Horse Power, Track Shit, Torque, Cubic Inches, Liters, Run What Ya Brung, Auto or Cycle

[LRI]

How much power are you expecting to get from this setup?

2k+ at the flywheel is where I hope to see this thing land. Some speculate it'll hit 2200. We'll see... Josh's dyno is rated to 2k, and he's hell-bent to see if this thing will break it. My hope is the dice roll on the heads pays off. I'm reasonably optimistic. We are hoping it comes back to SD sometime in September. They are almost finished with it.

 

[LRI]

I'd have to imagine with that particular model Whipple, and block set up.. he could probably be upwards of 1800.. possibly pushing up to near 2000..??

~1800-2000hp from a twin screw blown LSx bro.. thats gonna be a horrifically violent mofo when taking off.

Indeed. Safe to say this thing will make a baby cry...lol.

The last motor:

A juiced-up 6 liter that lasted for 6 passes. (lol) To make it work, we left with around 12-15 percent throttle input. That, coupled with 20 degrees of timing pulled out at the hit with it ramped back in over 1.2 seconds got us to a 1.23 60' on a no-prep, pour-your-own-puddle, surface.

Eric would bring just up to the 2-step with the T brake on and hold it. When he sent it, he'd roll into the throttle and try to gauge it to where he had the accelerator pedal pegged as he lost sight of the tree in his peripheral vision.

The idea we are going to try on this one is to bleed off boost via a gate controlled with a CO2 solenoid. It's been done by some other folks with success, so we're not really reinventing anything. The blower has a port on the side (covered) that makes it pretty easy to plumb into. I'm also having the transmission gone through along with a new converter. It was way, way too tight.

 

[E. Bryant]

The good: the ZL1 is back on the road and running relatively strong. Oil consumption is way down, and it's moving a lot of air due to the better heads, ported blower, and bigger crank pulley.

The bad: I saw some stuff in the motor when the heads came off that made me think it's not going to last forever. Specifically, the bores have a bit of scuffing; not surprising considering its history of road course flogging, but concerning in that it doesn't suggest a long and happy future at even higher power levels. So I've dragged my spare LSA block from the pole barn and started collecting parts for a build. I picked up an offset-ground L8T crank (from the current 6.6L truck engine) from Mast:

LS - L8T Forged & Polished Crankshaft Kit

Complete Crankshaft Kit Includes Rod & Main Bearings Looking for a premium product that supports high horsepower without sacrificing longevity and your wallet? Take all of the guess work out with our Factory Mast Premium Rotating Assemblies. Packaged with all the components you need to...

www.mastmotorsports.com

It's proven to be tough in forced induction applications, it takes the same 8-bolt flywheel as the LSA, and the stroke is a bit friendlier than the more typical 4" aftermarket crank in stock blocks. Wiseco makes pistons that fit; they're on order and expected to arrive around Halloween, and will provide a comp ratio around 10.2:1 depending upon the heads. Got some Boostline rods to connect the two. The block just needs to get punched out 0.005", and hopefully the short block will come together on a dark winter night. I haven't yet decided if I'll run the CNC LS9 heads that are currently on the car, or a set of WCCH LSA heads that are sitting on a shelf; they flow similarly but have a few cc difference in chamber volume.

The plan is to top this off with a Kong TVS2650 blower. The little 1.9L stock unit has a bit more left to offer, but won't be able to fully utilize the potential of the new bottom end.

Someone in the thread mentioned a "trunk tank" (ice water reservoir in the trunk), and I think that's in the future. I want to set it up so that I'm pumping glycol thru the heat exchangers up front and have a four-way valve to bypass the tank when not in use, so that's going to take a bit more work than the typical install.

 

[E. Bryant]

I've also mentally flipped the switch on this thing from "daily driver" to "project car", so we know what that means - a new daily driver that will later turn into a project car! Picked up a 2014 base car with cloth interior and 6sp manual:

By stacking Camaros in the garage, I feel like redneck status has been achieved.

I'm trying so hard not to mod this thing beyond a flex-fuel sensor and playing with the tune, because it probably gets handed down to my son in a few years and 323 HP is already more than enough for that application. The skinny 18" all-seasons are fine for trips to the office and bike trails, and it handles fine on the stock suspension. Must resist the urge to do something stupid...

 

[The D]

I've also mentally flipped the switch on this thing from "daily driver" to "project car", so we know what that means - a new daily driver that will later turn into a project car! Picked up a 2014 base car with cloth interior and 6sp manual:
View attachment 8210849

By stacking Camaros in the garage, I feel like redneck status has been achieved.

I'm trying so hard not to mod this thing beyond a flex-fuel sensor and playing with the tune, because it probably gets handed down to my son in a few years and 323 HP is already more than enough for that application. The skinny 18" all-seasons are fine for trips to the office and bike trails, and it handles fine on the stock suspension. Must resist the urge to do something stupid...

View attachment 8210847

Careful choices of modifications that compliment each other and having a lift to store them are automatic disqualification for “redneck”, unless you started the collection process by growing a mullet

 

[E. Bryant]

Careful choices of modifications that compliment each other and having a lift to store them are automatic disqualification for “redneck”, unless you started the collection process by growing a mullet

I don't have the hairline for a mullet, but maybe it's time to start working on a skullet.

 

[The D]

I don't have the hairline for a mullet, but maybe it's time to start working on a skullet.

Post some pics of that glorious monstrosity and you’re redneck certification package will be in the mail the next day

 

[BLKWLFK9]

The good: the ZL1 is back on the road and running relatively strong. Oil consumption is way down, and it's moving a lot of air due to the better heads, ported blower, and bigger crank pulley.

The bad: I saw some stuff in the motor when the heads came off that made me think it's not going to last forever. Specifically, the bores have a bit of scuffing; not surprising considering its history of road course flogging, but concerning in that it doesn't suggest a long and happy future at even higher power levels. So I've dragged my spare LSA block from the pole barn and started collecting parts for a build. I picked up an offset-ground L8T crank (from the current 6.6L truck engine) from Mast:

LS - L8T Forged & Polished Crankshaft Kit

Complete Crankshaft Kit Includes Rod & Main Bearings Looking for a premium product that supports high horsepower without sacrificing longevity and your wallet? Take all of the guess work out with our Factory Mast Premium Rotating Assemblies. Packaged with all the components you need to...

www.mastmotorsports.com

It's proven to be tough in forced induction applications, it takes the same 8-bolt flywheel as the LSA, and the stroke is a bit friendlier than the more typical 4" aftermarket crank in stock blocks. Wiseco makes pistons that fit; they're on order and expected to arrive around Halloween, and will provide a comp ratio around 10.2:1 depending upon the heads. Got some Boostline rods to connect the two. The block just needs to get punched out 0.005", and hopefully the short block will come together on a dark winter night. I haven't yet decided if I'll run the CNC LS9 heads that are currently on the car, or a set of WCCH LSA heads that are sitting on a shelf; they flow similarly but have a few cc difference in chamber volume.

The plan is to top this off with a Kong TVS2650 blower. The little 1.9L stock unit has a bit more left to offer, but won't be able to fully utilize the potential of the new bottom end.

Someone in the thread mentioned a "trunk tank" (ice water reservoir in the trunk), and I think that's in the future. I want to set it up so that I'm pumping glycol thru the heat exchangers up front and have a four-way valve to bypass the tank when not in use, so that's going to take a bit more work than the typical install.

Everyone I see with the supercharged LT's end up adding a meth kit and air/water intercooler to help keep IAT's down. Either that or just switching the car over to run methanol instead of gas/e85.

 

[E. Bryant]

Everyone I see with the supercharged LT's end up adding a meth kit and air/water intercooler to help keep IAT's down. Either that or just switching the car over to run methanol instead of gas/e85.

Depends on the goals and equipment. Trying to make four-digit power on the little 1.7L LT4 blower long enough for a 50-150 MPH pull requires some band-aids. I hoping that the big Kong 2650 blower is efficient enough and the fancy dual-brick lid is effective enough to avoid these other measures.

*If* I were to go down the methanol injection route, it'd require something better than the typical agricultural pump + solenoid valve system such as those from AEM or Snow. Holley looks to have a decent setup but it'd require some additional hardware to integrate it with a factory ECM.

 

[fpgt72]

I've also mentally flipped the switch on this thing from "daily driver" to "project car", so we know what that means - a new daily driver that will later turn into a project car! Picked up a 2014 base car with cloth interior and 6sp manual:
View attachment 8210849

By stacking Camaros in the garage, I feel like redneck status has been achieved.

I'm trying so hard not to mod this thing beyond a flex-fuel sensor and playing with the tune, because it probably gets handed down to my son in a few years and 323 HP is already more than enough for that application. The skinny 18" all-seasons are fine for trips to the office and bike trails, and it handles fine on the stock suspension. Must resist the urge to do something stupid...

View attachment 8210847

Nope, you are a ways away from Redneck status. I have one sideways in my garage, one on the lift a rolling pan under it, and another "car" behind it. I need to roll the car out before working on the pan. Then you need at least one in the barn and three in the field that you are going to "get to". A fairly nice trailer holding your old race car that you just can't sell, as well as at least two motorcycles and fenders, engines, and other bits and bobbles around the floor, and in the race car.

You also need all kinds of metal laying around (I am getting better with this) and at least one burn pile.

 

[E. Bryant]

I've got an alternator swap on my 6.0L Econoline down to about 3 hours. Haven't yet received any recruiting attempts from local Ford dealerships, but it could happen any day now.

 

[E. Bryant]

Installed a new thermal expansion valve in the little V6 Camaro yesterday:

Didn't see anything wrong with the old part once it was removed, but the compressor was hitting the high pressure limit at about 450 PSI(!) and so it's a pretty safe assumption that something was wrong with it. Blows cold with a new part installed so apparently the diagnosis was correct.

Also got a DSX flex fuel sensor kit installed.

Used HP Tuners to flip a few settings, copied over the ethanol timing table from a 2014 Impala calibration, and now I'm ready to call myself a professional tuner.

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

Installed a new thermal expansion valve in the little V6 Camaro yesterday:

View attachment 8213960View attachment 8213961View attachment 8213962

Didn't see anything wrong with the old part once it was removed, but the compressor was hitting the high pressure limit at about 450 PSI(!) and so it's a pretty safe assumption that something was wrong with it. Blows cold with a new part installed so apparently the diagnosis was correct.

Also got a DSX flex fuel sensor kit installed.View attachment 8213963View attachment 8213964

Used HP Tuners to flip a few settings, copied over the ethanol timing table from a 2014 Impala calibration, and now I'm ready to call myself a professional tuner.

Top right in the number two hole

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

The brown one in the number two hole with a 35 squirter.

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

Somebody's getting a new clutch

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Trying to remember why I decided to swap torsion bars.

It seemed like a great idea before I started.

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

50 cc excelerator pump, brown cam in the number two hole, pushing a #35 tubed shooter.

 

[The D]

Trying to remember why I decided to swap torsion bars.
View attachment 8214985It seemed like a great idea before I started.

Because race car

 

[stello1001]

 

[E. Bryant]

Going through the heads that I picked up for the LQ4 that I'm swapping into my '96 Impala SS. Can you even call yourself a DIY mechanic if you're not performing your own intake valve backcuts?

This is by no means a full-effort build - it's just a cruiser - but the single-angle valve cut offended me for some reason.

 

[RPN]

Going through the heads that I picked up for the LQ4 that I'm swapping into my '96 Impala SS. Can you even call yourself a DIY mechanic if you're not performing your own intake valve backcuts?

View attachment 8217262View attachment 8217266View attachment 8217261View attachment 8217267View attachment 8217259View attachment 8217258

This is by no means a full-effort build - it's just a cruiser - but the single-angle valve cut offended me for some reason.

If your tool is a hammer, the world looks like a nail.

If you've got a lathe and a mill it looks like whatever the fuck you want it to look like.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Because race car

I wish that was my excuse. Just a fun curvy backroads car. My time in karting is enough for me to know that if I get near a race track again I'll be broke and homeless in a year.

 

[E. Bryant]

I wish that was my excuse. Just a fun curvy backroads car. My time in karting is enough for me to know that if I get near a race track again I'll be broke and homeless in a year.

"Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something salty" - Peter Egan

I promised myself that I was going to take a break from crap-car endurance racing until my boys are more interested in hanging with friends than boring old dad (something in the neighborhood of a 6-8 year horizon for my youngest). But then my office did some karting at a work team-building event, there were some tight wheel-to-wheel duels, and now I'm jonsing for some motorsports competition. Don't know how to scratch that itch in a family-friendly fashion (I already have enough other selfish hobbies), so it may simply need to stay on the back burner for the present time.

 

[Shooter McGavin]

@E. Bryant

I am right there with you. I feel the need to get back behind the wheel and race with NASA Texas. However, my daughter is 17 and will be going to college next year and I need to fund that.

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

Some people prefer the unsophisticated and relatively inexpensive.

 

[E. Bryant]

View attachment 8217635
Some people prefer the unsophisticated and relatively inexpensive.

LMAO at the bumper sticker.

Simple is cool. I'd also be fine with stuffing the nastiest LTx in that thing and running so much traction control software that I could get it down a dirt road without wheelspin.

 

[E. Bryant]

I did a thing:

I think the 3" pulley will be good for around 18-20 PSI, depending how nasty I go with the cam selection.

 

[roostercogburn98]

Trying to remember why I decided to swap torsion bars.
View attachment 8214985It seemed like a great idea before I started.

Love me some 944 body lines. The 80s had some good runs, mixed in with the shit.

 

[Punkur67]

 

[atomic41]

The way to make a small fortune racing, is to start with a big one.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

"Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something salty" - Peter Egan

I promised myself that I was going to take a break from crap-car endurance racing until my boys are more interested in hanging with friends than boring old dad (something in the neighborhood of a 6-8 year horizon for my youngest). But then my office did some karting at a work team-building event, there were some tight wheel-to-wheel duels, and now I'm jonsing for some motorsports competition. Don't know how to scratch that itch in a family-friendly fashion (I already have enough other selfish hobbies), so it may simply need to stay on the back burner for the present time.

It's a dangerous itch for sure. The good news is that the initial investment to get into karting is relatively low, so for the first half of the first season you can lie to yourself about it being cheap!
There really aren't many things like pulling a couple G's at 80mph with your ass two inches off the ground and catching a little air off the curb at the apex...

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Love me some 944 body lines. The 80s had some good runs, mixed in with the shit.

For sure. Some of the best looking cars came from the 80's. Merc and Porsche were killing it, BMW could do no wrong, Italy was on a greatest hits streak, Japan had really cool stuff like the Supra Celica and Starion. Lotus, TVR, Jag and AM had some timeless designs. In the US the C4 Vette has really grown on me but it took them getting old to become cool, fox bodies have always been cool, but they all would get smoked by an Omni GLHS.
And then there was everything else, like FWD diesel Cadillacs and other assorted garbage.

 

[E. Bryant]

The way to make a small fortune racing, is to start with a big one.

Damn straight. My current guilty pleasure is casually watching the No Prep Kings drag racing scene. You've got a few dozen privateers running a 14-weekend schedule with cars that are effectively Pro Mods and require a full support crew just to reach the starting line. The cash burn to build a car, develop and test it, keep it running, feed your team, and drag everything around the country in a Class 8 "toterhome" and stacker trailer is nuts. There are precious few who are getting TV money or sponsorship checks - everyone else is funding it out of pocket, and burning up the value of a decent home in just consumables. It's entertaining and puts butts in the stands (something the tracks need just to maintain slim chances of survival), but it's also going to put a lot of people in the poor house.

 

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

It's a dangerous itch for sure. The good news is that the initial investment to get into karting is relatively low, so for the first half of the first season you can lie to yourself about it being cheap!
There really aren't many things like pulling a couple G's at 80mph with your ass two inches off the ground and catching a little air off the curb at the apex...

120 man... oh carts, nevermind

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

 

[The D]

"Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something salty" - Peter Egan

I promised myself that I was going to take a break from crap-car endurance racing until my boys are more interested in hanging with friends than boring old dad (something in the neighborhood of a 6-8 year horizon for my youngest). But then my office did some karting at a work team-building event, there were some tight wheel-to-wheel duels, and now I'm jonsing for some motorsports competition. Don't know how to scratch that itch in a family-friendly fashion (I already have enough other selfish hobbies), so it may simply need to stay on the back burner for the present time.

Here’s a way to go fast with a family. Hopefully your kids don’t get car sick

Or, if you just want a highway rocket

 

[E. Bryant]

The boys still fit in the back seats of my Camaro, so we're good for a bit. Hopefully, I've got the Impala back on the road before they get too big.

I forgot how much it sucked to yank engines from vans:

Hoping to have this done tomorrow so I can free up that shop stall.

 

[Lawless]

Here’s a way to go fast with a family. Hopefully your kids don’t get car sick

View attachment 8219022
Or, if you just want a highway rocket

View attachment 8219023

I have been looking more and more at “few years old” Mercedes…

Ride so nice and the interior is

 

[The D]

I have been looking more and more at “few years old” Mercedes…

Ride so nice and the interior is

I think my next car is going to be an ‘05-‘06 E320 cdi. EGR defeat and a few other upgrades to make it fun to drive while still getting 40mpg on the way to work.

A friend of mine works with a guy who is about to go ham on his dd. It’s got 380k on it and the reason it’s going under the knife isn’t because of bearings, rings, head gasket. A glow plug tip broke off and pounded the head/piston.

 

[RMbrown]

I road raced for years. Still have all my motorcycles, but have not done anything the last couple of years. I raced the Mid Atlantic Road racing, endurance series with my partner Joe. He started a new business and has not had the time needed to commit to a full season. I have been doing some track days with my vette at Watkins Glen which is in my back yard.

 

[Lawless]

I think my next car is going to be an ‘05-‘06 E320 cdi. EGR defeat and a few other upgrades to make it fun to drive while still getting 40mpg on the way to work.

A friend of mine works with a guy who is about to go ham on his dd. It’s got 380k on it and the reason it’s going under the knife isn’t because of bearings, rings, head gasket. A glow plug tip broke off and pounded the head/piston.

E Class is the best blend of luxury and performance.

I like the GLE, especially the Bi-Turbo

 

[The D]

E Class is the best blend of luxury and performance.

I like the GLE, especially the Bi-Turbo

I stopped working on them just before the bi-turbo engines came out so I haven’t driven one, unfortunately. The early ones seem to be pretty reliable but do have a few things that go wrong.

 

[Trophy Case]

I did a thing:

View attachment 8217749

I think the 3" pulley will be good for around 18-20 PSI, depending how nasty I go with the cam selection.

Sweet!!
That is going to be badass!
Sometimes you just have to pull he trigger.
I get it….I just ordered a full coil over set up, brakes, 3 link rear and ford 9” full floater for my 1969 Mach 1.

 

[Trophy Case]

I wish that was my excuse. Just a fun curvy backroads car. My time in karting is enough for me to know that if I get near a race track again I'll be broke and homeless in a year.

Those 944 rear ends are pretty cool tho. I have a 1964 Porsche 356 that has been modified with a welded in 944 IRS set up. They were going to take it to Bonniville to attempt a record , not sure what class, but they lost interest and I ended up with the project. Long way to go but should be fun.
I have a donor 911 3.0 liter and 915 trans to stuff in it.

 

[Lawless]

I stopped working on them just before the bi-turbo engines came out so I haven’t driven one, unfortunately. The early ones seem to be pretty reliable but do have a few things that go wrong.

From what I understand, the 3.5 and 7spd trans are pretty bulletproof?

 

[BoilerUP]

Spun a bearing at Gingerman this weekend...requires replacement of engine, both turbos, oil coolers and oil cooler lines.

Prob looking $15-20k.

If a GM LF4 crate motor has a 'track warranty', I'll be leaving that bitch stock moving forward.

 

[The D]

From what I understand, the 3.5 and 7spd trans are pretty bulletproof?

Early versions of both had one big problem each.

The early 3.5 n/an engine didn’t get the timing chain idler gear hardened properly. This means valve covers and timing cover needs to come off to have essentially all of the timing components replaced. Once that huge job is done they are very reliable

Early 7sp(722.9) had a clutch basket improperly machined. The only way to fix that is to tear the trans apart to fit new pieces. The tcu is integrated into the valve body on these and it’s not uncommon for that to fail but it’s significantly cheaper now than when these were just out of warranty

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Those 944 rear ends are pretty cool tho. I have a 1964 Porsche 356 that has been modified with a welded in 944 IRS set up. They were going to take it to Bonniville to attempt a record , not sure what class, but they lost interest and I ended up with the project. Long way to go but should be fun.
I have a donor 911 3.0 liter and 915 trans to stuff in it. View attachment 8219982

That's gonna be a cool project. How different is the 356 rear end from a 944? The 944 suspension is essentially out of a Super Beetle, and 356/early 911's have a ton of shared Beetle DNA so I would've guessed they were pretty close already.

 

[rjacobs]

Went to Miata's at Hallett this weekend in Hallett Oklahoma.

During my last track day ~3 weeks ago the car was breaking up bad when it got hot(and it was HOT HOT HOT that day, estimated temp on the track was 130). Put new coils and plugs on it. I was also thinking I was still getting fuel varnish dissolving out of my fuel tank(thats been cleaned 2x) so I put a 6 micron inline filter on from Fuelab to try to keep my injector filters from clogging. Also had the fuel rail ultrasonic cleaned. Made all the AN lines with PTFE stuff which wasnt hard.




Car ran like a raped ape for 5 sessions on day 1 at Hallett and 4 sessions on day 2 then under checker when I was cooling the car off it started to break up real bad and I made it back to the pit road and it died and wouldnt restart and had to get pulled back to my pit... fucking hell. Luckily at a large miata event there were lots of guys that know their shit. One guy said "cam sensor, its a known issue and its not really even the sensor its the connector". So there is a fix out for this from Ballenger that they have an updated sensor and they solder wiring directly to the sensor, seal it all with silicon and move the connector and change to a deutsch connector which is supposed to be way better than the delphi style.

Home » Shop » Sensors » Cam/Crank Sensors » Spec Miata CAM Sensor Pigtail

Ballenger Motorsports Spec Miata CAM Sensor Pigtail (SNSR-100561) for only $125.00!

www.bmotorsports.com

Anyway the 9 sessions it did run it was fantastic and I am finally starting to feel towards the limits of the car. We run the track CW one day and CCW the next day. CCW is the normal direction and is about 2 or so seconds faster than CW. I ended up running a 1:33 which I was ecstatic with. I had been running consistent 1:35's and we went and watched the instructor/race car group and saw they were running a FAR different line through at least 3 sections so I told a buddy "im going out session 4 to try those lines, some different gear selection, and try to push my pace through one corner better"... and ended up knocking off 2 seconds and I know there is at least 3 seconds more in the car as a guy with a similar setup, but is a better driver than me ran a 1:29 in the morning when it was cooler. Getting to trust the tires and aero more. Also was really getting used to the brakes. Im learning I have to light brake at first to shift weight then I can really lean into them. They are so much more brake than most other Miata's that people were braking at the 3 markers and I wasnt braking until the 1 marker(or beyond) so you can tell how that went half the time when I was in traffic. But its all fun so I didnt get worried about it.



Hunting... ended up passing my buddy Jeff on basically every session when I caught him. He could pull me slightly in the straights, but i was eating him up in the corners. He's a great driver, but his car setup needs some updates.







I was taking this tight inside line through a series they call the "bus stop" and would always end up on somebodies door because a lot of others were taking this really wide line. We werent allowed to pass in the corners, but several times I had to slam on the brakes because I was actually ahead of the car in front of me coming out of the corner... a bit sketchy, but I try to play by the rules.


I almost caused this white/cream car to go off. He was driving in his mirrors(and I was all over his ass) and he basically forgot to brake and when he did the car was so squirrelly I thought he was going to spin in front of me. Luckily I have far better brakes then him and backed off and as soon as we got through the turn he gave me the pass.


There was a Mustang Mach 1 out there that I put a hurting on I think at least 3 sessions. He would pull me hard in the straights and I would be on his ass in the turns. I dont know if he got a blue flag or not, but I passed him a few times. He had to brake so early that I just ate his ass in the braking zones. I dont have any pics of me chasing him, maybe on my Garmin.

My buddy Jeff and I were chasing each other around and ran up on these two poor souls and then got double pass signals so we split the gap... I cant get the MP4 to embed. Tap the little broken picture icon and should link to the video on my smugmug.

 

[Trophy Case]

That's gonna be a cool project. How different is the 356 rear end from a 944? The 944 suspension is essentially out of a Super Beetle, and 356/early 911's have a ton of shared Beetle DNA so I would've guessed they were pretty close already.

The 356's run a swing axle rear suspension with a torsion bar set up rather than IRS with torsion bars....so yeah kinda similar.
They completely cut out the old torsion housing and fabricated in the 944 which is wider so "pie" cutting the rear body at the fender and adding about an inch was needed. A lot of metal work had to be done back there.