2007 Shark Werks 3.9L 997 GT3 with Ohlins Suspension & HRE P40 Wheels

This higher-mileage (58,000) 2007 997 GT3 came in for a full engine-refresh in the form of our Shark Werks 3.9L conversion. Being a full on track car the car is set up with Three-way adjustable Ohlins suspension and RSS rear links. For getting to the track (when not on Slicks!) a set of 19 inch HRE P40 Monobloks in satin charcoal is the order of the day.

On the lift she goes:


James removing the engine and taking her in for surgery:


With this kind of mileage, it's expected to have a little dirt and oil on the exterior.


It looks nice from this angle:


But a lot smaller from here:




A previous shop had performed a fix which was intended to seal the coolant pipes in place, by welding. Unfortunately the welds did not last or were not up to the job and therefore leaked over time. We now have to replace a couple coolant housings and fix these troublesome lines in place using a screw and loctite. More info on our solution is available here.

And a bit dirtier once the intake is removed:


The valve covers are removed:


More sludge removal and more parts coming off:




Now we're getting somewhere, with the pistons in plain sight.


The case prior to splitting:


And after, showing the crankshaft and oil pump.



And here we are giving the parts a bubble bath in our parts cleaner. This is quite a long process considering all the components to this engine. But it does ensure everything is clean and seals like new when reassembled.


We can now take a peak at the valves:


Since the car has higher mileage than we've seen and it's been driven very hard, it requires more attention on the internal bits for freshening up than a typical build. New connecting rod bearings and bolts are being used, and the heads also get worked on.

The results of the cleaning process:




Ready for new rod bearings.


Beginning reassembly...



The case is reassembled with new seals and the next step is pistons:


With the 50k+ miles, the valve guides have excessive movement, especially on the exhaust side, and since the stems are only 6mm, we opted for a refresh of the head. New valve springs and guides, along with a little clean-up :



Refreshing the heads includes a nice jet wash, clean, polish and resurface (cylinder heads will have slightly higher compression), resurface the intake and exhaust valves and replace the intake and exhaust guides with honing for proper oil clearance, cutting of intake and exhaust seats. One thing you can also do is use manganese bronze guides that will last longer than factory:



Re-assembly continues with our 3.9L pistons, liners and our ring package:


One side in:


Assembly with the water jackets and cylinder package is a precision process requiring some factory tools as well as our own:



We also use our non-factory head gasket which is set up for the larger bore:


Installed and with our larger bore we use steel liners for strength:


On go the refreshed heads (with new springs too):




And assembled (there's a special torquing procedure here too):


Seal this thing and leave to dry over-night:


Almost ready to start installing the lifters:


In they go:


And the SharkWerks spec cam shafts are next:


Setting up the timing blocks:


Timing the cam shafts:


The intake manifold, wiring harness and all aux. components installed back on the engine:


The transmission is installed with the LWF and clutch upgrade (a Guard LSD is also fitted):


Back into the engine compartment:


All the fluids are put in as well as the intake:


We did say this project was a track car and hence the Shark Werks Track Exhaust is installed:


From the bottom that's now a very nice clean 3.9L engine ready to make some noise!


A look at that 3-Way Ohlins set up:


Two racing seasons later on the RSS links and still going strong!


With her HRE P40 Wheels on she's ready to be broken in:


She'll be off to TC Design for one of their slick roll cages as well as coming back for a factory RS tail:



And now back from TC Design with one of their slick roll bars installed:



Also concealed in the interior is a switch for the EVOMSit Dual-ECU set up. One EPROM has a full 91-octane tune and the second ECU harbors a full 93-octane map:


The rear decklid is taken off:


Along side is a factory GT3RS decklid:


Assembly:


Installed:


With rake: