of a risk for me.

Again, open to all suggestions and looking for any information regarding the builders I have listed.

Thank you.

[acarr6]

My 4.4 stroker is built by gintani. CarBahn is a great option. Troy has a website but it appears to be down. You can reach him on Instagram @Troyjeup

[911r]

I've heard iffy things about Troy, Gintani, and especially Carbahn Works. Are you committed to rebuilding your original engine? Sometimes sourcing a new engine with documentation/maintenance records, and resealing it & doing the bearings can be much more cost effective and easier overall. Not all engines have unknown histories like you said in your post, I'd just keep your mind open to the possibility.

[pbonsalb]

MPorium in TX is another for your list. I have had my 08E90M3 in NH for 10 years. Sorry to see one of the few NH E9xM3s injured. For convenience, jcolley would be my first choice, but ordering a rebuilt motor from anywhere is easily done these days once you find the shop you want to work with. I bought a built S52 from TX years ago.

[rcracin]

If your main bearings seized, you may need to source a new block. The front most main bore tends to crack when the mains seize.

With that said, source a used low mileage motor.

[TomHudson]

I’ve dealt with CarBahn.
I’d shop around.

[skillets]

How the heck did you break your oil line? Hit something? Did you not see the oil pouring onto the ground? Just curious. Sorry for your loss!

[acarr6]

Originally Posted by 911r

I've heard iffy things about Troy, Gintani, and especially Carbahn Works. Are you committed to rebuilding your original engine? Sometimes sourcing a new engine with documentation/maintenance records, and resealing it & doing the bearings can be much more cost effective and easier overall. Not all engines have unknown histories like you said in your post, I'd just keep your mind open to the possibility.

It's the internet. You're going to hear iffy things about everyone and every thing. Think about all the iffy things you hear about our catastrophic rod bearing issue, yet you still own one for real though.. Every engine builder on this planet is going have at least a few horror stories :

[911r]

Originally Posted by acarr6

It's the internet. You're going to hear iffy things about everyone and every thing. Think about all the iffy things you hear about our catastrophic rod bearing issue, yet you still own one for real though.. Every engine builder on this planet is going have at least a few horror stories :

I know two people who have had Carbahn built engines implode; one currently in litigation with them. As you mentioned, all companies have had their fair share of poor experiences associated with them. I've just seen some companies put on a pedestal; and wanted to clarify that no one company is perfect.

[acarr6]

Originally Posted by 911r

I know two people who have had Carbahn built engines implode; one currently in litigation with them. As you mentioned, all companies have had their fair share of poor experiences associated with them. I've just seen some companies put on a pedestal; and wanted to clarify that no one company is perfect.

You are definitely right. I don't even know if gintani for example would take on a job like that anymore. They are so big league now an s65 is probably on the bottom of the list. Lots of horror stories about Troy going Mia after sending funds as well. Would bother me.. I like communication.

[Properstyle]

why not just go with lang racing?

[SYT_Shadow]

There is no good option that isn't insanely expensive. Even the insanely expensive ones I wouldn't recommend

I would get an ebay engine and do rod bearings on it. Likely a better option than 'rebuilds'

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by 911r

I know two people who have had Carbahn built engines implode; one currently in litigation with them. As you mentioned, all companies have had their fair share of poor experiences associated with them. I've just seen some companies put on a pedestal; and wanted to clarify that no one company is perfect.

No company is perfect for sure, however, Carbahn stands behind their warranty.

You won't find many other places, or any, where you buy a $35k engine, it blows up, you send it back and a couple months later you receive a new $35k engine.

[SYT_Shadow]

jcolley has disappeared because he seemed to be cheating and stealing

Troy is a joke

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

There is no good option that isn't insanely expensive. Even the insanely expensive ones I wouldn't recommend

I would get an ebay engine and do rod bearings on it. Likely a better option than 'rebuilds'

^^^ Agree.

Saw an engine on Ebay recently for $5500USD. 90K miles IIRC.

Just the gaskets, chains, sliders and other consumables for an S65 are going to cost you thousands of dollars, not including labor. That does not even touch items such as valve followers, machining, bearings, pistons, rods, rings... There is a reason that used S65s are worth so much - these things are expensive to rebuild. On top of that, it seems that very few people seem to know how to actually rebuild the S65 properly. So, as SYT_Shadow says, best option would be to buy a used engine and sell your core for scrap.

Now, if you are going to build a stroker, that is a whole other ballgame.

Cheers,

[zdubz777]

Thanks for all of the input guys!

I am a bit of a "same numbers" kind of guy and that's one of the reasons I am hesitant to source another used engine. I don't know why I'm like this. It does indeed seem to be the "sanest" approach to this sort of tragedy but I can't bring myself to do it...

I have read a few negative things about Troy, yes. But like Acarr6 said, it's the internet. There are many more people that love his work and a friend of a friend of a friend had an E60 M5 built by him that he absolutely HOUNDED for 2 years without any issues. If I had the money to build a stroker, I think I would strongly consider going with Troy.

As for JColley, I still can't get a hold of the guy and I have given up.

As of right now, I am actually leaning towards giving Elio at E-megatronic in Connecticut a try who was initially my last preferred option. As I said before it is very hard to find information on any of his S65 builds other than the ones he has on his Instagram page. There are loads and loads of Porches on there and the Porsche community seems to love his work. I just got off the phone with him and he says he has 2 S65s he is working on now. One from Utah and one from somewhere else, I can't remember . He has 2 BMW techs and claims that they build the S65s with their eyes closed and that the Porches are a lot more complicated.

One thing he does differently that I cannot find anyone else doing is that he nickel plates the cylinder walls. I'm assuming he is referring to Nikasil. He says it can only be honed with diamonds, which I believe to be correct, as I work for a Diamond Turning company that Diamond machines Nickel for optics and such.

I did a little of my own research on this and found an article hinting as to why BMW switched from their old Nikasil coatings on the M60s and the M52s to the Alusil coating they used on our S65s and the S85s. The article states that low quality fuel in Europe at the time contained a high sulfur content which reacted with the Nickel and glazed and burnished the cylinder walls. These days in the states I'd imagine this should not be an issue with our low sulfur fuel content in the states. So as long as the cylinder walls are treated/honed properly, I don't see this as a bad thing. Does anybody have any input on this?

Here is the link to said article:

https://www.torquecars.com/bmw/nikasil-issue.php

On a side note, Elio's base rebuild (assuming nothing is badly damaged and all rebuildable) is advertised at $7500. With mine being seized this is obviously not the case, and he told me that worst case scenario for a full rebuild back to new would be 15,000 if the crank and other parts are badly damaged. (He sources new cranks from a large company in California)

So, although my mind is not made up yet by any means, I am definitely considering giving this guy a try and I'll just pray that my crank is okay and hope it spun a rod bearing or something.

I will update when I have made my decision.

Again, Thanks for all of your input!

[Vedubin01]

Dean at Mporium would be my choice if they would take on the task. Attention to detail in every aspect.

[MaximusB]

Originally Posted by Scharbag

^^^ Agree.

Saw an engine on Ebay recently for $5500USD. 90K miles IIRC.

Just the gaskets, chains, sliders and other consumables for an S65 are going to cost you thousands of dollars, not including labor. That does not even touch items such as valve followers, machining, bearings, pistons, rods, rings... There is a reason that used S65s are worth so much - these things are expensive to rebuild. On top of that, it seems that very few people seem to know how to actually rebuild the S65 properly. So, as SYT_Shadow says, best option would be to buy a used engine and sell your core for scrap.

Now, if you are going to build a stroker, that is a whole other ballgame.

Cheers,

Sorry to hijack this thread. But let's say if say I want to build a stroker, nothing crazy, just want a reliable motor for track/weekend street and the extra power from a stroker. Who should they go to?

[Scharbag]

Originally Posted by MaximusB

Sorry to hijack this thread. But let's say if say I want to build a stroker, nothing crazy, just want a reliable motor for track/weekend street and the extra power from a stroker. Who should they go to?

I am not qualified to answer that question.

As much as I would love a stroker, the cost and reliability make it simply untenable. Oh well.

If I was going to spend $40k on my M3, I would likely see about jamming an LS7 in there...

[JohnStinson]

Originally Posted by zdubz777

Good afternoon,

I'm looking for suggestions for engine builders to rebuild my S65.

Long story short, I broke the oil cooler a mile from my home and my car stalled at the end of my driveway when I pushed in the clutch. My initial thought was I had broken the oil pan and it didn't seem to be leaking very bad so I thought it would be okay to make it a mile down the road to my house. Huge mistake. There did not seem to be any knocking or smoke so it came as a bit of surprise when my mechanic replaced the oil cooler and all of the plastics to find out that the engine is seized.

I have read all of the threads I could find on reputable engine builders for these engines but I am having a hard time getting a hold of the one I would prefer. Open to all suggestions.

I am located in NH so I would prefer to use Jim Colley (Jcolley in the forums) in Maine at Fast Attack Motorsports. However, I have tried every way possible to get a hold of him to no avail.

I have also heard Troy Jeup in Michigan is a wizard. Does anybody know the name of his shop or how I can get a hold of him?

Another option I can only find limited information about is E-megatronic run by Elio Mitri in Connecticut. They claim to do a full rebuild on the S65 for $7500 on their eBay ad. People say the place is always full of 911s but I haven't been able to find any info about any S65s they have built.

Carbahn Autoworks Stroker motor is unfortunately out of my budget at $27500. Has anyone had a stock refresh done by them and have any pricing information?

Although I'm sure it is the cheapest option, I am uninterested in putting a used motor in the car. Not knowing the history of the engine is far to much of a risk for me.

Again, open to all suggestions and looking for any information regarding the builders I have listed.

Cool, distance may not be an issue for such a major job. Can you pm me your details?

[Browntrash]

+193746474 for mporium
Just call and talk to them and you’ll get it
If it’s not fixable or not worth fixing that’s different
Good luck

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by MaximusB

Sorry to hijack this thread. But let's say if say I want to build a stroker, nothing crazy, just want a reliable motor for track/weekend street and the extra power from a stroker. Who should they go to?

If you want a reliable engine

Do not 'rebuild' it
Do not stroke it
Do not change internals
Do rod bearings

If you want more power you can do 292 cams, headers and Karbonius intake. Or supercharge, but that doesn't work that well on the track