Jason - thanks for sharing this. Very interesting for those of us who are susceptible to the mod bug. I'm out of cash at this point, but instill planning on more mods at some point. Good to hear the other side of the story

 

Jason,
I am still bummed I didn't fly out to SD to do the SC install with you, you'd have loved that. I took my family on vacation in San Clemente last fall, and we loved it- we fell in love with La Jolla and Laguna. I'm interested in some of your mods if you sell them, let me know first?
CATTMAN

 

Yeah I want to start another thread on just my thoughts on modding. Having owned three different heavily modified cars, I feel like I have learned a lot. I learn more each time.

I would say the biggest thing is to come up with a plan before you start down the modding trail. Include a stopping point in the plan and then stick to it. I broke my own rules....

Jason

 

CATTMAN!

Yeah it would have been awesome. I felt the SC bug creep back in the other night. Believe it or not, SCing was part of my original plan. Or, should I say I was holding it as an option. If I end up keeping the car, it still could be an option.

San Clemente is gorgeous. I have some friends that live up that direction.

This process started about two months ago. Believe it or not the car is almost back to being road worthy now and I will continue to update this thread with the process.

I will say that almost all the mods are spoken for. The wheels went to a fellow 6speeder. The exhaust went to a Rennlister that is put them on his Koni Challenge 997, and the Motons are on their way to Demon Motorsports. Most of the OE stuff is gone as well.

Jason

 

VF-E is running a ridiculous deal on the SC's now, for I think around $6,500. At that price, it's hard to turn down. Throw on a smaller pulley, a few other insider mods, and you're at 530HP...just a thought.
CATTMAN

 

So tempting!

Jason

 

Wait.. where are you seeing them for $6500? Best I saw was $8500....

Jason

 

They ran a sale at that price, full kit, brand new. Call them and see if they'll honor it for you. Do a search here, too, and see the details, it was nuts. I paid more than that for mine, used! However, mine came with the special sauce, not to mention the provenance of having been on the cover of Excellence Magazine, in Blaktout's car, as well as Stacy's car.

May be heading out your way soon, in which case, I could easily extend my stay for a few days and do the install with you just for fun. I am over a year on mine, as a DD and track star, and it's insane. Amazing. Reliable. I laugh everytime I get on boost!
CATTMAN

 

Hmm, well if I kept the car, an SC is true possibility but thats a year away for me.

Appreciate the offer though!

Jason

 

Ok heres a technique when removing and replacing your front shocks. Tape up the outside of your wheel well. This should prevent any accidental scratches.



At this point front and rear shocks are out. Rear dog bones and rear toe steer are also out along with the rear sway bar. Time to start going the other direction.

Sorry about the crappy Iphone pics.



Now that everything is out. Its finally time to start putting the OE parts back in.

Here is a bit of good information. When you guys get aftermarket stuff put on your car there are tons of little pieces that are no longer required and are probably discarded by your tuner shops. I still had all my major stock bits like the shocks/struts/springs and mounts. However, I did not have all small nuts/bolts/and washers that are required to make the whole thing work. To make sure I was getting all the right pieces I used the Porsche PET guide that I purchased from Suncoast.

Here is a pic of all the boxes of OE pieces I needed to purchase to get everything back in the car the correct way. No cut corners here.




Jason

 

Great thread Jason! Almost a DIY manual.
Thanks
Greg

 

Thanks!

I should add that even though I am not going into a lot of detail here, feel free to post any questions you may have here. I took way more pics that I am posting so I can probably elaborate. This build or should I say "un-build" covered sway bar install, shock/strut/spring install, dog bone, toe steer, control arms, seat removal/install, roll bar removal, and a full exhaust removal and install.

Jason

 

That was a great journey Jason and I honestly believe that is what those cars are created for - to mos them, change them to each owns personal taste and enjoy the process while it lasts. Then move on to next model.

I am sure you will have a lot of fun with GT3 car if you`ll get it.

 

Okay, getting the stock parts in is actually a lot tricker than getting the "tuner" parts out. This happens for several reasons.

1. The tuner parts are smaller and lighter weight due to stronger and lighter materials.
2. The tuner parts are adjustable and thus you can use this in your favor when installing.
3. The tuner parts are less complicated.

But, in the end all the suspension bits basically went in the same way they came out. I have to give a shout out to Pelicanparts.com since they have great prices, great customer support, and very fast shipping!

Here are some pics of the stock suspension going back in. I still have a few little tweaks to do on the suspension but I am about 90% there. Definitely the hardest part of this un-build.

Never thought I would find another use for a plumbers wrench!





While I had all these parts off my OCD took over and I took the time to not only wash the non exposed bits of the car but also fix some scratching that taken place due to would I guess would be road debris.

Dirty-



Clean-



Scratch fixed... this area is actually under the mufflers and heat shields-



Obviously I am a perfectionist....

Still lots more to come.

Jason

 

Okay now time to discuss wheels.

Obviously when going to back stock I needed a set of stock Carrera wheels. I had sold the original set of red wheels and I knew that during this "un-build" that I did not want to go back to red. In fact, I knew I wanted black.

But which kind to go with?

I originally wanted a set of multi-spoke sport designs but these are little rarer than most and still command a hefty price even second hand. Plus there are some other aspects to consider.

Contrary to popular belief none of the 997.1 wheels are forged. All OEM wheel options are cast. Even GT3 and RS wheels are cast. Here are some wheel weights to consider.

I cant take credit for this research.
Link- https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...fications.html

Porsche Factory Carrera S - 100 lbs, 0 oz.
8x19" 22 lbs. 4 oz.
11x19" 27 lbs. 12 oz.


Porsche Factory Carrera Classic - 104 lbs, 10 oz.
8x19" 23 lbs. 10 oz.
11x19" 28 lbs. 11 oz.

Porsche Factory Carrera Sport Design - 104 lbs, 12 oz.
8x19" 24 lbs. 3 oz.
11x19" 28 lbs. 3 oz.


Porsche Factory Carrera Sport - 106 lbs, 12 oz.
8.5x19" 24 lbs. 2 oz.
11.5x19" 29 lbs. 4 oz.

8x19 (987, 997 non turbo front) 23.4 pounds
8.5x19 (997 turbo front) 23.9 pounds
9.5x19 (987 rear) 25 pounds
11x19 (997 turbo rear) 28.8 pounds

Stock Turbo Wheels
8.5x19" 23 lbs. 8 oz
11x19" 27 lbs. 14 oz.

Factory 997 GT3
8.5x19" 24 lbs. 5 oz.
12x19" 30 lbs. 13 oz.

As you can see the heaviest wheels are actually the GT3 wheels and the lightest are the standard "S" wheels or lobsters. We are only talking a matter of a few pounds but when it comes to "un-sprung" weight, a few pounds is a lot!

Furthermore, the choice to go with "Black Lobsters" helped to solidify the direction the un-build is going to go. Essentially, the car is going to look just like the red 997S Aero that appeared on the cover of the 2006 Porsche Exclusive Options brochure. Well, close with some personal modifications!



Lucky for me, these wheels are cheap second hand. I found a nearly perfect set for $800 on Rennlist.

They look awesome in black-



The wall of tires! I purchased several sets of GT3 spec Michilen Pilot Sports on Ebay. Here is a basically new set of MPS's that I bought for $500. Yep, putting GT3 spec tires on this baby!



Of course, there is the dilemma of getting a set of wheels and tires to the local Discount Tire when your DD is an E36 M3.

You should have seen it before the tires were mounted. I had wheels and tires on the front seats too!





The GT3 spec meat looks great on these tires. A 305 series tire looks way more at home on a 11" wheel. Its a little tight on a 12" wheel.

I have to give a shout out to Discount Tire. Truly great prices and great set of people! Awesome customer service and really took care of me and best of all, took care of my wheels. Even commented how great the wheels look in black!


Jason