Aluminum 550 Spyder build

[Adam Wright]

We've reached the tedium stage of getting all the engine stuff to work before we put it in the car. It's one thing to mock it up, it's another to make it work. We are doing a lot of modifications to make this engine work in the car. We had to run a full flow oil cooler in the front since the 4 Cam shroud wouldn't work with the 912 oil cooler. Precision Matters makes a kit that bolt to the oil pump gears. It takes some drilling of the case but nothing too hard, at least not for Bill. After that we added a block off plate for the stock oil cooler, supplied by Vic, which is fitting since he built the engine. But his block off plate was a little too high for the shroud to fit, so it took some grinding on that too. So lots of putting together, not fitting, taking apart, modifying, and trying again. Makes for slow work but we hope to get the engine in this month. We did get the other engine out!

[Brian R Adams]

I admit I haven't followed this build closely over the entire nine+ years, so I reviewed the thread looking for details of the engine. May I describe it as a 914 engine, w/ 4-cam fan shroud and a couple of upper cam box covers to produce (when installed) a 4-cam tribute in appearance?
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[Adam Wright]

I admit I haven't followed this build closely over the entire nine+ years, so I reviewed the thread looking for details of the engine. May I describe it as a 914 engine, w/ 4-cam fan shroud and a couple of upper cam box covers to produce (when installed) a 4-cam tribute in appearance?
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It's a 912 engine, built by Vic, with a 4 cam shroud that's been adapted for a pushrod engine.

[Brian R Adams]

It's a 912 engine, built by Vic, with a 4 cam shroud that's been adapted for a pushrod engine.

Oh, I missed the transition from "I will have the benefit of a 901 gearbox and a much more powerful 914 motor, which I can make into a monster later". Searching the entire thread for the term "912" the first occurrence was in Post #211 about 2 hours ago!
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[Adam Wright]

It's a 912 engine, built by Vic, with a 4 cam shroud that's been adapted for a pushrod engine.

Oh, I missed the transition from "I will have the benefit of a 901 gearbox and a much more powerful 914 motor, which I can make into a monster later". Searching the entire thread for the term "912" the first occurrence was in Post #211 about 2 hours ago!
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Lots of twists and turns in this build.

[Mario Musto]

Adam- have you installed front oil cooler and lines yet?

[Adam Wright]

Adam- have you installed front oil cooler and lines yet?

No, I wanted to first get the engine installed so I knew where to run the lines, etc. Hoping to get it all done this month, stay tuned.

[Mario Musto]

Will do. It's coming together, quite a project.

[Adam Wright]

The heart of any great car is its engine. For this build I was lucky enough to coax Vic out of engine building retirement to build me a special engine. Combined with Ibrahim's shroud and the magic hands of Bill Haupt the engine was installed in the car today. A momentous day to say the least.
The next and final chapter is coming soon, stay tuned.

[Mike Wilson]

Awesome progress, Adam!

Mike

[Adam Wright]

Car has been successfully delivered to the secret spot where the finishing will happen. The master of metal has done no less then 4 550's so the car is in good hands.
Nothing quite like driving from one end of the country to another, and then back again.