996.2 M96 engine teardown

Let me know if I got the wrong forum or if I mis-identified the engine! admin: move as appropriate, total nooobie here. Recently acquired engine core from 2003 911 C4S. 85K miles approx on the odo. Possible swap into Boxster if I can fix it with reasonable expense. I'll post up pix as I learn how to do that. Engine was sold as 'loud knocking from #4 at half crank speed.' Engine has LN IMSB kit in place. I haven't pulled it yet, don't know if it is steel, hybrid or ceramic. I don't know its condition yet. Camera in all bores. Nothing conclusive visible. Something strange in #4...possible gap between bottom of bore and piston. Possible object although couldn't move object. Possible 'clean area' on crown near bottom. Pulled both valve covers prior to purchase. Nothing unusual. Pulled sump cover, middle full of metal, both aluminum and steel. Removed most 'outer perimeter' stuff. I can now see a big end or two. Nothing unusual so far. found a metal flake under the oil fill accordion tube. only place I have seen metal besides in sump (and filter housing). with intake/runners and exhaust off, I can look and camera into 'back of valves' areas. Nothing unusual. Next steps to break timing and pull heads....then we'll know the rest of the story. I'll probably turn it over a bit and look around more but at this point I assume I won't see anything until I am closer to the combustion chambers.

It looks like the forum machinery automatically resized the picture. Good news. Shortcut through a day of disassembly and notes: Intake plastic removed. Access to other pieces.<br/>Fuel rails and intake runners still attached.

This may have something to do with the reported knocking. I have gotten the heads off however this could have been viewed through the hole for the oil accordion fill...I just didn't look close enough before. The picture was taken through this hole of #4 big end.

Is this Lokasil cracking? LocoSil (you'd be crazy to buy one)? Beginning of D-chunking? This is my first really close look at the bores as I continue inspection of parts. The sealing surfaces of the bores look fine (didn't scrape all the black gasket stuff off) and there are lines that apppear to be manufacturing marks but I can't see cracks across the thin tooobs (they have wall of about 0.300" or 7.62mm if anyone is interested). Most bores have these longitudinal lines that look like micro cracks. One or two have the lines in the 'D-Chunk' fashion. if anyone recognized the appearance of early d-chunking please advise! thanks

good morning,new at this forum thing. im almost there, just bought a 00 3.4 engine for my 00 996 cab.,tiptronic. dont know anyone near me or on the forum yet but i have to rebuilt my engine too. so are things coming. with your conversion? if i understood correctly you are putting that 3.6 in a boxster?

we decided not to mess with putting it in a different car, and had arranged to buy an 03 tip cab 996 that had no engine, but it sold out from under us. the boxster with bad engine we had sold as-is just to be done with it. so we are parting out the engine rather than gamble the excessive rebuild cost and then try to sell. The crank is at Mile High and passed magneflux, but I haven't authorized the rework yet. We planned to reassemble it with ductile iron liners but lost interest without having a car to drop it into. It could possibly be reassembled without liners, buy why perpetuate a design defect without correcting it while it is down? so, it is sitting in pieces here in Boulder. thanks!