Engines
Real projects and site-built specifications are kept apart. Build pages report what their authors documented, with every component and result linked back to the source post or section it came from. Specifications assemble catalogued parts and leave every unsupported position empty.
917 & 993 Turbo reference data
Published weights, dimensions and materials, checked against the 917 homologation, the 993 Turbo launch brochure and MAHLE's 3.8 L conversion sheet.
935 cylinder-head research
Scan reconstruction, controlled findings and research downloads. Partial geometry; physical scale and exact variant remain unknown.
Documented builds
11 public forum threads and 2 owner-published build records, each followed from failure or objective through assembly and reported outcome. Figures are the authors' claims, not independent Porschefanatics tests.
964
Rennlist · 964 · air-cooled
1990 964 Carrera 2 3.6 rebuild
A leaking 192,000-mile 1990 Carrera 2 progressed from an intended in-car reseal to a split-case 3.6-litre rebuild after a broken cylinder-three head stud was found, with owner documentation through first startup and an 8,000-mile follow-up.
1990 Porsche 964 Carrera 2 · 5 documented stages · 5 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: Successful startup on 19 August 2018
PCGB Forum · 964 · air-cooled
167,000-mile 964 3.6 full rebuild
A leak-driven 964 rebuild booked as a menu top-end job that became a full strip once a damaged cam lobe and a tired bottom end were found, followed post by post from the empty engine bay to a run-in road report.
Porsche 964 · 5 documented stages · 7 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: Dry underside after a 30-mile test drive
911UK · 964 · air-cooled
964 C4 cabriolet rebuild, itemised
Not a build diary but a workshop record: the complete Ninemeister operation list for a leak-driven 964 rebuild at 113,000 miles, published with the factory part numbers that went into it.
1993 Porsche 964 Carrera 4 cabriolet, manual · 5 documented stages · 6 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: One rebuild, not repeated
993
911UK · 993 · air-cooled
1996 993 Carrera 2 3.8 rebuild
A broken-rod rebuild developed into a high-compression 3.8-litre 993 engine using a GT3 crankshaft, custom rods and several camshaft iterations.
1996 Porsche 993 Carrera 2 · 4 documented stages · 6 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: Just under 300 hp
Air Cooled Bug · 993 · air-cooled
993 3.6 to 3.8 conversion, Tech 9
A burnt exhaust valve turned into a full 3.8-litre conversion: 102 mm Mahle pistons and cylinders, a machined case and rally-profile cams, published by the owner with a costed decision trail and a reported 320 bhp and 292 lb-ft.
Porsche 993 Carrera S · 5 documented stages · 2 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: 320 bhp and 292 lb-ft (395 Nm)
Porsche 993 C2 (P619 HKC) · 993 · air-cooled
1996 993 Carrera top-end rebuild
A month-by-month record of a 114,000-mile 993 top end at AMS Porsche, stalled from March to June 2020 by Covid-19 parts supply, and reported back with unusual honesty about how little of the work an owner can actually judge.
1996 Porsche 911 Carrera Tiptronic S (993) · 5 documented stages · 2 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: No leaks and no smoke at start-up
996
911UK · 996 · water-cooled
1998 996 Carrera 3.4 rebuild
An owner-documented removal and refit around a Hartech long-block rebuild, followed from metal found in the filter to an 850-mile trip after run-in.
1998 Porsche 996 Carrera 2 manual · 5 documented stages · 9 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: Started after connector correction
Rennlist · 996 · water-cooled
2004 996 Carrera 4S 3.8 DIY rebuild
A scored M96/03 from a 2004 Carrera 4S was rebuilt at home from 3.6 to 3.8 litres with LN Engineering Nickies and Hoffman-prepared heads, documented through assembly, first road use and a forum-author-reported 25,000-mile follow-up.
2004 Porsche 996 Carrera 4S · 5 documented stages · 6 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: About 150 miles without a CEL or reported running issue
997
911UK · 997.1 · water-cooled
2008 997.1 Carrera 4S 4.1 upgrade
A preventive 3.8-to-4.1-litre Hartech rebuild with a published rolling-road result and owner follow-ups at 5,000 and 15,000 miles.
2008 Porsche 997.1 Carrera 4S Cabriolet · 5 documented stages · 10 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: 379 bhp
Rennlist · 997 · water-cooled
2005 997 Carrera S 4.0 Help Me DIY assembly
A 4.0-litre 997.1 Carrera S engine assembly documented by Aaron of Help Me DIY with builder Konrad, from a cleaned crankcase through installation, first road use and a builder-reported follow-up beyond 5,000 miles.
2005 Porsche 997.1 Carrera S · 6 documented stages · 6 reviewed sources
Reported outcome: Engine installed, started and driven
Build specifications
One page per proposed engine: every position named, filled from the catalog where a part exists and left explicitly empty where none does. Prices remain separated by currency and nothing is estimated to make a total look complete.
911 (993)
The ideal 993 engine
A specification for the strongest air-cooled flat six the 993 can carry, assembled from parts that exist — and honest about the ones that do not.
30 positions · 26 filled from the catalog · 1 with nothing catalogued · 24 factory drawings
Photograph by Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
911 Turbo (997.2)
The ideal 997.2 Turbo engine
The first 911 Turbo without a Mezger engine, specified with the six-speed manual — which removes the ceiling everyone complains about and moves it somewhere else.
28 positions · 15 filled from the catalog · 1 with nothing catalogued · 18 factory drawings
Photograph by Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0
Why two pages look so different
The 993 specification replaces almost everything, because reaching a modern standard on a 1995 air-cooled engine means buying four valves per cylinder, a forged crankshaft and standalone management. The 997.2 Turbo specification barely touches the engine, because Porsche had already forged the rotating assembly and fitted direct injection and variable-geometry turbochargers. Specified with the six-speed manual it also sheds the PDK, which is the component tuners name when they explain why they stop. Putting the two pages side by side is the clearest way to see what fifteen years of development actually bought — and what it quietly took away.