How to Rebuild and Modify Porsche 911 Engines 1965-1989

Since his original "101 Projects" book, the author has improved quite a bit as a writer. The level of detail here is comprehensive without being overwhelming, and the style is very user friendly. Rare among technical manuals, you can read this book cover to cover in your favorite easy chair like a novel, or weight it open on your workbench as you follow each detailed instruction and example.

The photography is excellent and there's plenty of it. Close ups with good captions abound. Unlike some other well known 911 technical books, the photography actually supports and illustrates the text very well.

This book is not just for engine builders. If you're the sort of 911 owner that pays more attention to the tachometer than the stereo, and who understands that dry sump lubrication isn't when you run out of hair gel-YOU'LL LOVE THIS BOOK!


An encouragement and guide the weekend mechanic   February 10, 2004
W Wayne Curles Jr (Escondido, CA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

I have always had the desire to buy and rebuild a 911. However, because of the Porsche mystic of being a high performance sports car I thought the reality of me performing the regular maintenance, not too mention rebuilding, on 1 911 was beyond my capabilities. After reading Mr. Dempsey's 101 Projects for your Porsche 911 I felt confident performing (and now do perform) all the maintenance on my car. I bought Mr. Dempsey's How to Rebuild and Modify Your Porsche 911 Engine 1965-1989 book hoping it would provide me with the same knowledge to take the next step in working on my car. Although I have not rebuilt my engine, Mr. Dempsey does not excellent job in describing the tear-down and rebuilding process which has help me gain a better understanding of how the 911 engine works. Furthermore, Mr. Dempsey's website, www.pelicanparts.com, provides a wealth of information to supplement his two books. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about the 911 engine with a desire to perform more of their own work.


Engine Rebuild - a boatload of info you can't get elsewhere!   April 8, 2003
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I bought this book because I heard that Wayne Dempsey was working on it after completing "101 Projects for your Porsche 911." That book was really good and informative, I was looking for a bit more. Wayne repeats the easy-to-read style that he showed in 101 with this new engine book. The book contains six chapters that include when to rebuild, teardown, machine shop, performance enhancements, assembly, and run-in. There's even a really handy set of appendices at the end of the book that contains all of the specs and part numbers that you need for all of the engines from 1965-89. I thought that this was worth the price of the book alone, as I have often tried to find this info elsewhere, and couldn't.

The book is full-color with fantasticly clear pictures. Each step in the assembly process is documented clearly with colored arrows, and clear diagrams. There's even an intro at each assembly section showing you what parts, tools, and materials you need, so you won't overlook anything.

My favorite part is Chapter Four, where just about every performance option and/or upgrade you can place on your 911 engine is explained in detail. Stuff that was real confusing to me before is clearly explained (just like it is in 101 projects).

It's hard to find anything wrong with this book, as it really delivers on it's promises. I just wish there was more!


Excellent!!   May 4, 2004
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

This book is one of the most impressive productions I've seen in a long time. The care and precision taken with the photos is simply amazing. The writing is very logical, and is easily digestible even for a guy like me who doesn't own a Porsche and has never rebuilt an engine before. The many summaries (eg, parts costs, machine shop costs, must-replace components, etc) and "group photos" of related parts was very informative. I especially liked that Dempsey attached actual prices to the various parts and machine shop tasks, rather than wimping out and saying "prices vary". Of course they vary - but now at least I have a ballpark idea.

I found a lot of the info to be generally applicable, ie, many of the tips and techniques helped me doing major engine work on a Toyota recently.

The book does an especially good job on explaining common problems, their root causes, and the tradeoffs with the various fixes.

The lengths to which the author goes to keep a pristine work environment are stunning.

My only complaint was that it was a bit sad to learn that a)the cost to rebuilt the typical 911 engine is $8k, and (even worse), apparently that only goes down to $6k if you do the labor yourself.

It would be great if the author wrote a similar book for a 3-series BMW. There's probably a larger audience of guys who can justify rebuilding a "practical" car like a 3-series, versus a 911.


Pictures galore!   May 21, 2007
Gerard T. Lee (Hawaii)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is a great book for the enthusiast or for those with an interest in Porsches. I rebuilt a 911 engine without this resource; it would have been so much easier and faster with this book as a reference. I bought this as a gift for someone that acquired a 78 911SC -- he thinks the pictures are exceptional.