1999 Porsche 996 C2 3.7

[shalmaneser]

I upgraded to litronics on my 996 also and while the improvement is significant over the halogens I would highly highly recommend the retrofit labs bi-xenon upgrade. Gives you proper bi-xenon high beam and much better low beam too.

I'd love to fit the cobras to my car too, I saw those items for sale on 911uk and was tempted but with a grey interior I just wasn't convinced they would work, they look great to your car though!

I'm also jealous of your brake calipers, mine are.boring black and I'd love to get some red ones! Must keep an eye out on eBay....

[ReverendCounter]

OK, you're a committed spanner monkey, you live inside the capital's ULEZ, and the car commands a particularly high RFL; so if the car's a keeper, how about:

£0 RFL + full ULEZ exemption?

1) get a pair of ali brackets machined up that mount to the front suspension, somewhere
2) get a pair of low power, non performance electric motors mounted into the brackets which direct drive the inside of the front wheels with thick rubber bushes/drive wheels on the motor shafts
3) get a small capacity REMOVABLE lipo mounted somewhere, that charges overnight, at home, outside of the car
4) get a simple EV ancilliary installed in the car to connect it all up

Now what you do is:

1) drive to the MOT station under engine power
2) switch to EV when you get there
3) explain its an EV and demonstrate to the inspector
4) get zero emission status applied to the car when it passes the emission test with the engine off
5) drive back home
6) unbolt the motors, remove the battery

Enjoy £0 RFL and £0 ULEZ charges - it should pay for itself in how many years?

[Mallone]

shalmaneser said:

I upgraded to litronics on my 996 also and while the improvement is significant over the halogens I would highly highly recommend the retrofit labs bi-xenon upgrade. Gives you proper bi-xenon high beam and much better low beam too.

I'd love to fit the cobras to my car too, I saw those items for sale on 911uk and was tempted but with a grey interior I just wasn't convinced they would work, they look great to your car though!

I'm also jealous of your brake calipers, mine are.boring black and I'd love to get some red ones! Must keep an eye out on eBay....

Yeah, the Retrofit Labs kit is on the list at some point. Even fresh bulbs would probably make a reasonable difference. Just need to let the finances recover after that solenoid failure!

[Mallone]

ReverendCounter said:

OK, you're a committed spanner monkey, you live inside the capital's ULEZ, and the car commands a particularly high RFL; so if the car's a keeper, how about:

£0 RFL + full ULEZ exemption?

1) get a pair of ali brackets machined up that mount to the front suspension, somewhere
2) get a pair of low power, non performance electric motors mounted into the brackets which direct drive the inside of the front wheels with thick rubber bushes/drive wheels on the motor shafts
3) get a small capacity REMOVABLE lipo mounted somewhere, that charges overnight, at home, outside of the car
4) get a simple EV ancilliary installed in the car to connect it all up

Now what you do is:

1) drive to the MOT station under engine power
2) switch to EV when you get there
3) explain its an EV and demonstrate to the inspector
4) get zero emission status applied to the car when it passes the emission test with the engine off
5) drive back home
6) unbolt the motors, remove the battery

Enjoy £0 RFL and £0 ULEZ charges - it should pay for itself in how many years?

Must admit this is a bit of a left field project suggestion

I wouldn’t even know where to start with the design or cost of building an electrical system like that, but the car is already ULEZ exempt (https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=230&t=1851459) so the time to pay for itself probably quite a bit longer than you might have anticipated!

[shalmaneser]

Mallone said:

shalmaneser said:

I upgraded to litronics on my 996 also and while the improvement is significant over the halogens I would highly highly recommend the retrofit labs bi-xenon upgrade. Gives you proper bi-xenon high beam and much better low beam too.

I'd love to fit the cobras to my car too, I saw those items for sale on 911uk and was tempted but with a grey interior I just wasn't convinced they would work, they look great to your car though!

I'm also jealous of your brake calipers, mine are.boring black and I'd love to get some red ones! Must keep an eye out on eBay....

Yeah, the Retrofit Labs kit is on the list at some point. Even fresh bulbs would probably make a reasonable difference. Just need to let the finances recover after that solenoid failure!

Great the upgraded projectors are a really worthwhile upgrade.

Understand that the finances need to recover after the cam solenoids they are a pretty spendy job! Tempted to do mine at some point as my cam deviation is hovering around 7 degrees and my cam chain sliders look like they need to be replaced at some point. I understand it can just about be done with the engine in the car, I've already tackled the exhaust manifold bolts so at least that part of the job should be simple....

[Chunkychucky]

Just read this thread OP and I love the approach that's been taken/the mods carried out

As you say, looks awesome in the side-on shot without the rear deck lid. Wasn't taken with the 996 when it came out, however with age the pre-facelift cars look great IMO and yours is probably the favourite of all i've seen.

[Mikeeb]

The seats looks great. I’m just about to pull the pin on a custom Nogaro for the drivers side in my 996. They’ll match the grey leather of my interior for me so it doesn’t look to out of place. I want to keep the folding passenger seat.

Glad to read of another satisfied owner.

[ReverendCounter]

Mallone said:

Must admit this is a bit of a left field project suggestion

I wouldn’t even know where to start with the design or cost of building an electrical system like that, but the car is already ULEZ exempt

I've got a range of solutions to problems which don't exist and If you're lucky I won't share them.

[Siko]

Absolutely brilliant thread OP thank you. I had an original C2 3.4 back in 2003 and adored it…until the engine went pop. Iirc it was the intermediate driveshaft but I do remember very clearly the bill for the rebuild - £6.5k.

That said I still hanker after one but I get the cold shivers remembering how financially painful the experience was at the time - the cost of 1 years ownership came to £20k and when I sold it straight from the rebuild I had enough cash left to buy a mountain bike and a 20 yr old VW polo!

This is incredibly rude of me to ask and I appreciate you probably won’t answer it, understandably so, but what do you think your total costs are on the car to date? I’m full of admiration for what you’ve done to it btw

[ATM]

Siko said:

This is incredibly rude of me to ask and I appreciate you probably won’t answer it, understandably so, but what do you think your total costs are on the car to date?

Perhaps some rough guesses

Car itself - jury is out on the market value for an early 996 3.4 but you can guess anything between 15 to 25.

3.7 engine is 15 surely but no idea really and cost goes up if you need new clutch flywheel and other bits and pieces

Seats 2.5 to 3ish

Steering wheel - I see the momo is back - few hundred

Shocks and springs and whatever else is all off the shelf 996 but you can spend 5 on a full suspension refresh

I don't see you getting into a car like this for less than 30 and it's probably more like 40

[Siko]

Thanks I was guessing roughly the same. I guess the reason why (apart from natural curiousity driven by his amazing thread) is wondering whether I had deep enough pockets now to go into Porsche ownership again. I think that i don’t tbh, given our ongoing house renovation, my medical issues and a youngish family. Sadly I guess I’ll be another fat old bloke buying a new Porsche with his pension money in 16 years time instead

[ATM]

Siko said:

Thanks I was guessing roughly the same. I guess the reason why (apart from natural curiousity driven by his amazing thread) is wondering whether I had deep enough pockets now to go into Porsche ownership again. I think that i don’t tbh, given our ongoing house renovation, my medical issues and a youngish family. Sadly I guess I’ll be another fat old bloke buying a new Porsche with his pension money in 16 years time instead

Thats a shame.

If you pull out the 3.7 engine then it doesn't look so scary. I think the 3.4 is fine. Much more punchy than a 986 3.2. You can get into a simple 3.4 for 15 to xxx depending on what you want to spend. I started with a cheaper one and now I have a more expensive one too. There is a vibrant community of dreamers and owners over here

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Siko]

ATM said:

Thats a shame.

If you pull out the 3.7 engine then it doesn't look so scary. I think the 3.4 is fine. Much more punchy than a 986 3.2. You can get into a simple 3.4 for 15 to xxx depending on what you want to spend. I started with a cheaper one and now I have a more expensive one too. There is a vibrant community of dreamers and owners over here

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thanks mate - all very tempting indeed and I definitely want to get back in one before too long. Without hijacking this amazing thread (sorry OP), am currently fighting stage 2 cancer and expected to make a full recovery (touch wood) but being a commercial pilot I am also potentially looking at losing my salary dependent on whether they give me my licence back. That said I have had a small payout which is enough to a) get our house revnovated in case we need to sell due to aforementioned sh*tty disease or b) buy a mint 996 C4S

[shalmaneser]

Siko said:

ATM said:

Thats a shame.

If you pull out the 3.7 engine then it doesn't look so scary. I think the 3.4 is fine. Much more punchy than a 986 3.2. You can get into a simple 3.4 for 15 to xxx depending on what you want to spend. I started with a cheaper one and now I have a more expensive one too. There is a vibrant community of dreamers and owners over here

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thanks mate - all very tempting indeed and I definitely want to get back in one before too long. Without hijacking this amazing thread (sorry OP), am currently fighting stage 2 cancer and expected to make a full recovery (touch wood) but being a commercial pilot I am also potentially looking at losing my salary dependent on whether they give me my licence back. That said I have had a small payout which is enough to a) get our house revnovated in case we need to sell due to aforementioned sh*tty disease or b) buy a mint 996 C4S

That is tough Siko glad to hear things are looking promising though. I'd be looking very seriously at a 986 3.2, it's 90% of the car for 50% of the money of a 996 (as a 996 owner!). Depends if you need the rear seats obviously.

[ATM]

shalmaneser said:

Siko said:

ATM said:

Thats a shame.

If you pull out the 3.7 engine then it doesn't look so scary. I think the 3.4 is fine. Much more punchy than a 986 3.2. You can get into a simple 3.4 for 15 to xxx depending on what you want to spend. I started with a cheaper one and now I have a more expensive one too. There is a vibrant community of dreamers and owners over here

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thanks mate - all very tempting indeed and I definitely want to get back in one before too long. Without hijacking this amazing thread (sorry OP), am currently fighting stage 2 cancer and expected to make a full recovery (touch wood) but being a commercial pilot I am also potentially looking at losing my salary dependent on whether they give me my licence back. That said I have had a small payout which is enough to a) get our house revnovated in case we need to sell due to aforementioned sh*tty disease or b) buy a mint 996 C4S

That is tough Siko glad to hear things are looking promising though. I'd be looking very seriously at a 986 3.2, it's 90% of the car for 50% of the money of a 996 (as a 996 owner!). Depends if you need the rear seats obviously.

Commenting purely on the car stuff only....

Dont start thinking that a C4S is better than a 3.4 as they are very different cars. Yes they do look better from some angles but the 3.6 engine is a totally different proposition in terms of risk. The earlier 3.4 is I believe the most solid of all these engines OOTB. Plus why would you want 4wd. The C4S is just a lot heavier for a lot of stuff you dont really need.

I love the drive in my 3.4 every time I drive it. So why try to change it. Just get a 3.4 C2 and they are cheaper too.

[ECG1000]

Read that from start to finish and thoroughly enjoyed it. Got me hankering after a 996 hot road again!
You've essentially done your own stealthy CSR build - love it. I test drove the grey CSR that your OZ's came from about 4 years ago and nearly pulled the trigger, but couldn't justify the perceived value of it. Much prefer what you've done.

Looking forward to the next update.

[Scoobydrew95]

Great write up, given me a few ideas with things i could do and need to do on my shed.

Seem bloody unlucky with a few things but glad it's coming along! Touring look is definitely the right choice. Are you still contemplating putting a Carrera badge on it?

[shalmaneser]

ATM said:

shalmaneser said:

Siko said:

ATM said:

Thats a shame.

If you pull out the 3.7 engine then it doesn't look so scary. I think the 3.4 is fine. Much more punchy than a 986 3.2. You can get into a simple 3.4 for 15 to xxx depending on what you want to spend. I started with a cheaper one and now I have a more expensive one too. There is a vibrant community of dreamers and owners over here

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thanks mate - all very tempting indeed and I definitely want to get back in one before too long. Without hijacking this amazing thread (sorry OP), am currently fighting stage 2 cancer and expected to make a full recovery (touch wood) but being a commercial pilot I am also potentially looking at losing my salary dependent on whether they give me my licence back. That said I have had a small payout which is enough to a) get our house revnovated in case we need to sell due to aforementioned sh*tty disease or b) buy a mint 996 C4S

That is tough Siko glad to hear things are looking promising though. I'd be looking very seriously at a 986 3.2, it's 90% of the car for 50% of the money of a 996 (as a 996 owner!). Depends if you need the rear seats obviously.

Commenting purely on the car stuff only....

Dont start thinking that a C4S is better than a 3.4 as they are very different cars. Yes they do look better from some angles but the 3.6 engine is a totally different proposition in terms of risk. The earlier 3.4 is I believe the most solid of all these engines OOTB. Plus why would you want 4wd. The C4S is just a lot heavier for a lot of stuff you dont really need.

I love the drive in my 3.4 every time I drive it. So why try to change it. Just get a 3.4 C2 and they are cheaper too.

Agreed C4S is all mouth and no trousers.

996.1 C2 1320kg 300bhp 0.2273 100%
996.2 C4S 1495kg 320bhp 0.2140 94%

6% less power to weight and that's before some sympathetic weight savings on the 996.1....

[ATM]

shalmaneser said:

ATM said:

shalmaneser said:

Siko said:

ATM said:

Thats a shame.

If you pull out the 3.7 engine then it doesn't look so scary. I think the 3.4 is fine. Much more punchy than a 986 3.2. You can get into a simple 3.4 for 15 to xxx depending on what you want to spend. I started with a cheaper one and now I have a more expensive one too. There is a vibrant community of dreamers and owners over here

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thanks mate - all very tempting indeed and I definitely want to get back in one before too long. Without hijacking this amazing thread (sorry OP), am currently fighting stage 2 cancer and expected to make a full recovery (touch wood) but being a commercial pilot I am also potentially looking at losing my salary dependent on whether they give me my licence back. That said I have had a small payout which is enough to a) get our house revnovated in case we need to sell due to aforementioned sh*tty disease or b) buy a mint 996 C4S

That is tough Siko glad to hear things are looking promising though. I'd be looking very seriously at a 986 3.2, it's 90% of the car for 50% of the money of a 996 (as a 996 owner!). Depends if you need the rear seats obviously.

Commenting purely on the car stuff only....

Dont start thinking that a C4S is better than a 3.4 as they are very different cars. Yes they do look better from some angles but the 3.6 engine is a totally different proposition in terms of risk. The earlier 3.4 is I believe the most solid of all these engines OOTB. Plus why would you want 4wd. The C4S is just a lot heavier for a lot of stuff you dont really need.

I love the drive in my 3.4 every time I drive it. So why try to change it. Just get a 3.4 C2 and they are cheaper too.

Agreed C4S is all mouth and no trousers.

996.1 C2 1320kg 300bhp 0.2273 100%
996.2 C4S 1495kg 320bhp 0.2140 94%

6% less power to weight and that's before some sympathetic weight savings on the 996.1....

I'm used to seeing 1 x 996 C4S occasionally in my local area. But I never see any gen 1 996 cars on the road ever. Its a very exclusive club.

[MrC986]

Whilst I resisted the “urge” to increase the capacity of my 3.4 when I had the full rebuild done a few years ago, it was the first question my techie asked me having told me my engine was mullered

We’re a broad church of enthusiasts here and everyone has their own take on extra capacity/bhp and mine was that I bought my current 996 (having had a 986 Boxster S & two other 996s) for its analogue characteristics and instead of extra cc’s etc. I changed the exhaust (‘‘twas a Dansk pair of boxes) and with a group discount bought a Topgear set of loud boxes and 200 cell cats for a much more cost effective level and then ultimately removed the original sports seats and added bucket seats, also removed the rear seats and added a CAE shifter to further enhance the driving experience.

I’ve done what many do on here and sorted the mechanical side before the major cosmetics as I’m fearful if I have a complete respray I may not want to drive it for fear of getting it stone chipped etc.

Whilst I’ve got a full aerokit equipped car, I do wonder how a ducktail conversion would look (& to keep the aerokit rear wing to swap back/forth)?!

It’s good to see a reader’s ownership experience and journey of upgrades (not that many of us need any encouragement who lurk around this part of the forum )