My T4 build

@DannyP posted:

I am not an IM expert. I have nosed all around those two cars plus Marty's turbo and had rides in all three. Plus I happened to weigh Bob's at Carlisle the year I brought my scales.

One would think with your penchant for details you'd have had yours weighed, Ray.

You have been in this hobby for a long time Danny and you can wrench with the best of them I have only been in it for a while.  

I do remember that you weighed Bob’s at Carlisle but at the time my car was not functioning and I took my DDriver.  My experience with IM-6 is from my seeing the frame built on their jig and on multiple  visits to the IM builder seeing,  actually come to think of it, it was Bob's IM-6 being built at the same time there was an Italia being completely redone for Gerry a friend of Henry.   I wanted to get it weighed but never had the opportunity.

Yes, my IM6 with that 3.6 engine and all the 911 mechanicals, plus a comfy interior, etc. does weigh a lot, but the oomph from those six cylinders makes it move along nicely.

Like Phil, I wanted a nice cruising car, and with all the Porsche suspension components, it handles and stops just fine.

Yes, Bob, it certainly does handle, stop and GO just fine, thank you!

Tins done. Going into car next week. To keep the engine compartment looking clean we are using an electric compressor for the AC. Using 90 Amp alternator. I’ll be going back to LA on November 5 for final inspection.

Wow...   I so love the amount of intake manifold flange area and just plain beefiness on that T-4.  

The flange you get to work with on a T-1 dual port that has had some porting work done is minuscule by comparison.

Very, very cool looking engine there, Phil!

@550 Phil

Great looking engine, Phil.

You are going to love that car.

Fits like a glove.

Did the gear calculations for 3.44 R&P  3.80, 2.06, 1.26, 0.89

At 3000 rpms

1st 17 mph

2nd 32 mph

3rd 52 mph

4th 74 mph

That should work just fine.

Oooooo. Very nice

It’s getting very close. Final task is to install electric AC compressor. Off to LA on Nov 5th for final inspection before it ships.

really looking forward to a semi-long term report on the electric AC.  

Yes Carey it was a tough decision. Lots of good and bad reports. It really came down to keeping the engine compartment looking clean. We did go with a 90 amp alternator. There no free lunch. At least this engine has the torque to deal with extra drain. Hopefully I can report back with something on Nov 5th. Doesn’t really get that hot in  Virginia Beach where the car will live. No heat exchangers, so no heat. Doesn’t really get that cold here either. Greg said he will drive the car for the first time this week. Really anxious to here his report.

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I've had several people order it for their 904s, but each time they changed their minds so we've not yet done one.  I experience the same as you eluded to, lots of mixed reports, both good and bad.  I figure the EV guys have figured it out, as have the small aircraft industry, so it can;t be that big of a leap to make it work in our little cars...

HERE  is a Brazilian who put a compressor on the drive shaft...

@IaM-Ray posted:

HERE  is a Brazilian who put a compressor on the drive shaft...

That probably works as well as 2-60 air conditioning.

In reality there was an IM client “Davis’  who had some ram air scoop and fan assisted outside air unit made up with a combo of 911 fan stuff that could help.

I love the engine, and the fact that you regeared the transaxle, Phil. I'm not wild about the oil cooler being inside the engine compartment, but maybe I'm just being pedantic.

I will say this, though -- Speedsters struggle to get enough air. This car is going to need as much air as you can feed it (especially with an oil cooler on the firewall). Henry used to cut out the area behind the licence plate on the 6-cylinder cars.

It's just a thought.

@Stan Galat posted:

I love the engine, and the fact that you regeared the transaxle, Phil. I'm not wild about the oil cooler being inside the engine compartment, but maybe I'm just being pedantic.

I will say this, though -- Speedsters struggle to get enough air. This car is going to need as much air as you can feed it (especially with an oil cooler on the firewall). Henry used to cut out the area behind the licence plate on the 6-cylinder cars.

It's just a thought.

The cooler could be put in back of the rear left wheel ala IM.   wheel….just saying

I wonder if Rich Drewek saw this thread. He had a beautiful T4 in his Beck Speedster years ago.  

A 2666, if I remember correctly.

@Stan Galat posted:

I love the engine, and the fact that you regeared the transaxle, Phil. I'm not wild about the oil cooler being inside the engine compartment, but maybe I'm just being pedantic.

I will say this, though -- Speedsters struggle to get enough air. This car is going to need as much air as you can feed it (especially with an oil cooler on the firewall). Henry used to cut out the area behind the licence plate on the 6-cylinder cars.

It's just a thought.

I don’t know if that’s a great place for an oil cooler for cooling. But it sure looks good. Greg has to figure out somewhere to place the electric AC compressor so maybe that went into the decision to place the oil cooler in the firewall. In 2 1/2 weeks when I’m at VMC I’ll get a bunch of pictures and maybe some videos. It’s been 3 1/2 years since this process started. Hard to believe it’s just a couple of weeks away.

Well the winner of the patience game is Marty

@IaM-Ray posted:

Well the winner of the patience game is Marty

Lane came pretty close.

Yeah, I was at 6 years.

I agree with Stan. That cooler is gonna put all that hot air into the carbs.

Since the 911 shroud deletes the OE cooler, that is the ONLY oil cooler. Said cooler should be located either in the trans area under the car or in the left rear wheel well.

Otherwise, be prepared to cook that expensive motor. I'd rather have two smaller coolers hooked up sequentially in the wheel well. But hey, you do you.

Otherwise, that looks FANTASTIC!

I can share this with Greg. I’ll see him in a couple weeks.

BTW we chickened out with the electric AC compressor and just put a conventional unit in the engine compartment. I was doing this just to keep the engine compartment clean with one belt. Greg’s AC buddy suggested a separate alternator just for the AC. That defeats the whole purpose. So the car is completely done. Can’t wait to drive it on November 5th. I’ve finally come full circle with the IM Conv D. I know I should have kept the first one. Stupid.

@550 Phil posted:

BTW we chickened out with the electric AC compressor and just put a conventional unit in the engine compartment. I was doing this just to keep the engine compartment clean with one belt. Greg’s AC buddy suggested a separate alternator just for the AC. That defeats the whole purpose. So the car is completely done. Can’t wait to drive it on November 5th. I’ve finally come full circle with the IM Conv D. I know I should have kept the first one. Stupid.

Don’t beat yourself up too much, there are so many things over the years that you look back with the vision you have now and you  think I should have kept the X  or in my case the original IM … just to keep it in the family .   We won’t start talking about investments

So this is why I wanted the electric AC compressor. But it’s still a pretty good looking engine compartment.
BTW the oil cooler is vented through the rear firewall with a fan. Greg took the car out for a long drive and it kept at 180 degrees the whole time.

Lovely

Lovely times two!

Closing the book on this thread. The T4 IM is very fast. But it’s not as fast as my Spyder. Which is fine.  Geared perfectly.  I’m going to get Greg to do a few cosmetic improvements on the interior before it ships.

Phil -- you've been out to drive it?

Well you could post the mods here or better yet we could help you spend your money

More seriously, if you can get Greg to do it all at once it might be beneficial.

Yup.  Drove it yesterday.  Lived up to expectations.  It is a very torquey engine.  Doesn't rev near as fast as my Spyder but its in the break in period so I was babying it a little. Its also probably weighs 300-400 lbs more than my Spyder.  AC cranks very cold air.  Engine might fall 500 rpms when the compressor is on but its barely noticeable.  I was kind of surprised but its not near as loud as my Spyder which I also like.

Ray...no real mods for the interior.  The car only has 14k miles but it is 25 years old.  There are just a few minor cosmetic touches for the interior.  There is a rip in the passenger head rest where my wife will place her beautiful head so I want the leather replaced.  It still has the lever, again on my wife's side, for the heater boxes.  I have no heater boxes so I want the lever gone with some type of cosmetic plug.  I'm short so I need the seats raised 0.5 inches.  Just little things.  My wife's pleasure is one reason I'm getting this car so her cockpit needs to be perfect.  That sounds weird.  Her cockpit is already perfect.

Well seat heaters are needed if you do not have any  That would make the better half  more comfortable, as well as the ability to see through the windshield.

@IaM-Ray posted:

Well seat heaters are needed if you do not have any  That would make the better half  more comfortable, as well as the ability to see through the windshield.

A small heated blanket would be good for the legs.

My wife doesn't ever want to ride in my Spyder, so I might get one for me.

My wife will not ride in my Spyder. She likes the IM. Seat heaters is a good idea. But she’s not going to ride in the IM when it’s cold. It really needs to be a perfect day for her to go for a ride. But a seat heater for the driver seat would be nice since I’m driving it year round. I drive my Spyder all year round with a half hard tonneau over the passenger compartment and the seat heater cranked.

Yes for seat heaters.  Henry installed three way heaters in my car, and they certainly do help.  Of course, a nice wool travel blanket stored in the back seat/area for when it's really cold is always a good idea.

And then there's an electric plug-in blanket.