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Serving
the Greater Miami
Porsche Community
Since 1979
Member
®
Miami's Master
Porsche Mechanic
For Classic & Contemporary
Porsche Sport Cars.
MIAMI PORSCHE SERVICE / REPAIR / REBUILD / PPI
GP AutoWerks
305-588-0874
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 2017 Porsche Turbo S. PPI is in progress. Car is being raised to inspect underneath. Any damage, fluid leaks, missing hardware, modifications, and any other anomaly will be noted. |  Same 2017 Turbo S. Has proven to be an immaculate car. Very justified given it having only 6,000 miles. At the right price, the new owner will be very pleased with this. |
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 In the old shop: Silver 2013 991 - needs sorting out from having run bad fuel. Red 1991 964 - heading for engine reseal. 2003 986 Boxster S in foreground has PPI in progress. |  Nikasil cylinders being removed from 3.3 liter engine. Initially developed for Porsche's 917, these cylinders are internally coated with a very thin layer of nickel silicone carbide. The resulting surface is extremely smooth, much harder than steel, and very durable. |
 Carbs have been re-jetted in this RSR clone. Cylinder air flow is being finely tuned so all cylinders will breathe equally. This "air flow balancing" together with nicely balanced reciprocating weights minimizes an engine fighting itself during each combustion cycle. Ultimately this translates into smoother, higher performance, and greater engine durability. |  Customer's car after being lowered and raked 2 degrees. This refinement improves both cornering and straight-line stability as well as front-end braking. Drive this car and exactly the same Porsche in stock stance geometry and you'll immediately notice the improved handling & control given by this refinement. |
 '91 Carrera #1 intake valve. Deposits seen result from engine NOT being run as hard as it should be. While small deposits are not bad, larger deposits are unwanted---they can come loose and lodge between the valve & seat causing any number of issues. |  This engine has 4 broken head studs---2 on this side at #4 and #6 and 2 on the other side. When studs break, fastening of the head to cylinder becomes unbalanced. When run for any extended period of time, the result is a rounding of the head's mating surface. Heads in this case were rounded by 0.001". Left unattended, this measure would have increased in time. These heads were subsequently milled perfectly flat to factory spec. |
 Rebuild of 3.2 engine nears completion. Before owner takes control, it will be treated to a very specific break-in procedure culminating with an oil & filter change. When done, this engine will perform like new. |  Porsche owners breakfast meeting in the Gables. Amidst the Porsche talk with friends, a significant volume of pancakes, eggs and coffee are consumed. |
 RSR clone has just arrived for engine performance adjustments. |  To get an engine's full power potential, cams on both sides must be timed precisely. Here, the dial gauge indicates an exact setting on this cam. Zero deviation is the GP standard for cam timing. |
 ARP studs have been installed. This is an excellent upgrade when replacing stock studs as ARPs will last indefinitely. |  356 replica has been brought in with ignition and handling issues. Bad wiring done on "upgraded" ignition components is found. Handling problem is two-fold: 2 out-of-round wheel rims, and bad bushings. Corrections are made to return ignition and handling to premium form. |
 Cleaned, inspected and measured Turbo pistons & cylinders. With all specs in factory order, only a new set of rings is needed to restore this engine's compression to peak performance. |  New piston rings are visually inspected prior to weighing each set. Ultimately, swap-allowable components will be moved among piston-rod assemblies to minimize weight deviation among the group. The goal being to optimize reciprocating balance without the need/cost for machining. Final weight deviation is reviewed with the owner who can decide to invest in machining parts if greater precision is desired. |
 Plugs are revealing of an engine's operating condition. Here, cylinder 6 has extreme issues... bad rings and/or a worn intake valve guide and/or seal. Based on the information given here alone, this engine's performance is significantly lacking. We'll show these to the owner and speak about what corrective options are available. |  Working at night is done to keep up with customer demands. Much gets done given minimal if any interruptions. Photo is at 73rd Ave shop. Have moved since. |
 Case is prepped to receive new rod journal bearings. (With crank journals in excellent condition, there's no need to split this case.) Clean mating surfaces are essential to the durability of a rebuilt engine. Look closely at cylinder seats---super clean. |  The "Wolf" has instigated an impromptu gathering at Panther Coffee in Wynwood. Catching up over java & croissants is accomplished. Better still, new friendships are made. |
 '80 CIS engine with nearly 300,000 miles has just been removed from its companion chassis. This engine and transmission are scheduled for a comprehensive rebuild. A set budget is already given so it's clear what the owner wants & expects before the project begins. |  Connecting rods with new journal bearings. Together with their piston assemblies, these have been balanced to within 0.5 grams deviation. To make this worthwhile, crank and flywheel must also be balanced to the same tolerance. The result is a very smooth running engine with exceptional durability. |
 After many years of experience, it's possible to tune an engine by sound & touch alone. Here, a 3.2 is being run through low, mid, and high RPM ranges. Immediately after this photo is taken, fine adjustments are made to improve high-end performance. |  Replacement parts are inspected immediately upon arrival. Anything wrong is corrected quickly. This prevents progress delays due to part supplier errors. Ultimately this means GP Porsche owners consistently see their cars sooner than later. |
 Turbo's exhaust-side drive blades are visually inspected to determine immediately if, due to any damage, there's reason for replacement. These blades look good. Shaft play was checked just after this image was taken and that too reports in order. Missing stud will be replaced upon reassembly. |  Brake pad fell apart upon removal from car. Should these brakes have been needed for an emergency stop, the corner (right front) where the loose pad material was would not have worked correctly... braking imbalance would have rotated the car counter clockwise. These are economical Mintex pads---not a recommend pad for any Porsche driven enthusiastically. |
 Transmission's magnetic drain nut is doing its job collecting worn gear metal. Given when this oil was last serviced, this transmission is experiencing normal wear. |  GP height & rake settings on a classic 930. Lowering obviously brings the car's center of gravity down. A 2-degree nose down rake improves front brake performance as the nose is already "advanced" downwards when the chassis begins a braking cycle. |
 Stained interior walls of this chain housing case tell of oil not being changed frequently enough---bad news for ALL lubricated parts in this engine. Compare these walls to those in the next chain housing... |  '79 chain housing...6 years older than housing just seen. By comparison, these walls indicate a well cared for engine---an engine that's experienced frequent oil & filter changes. Based on lubrication care alone, there's a very high probability of all the internals of this engine being in better condition than those in the stained wall engine. (Hydrolic tensioner upgrade is seen here. An excellent decision.) |
 Guess how much hose there is in a 3-condenser Porsche AC system? Answer is at end of next photo's caption. |  AC compressor in "black death" mode. "Black" being due to the amount of metal worn from piston failure and mixed with the system's oil. "Death" being due to incorrect---lacking---oil charge. Is not worth repairing this compressor---new unit is called for. Entire AC system must be flushed of this "oily soot" to work correctly. Then recharged with correct oil and refrigerant amounts. (Answer to question: 40+ Feet.) |
 Compression test in progress. Combined with a leak down, the two data sets provide a clear picture of each cylinder's sealing integrity within an engine. Only a leak down procedure reveals exactly where issues are within a given cylinder. |  Customer's '74 Carrera in the Rockies. With not quite 3" of ground clearance, this car corners as if on rails. The trade-off is there's very little suspension travel. This creates a very stiff ride. Given this ride height, a constant focus on the road ahead is absolutely necessary. |
 Just removed heads. From this engine's leak down test, valve seating is good but the rings and/or cylinders are worn. Further testing will be preformed to confirm this status. Valve clearances will be inspected. If necessary, these heads may be reconditioned depending on their status and the owner's decision after discussion. |  Before cleaning, components are always inspected to see what evidence of anomalies may be shown by the grit & grim an engine wears. If parts are cleaned before such inspections, valuable "evidence" can be lost. |
 '80 Targa top with skin & burlap removed. This is headed for a complete restoration. Worn webbing will be replaced, joints lubricated, plates repositioned to spec, new skin & cushioning, and ultimately the roof will be tuned to the car to minimize wind noise and eliminate water leaks. |  Rod bearings being checked for play at the crank shaft. Also confirmed at this stage is the measure of front-to-rear play of rods on the crank is. Unwanted is any swing movement of the rods at their piston-ends and this swing being parallel to the crankshaft. If there is swing, a worn rod bearing is evident. |
 Dismantling engines often uncovers mysteries---in this case an oddly positioned intake gasket. While this gasket has shifted slightly before this photo was taken, its original position can be detected given the gasket's intact grime line. |  Where proper to apply, anti seize serves its name sake allowing parts to separate easily be it tomorrow or 10 years from now. This makes for smart mechanical servicing no matter who returns next to parts treated in this manner. Anti seize applied in the wrong locations can prove problematic. One has to know where this media goes to use it intelligently. |
 Whomever installed this engine's exhaust system last failed to correctly secure this exhaust manifold. The result is a flange leak evidenced by the soot marker on the cylinder. While an engine is installed and running, the sound this produces can be taken for a broken stud unless one knows the resonance difference between the two. |  Customer in an '80 SC Targa. This car had body work done to the hood and driver's door. While at the body shop, that shop left the car's frunk and cabin open to the shop's dust flow. They also did not properly align either the hood or door. Afterwards at GP Autowerks, hood and door were corrected and the car lowered. Detailing the car was charged back to the body shop. They respectfully admitted the error. |
 Chain house cover getting a liquid gasket application. When applied correctly, this type of "gasket" allows parts to expand & contract without the seal loosing integrity. This is superior to any stock, fibered gasket. |  Fuel tank seam. These seams rust predictably. Got to catch this corrosion early or an otherwise excellent tank will be ruined by its seam's deterioration alone. This tank is being attended early. Will clean and treat the seam all around, returning to the owner a fuel tank more durable than a new OEM. |
 Minor oil leaks in Porsche engines are typical. This is excessive and unacceptable and should (was) attended immediately. Bottom line, oil and a hot exhaust are a bad combination. This is a potential fire hazard. Would be worse if the oil return tubes were leaking. Here, they are not. Good idea to look under your engine once in a while---or have it inspected. |  Crankshaft just removed from its case. From inspections made prior to splitting the case, it is already a given that the bearings need to be replaced. When the rods are off the crank, everything will be checked according to factory specs for this engine. If the journal bearings are bad, the wrist pin bushings are likely to be as well. What ever needs attention, it is always the owner's call as to what is accomplished based on the input given to him or her. |
 "5 Cylinder" 250k mile 911 is in to find out why and where the loss of power is. Fuel starvation is found at one cylinder. Then the root cause: an injector wire has chafed through on the air filter box rendering its cylinder useless. This wire is repaired, then rerouted to prevent a repeat performance. |  Old style rubber dampened clutch disks are risky. They're prone to failure and when they do fail, rubber chunks fly throughout the clutch area usually causing some measure of collateral damage. When replacing a worn rubber disk, a spring dampened disk is advised unless there's an owner call for originality---as there sometimes is. |
 While exceedingly light in weight, magnesium fan housings tend to fracture over time due to operating stress. |  Another view of the same fan housing. Once fractured and so weakened, tension from the alternator belt can pull a housing out of round... |
 Once pulled out of round enough, fan and housing meet. Contact usually occurs around 1 and/or 7 o'clock inside the house (due to the directional pull of the belt.) Contact between these parts makes a distinct bell ringing sound that's audible from inside the car when the engine is at idle... |  Once a fan and housing make contact, friction will overheat the fan blades. The blade(s) making the most contact will be the first to deform from the heat. Once the "bell sounds," it is best to minimize running the engine and have the housing attended. The fan may be saved when doing so early. |
 Bite in this chain house o-ring tells of an inexperienced installation. Fact is, someone qualified would sense this seal being bitten when it occurred... and should have removed and replaced it immediately. |
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GP AutoWerks:
7011 S.W. 46th Street
Miami, FL 33155
305-588-0874
Independently Serving
The Greater Miami
Porsche Community
Since 1979
Miami Porsche Service, Repair & Rebuild Shop
GP AutoWerks
Miami's Master Porsche Mechanic
For Classic & Contemporary Porsche Sports Cars.
305-588-0874
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305-588-0874
Porsche, the Porsche crest and Porsche model names are the property of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft, Porsche AG ("Porsche") and is under licensed use by Porsche Cars North America, PCNA. The PCA logo is the property of the Porsche Club of America. No affiliation with either Porsche or the Porsche Club of America is intended or implied by GP AutoWerks, an independent Porsche service, repair, rebuild & PPI shop located in Miami, FL., U.S.A. Any use of the word "safe" or "safety" in this mobile site holds a car's owner and/or driver ultimately responsible for all matters concerning the operational safety of the car being driven or otherwise used. Please see desktop website for full disclaimer and credits.
Website structure © 2015-2022 GP AutoWerks. Website content unless credited otherwise is © 2015-2022 Karl Hansen. All rights reserved.
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