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CC Build: Porsche 996 to LS1 Conversion

Wouldn't mind a GT3 RS wing with the air scoops, but don't think these cars look good with wide fenders. The whole design of these cars was meant to be smooth and straight, with very little curvature in the fenders. I actually like curves, it's just that this body doesn't look that great with them.
Repro cup parts r not that pricey... just saying.

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Wrap is wild, I bet you are jacked up over it.
:beer:
All jacked up on it :smokin:

Installed the Ohlins this past weekend. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought, it went smoothly. These are probably the original struts…bump stops are basically gone. Car rides stiffer but tighter and it feels smoother at speed. I need to back out the clickers and I’m waiting on clicker extensions before I button up the rear deck area.

I need to get a few more things finished and then the car will be “done” for quite a while. I’m looking forward to not working on it and actually enjoying myself a bit. Almost there…


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Went for a few backcountry cruises this past weekend. Great weather for it and I really enjoyed the car with the new suspension. Hoping to wrap up the wheel changes this week so I can install them in time for a Porsche meet this weekend.

These pictures aren’t very good and the angles are awful. I was distracted. :homer:

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Are darker windows not a thing for these?
They were tinted before. I am trying out without tint, and I’ll either add ceramic 80% clear or add tint back to it. Previous tint was bubbling. I kind of like it without tint.
 
Not yet, hoping to do that once I figure out ride height and alignment.
That will do more for you than bigger tires. Turn-in is everything in these cars, "Slow in, fast out" is the 911 mantra, with all that weight in the rear you can lay down the power sooner.
 
Thanks, it’s definitely on the to-do list. Although I’ll be slow in and less slow out :laughing:
 
Much better. I really like the wheels now. I was a little unsure if they’d look good after seeing the aggressive offsets. I had to rush through the rebuild process but it’s done and I managed to do it pretty quick. I got the new 1.5” lips on Saturday and tore down 3 of the wheels and used a 4.5” angle grinder with a scotch brite wheel to clean up the silicone and prep the surfaces. It made it much easier and quicker.

I had a leak in one of the front wheels, that’s why I had 3 to tear down. So far they’re holding air, crossing my fingers they stay that way.

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The to-do list:

-Install passenger Recaro and sliders
-Finish AC wiring
-Install subwoofer box
-Mount subwoofer level knob in gt3 delete bezel
-Ceramic tint
-Exhaust crossover
-Wing hold down brackets
-Intake heat shield
-TRE replacement
-Replace micro switches in the door handles
-Alignment and corner balance
-Wash and ceramic coating


These tires are temporary while I get the to-do list done and I can still drive the car while not caring about ruining some cheap tires. I’d like the rear to be a little thicker sidewall. These are a 245/40/18 and a 305/30/18. A 305/35 or a 295/40 will probably be my choice.

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Most r a bunch of whinny old men. They r always finding ways to justify their $30k motor builds with 40% less power. Some even r pissed i repowered a standard car with a gt3 powerplant. They dont know why i would not have fixed a near impossible car to title.
 
So what did all the Porsche purists think?

I didn’t open the hatch for long. The guys that I did show thought it was awesome. Most people hear 911 and go “okay nice” and nod their head. Then I say “it’s LS swapped” and people either go “ohhhh….okay……cool” or “HELL YEAH!” fist bump and start ogling the car even more. I’ve had about 10 people come pickup parts or furniture or tools for a FB marketplace sale and they notice the 911. Then they see the LS intake and ask “…is that an LS?!! That fits in tbere?!!!?”. It never fails and it’s awesome to have people react to it randomly.

I would suspect a mixed bag like Miata enthusiasts. Most old timers hated the V8 Miata unless. The ricer kids loved it. Low rider dudes tripped out on it too.

Yeah most don’t care if they’ve owned a 996 or early 997. These cars are on borrowed time for an engine failure. It’s more prevalent than people realize.

Most r a bunch of whinny old men. They r always finding ways to justify their $30k motor builds with 40% less power. Some even r pissed i repowered a standard car with a gt3 powerplant. They dont know why i would not have fixed a near impossible car to title.

This. My buddy is currently working on a blown up LN 4.0 M97. Customer spent $40k on it. I have less than that in my entire swap, car and MT transaxle included and I have nearly 400rwhp. It sucks how much money it takes to build a P car engine.

The guys that get upset are typically super insecure about titles and social status. It’s not usually the guys that actually get their hands dirty. Actually having to rebuild your own engine would negate a lot of these purist thoughts :laughing::homer:
 
I've had a set of Recaro Sporster CS seats on order since January and they finally showed up about a month ago. I slapped in the driver's side seat immediately because I couldn't stand the OEM 996 C2 seats any longer. I finally had some time to put in the passenger this past weekend and knocked it out along with scrubbing and shampooing the carpet. The driver's side needs to be cleaned again, so I'll do that when I remove the 3/4" spacers between the slider and the seat on the driver's side for a little more headroom.

Here's what was under the driver's side seat...passenger side was not much better. Found some mysterious fine white powder....right where you'd expect someone to drop a container from their face and hands....

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Both sides had shattered glass under the seat but the passenger's side had much more. I vacuumed all that out and used this awesome new brush on my impact to scrub the carpet with foam cleaner.

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Here's the after photo of passenger's side. Driver side is still needing some scrubbing since I didn't have the brush when I first swapped seats. The brush got all the stains out! :smokin:

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Had to trim the slider a bit to use the Recaro slider with the Planted seat brackets.

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Cantrell Motorsports slim knob necessary to be able to slide the seat back far enough for me.

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Finished install. Don't mind the mess behind the seats, still wrapping up the AC wiring. Good news is I should be able to finish that this week and reinstall the subs and have tunes plus cold AC for the summertime cruising here. :grinpimp:

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Recent cruise went well. Spirited driving was a lot of fun, although I do have a new list of things to take care of:

-ABS light is on, ABS doesn't work. Need to get the module programmed or replaced
-Finish AC wiring and put in override switch
-Ceramic tint install (this should be coming very soon)
-Paint silver trim (this is cosmetic, can be done whenever)
-Install crossover exhaust section and v-band clamps
-Take it back to tuner for final tweaks
-Find temporary solution for cooler intake temps
-Install instant trigger module for electric power steering pump
-Find replacement hood in green or black
-Restore headlights
-Install rain gutter covers and flaps
-Install windshield trim gaskets
-Change oil and filter, send for analysis
-Fix brake pad sensor warning, just a loose plug
-Subwoofer output level mount on GT3 console cover
-Order and install RS door levers + covers

Long term things for this winter, if I still have the car :homer::

-Brakes, need pads + rotors
-Re-paint calipers
-All suspension bushings need replaced
-Thorough cleaning underneath and on suspsneion especially
-Alignment + corner weights
-Nitto NT01s
-Install Accusump
-Fix any other trim and body pieces that aren't aligned or are missing

I'll add more to these lists later as I drive the car a bit more. Hoping to put a few thousand miles on it while the weather is good to help work out any remaining gremlins. :smokin:

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After, 2024
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Here's the after photo of passenger's side. Driver side is still needing some scrubbing since I didn't have the brush when I first swapped seats. The brush got all the stains out! :smokin:

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That is impressive. I’m surprised how soiled the rear was. Does anybody ever really use the back seats?

-Install instant trigger module for electric power steering pump




After, 2024
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Instant trigger?

Those wheels look so much better. The car really looks great.
 
Really nice work there, glad you are getting to enjoy it.

Thank you! New seats make a huge difference. Almost as large an improvement as the Ohlins I'd say.

That is impressive. I’m surprised how soiled the rear was. Does anybody ever really use the back seats?



Instant trigger?

Those wheels look so much better. The car really looks great.

Thanks, yeah it took a lot of soil and grime out of the carpet. I steam cleaned it after the scrub and it's much much cleaner and smells fresh. I think the PO used the rear seat a lot based on the dirt buildup. I don't use them much.

Instant trigger for the pump will have immediate power steering pressure. Right now it spools up like a jet engine which I kinda like but it would be nice to have instant pressure.

Thanks! The Fikse wheels are super unique, haven't seen another set on the road so far. Lots of TE37s, Apex, and BBS. :dustin:
 
Here's what was under the driver's side seat...passenger side was not much better. Found some mysterious fine white powder....right where you'd expect someone to drop a container from their face and hands....

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Mine had fine white powder under the window rubber. Turns out it was ash from Mt. Saint Helens.
 
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