Hello All,

I like doing all the work on our 928 myself and I would not have been able to undertake the project you are about to see without the the help of 3 sources of invaluable 928 knowledge. 1) the WSM and other technical articles on CD I purchases from Jim Morehouse (great package, Jim), 2) Jim Bailey at 928Intl for putting up with my daily calls for parts and answering my numerous "newbie" questions and 3) all of YOU that have posted great advice and pictures (sprinkled with a little humor) I hope I have the chance to meet many of you in the near future.

I know this is a long intro but noticed that some of you like pictures so I've included a few pictures below.

My wife and I bought our 1984 Black, AT 928 in June 1995 (95K miles). It was to be her car. We loved it at first sight - I didn't know anything about 928's or how to care for one. Two weeks after we bought it, my wife is driving it to the grocery store and the lower ball joint (pass. side) failed and broke off a block from our house. It looked painful. Two months later, the transmission failed but didn't leave us stranded - fortunately. After the transmission replacement and several other parts replacements totalling $8K, my wife didn't trust the car and opted for more "reliable" transportation. I drove it once in a while for 2 years then put it up on jack stands in the garage. Unfortunately, I did not prepare it for long-term storage .

In October, 2006 I decide to get it out and start using it. Ran very rough at first but eventually smoothed out. After driving it a couple of months it started running rough one day and I limped home (about 2 miles). When I turned the car off and tried to start it again - the motor would not turn over as if the motor had seized. Thirty minutes later, I tried it again and it started right up but now white clouds of steam were billowing out the tail pipe. I turned it off, checked the oil - opaque brown - coolant was in the oil. I couldn't bear to sell the car in its current state and so I decided to jump in with both feet and pull the engine out myself and see what's goin' on - that was in March of this year.

I have to say that I have had more fun taking the engine out, cleaning it up, replacing worn parts and putting it all back together than I ever imagined. And this forum has inspired me to continue working on this car to get it back to factory spec and properly care for this 928. I'm having so much fun, I'm planning on getting a 2nd 928 for myself once I'm done with this one. My priorities for this car are: 1) get all the mechanical and electrical systems working properly or replaced 2) Interior clean up - seats, dash/pod, carpets 3) body dings and new paint.

Here's a picture just before the engine problems:



I love new tools - never can have too many tools so I'm always looking for an excuse to get more - like an engine hoist. Here's the engine coming out...



Here's my original engine partially dissassembled - I hate grease and grime and decided this car needs to be pampered from now on.



Here's the problem with the #6 cylinder. Corrosion around the top of the cylinder allowed coolant in to the chamber - I'm guessing. Probably caused from a combination of abuse from PO and my improper long-term storage.



I decided to go with a good used block and heads from 928Intl (here it is) THANKS Jim!



I took the new/used block completely apart, cleaned everything, inspected/replaced worn parts - definitely new rings.



When building the engine back up, I decided to scrub every bolt, nut and washer - drove my wife nuts and didn't understand why I was so obsessed with a clean engine/engine compartment. I convinced myself it would run better cleaned up - it would be at least 4 pounds lighter without the grease/grime buildup!



Here's the engine going back in...



Just last month I finally got the car started and now it's running beautifully. THANKS again for all your wonderfull help (and you didn't even know it). And THANKS again to Jim B. at 928Intl for suggesting that I may have my vibration damper on backwards (which it was) that was causing a no start condition and several weeks of chasing my tail troubleshooting.
This week I've been working on the front suspension and brakes. Decided to take it all out, inspect and replace. Just about have it all back in again nice and clean and shiny! I have pics if any interest.
Thanks for reading my first post - I'll make future ones much shorter - I promise.

The Happy 928 DIYer!