6.3L 750+HP Landshark!

I've just finished my conversion and thought I'd post up some pics and comment on the experience. I'll post stuff as I come across pics or thoughts. I took lots of pics during the install. I also found a few short cuts to save money and thought I'd share. For example which GM Power Steering pump has metric fitting that fit the stock 928 hoses, or which long tube SBC headers fit for only $109 from Summit...($220 ceramic coated).

So to start, a little about me. I've owned 928s for about 6 years now. My dad bought a new '86 Euro when we lived in Frankfurt. I was a senior in HS. He never let me drive it...bastard! although he did get me a beat up '73 carrerra 911 so he can't be too bad, then again he didn't let me convert it to US specs to import with me for college...bastard! This is actually my first 928. I also have a 78 5 speed, another '81 Euro and an 89 S4. So for the purist out there, I have not completely lost my mind. I was just tired of getting spanked at Auto X by Miatas and S2000's.

My stock engine had pretty much been maxed out given my budget. 300HP Euro S with '85 5.0L bottom end. Custom ground cams, Q45 Throttle body, extrude honed spider intake, worked heads, turbo S springs, MSDS Headers, MSD 6AL and Acell 300+ coil, 3an fuel lines to injectors, worked injectors, Dual Bosche 044 pumps, CIS distro ported and reworked for higher pressure.. oh and a 200HP shot of nitrous for giggles. (Not Auto X or SCCA). I was pushing about 345HP at the wheels. Nothing left to do but go with a stroker. A $15-20K project, even doing my own labor. Getting a spare block so I could keep driving during the 6 month machining time, scat crank, forged rods, forged pistons, boring and Nikosil etc..
Here's the stock engine in all her glory...
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Being an old Muscle Car Gear Head I was very comfortable with the idea of Detroit iron in the Landshark. After all it would take a lot less $$ to make my 928 pull like an insane Camaro, than make a camaro handle like my 928. Plus I'd still have a butt ugle camaro instead of a super model. So I read up on Renegade Hybrids, pulled the trigger and never looked back. 3-4 weeks and I'd be done. That was last October...
And out she comes... Notice the go fast stickers.. I had already turned to the dark side long ago.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Conversion kit from RH. No issues, everything went together nice.

So I made a check list of what I wanted.
1. 450 HP at the wheels before nitrous. (550HP+ at Crank)
2. Keep weight balance close to stock
3. Upgrade clutch
4. Upgrade rear tires to 335's (currently 295's)
5. Nasty loud lopey idle that'll make the purist throw up a little.
6. Able to handle 150-200RWHP shot of nitrous (all Forged)

I toyed with building the engine myself or getting a crate engine. Crate engines are actually cheaper and come with a warranty. I can field strip a 928 and rebuild in days, SBC, a little longer. However crate engines were limited in choices and combinations. I found a great happy medium. A crate engine builder that would make it with my specs and choice of parts.

So here's what I got.
Brand new Dart Block 383 one piece seal
Scat Forged Crank and rods
Probe Forged Pistons 10.5:1
Procomp CNC 215 heads (Wanted AFR 195's but got a killer deal on these) 2.055"/1.60" Bare Heads. Ported, polished and gasket matched to 1206.
Manley Valves and Lunati Springs Set up for 7K+ rpms. 7/16th studs.
Lunati VooDoo Solid Roller Cam 60132 w/ Roller 1.5 Rockers .578" INT/0.585" EX, 243*/249* @ 0.050" lift.
Air Gap RPM intake
Proform (Quick Fuel) 750 Race carb / vac secondaries and road race floats (Swap to FAST or Power Jection III fuel injection planned for x-mas.)
HEI Distro and MSD StreetFire Ignition with rev limiter
HV Water pump
One Wire Alternator 130a
Saginaw PS Pump with Metric input for stock lines
Long Tube Headers
Centerforce II pressure plate / Billet Aluminium Flywheel. RH HD Kevlar clutch disc.
High Torque Mini Starter
Dual remote Oil Filter set up to attach to stock cooler.
Chrome bits to get the chicks...

I'm keeping the stock radiator and oil cooler. I can always change quickly later, however with a 3200cfm e-fan, I found the original kept my original engine very cool, even here in Florida. I run 100% water and "Water-wetter" We shall see.

Here she is waiting to go in. These headers were a no go, swapped to another set and perfect fit was found.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

And after getting that damn pilot bushing inter-coursed with the central shaft. Hardest part of the whole install for me not having a partner to help.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
And
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Engine Analyzer Pro shows 573HP @ 6750rpms and 512TQ @5250rpms. I'll be stoked if I get 550HP real world. Of course this is before the giggle gas. Hoping for 750HP on redneck 1/4 mile track days. Nitrous is on a ramping progressive controller that hits 50% at 2500rpms and all in by 5000rpms through 7000rpms. Obviously this will not be a hard launching, front wheel lifting drag car as the stock manual tranny can't handle it, nor my wallet. Slow 60' times, but I hope to make it up on the back end.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


Here's a quick pic of the exterior and interior. Interior from front seats back is stripped and ready for 5 point. Front is remaining stock since it's a weekly driver.

Satin Black with Carbon Fiber Hood. I added Hood Vents from CarbonTrix. I plan on adding OTT rear flares for larger tires, blended into the side rockers I already have on. Currently rear wheel wells are just rolled a bit.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


Interior with nitrous controller, A/F controller, G-tech, DVD, GPS etc.. Glow gauges and 3 gauge A-piller as well. Total Rice Job!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

One more note of clarification. Florida has no emissions testing in the Pan Handle, nor State Inspection. Needless to say that makes my install easier than most. I also have no A/C or Heater as this is becoming more dedicated track car day by day.

That's it for tonight. I'll post up install pics and more info this weekend. I also need to adjust my pics since some of them are getting cut off.

Link for the headers. Fit nice with room for slave cylinder. Barely clears the steering rack. Remote oil filter set up recommended. Have to run to the cooler anyway...

Coated are $220, bare are only $99.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I would prefer larger primaries than 1.5" however the difference with 1 5/8 or larger is minimal under 600HP.
BTW my set up goes into a 3" Magnaflow X and then into dual Flowmaster Super 44s. No exit, just turn downs at back of mufflers.

Here's a couple more pics showing the front assembly and water hoses with stock radiator. Used a swivel 90* water neck, however a stock 45* mounted in reverse will put the water line in the same position. With the bend the bottom line has to make I went with SS bendable hose. Actually about the same price as good hoses.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I like the spoiler it looks good and flows with the rounded body. All-in-all a good looking swap.

Welcome and thanks for the nice write up.

Pic of dual oil filter set up to use stock oil cooler.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Couple shots outside after I rinsed her off. She's been dormant since last October.


[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

got some questions about that fan setup- the usual, size/dims. and who made it. (or are you using the stocker "pusher" fan somehow in combo?)
also how hot do you run, temp wise?
looks great, long live the carb!

It's a zirgo puller fan. Comes with adjustable thermostat. Have to measure but I think it's 16". It's rated for 3200cfm. Was under $100 shipped. It kept the previous engine very cool, even here in Florida. I use water and water wetter only, no antifreeze. Not sure if it will be enough for the engine should be able to take a decent ride this weekend finally. The previous engine never got above midway the temp gauge, if anything it stayed too cool, even in traffic. The stock 928 radiator is under rated due to the inefficient flex fan or folks putting on too small of an e-fan.

just out of curiosity what setup are you using to connect engine to tourqe tube as the 928 differs from the 944 .

Looks great! Keep us uptdated!

Yeah, I'm curious if they were smart enough to further mod their C5 adapter and get a concentric Throw-out bearing and a better bellhousing (2-piece C5) which is what I'm going to do when the time comes since they don't have a patent LOL
PORH

RH kit. Adapter plate to join torque tube to 1985 corvette bell housing, 1 piece. 928 master and 1985 corvette slave cylinders for clutch.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Funny, cause the pic looks like the dowels are lopsidded. Someone needs to introduce them to a reamer and a dial indicator. I wonder how many pilot bearings are destroyed on their 928 swaps...
So you've read about it here first, I didn't steal their C5 adapter idea

It's officially alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got her running about an hour ago. As always it's the stupid things at the end that frustrate you the most. Like have the timing off a tooth, carb floats flooding the bowls, fuel pressure reg not bleed after setting etc.. Makes for a high tension evening as you fully expect everything to explode after months of work. Okay maybe 3 weeks of work spread out over 11 months...

Got the distro in correctly finally, adjusted the floats, bleed the reg and VAVOOOM!!! Holy crap does this thing sound nasty. I can't wait to go to a PCA event know, they'll think Armageddon has arrived. Tomorrow I go for a spin. First I need to continue checking for leaks and temperature stability. I did cycle the clutch and move her in and out of the garage so all is well there. Got her idling at 1000rpms for now to maintain 18" vacuum until I can get the 4 points adjusted tomorrow. Then I should be able to take her down to about 850 rpms and hold 16".

I'm STOKED!!! Of course I'm already suffering from HP envy and thinking of new heads and 1.6 rockers. :mrgreen:

Another gratuitous shot of the engine it's just so sexy in a redneck, beat your wife kind of way.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

post a vid if you can. I want to see this thing in action.

I'll try to post a vid tomorrow. My daughter has a digital camcorder.

I'll try not to dance around in the video wearing a loin cloth screaming, "I make fire!"....

Now it's time to start the rear flares for wider tires. I have the 335 tires already. Just need to send out my rear rims to have 2 more inches welded on.

no twin turbos? make it 1000 if you make a land shark! nice setup, could of done the same but switched to a ls 5.3

modenas, you and twin turbos.

The carb is going away after x-mas. I'll be getting the Powerjection III or Fast EFI systems.

I thought of an LSX for a minute, however I'm an old school carb guy. CIS was a big jump for me at first. Carb install is much easier, parts are cheaper and there's more options for now. Also remember I have a brand new engine, not a junkyard pull. To get a brand new LSX with a bottom end, all forged, equal to the Dart and then add Aluminium heads, intake and cam, I would have been north of $7K for the motor alone. A world LSX iron block is over $2500, $1250 over what my new dart block was.

A stock LSX block will have a hard time with 750HP+. Has it been done, sure. But with mixed results. Have any part of your tune off and Boom. Plus remember it's the area under the the HP curve that defines true acceleration. Look at the torque curves of a well built SBC verse an LSX. The SBC can achieve a flatter torque curve and therefor more average HP, even verse an LSX with slightly more peak HP. I'm pushing over 450ftlbs+ from about 2700rpms all the way through 7000rpms.

The guys at my local hot rod drive in location will go nuts for my carbed SBC cobnversion. Another LSX conversion? Yaaaahn.....

As for the Turbos.... I have the nitrous for straight line go power on redneck track days. My NA power is more than enough for a day at Road Atlanta or Sebring. It's overkill for Auto X and will most likely hurt my times... Also don't forget our stock 5 speed tranny's won't handle much more than I am pushing. 3rd gear has a bad tendancy to strip out teeth.

I can't count the Hondas, RX7's with LSX power plants at the show, there's even a Miata. LSX's are great engines, I guess I'm too old and stupid to understand them.

you say it like turbos are bad by cfgioja, i think it be sweet to have twins and have an lsd tranny to support, wont be there long but still. sbc are great but i like to learn about lsx because that where we are headed into for the future. i owned pleanly of sbcs, heck i pulled rare 307 out and got the 5.3. 307 was nice, and still got it, worth alot, but need to save it for a back up.

LSX will be to my kids what a SBC is to me. Technology moves on. There is no doubt that overall an LSX is better than a SBC as a base line. Heavily moddified either can be a monster. If I was going SC or Turbo, I would have gone LSX for sure. Less issues mapping A/F with EFI than compromising with a carb.

The one thing I have never seen from an LSX so far is that nasty lumpy idle a hot cam'd SBC gets. To me it's priceless. I guess it's like Harleys verse crotch rockets.

Looks great!

You have to love a carb'ed sbc for simplicities sake.

And who doesn't love a good lumpy cam!

But I prefer high reving SBC, like 8500 or so

are you really using the stock porsche f.i. pump??
did i miss something about the regulator, or do they make a high pressure (injected) down to 6 psi style??
isn't that too big a jump? I was going to bypass the original and use the engine mounted pump (low pressure)

I had 2 Bosche 044s on the stock engine. One for the engine and one for nitrous. I am now running a Holley Black for the engine with a billet reg, and then one Bosche 044 for the nitrous.

Ahhh- now it all makes sense, thanks for the fuel pump details.

pretty cool car look forward to seeing a video of it ther was someone else on here working on an automatic version of the 928 bot im thinking he was installing an ls engine in it.i have a roller cammed sbc in my 944 and like you i like that lumpy idle and my nitrus bottle with a 125 shot to it.