My Project Porsche
Discussion
After a little bit of a consideration, I thought some of you might like to see what I have been working on as a project for the last while.
I wasn't sure how best to put it up here, I originally wrote out an article type piece laying out the history of Porsche and the outlaw/hot rod scene. How Ferry Porsche and the factory used to tacitly encourage owners to take their cars and make them their own. About the sports purpose manuals produced by the factory as a blueprint for owner modifications. About places like Emory Motorsports and others that worked creatively to make some very special cars happen over the years. About how the factory used to see itself very much as the starting point for the car rather than the final evolution.
While for many of you, the hot rod scene is probably summed up by folks like Magnus Walker, the present lightning rod for many things Porsche, the tradition in which he works actually goes back right to the 356, 911 and 912. It may not seem like it now, viewed through the lens of Porsche circa 2014 but those sorts of cars are exactly what Ferdinand Porsche intended. Cars that were not something to everyone but everything to someone. Modified, but retaining their all important character and inimitable quality. It used to be that Porsche cars and Porsche owners historically shared a common window on the world, an appreciation of things mechanical and through gravitational pull tended to end up together eventually.
In the end I figured I would just throw up a few pics of the car, some snaps of bits and pieces that may be interesting or nice to look at and a brief build list. No one has time to read pages of nostalgia and history.
For a similar reason I’m not going to list everything in huge detail, just give a sort of overview of whats there. It goes without saying that all fluid lines, hoses, pipework and wear items/consumables were replaced with new as were most bolts, brackets and all bolt on body parts,plastics,bumpers and panels. For a project this big and with a bare shell to start from it's the nicest way to work.
This car will of course not be to everyones taste but on one level that is part of what makes it so special. It is anachronistic in character but it’s all the better for it. This car is every bit a Porsche of old. Something built with the original spirit of Porsche and those outlaw cars; seeking perfection through engineering function and purpose. It should be quick, it should have character and it better be fun.
The basic start point for this project was one of my 996 Cups (MY2004 version) so in one sense its simply a hot rod Cup, however what makes this car truly special is that this is a car built for the road as much as the track. There is no point freeing it from the restrictions of class regulations only to restrict it to a trailer. This is intended to be fired up and driven; to be something that a driver can get out there in and enjoy. To build a hot rod race car is always fun, to make one you can cruise around in on a Friday evening or get out there in to get your kid from school, that's even more fun.
If you are lucky enough to have owned a truly special car, even if that may have last been in your teenage years, then you will get what that is about. It is the first hot hatch you had that spent more time doing handbrake turns than it did going straight. It is the car full of speakers that made you feel like a king at a late night gas station. It is parents driveway repairs in the dark. It's where the word experience isn’t preceded by the word lifestyle. Its not always obvious what gets you about a car but its great when something does.
Beyond those elements there has been a significant amount of technical input and thought gone into this car though I know most of it wont come through on this thread. There are many improvements from the later motorsport cars rolled in here, many additions that were not possible to do on a car which was required to remain class legal and of course things I really wanted to apply to a 996; and years spent with Cups left me with a head filled with things I wanted to do. Theres not one thing on this car that doesn't need to be there, and everything that's there has had thought gone in to why its there (at all or instead of something else).
With the exception of bodywork, the gearbox rebuild and some of the custom made parts, all the work on this car has been done by myself. Days off, weekends and late nights. That was part of what made historic Porsches so wonderful, part of what ensured there were enthusiastic owners and part of the fun and I wanted to experience that for myself with this car. I once had a long chat with a giant of the aircooled scene over his sadness that there weren’t younger people taking on these cars anymore and getting out of them what really made them wonderful. The process of the project has been as big a part as the car at the end. This car isn’t born of dealer coffee and haggling over car mats, its one born of skint knuckles and sweat. Of highs and lows. Maybe it will inspire some of you to have a go too.
So what remains? Well I still want to figure out running a C2 decklid without strangling the engine. The 996 C2 is turning into one of those cars that turns my head every time one passes and it would be fun to throw on a plain jane rear hatch cover once in a while and run undercover. The 1967 911 R homage interior is also a bit of a work in progress. Originally a full GT3 interior was intended but it didn't feel right putting it in when the crunch came. Dragging a full interior around in a heavy box in my unit over the months added to the reluctance. The current set up feels right though; a nod to a shared DNA and outlook spanning almost 50 years.
I hope some of you enjoy having a read and a look.
I wasn't sure how best to put it up here, I originally wrote out an article type piece laying out the history of Porsche and the outlaw/hot rod scene. How Ferry Porsche and the factory used to tacitly encourage owners to take their cars and make them their own. About the sports purpose manuals produced by the factory as a blueprint for owner modifications. About places like Emory Motorsports and others that worked creatively to make some very special cars happen over the years. About how the factory used to see itself very much as the starting point for the car rather than the final evolution.
While for many of you, the hot rod scene is probably summed up by folks like Magnus Walker, the present lightning rod for many things Porsche, the tradition in which he works actually goes back right to the 356, 911 and 912. It may not seem like it now, viewed through the lens of Porsche circa 2014 but those sorts of cars are exactly what Ferdinand Porsche intended. Cars that were not something to everyone but everything to someone. Modified, but retaining their all important character and inimitable quality. It used to be that Porsche cars and Porsche owners historically shared a common window on the world, an appreciation of things mechanical and through gravitational pull tended to end up together eventually.
In the end I figured I would just throw up a few pics of the car, some snaps of bits and pieces that may be interesting or nice to look at and a brief build list. No one has time to read pages of nostalgia and history.
For a similar reason I’m not going to list everything in huge detail, just give a sort of overview of whats there. It goes without saying that all fluid lines, hoses, pipework and wear items/consumables were replaced with new as were most bolts, brackets and all bolt on body parts,plastics,bumpers and panels. For a project this big and with a bare shell to start from it's the nicest way to work.
This car will of course not be to everyones taste but on one level that is part of what makes it so special. It is anachronistic in character but it’s all the better for it. This car is every bit a Porsche of old. Something built with the original spirit of Porsche and those outlaw cars; seeking perfection through engineering function and purpose. It should be quick, it should have character and it better be fun.
The basic start point for this project was one of my 996 Cups (MY2004 version) so in one sense its simply a hot rod Cup, however what makes this car truly special is that this is a car built for the road as much as the track. There is no point freeing it from the restrictions of class regulations only to restrict it to a trailer. This is intended to be fired up and driven; to be something that a driver can get out there in and enjoy. To build a hot rod race car is always fun, to make one you can cruise around in on a Friday evening or get out there in to get your kid from school, that's even more fun.
If you are lucky enough to have owned a truly special car, even if that may have last been in your teenage years, then you will get what that is about. It is the first hot hatch you had that spent more time doing handbrake turns than it did going straight. It is the car full of speakers that made you feel like a king at a late night gas station. It is parents driveway repairs in the dark. It's where the word experience isn’t preceded by the word lifestyle. Its not always obvious what gets you about a car but its great when something does.
Beyond those elements there has been a significant amount of technical input and thought gone into this car though I know most of it wont come through on this thread. There are many improvements from the later motorsport cars rolled in here, many additions that were not possible to do on a car which was required to remain class legal and of course things I really wanted to apply to a 996; and years spent with Cups left me with a head filled with things I wanted to do. Theres not one thing on this car that doesn't need to be there, and everything that's there has had thought gone in to why its there (at all or instead of something else).
With the exception of bodywork, the gearbox rebuild and some of the custom made parts, all the work on this car has been done by myself. Days off, weekends and late nights. That was part of what made historic Porsches so wonderful, part of what ensured there were enthusiastic owners and part of the fun and I wanted to experience that for myself with this car. I once had a long chat with a giant of the aircooled scene over his sadness that there weren’t younger people taking on these cars anymore and getting out of them what really made them wonderful. The process of the project has been as big a part as the car at the end. This car isn’t born of dealer coffee and haggling over car mats, its one born of skint knuckles and sweat. Of highs and lows. Maybe it will inspire some of you to have a go too.
So what remains? Well I still want to figure out running a C2 decklid without strangling the engine. The 996 C2 is turning into one of those cars that turns my head every time one passes and it would be fun to throw on a plain jane rear hatch cover once in a while and run undercover. The 1967 911 R homage interior is also a bit of a work in progress. Originally a full GT3 interior was intended but it didn't feel right putting it in when the crunch came. Dragging a full interior around in a heavy box in my unit over the months added to the reluctance. The current set up feels right though; a nod to a shared DNA and outlook spanning almost 50 years.
I hope some of you enjoy having a read and a look.
Edited by fioran0 on Friday 30th May 02:24
Build Sheet:
Bodyshell: Refreshed shell with additional strengthening/stiffening and upgrades. RSR rear wheel tubs, hand rolled and lightly pulled rear fenders, Cup front fenders with light pull, Cup front bumper, Cup splitter, carbon fibre front hood, RSR front windscreen, street doors with locks and windows, RSR carbon fibre mirrors with custom carbon fibre mounting, Cup side skirts, Cup carbon kevlar rear bumper, Cup carbon kevlar rear deck lid, 997 Cup carbon kevlar rear wing, custom carbon fibre end plates and gurney, custom uprights, Cup lexan rear and ¼ windows. Cup cowl panel with 997 Cup ventilation intake.
Engine: Custom spec, freshly rebuilt Cup 3.6L engine. Cup S engine case, motorsport 76.4mm stroke crank, RSR rods, ‘09 Cup pistons/liners, ‘09 Cup heads with uprated/custom valves, springs and cams, Cup cam towers, ‘10 Cup inlet manifolds with custom machining, 997 Cup intake manifolds and throttle body, uprated gaskets/seals/orings kit, motorsport bearings, custom rod bolts, blueprinted motorsport oil pump, GT3R accessory bracket with power steering delete, welded coolant fittings. 997 Supercup exhaust system. ’10 Cup air intake. Cup/RSR engine carrier and engine mounts.
Transmission: 2005 Cup spec freshly rebuilt manual gearbox. Stock '05 Cup gear ratios (i.e. long 1st, everything else squeezed in to slightly less than 5th on a regular GT3 box), 45%/65% motorsport diff. Cup solid gearbox mounting and bracket. RSR quick disconnects on cooler. Cup driveshafts, Cup shift cables. Cup flywheel, Cup pressure plate, GT3 clutch plate.
Cooling: Cup coolant pipework with RSR quick disconnects. Cup radiators (LH/C/RH) with street fans fitted to LH/RH rads, tunnel reinforcement. Custom engine hard line/ ‘10 Cup engine hard line. All hoses new, all clips stainless steel jubilee type. Cup coolant tank. Cup thermostat.
Suspension: FIA spec front subframe, Cup rear subframes with custom mounting. Cup wheel carriers/uprights (new fronts, all 4 studded). Cup centrelock hubs/fittings, ‘10 Cup 2 piece lower arms (monoball, solid caster puck), RSR 2 piece lower arms (monoball, solid caster pucks), solid adjustable toe arms with locking plates, camber locking plates, monoball adjustable upper dog bones, monoball adjustable drop links. Cup adjustable sachs racing dampers with uprated monoball top mounts, monoball bottom mounts. Custom dual spring setup.
Braking: 997 Cup dual master cylinder brake system (no ABS, no brake booster) with in cockpit adjustable bias control and custom MC sizing. Cup front calipers with studded carriers, 996 Cup rear calipers with studded carriers. 350mm/330mm brembo racing 2 piece floating rotors with heavy duty fixing. Cup brake ducts front/rear. Optimised additional ducting. Porsche Motorsport Sprint Pads.
Wheels: BBS e88 3 piece centrelock wheels. 9J/11Jx18
Controls: 996/997 Cup steering column and pedal box, 997 Cup aluminium floor mounted throttle pedal, 996 Cup shift housing, RSR steering rack, 997 Cup/RSR electric power steering pump, OMP steering wheel with quick disconnect. Cup wiper system.
Electrics: Porsche Motorsport (Bosch Motorsport) MS3 ECU, Cup front, main, battery and engine wiring looms. Custom cup/street centre loom. Cup instrument panel, AIM MXL dash/datalogger (with additional logging of crankcase, fuel, brake and oil pressures), AIM GPS05, custom dash panel with driver systems controls (incl some additional control circuits) and warning lights, uprated main relay. Rear view camera and screen (still to go in). Door locks and electric windows. Plumbed in, electrically operated fire system.
Interior: 1969 911R inspired interior with ribbed rubber flooring, GT3 door cards, GT3 dash and glovebox and GT3 A pillar trim. Cup floorboard. Rest bare. GT3 nomex seats (and 997 Cup carbon fiber OMP seat for track use). Cup cockpit ventilation system (Blower unit and ducting).
Bodyshell: Refreshed shell with additional strengthening/stiffening and upgrades. RSR rear wheel tubs, hand rolled and lightly pulled rear fenders, Cup front fenders with light pull, Cup front bumper, Cup splitter, carbon fibre front hood, RSR front windscreen, street doors with locks and windows, RSR carbon fibre mirrors with custom carbon fibre mounting, Cup side skirts, Cup carbon kevlar rear bumper, Cup carbon kevlar rear deck lid, 997 Cup carbon kevlar rear wing, custom carbon fibre end plates and gurney, custom uprights, Cup lexan rear and ¼ windows. Cup cowl panel with 997 Cup ventilation intake.
Engine: Custom spec, freshly rebuilt Cup 3.6L engine. Cup S engine case, motorsport 76.4mm stroke crank, RSR rods, ‘09 Cup pistons/liners, ‘09 Cup heads with uprated/custom valves, springs and cams, Cup cam towers, ‘10 Cup inlet manifolds with custom machining, 997 Cup intake manifolds and throttle body, uprated gaskets/seals/orings kit, motorsport bearings, custom rod bolts, blueprinted motorsport oil pump, GT3R accessory bracket with power steering delete, welded coolant fittings. 997 Supercup exhaust system. ’10 Cup air intake. Cup/RSR engine carrier and engine mounts.
Transmission: 2005 Cup spec freshly rebuilt manual gearbox. Stock '05 Cup gear ratios (i.e. long 1st, everything else squeezed in to slightly less than 5th on a regular GT3 box), 45%/65% motorsport diff. Cup solid gearbox mounting and bracket. RSR quick disconnects on cooler. Cup driveshafts, Cup shift cables. Cup flywheel, Cup pressure plate, GT3 clutch plate.
Cooling: Cup coolant pipework with RSR quick disconnects. Cup radiators (LH/C/RH) with street fans fitted to LH/RH rads, tunnel reinforcement. Custom engine hard line/ ‘10 Cup engine hard line. All hoses new, all clips stainless steel jubilee type. Cup coolant tank. Cup thermostat.
Suspension: FIA spec front subframe, Cup rear subframes with custom mounting. Cup wheel carriers/uprights (new fronts, all 4 studded). Cup centrelock hubs/fittings, ‘10 Cup 2 piece lower arms (monoball, solid caster puck), RSR 2 piece lower arms (monoball, solid caster pucks), solid adjustable toe arms with locking plates, camber locking plates, monoball adjustable upper dog bones, monoball adjustable drop links. Cup adjustable sachs racing dampers with uprated monoball top mounts, monoball bottom mounts. Custom dual spring setup.
Braking: 997 Cup dual master cylinder brake system (no ABS, no brake booster) with in cockpit adjustable bias control and custom MC sizing. Cup front calipers with studded carriers, 996 Cup rear calipers with studded carriers. 350mm/330mm brembo racing 2 piece floating rotors with heavy duty fixing. Cup brake ducts front/rear. Optimised additional ducting. Porsche Motorsport Sprint Pads.
Wheels: BBS e88 3 piece centrelock wheels. 9J/11Jx18
Controls: 996/997 Cup steering column and pedal box, 997 Cup aluminium floor mounted throttle pedal, 996 Cup shift housing, RSR steering rack, 997 Cup/RSR electric power steering pump, OMP steering wheel with quick disconnect. Cup wiper system.
Electrics: Porsche Motorsport (Bosch Motorsport) MS3 ECU, Cup front, main, battery and engine wiring looms. Custom cup/street centre loom. Cup instrument panel, AIM MXL dash/datalogger (with additional logging of crankcase, fuel, brake and oil pressures), AIM GPS05, custom dash panel with driver systems controls (incl some additional control circuits) and warning lights, uprated main relay. Rear view camera and screen (still to go in). Door locks and electric windows. Plumbed in, electrically operated fire system.
Interior: 1969 911R inspired interior with ribbed rubber flooring, GT3 door cards, GT3 dash and glovebox and GT3 A pillar trim. Cup floorboard. Rest bare. GT3 nomex seats (and 997 Cup carbon fiber OMP seat for track use). Cup cockpit ventilation system (Blower unit and ducting).
Edited by fioran0 on Friday 30th May 08:35
Love it. Looking forward to regular updates.
I'm interested to know more about the RSR steering rack. Why choose this/what's the difference?
Also, more pics of the interior please! No cage? As an aside, one issue I'm having right now is I find myself reluctant to go for a short road blast in my 6.GT3 as the front welded cage necessitates having the harnesses on ultra-tight so I don't knock my head in the event of a collision (I am short enough to just about get away with this). I see you've gone for street doors but I have long since mothballed these in favour of carbon (the difference in weight is astonishing), though of course it means I must leave the front cage in place for side protection.
I'm interested to know more about the RSR steering rack. Why choose this/what's the difference?
Also, more pics of the interior please! No cage? As an aside, one issue I'm having right now is I find myself reluctant to go for a short road blast in my 6.GT3 as the front welded cage necessitates having the harnesses on ultra-tight so I don't knock my head in the event of a collision (I am short enough to just about get away with this). I see you've gone for street doors but I have long since mothballed these in favour of carbon (the difference in weight is astonishing), though of course it means I must leave the front cage in place for side protection.
Thanks, glad some of you found it worth a flick through.
I am not really sure where the thread will go in terms of additional content. It was in essence a stand alone sort of thread. A heres what I've been doing if you fancy a look and are having a cuppa ramble.
The car is finished (save for a few odds and ends) so theres no "build" to come so the build sheet is a summary run through of whats actually all on there rather than a wish list.
With better weather on the ascendency I will try to take some more pics or a few videos to add up. Before that I need to get some street rubber put on to one of my sets of e88s so I can properly get it out. I only have sets of wheels with slicks or no tyres mounted at the moment.
Its taken an absolute age to do, 2 years or so I guess including stripping the original car down to a bare shell etc but it has only been me doing the work. Some bits took a while to order, others were away for machining etc, I got submerged work wise around September (right when the engine went in) and didn't get to do anything at all until a few weeks ago, I also went away for a whole summer during those 2 years etc.
Theres no reason for it taking that long other than thats how long it took with me dipping in and out. The build was part of the enjoyment so there was no pressure to get it out the door.
Let me think on discussing the rack, I may email you instead if thats ok. What it does have is lock stops to save me crushing my brake cooling ducts or jamming the front wheels.
Absolutely no cage at the moment, I MAY reinstate a rear half only but if I do i will use the later style cage design with the improved HANS angles so the original cup cage was of no use either way. As i said, this is not to be a race car, I'm going to the supermarket in this thing so I don't want it in. I have other Cups for anything serious around a track. This shell is much stiffer without the cage than a 996 cup with a cage and its also now much more durable too.
The cage decision of course then influences the door decision. No carbon doors without full door bars.
I have the doors in a box, I am just not using them despite loving them to bits. To be honest, I also wanted doors that lock and windows I can use rather than deciding in advance, window or no window as with the carbon door design so it was an easy decision to make.
I have nothing of the interior thats not just grainy and woeful or I would have posted it up. I will take some when I next get it out though. Anything you want to see in particular? Tiny loom, ECU mounted on the plate behind the PAX seat, AIM dash and stock Cup dials running in tandem. Mounting this on the steering cowl lets me use both at the same time giving tons of driver info using the traditional dials and then the digital dash in front. It blocks the rev counter but I have that on the MXL. Its how I've always had them fitted and I much prefer this way than fitting it instead of the factory dials like the 997 Cup with its motec. This reduces the amount of info visually available at any one time. I actually have a spare dash panel from my 997 Cup that I considered fitting up for a cleaner look but I like having all the info at once.
If anyone knows how to take an interior picture without it just looking a mess please feel free to share with me the secret. Is there some sort of angle technique that is handed down from photographer to photographer? I just get dark pics and lots of one thing dominating the picture.
I am not really sure where the thread will go in terms of additional content. It was in essence a stand alone sort of thread. A heres what I've been doing if you fancy a look and are having a cuppa ramble.
The car is finished (save for a few odds and ends) so theres no "build" to come so the build sheet is a summary run through of whats actually all on there rather than a wish list.
With better weather on the ascendency I will try to take some more pics or a few videos to add up. Before that I need to get some street rubber put on to one of my sets of e88s so I can properly get it out. I only have sets of wheels with slicks or no tyres mounted at the moment.
Its taken an absolute age to do, 2 years or so I guess including stripping the original car down to a bare shell etc but it has only been me doing the work. Some bits took a while to order, others were away for machining etc, I got submerged work wise around September (right when the engine went in) and didn't get to do anything at all until a few weeks ago, I also went away for a whole summer during those 2 years etc.
Theres no reason for it taking that long other than thats how long it took with me dipping in and out. The build was part of the enjoyment so there was no pressure to get it out the door.
Let me think on discussing the rack, I may email you instead if thats ok. What it does have is lock stops to save me crushing my brake cooling ducts or jamming the front wheels.
Absolutely no cage at the moment, I MAY reinstate a rear half only but if I do i will use the later style cage design with the improved HANS angles so the original cup cage was of no use either way. As i said, this is not to be a race car, I'm going to the supermarket in this thing so I don't want it in. I have other Cups for anything serious around a track. This shell is much stiffer without the cage than a 996 cup with a cage and its also now much more durable too.
The cage decision of course then influences the door decision. No carbon doors without full door bars.
I have the doors in a box, I am just not using them despite loving them to bits. To be honest, I also wanted doors that lock and windows I can use rather than deciding in advance, window or no window as with the carbon door design so it was an easy decision to make.
I have nothing of the interior thats not just grainy and woeful or I would have posted it up. I will take some when I next get it out though. Anything you want to see in particular? Tiny loom, ECU mounted on the plate behind the PAX seat, AIM dash and stock Cup dials running in tandem. Mounting this on the steering cowl lets me use both at the same time giving tons of driver info using the traditional dials and then the digital dash in front. It blocks the rev counter but I have that on the MXL. Its how I've always had them fitted and I much prefer this way than fitting it instead of the factory dials like the 997 Cup with its motec. This reduces the amount of info visually available at any one time. I actually have a spare dash panel from my 997 Cup that I considered fitting up for a cleaner look but I like having all the info at once.
If anyone knows how to take an interior picture without it just looking a mess please feel free to share with me the secret. Is there some sort of angle technique that is handed down from photographer to photographer? I just get dark pics and lots of one thing dominating the picture.
Edited by fioran0 on Friday 30th May 18:20
fioran0 said:
This shell is much stiffer without the cage than a 996 cup with a cage and its also now much more durable too.
Interesting. I may have missed it in the above text, but how did you manage to get it that stiff?fioran0 said:
I have nothing of the interior thats not just grainy and woeful or I would have posted it up. I will take some when I next get it out though. Anything you want to see in particular?
Anything really. The whole lot if you can work out how the magazine pros do it. The instrument panel looks wonderful. Did you make it yourself? I sometimes look at my car and wonder what others might think of my shutlines, battle scars and generally cobbled together interior (like the unmarked horn switch that the MOT testers keep missing). Then I realise I shouldn't care less.Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff