Red 3.4 Carrera
Discussion
With recent first time inputs on this forum by 2 of my mates (e34 M5 LE and the Red NSX), and reading some other cool threads over the past few days, I decided to give it a go myself.
Before I get to the title, I thought I should start with a slice of my car story that led up to today.
In 2017 I sold my fast road spec, fuel injected, ITB'd BMW 2002 roundie to a friend that had pestered me to buy it for the entire 3 years I owned it. It was starting to pull a lot of oil past the rings and was really due a rebuild. I couldn't afford a rebuild and I really didn't like the idea of owning a car that would sit in the garage for a couple of years, whilst I drip fed funds into it. So, it was time for it to go.
When looking around for a replacement, I noticed that 996's were selling for a similar price to the cash I had burning a hole in my pocket. The early 3.4's were known to be fairly reliable and with a 6 speed manual, rear wheel drive and 300hp, it was all too tempting. The only problem was, the cars in my budget (£10k) were tip-tronic, 4wd or cab's.
After a bit of lurking on the 996 FB groups, my ideal car came up...
A 1998, C2 manual coupe with 89k miles and brand new everything. All new suspension (springs, shocks, anti-roll bars, coffin arms, tuning forks etc), New clutch and flywheel, upgraded IMS, new brakes, fresh paint and freshly powder coated wheels. The catch was - category D.
I went and viewed the car and fell in love with it. It was exactly what I wanted, and the work that had been done suited my immediately tight budget, so I did the deal, drove home and stuck it in the garage, a very happy man.
I did a couple modifications to this car, such as H&R lowering springs and the black aesthetic on the spoiler, and used it as my daily driver.
It even worked great as a new family bus!
After 18 months of thoroughly enjoyable, and utterly reliable ownership, I decided that if I were to stay in a 911, that it should be accident free. The reason for this, is that I had almost come to terms with the fact that these cars can demand an engine rebuild at any moment, and I didn't want to sink that type of cash into a category car...
So, I sold it and looked for a replacement. The rules were:
NOT silver
3.4 (pre facelift)
under 100k miles
Good provenance
Aero kit
After several months of searching, I lost my way and bought this crock of s
te below
143k miles, a terrible previous owner who was dishonest and didn't look after his car properly - other than stick some expensive oil in it and add a couple of nice engine parts...
So, why the hell did I buy it?
Well, I took a one-way ticket on a train, on Sunday 23rd December 2018, 3 hours away from my home. I viewed the car, thought it was terrible and that the owner was a complete cretin and decided to walk away from the deal. I walked back to the train station and the guy, obviously desperate to sell his car, did me a deal I couldn't refuse (I really low balled him when I realised I didn't want it) and I took it home with me.
Anyway, I sold that after 6 months.
So the search began again, with the same previous criteria, but this time I got lucky...
Word of mouth (thanks to Nick from the Paint Shack - Cornwall) led me to a car that was imminently due to be sold via consignment by a well know Porsche specialist - Williams Crawford.
I spoke to the retired gentleman over the phone, and he sent me a few pictures really showing this car in its best possible light
Obviously, after seeing these high quality images I knew I needed to stand in front of the car. So I left a deposit and took a flight to Newquay, Cornwall to view it.
The car is a January 1998 Guards Red Carrera with dealer fit Aero kit and 62,000 miles.
The deal was done, and here is the first picture I took once it was mine!
Then the 6 hour journey home, in monsoon weather began... I needed 2 hands on the wheel at all times because the roads were swimming. 2 out of 3 lanes closed on the motorway due to flooding gives you an idea and having no traction control in the most expensive car I have ever bought, meant that my coffee needed securing in the cabin using a handy portable cup holder.
Next update tomorrow.
Before I get to the title, I thought I should start with a slice of my car story that led up to today.
In 2017 I sold my fast road spec, fuel injected, ITB'd BMW 2002 roundie to a friend that had pestered me to buy it for the entire 3 years I owned it. It was starting to pull a lot of oil past the rings and was really due a rebuild. I couldn't afford a rebuild and I really didn't like the idea of owning a car that would sit in the garage for a couple of years, whilst I drip fed funds into it. So, it was time for it to go.
When looking around for a replacement, I noticed that 996's were selling for a similar price to the cash I had burning a hole in my pocket. The early 3.4's were known to be fairly reliable and with a 6 speed manual, rear wheel drive and 300hp, it was all too tempting. The only problem was, the cars in my budget (£10k) were tip-tronic, 4wd or cab's.
After a bit of lurking on the 996 FB groups, my ideal car came up...
A 1998, C2 manual coupe with 89k miles and brand new everything. All new suspension (springs, shocks, anti-roll bars, coffin arms, tuning forks etc), New clutch and flywheel, upgraded IMS, new brakes, fresh paint and freshly powder coated wheels. The catch was - category D.
I went and viewed the car and fell in love with it. It was exactly what I wanted, and the work that had been done suited my immediately tight budget, so I did the deal, drove home and stuck it in the garage, a very happy man.
I did a couple modifications to this car, such as H&R lowering springs and the black aesthetic on the spoiler, and used it as my daily driver.
It even worked great as a new family bus!
After 18 months of thoroughly enjoyable, and utterly reliable ownership, I decided that if I were to stay in a 911, that it should be accident free. The reason for this, is that I had almost come to terms with the fact that these cars can demand an engine rebuild at any moment, and I didn't want to sink that type of cash into a category car...
So, I sold it and looked for a replacement. The rules were:
NOT silver
3.4 (pre facelift)
under 100k miles
Good provenance
Aero kit
After several months of searching, I lost my way and bought this crock of s
te below143k miles, a terrible previous owner who was dishonest and didn't look after his car properly - other than stick some expensive oil in it and add a couple of nice engine parts...
So, why the hell did I buy it?
Well, I took a one-way ticket on a train, on Sunday 23rd December 2018, 3 hours away from my home. I viewed the car, thought it was terrible and that the owner was a complete cretin and decided to walk away from the deal. I walked back to the train station and the guy, obviously desperate to sell his car, did me a deal I couldn't refuse (I really low balled him when I realised I didn't want it) and I took it home with me.
Anyway, I sold that after 6 months.
So the search began again, with the same previous criteria, but this time I got lucky...
Word of mouth (thanks to Nick from the Paint Shack - Cornwall) led me to a car that was imminently due to be sold via consignment by a well know Porsche specialist - Williams Crawford.
I spoke to the retired gentleman over the phone, and he sent me a few pictures really showing this car in its best possible light
Obviously, after seeing these high quality images I knew I needed to stand in front of the car. So I left a deposit and took a flight to Newquay, Cornwall to view it.
The car is a January 1998 Guards Red Carrera with dealer fit Aero kit and 62,000 miles.
The deal was done, and here is the first picture I took once it was mine!
Then the 6 hour journey home, in monsoon weather began... I needed 2 hands on the wheel at all times because the roads were swimming. 2 out of 3 lanes closed on the motorway due to flooding gives you an idea and having no traction control in the most expensive car I have ever bought, meant that my coffee needed securing in the cabin using a handy portable cup holder.
Next update tomorrow.
Edited by Alfred Pina on Friday 12th February 13:58
So, first things first. Interior needs attention...
My first 996 had the centre console delete. I loved it so much, that I kept hold of it when I sold that car on - knowing I was buying another 996. It gives the interior the classic 'floating dash' look and provides more leg room. This was most apparent when I did a track day in the 996.2 and came home with bruising on my left leg where the 996.1 was spot on.
Whilst doing this job, I also replaced the stereo with an old black HU I had in the shed, and painted the horseshoe in black to stop it hurting my eyes.
Much better.
So, I bought this car in November 2019 and my intentions were to use it on track, just like the previous 2 cars.
With this car only having 62k miles on the clock, it was still running with its original cooling system components, suspension and clutch.
Therefore, I decided to book a track day in January - 3 hours away from my home, at Snetterton.
I wanted to meet a friend who was testing out his freshly turboed 635csi and also shakedown my car with a few fairly gentle laps to see what issues I find...
Issue found. After 2 sighting laps and 4 open pit laps, one of the front rads sprung a leak.
That was the end of my track day.
I stuck some radweld into the system which sealed it up lovely, and got me home without issue.
With the cooling system obviously tired, I set to replacing the following:
2x Front Radiators
1x Fan Resistor (this was a £10 resistor replacing the £130ish?? OEM resistor)
OEM water pump
Low Temp Thermostat
Vacuum extraction and coolant replacement with OEM Porsche spec fluid (22l iirc)
The AC condenser sandwiches old leaves and crud between it and the radiator on both sides and causes the rads to rot out.
You can see how it has swollen here
I can't find the pictures, but the Pierburg water pump sold by autodoc is the OEM part and comes with the 996 part number stamped on it for 1/2 the price.
To protect all of my hard work, I ordered some wire mesh from eBay an made some custom bumper grills.
Sorry, but no after pictures of this, but it's super neat from the outside and catches everything. I was also monitoring coolant temperature whilst spanking it, and there have been no issues with higher running temps due to decreased airflow. Winner.
My first 996 had the centre console delete. I loved it so much, that I kept hold of it when I sold that car on - knowing I was buying another 996. It gives the interior the classic 'floating dash' look and provides more leg room. This was most apparent when I did a track day in the 996.2 and came home with bruising on my left leg where the 996.1 was spot on.
Whilst doing this job, I also replaced the stereo with an old black HU I had in the shed, and painted the horseshoe in black to stop it hurting my eyes.
Much better.
So, I bought this car in November 2019 and my intentions were to use it on track, just like the previous 2 cars.
With this car only having 62k miles on the clock, it was still running with its original cooling system components, suspension and clutch.
Therefore, I decided to book a track day in January - 3 hours away from my home, at Snetterton.
I wanted to meet a friend who was testing out his freshly turboed 635csi and also shakedown my car with a few fairly gentle laps to see what issues I find...
Issue found. After 2 sighting laps and 4 open pit laps, one of the front rads sprung a leak.
That was the end of my track day.
I stuck some radweld into the system which sealed it up lovely, and got me home without issue.
With the cooling system obviously tired, I set to replacing the following:
2x Front Radiators
1x Fan Resistor (this was a £10 resistor replacing the £130ish?? OEM resistor)
OEM water pump
Low Temp Thermostat
Vacuum extraction and coolant replacement with OEM Porsche spec fluid (22l iirc)
The AC condenser sandwiches old leaves and crud between it and the radiator on both sides and causes the rads to rot out.
You can see how it has swollen here
I can't find the pictures, but the Pierburg water pump sold by autodoc is the OEM part and comes with the 996 part number stamped on it for 1/2 the price.
To protect all of my hard work, I ordered some wire mesh from eBay an made some custom bumper grills.
Sorry, but no after pictures of this, but it's super neat from the outside and catches everything. I was also monitoring coolant temperature whilst spanking it, and there have been no issues with higher running temps due to decreased airflow. Winner.
Edited by Dave Moore on Tuesday 15th December 21:18
RS Grant said:
I really like a 2002, a friend built an Alpina replica that went through Collecting Cars recently.. was an awesome looking wee thing.
I've never been a fan of the pre-facelift 996.1 front end but I think it must be colour sensitive because I actually think it looks great in red; might be the nice photos, or the aero kit/wheel combination that makes some of the difference here too but I think it's a lot to do with the colour. Regardless of colour/spec, without fail, every time a 996 thread comes up I end up heading into the classifieds and that isn't about to change today...
The 996.1 design has grown to be my favourite now. Having had both cars, I always thought I preferred the facelift, but I think the original design looks more sympathetic to the rest of the cars design.I've never been a fan of the pre-facelift 996.1 front end but I think it must be colour sensitive because I actually think it looks great in red; might be the nice photos, or the aero kit/wheel combination that makes some of the difference here too but I think it's a lot to do with the colour. Regardless of colour/spec, without fail, every time a 996 thread comes up I end up heading into the classifieds and that isn't about to change today...
I also really love a standard plain 996 that is lowered. therealsamdailly has the prime example of this - beautiful.
I am very happy with my aero car though, specifically because its in guards red
Paracetamol said:
That looks like a great car to eventually rebuild the engine on. I can see these cars eventually becoming sought after as the more traditional choices (964 , 993) become totally out of reach
In terms of driving pleasure, it has to be right up there in the 911 world. It's just so simple and raw.Next on the list was a nice cheap upgrade to GT3 front and rear brake ducts. They are about £15 for all 4 from Porsche!
Original design
Modified design - you can see the extra surface area and the additional sculpturing for better directional air flow.
The original wheels are also quite tucked into the arches by modern standards, so I opted for 15mm spacers all round.
Obviously, the wheels get a clean whilst off. As it turns out, I end up taking the wheels off and cleaning them inside quite often which was never something I did on previous cars. Probably because it's much easier now I have a decent garage.
A friend of mine came to visit me in his new purchase.
We had an incredible day driving around the Shropshire B roads. Swapped keys and did some back to back testing! The NSX is a real delight - I will probably do a separate write up on that if anyone is interested. Unfortunately, the roads were damp, so we didn't push either cars too hard. Having no TC is fun the majority of times, but when you enter a wet corner and find mud strewn across the surface, you suddenly wished you had a safety net...
Next up was another track day, this time at Blyton Park. In order to prepare for this, 3 days before the track day, I put on 4 PS4S tyres and changed the sump out for an OEM X51 baffled item (£270 from Porsche) along with fresh oil and a brake fluid change.
Upon removal of my sump, to my horror I found a loose bolt, bracket and black plastic pieces.
The bracket and bolt were from the oil level sensor, so that had a bit of lock tight and torqued back up. The plastic was obviously a worry. It is from the timing chain guides and I it had been caused due to weak timing chain tensioners allowing the chain to slap against the guides every cold start. There were also some thicker bits of black plastic that were from the IMS chain guide. These bits can break off when inserting a new IMS bearing. Mine has the upgraded LN Engineering bearing already fitted so it's assumed it happened when that was fitted.
Because it's really unlikely the engine would completely fail due to this, paired with the fact the oil filter was completely clean, I decided to clean up the oil pick-up tube and button it all back up and do the track day anyway - but with short shifting, not to tempt fate.
I had an awesome day! The car performed faultlessly and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Brakes were a bit rubbish, but I think they just require decent discs and pads rather than anything dramatic at this moment. The tyres got too hot after about 4 laps, which made for very entertaining handling on the S.
VIDEOS
Original design
Modified design - you can see the extra surface area and the additional sculpturing for better directional air flow.
The original wheels are also quite tucked into the arches by modern standards, so I opted for 15mm spacers all round.
Obviously, the wheels get a clean whilst off. As it turns out, I end up taking the wheels off and cleaning them inside quite often which was never something I did on previous cars. Probably because it's much easier now I have a decent garage.
A friend of mine came to visit me in his new purchase.
We had an incredible day driving around the Shropshire B roads. Swapped keys and did some back to back testing! The NSX is a real delight - I will probably do a separate write up on that if anyone is interested. Unfortunately, the roads were damp, so we didn't push either cars too hard. Having no TC is fun the majority of times, but when you enter a wet corner and find mud strewn across the surface, you suddenly wished you had a safety net...
Next up was another track day, this time at Blyton Park. In order to prepare for this, 3 days before the track day, I put on 4 PS4S tyres and changed the sump out for an OEM X51 baffled item (£270 from Porsche) along with fresh oil and a brake fluid change.
Upon removal of my sump, to my horror I found a loose bolt, bracket and black plastic pieces.
The bracket and bolt were from the oil level sensor, so that had a bit of lock tight and torqued back up. The plastic was obviously a worry. It is from the timing chain guides and I it had been caused due to weak timing chain tensioners allowing the chain to slap against the guides every cold start. There were also some thicker bits of black plastic that were from the IMS chain guide. These bits can break off when inserting a new IMS bearing. Mine has the upgraded LN Engineering bearing already fitted so it's assumed it happened when that was fitted.
Because it's really unlikely the engine would completely fail due to this, paired with the fact the oil filter was completely clean, I decided to clean up the oil pick-up tube and button it all back up and do the track day anyway - but with short shifting, not to tempt fate.
I had an awesome day! The car performed faultlessly and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Brakes were a bit rubbish, but I think they just require decent discs and pads rather than anything dramatic at this moment. The tyres got too hot after about 4 laps, which made for very entertaining handling on the S.
VIDEOS
Edited by Dave Moore on Thursday 17th December 07:58
Edited by Dave Moore on Thursday 17th December 08:15
scottos said:
That looks excellent, i really like the 996's although not sure i'd dare purchase one with all the horror stories, maybe as a second car though!
I did read the 2002 comment and instantly Lucy popped into my head, then saw the pictures of it! Ed's been going to town on it it would seem, the deeper he digs the more he finds (not from your ownership of course!)
It is indeed Lucy the 02. Has Ed got a thread on here then? I haven't spoken to him for a couple of years now. The last I knew, he was nearing completion of the rebuild.I did read the 2002 comment and instantly Lucy popped into my head, then saw the pictures of it! Ed's been going to town on it it would seem, the deeper he digs the more he finds
(not from your ownership of course!)Looking back at my previous post, I obviously screwed up the timeline a little (I have a terrible memory), because my garage was painted for the NSX visit, but not for the track day - not that it matters 
Looking at these pictures, I must have had the steering wheel fitted for my track day. But for continuation of the story - it's time for a steering wheel upgrade!
I had a Momo Mod 07 on my first 996. I really loved the look and feel of it, but I sold that with the car. So I got hold of another one, collected the additional bits required for a 996 install and got to it.
Here is the before
When you do an airbag delete, the system will carry out a built in test and expect a set resistance value to confirm the airbag is fitted and healthy. If the test fails, the airbag light will illuminate on the dash.
To remove the light without an airbag fitted, you have to fool the system to think that there is one fitted. For the 996, you need a resistance value between 2.7k and 3.3k ohms.
I can't remember what resister value I fitted, but I think it was 3k ohms.
So, what you do is cut the airbag connector (or buy an new one) off the clock spring, and loop in a 3k resistor. You will also notice that I fitted a 3a fuse. This is because the system still believes an airbag is fitted to the car, and in good health. So in the event of a crash, the airbag control unit will send power to the airbag (or resistor) to deploy it. Because the airbag won't deploy and create an open circuit, the fuse will blow and ensure there are no wiring fires.
Steering wheel off - disconnect the battery!
This part is for the connector into the back of the stalk module. There is an empty socket on the plug which you can use to supply power to the horn contactor in a nice, neat, OEM way. I believe the contactor is an 964 part. There is plenty of information around with the finer details on this if you are thinking of doing it yourself. Start with 'The Throttle Cable' channel on YT - he covers this in detail.
This plate is normally covered by the large base of the standard steering wheel. It is slightly visible with the new wheel, so I covered mine in some carbon wrap I had lying around from my rude days.
Done!
After that, I turned my attention back to the stereo. I ideally wanted an oem unit, but as my car never came with one, I wasn't prepared to pay for a rubbish old underpowered head unit. I looked at buying a lovely continental stereo, and I even had wind that a new Porsche classic unit was going to be released - but that was ££££'s
As another, slightly better interim solution than my current set-up, I settled on a Pioneer sph-10bt.
Additionally to this, I bought a targa roof switch and wired in my remote garage door opener to make my arrival back home feel that little bit more convenient and special
Now the cabin looks much better
Looking at these pictures, I must have had the steering wheel fitted for my track day. But for continuation of the story - it's time for a steering wheel upgrade!
I had a Momo Mod 07 on my first 996. I really loved the look and feel of it, but I sold that with the car. So I got hold of another one, collected the additional bits required for a 996 install and got to it.
Here is the before
When you do an airbag delete, the system will carry out a built in test and expect a set resistance value to confirm the airbag is fitted and healthy. If the test fails, the airbag light will illuminate on the dash.
To remove the light without an airbag fitted, you have to fool the system to think that there is one fitted. For the 996, you need a resistance value between 2.7k and 3.3k ohms.
I can't remember what resister value I fitted, but I think it was 3k ohms.
So, what you do is cut the airbag connector (or buy an new one) off the clock spring, and loop in a 3k resistor. You will also notice that I fitted a 3a fuse. This is because the system still believes an airbag is fitted to the car, and in good health. So in the event of a crash, the airbag control unit will send power to the airbag (or resistor) to deploy it. Because the airbag won't deploy and create an open circuit, the fuse will blow and ensure there are no wiring fires.
Steering wheel off - disconnect the battery!
This part is for the connector into the back of the stalk module. There is an empty socket on the plug which you can use to supply power to the horn contactor in a nice, neat, OEM way. I believe the contactor is an 964 part. There is plenty of information around with the finer details on this if you are thinking of doing it yourself. Start with 'The Throttle Cable' channel on YT - he covers this in detail.
This plate is normally covered by the large base of the standard steering wheel. It is slightly visible with the new wheel, so I covered mine in some carbon wrap I had lying around from my rude days.
Done!
After that, I turned my attention back to the stereo. I ideally wanted an oem unit, but as my car never came with one, I wasn't prepared to pay for a rubbish old underpowered head unit. I looked at buying a lovely continental stereo, and I even had wind that a new Porsche classic unit was going to be released - but that was ££££'s
As another, slightly better interim solution than my current set-up, I settled on a Pioneer sph-10bt.
Additionally to this, I bought a targa roof switch and wired in my remote garage door opener to make my arrival back home feel that little bit more convenient and special
Now the cabin looks much better
Edited by Dave Moore on Thursday 17th December 11:21
Time for some ARB's.
The 996 C2 is a fun car to drive on the limit. You can use the pendulum effect of the rear engine to assist with turn-in by lifting off the throttle mid corner, then if you wish, as the rear rotates around, you can plant the throttle again and do a hero power slide. It's mega satisfying to try and master.
The only problem is, the car will understeer quite badly on initial corner entry.
I have owned several FR cars and I have enjoyed the ability to skid a car on demand. You can't do that with a 2wd 996. Even if you kick the clutch on a wet roundabout, it will plough forwards nine times out of ten.
To correct this little 'issue' I opted for a set of Eibach adjustable hollow anti-roll bars.
Original rear
Cleaning up the mounting brackets
Comparison of the 2 rears
Fitted
I was so excited to cure the understeer; when these turn up I decided to fit the rear bar only and drive it like that for a couple of weeks.
The effect was pretty much dangerous over 70mph, but under 70mph was hilarious!
Here is an example of how it changed the handling - excuse the poor quality of the video, it just happened to be captured on a friends Cayman dashcam
You may have noticed that I installed it on the softest setting too
I fitted the front ARB afterwards and spent some time dialling in the right settings for me. I always have the front on the softest setting and the rear changes between position 3 (stiffest) for normal road, and position 2 for track / fast road. The reason I have done it that way around is to make the car more engaging at slower speeds on the road, but on track, I dial it back for a bit more neutrality.
Whilst under the car, I noticed the aircon pipe was leaking. These connections usually fuse together due to the dissimilar metals used on the clamp and bolt. After having the AC gas removed I gave it a go. Luckily, I got mine to separate without too much fuss and swapped out the O-ring.
The 996 C2 is a fun car to drive on the limit. You can use the pendulum effect of the rear engine to assist with turn-in by lifting off the throttle mid corner, then if you wish, as the rear rotates around, you can plant the throttle again and do a hero power slide. It's mega satisfying to try and master.
The only problem is, the car will understeer quite badly on initial corner entry.
I have owned several FR cars and I have enjoyed the ability to skid a car on demand. You can't do that with a 2wd 996. Even if you kick the clutch on a wet roundabout, it will plough forwards nine times out of ten.
To correct this little 'issue' I opted for a set of Eibach adjustable hollow anti-roll bars.
Original rear
Cleaning up the mounting brackets
Comparison of the 2 rears
Fitted
I was so excited to cure the understeer; when these turn up I decided to fit the rear bar only and drive it like that for a couple of weeks.
The effect was pretty much dangerous over 70mph, but under 70mph was hilarious!
Here is an example of how it changed the handling - excuse the poor quality of the video, it just happened to be captured on a friends Cayman dashcam
You may have noticed that I installed it on the softest setting too
I fitted the front ARB afterwards and spent some time dialling in the right settings for me. I always have the front on the softest setting and the rear changes between position 3 (stiffest) for normal road, and position 2 for track / fast road. The reason I have done it that way around is to make the car more engaging at slower speeds on the road, but on track, I dial it back for a bit more neutrality.
Whilst under the car, I noticed the aircon pipe was leaking. These connections usually fuse together due to the dissimilar metals used on the clamp and bolt. After having the AC gas removed I gave it a go. Luckily, I got mine to separate without too much fuss and swapped out the O-ring.
Edited by Alfred Pina on Monday 21st December 10:37
I picked up some 997 sport classic wheels for a steal when I owned the 996.2. I used them for a while on that car, but it looked daft because the ride height was too high. I retained them when I sold the car but I knew I wasn't going to use them on the Red Pig.
But, that didn't stop me sticking one on the front, just to see what it looked like!
I actually think, ride height aside, that they look quite good. But they don't fit with my plans for the car and I would rather have the cash back to pay for more maintenance and upgrades.
The first of which after selling the wheels was to have the outer rim painted in silver. I have never liked the full dark anthracite look and because the wheels were immaculate, I didn't want to spend a fortune on an aesthetic. I had 2 outer rims damaged when the tyre garage fitted the PS4's and they agreed to pay for them to be re-finished, so I just added £90 and had all 4 changed.
The next thing was lowering springs. I used to run H&R's on my 996.1 and they were decent, but they never sat quite low enough. I had heard that Eibach sat lower (even though they advertise the same lowering as H&R) so I went ahead and bought them.
The result was exactly what I had hoped for!
The standard shocks are still in great condition with no signs of wear. I spoke to Centre Gravity about upgrading them due to lowering, but they said that on cars with low mileage like mine, when they test the standard shocks they are always in really good shape. Chris reckons they are actually only just past half of their life expectancy. I had nothing to lose in trying it, seeing as I do my own work.
But, that didn't stop me sticking one on the front, just to see what it looked like!
I actually think, ride height aside, that they look quite good. But they don't fit with my plans for the car and I would rather have the cash back to pay for more maintenance and upgrades.
The first of which after selling the wheels was to have the outer rim painted in silver. I have never liked the full dark anthracite look and because the wheels were immaculate, I didn't want to spend a fortune on an aesthetic. I had 2 outer rims damaged when the tyre garage fitted the PS4's and they agreed to pay for them to be re-finished, so I just added £90 and had all 4 changed.
The next thing was lowering springs. I used to run H&R's on my 996.1 and they were decent, but they never sat quite low enough. I had heard that Eibach sat lower (even though they advertise the same lowering as H&R) so I went ahead and bought them.
The result was exactly what I had hoped for!
The standard shocks are still in great condition with no signs of wear. I spoke to Centre Gravity about upgrading them due to lowering, but they said that on cars with low mileage like mine, when they test the standard shocks they are always in really good shape. Chris reckons they are actually only just past half of their life expectancy. I had nothing to lose in trying it, seeing as I do my own work.
bigdavy said:
Great thread, seriously thinking about buying a 996 / 997 and I don't know if this is helping the decision 
I was discussing with my mate about the 996's price point, and how its very hard to better for the money with a certain criteria.My criteria is:
4+ seats
Be decent on the occasional track day
Eligible for classic insurance (over 20 years old - gives super cheap insurance which includes 6 track days)
Not too long as my garage is shallow
Manual and rear wheel drive
Some of those points can be bent slightly, but I ended up looking at 996/997 and e46 M3's and I decided that it would feel more special opening the garage door to a bright red 911 than it would have been for a 3 series.
I think if I were going to use the car as my only vehicle, I would swap to an M3.
So, my point is - buy a 996 and revel in their cheapness
Not having the laptop out for work had managed to delay my next update due to not seeing it sat on the side in an evening.
So, where were we...
Ahh, yes. Lowered and looking good!
Well, you saw that my engine had some timing chain paddle damage, after which I did a track day anyway. I changed the oil on the engine after the track day to check it all out, and there was no further material in the oil filter.
Because I found the issue just 4 months into ownership, and the entire reason for owning it is to use on track days and fast road blasts, I decided to have the engine rebuilt anyway. These cars are known to lunch big end bearings at around 100k miles when used on track, so with mine on 63k, my bearings were already half past life.
I booked the car in with Marc Clowes at MLR Porsche.
Marc has an incredibly rich breadth of experience with 911's. Some may recognise him as the partner of 9Meister, but he since left and set up on his own with his son's. He is very knowledgeable, talented engineer and I felt very comfortable using MLR for this work.
Block split to access the offending area
Damage seen on IMS timing chain paddle edge
Bearings show minor wear
Block stripped, damaged paddle
But a new one is ready to go
Already has the LN Engineering IMS fitted
Intermediate shaft controls both banks valve timing
Crank - these are about £3k alone if you damage one with a spun bearing!
Tappets, cams and carrier. Plus you can see the other black timing chain paddles which are accessible by removing the head only
Head surface prepared by hand. Manifolds were taken off too and every single bolt snapped! In total, I had 14 bolts drilled out and repaired (there were another two on the head that also snapped). Manifolds to be replaced for less crusty, freer flowing items...
Now this is the best bit, the trusty 3.4 block. These engines notoriously knock slightly when cold and when idling with aircon off. My car did it slightly, as did my previous 996.1 (996.2 doesn't do it).
If you ask anyone about it, they will all tell you it's a noisy/lazy tappet or bore score.
My block is immaculate, and all my tappets were healthy (I had them replaced anyway).
After spending a lot of time in the engine room with Marc, he talked me through a design flaw in the early M96 heads. I have forgotten the details now, but basically the camshafts are able move very slightly which causes this noise.
I didn't get any pictures of the engine back together. Whilst the engine was out, I took the opportunity to have the over-engine brake pipe replaced, a new AOS, new coil packs and some other 'while your in there' jobs that made sense. Plus an Aircon re-gas and alignment...
I went up to collect the car, received a nice big bill and several a4 pages of parts used got told to put 500 miles on the car and return it for a post rebuild oil change and check up. I had the wrong manifolds sent to me for reassembly, so I had them switch over during this service.
The car felt great to get back into after the rebuild. Not because it was an improvement, because it ran perfectly before, but to just have the experience of this car again was glorious. It is also nice to know that everything has been renewed and that I can drive this car hard, with full confidence in its health.
The stainless 3-2-1 manifolds changed the sound of the engine slightly, made it a little bit louder - but they look great and freshen up the engine. They are a very common mod within the 996 community, but I am glad these were done whilst the heads were able to be machined on the pillar drill rather than on my back in the garage with a jig and 12 drill bits!
Here are some pictures I took from my 500 mile accruement
So, where were we...
Ahh, yes. Lowered and looking good!
Well, you saw that my engine had some timing chain paddle damage, after which I did a track day anyway. I changed the oil on the engine after the track day to check it all out, and there was no further material in the oil filter.
Because I found the issue just 4 months into ownership, and the entire reason for owning it is to use on track days and fast road blasts, I decided to have the engine rebuilt anyway. These cars are known to lunch big end bearings at around 100k miles when used on track, so with mine on 63k, my bearings were already half past life.
I booked the car in with Marc Clowes at MLR Porsche.
Marc has an incredibly rich breadth of experience with 911's. Some may recognise him as the partner of 9Meister, but he since left and set up on his own with his son's. He is very knowledgeable, talented engineer and I felt very comfortable using MLR for this work.
Block split to access the offending area
Damage seen on IMS timing chain paddle edge
Bearings show minor wear
Block stripped, damaged paddle
But a new one is ready to go
Already has the LN Engineering IMS fitted
Intermediate shaft controls both banks valve timing
Crank - these are about £3k alone if you damage one with a spun bearing!
Tappets, cams and carrier. Plus you can see the other black timing chain paddles which are accessible by removing the head only
Head surface prepared by hand. Manifolds were taken off too and every single bolt snapped! In total, I had 14 bolts drilled out and repaired (there were another two on the head that also snapped). Manifolds to be replaced for less crusty, freer flowing items...
Now this is the best bit, the trusty 3.4 block. These engines notoriously knock slightly when cold and when idling with aircon off. My car did it slightly, as did my previous 996.1 (996.2 doesn't do it).
If you ask anyone about it, they will all tell you it's a noisy/lazy tappet or bore score.
My block is immaculate, and all my tappets were healthy (I had them replaced anyway).
After spending a lot of time in the engine room with Marc, he talked me through a design flaw in the early M96 heads. I have forgotten the details now, but basically the camshafts are able move very slightly which causes this noise.
I didn't get any pictures of the engine back together. Whilst the engine was out, I took the opportunity to have the over-engine brake pipe replaced, a new AOS, new coil packs and some other 'while your in there' jobs that made sense. Plus an Aircon re-gas and alignment...
I went up to collect the car, received a nice big bill and several a4 pages of parts used got told to put 500 miles on the car and return it for a post rebuild oil change and check up. I had the wrong manifolds sent to me for reassembly, so I had them switch over during this service.
The car felt great to get back into after the rebuild. Not because it was an improvement, because it ran perfectly before, but to just have the experience of this car again was glorious. It is also nice to know that everything has been renewed and that I can drive this car hard, with full confidence in its health.
The stainless 3-2-1 manifolds changed the sound of the engine slightly, made it a little bit louder - but they look great and freshen up the engine. They are a very common mod within the 996 community, but I am glad these were done whilst the heads were able to be machined on the pillar drill rather than on my back in the garage with a jig and 12 drill bits!
Here are some pictures I took from my 500 mile accruement
rainmasterb said:
Alfred Pina said:
I was discussing with my mate about the 996's price point, and how its very hard to better for the money with a certain criteria.
My criteria is:
4+ seats
Be decent on the occasional track day
Eligible for classic insurance (over 20 years old - gives super cheap insurance which includes 6 track days)
Not too long as my garage is shallow
Manual and rear wheel drive
Some of those points can be bent slightly, but I ended up looking at 996/997 and e46 M3's and I decided that it would feel more special opening the garage door to a bright red 911 than it would have been for a 3 series.
I think if I were going to use the car as my only vehicle, I would swap to an M3.
So, my point is - buy a 996 and revel in their cheapness
This was almost exactly where I was 4 years ago, except I didn’t have the garage length issue. Instead I had the personal length issue (look forward to the pistonheads reaction to this statement!) in that I am 6’5 and couldn’t comfortably and safely sit a child behind me in the 996, so went for the M3.My criteria is:
4+ seats
Be decent on the occasional track day
Eligible for classic insurance (over 20 years old - gives super cheap insurance which includes 6 track days)
Not too long as my garage is shallow
Manual and rear wheel drive
Some of those points can be bent slightly, but I ended up looking at 996/997 and e46 M3's and I decided that it would feel more special opening the garage door to a bright red 911 than it would have been for a 3 series.
I think if I were going to use the car as my only vehicle, I would swap to an M3.
So, my point is - buy a 996 and revel in their cheapness
I think where the 996 scores highly is in the “High Street” stakes - ie you’re walking back to your car parked on the high street and the beautiful red 911 just shines a bit brighter than the M3 - but I think the M3 scores higher on the engine front - the S54 is like no other.
Your car is a real beauty, enjoy it!
I agree on the engine, totally. The M96 is actually a really nice engine, but it is ultimately flawed. The only thing I never really got on with was the sound of the S54 - when it is harsh and metallic in note. I think I would prefer the exhaust to be quieter and enjoy the fantastic induction noise on it. Or maybe there is already a better solution to adjust the sound that I am not clued up on. It certainly won't stop me owning one!
TurboRob said:
Great thread and enjoying the detail/pics.
What was replaced in the engine rebuild?
Loads of stuff, I would have to get out the receipt to know entirely. But in summary, all bearings, chains, tensioners, wear surfaces, tappets, valve stem seals etc. I know the pistons and rings were checked and left original, the oil pump was like new and left original. I can't recall the other details but that must be the majority of it.What was replaced in the engine rebuild?
Krikkit said:
Lovely pics, particularly enjoyed the rebuild stuff. Such a lovely engine design for servicing.
Might be worth making it an annual service job to loosen and re-tighten the manifold bolts to reduce the chance of seizing.
All exhaust bolts were replaced with stainless, so no future issues there - although that would still be a good idea!Might be worth making it an annual service job to loosen and re-tighten the manifold bolts to reduce the chance of seizing.
B'stard Child said:
Blimey I wasn't expecting to see an engine rebuild in here as well I was promised a happy ending biggrin
Well I suppose after a rebuild it is a happy ending but just with a very depleted bank balance!!!
I am not concerned about the cost of the engine rebuild (I'm not particularly over the moon, though), because I think a good chunk of it can be recovered in the sale price. I know if I were looking at 2 identical guards red aero 996's and one has had a full appraisal of its engine condition, with a full refresh - I would 100% pay a premium for the refreshed car, over the unknown...Well I suppose after a rebuild it is a happy ending but just with a very depleted bank balance!!!
P.S. I have been replying to the comments individually. For this one, I copied and pasted the messages into here, then faffed around editing all the text and adding quotes to try and fit it into a single reply. Surely this isn't the best way to do it - any suggestions?
We aren't far away from the current day now. I think this was about 10 weeks ago.
As the weather was starting to turn and the evenings grew darker, along with the ups and downs of covid, the 911 hasn't been getting used much. To keep my interest, I decided that I would faff with it for the sake of it
I picked up a standard decklid on ebay for cheap earlier in the year. I always liked the idea a GT3 touring style, so one evening and 15 minutes later, I swapped them over.
I wasn't entirely sure I enjoyed not seeing the taco wing in the rear view mirror, but I like the change and it feels refreshing.
I took the 911 to work a couple of times just to get out of the house and guess what I found in the car park!
The other car is on the M030 sports chassis which sits -10mm over standard. It's actually the other car that I enquired about when I was buying mine, but I decided to pay a premium to have 40k less miles. Seeing both cars side by side and assessing their condition - I feel content that I made the right choice.
Which look do you prefer?
As the weather was starting to turn and the evenings grew darker, along with the ups and downs of covid, the 911 hasn't been getting used much. To keep my interest, I decided that I would faff with it for the sake of it
I picked up a standard decklid on ebay for cheap earlier in the year. I always liked the idea a GT3 touring style, so one evening and 15 minutes later, I swapped them over.
I wasn't entirely sure I enjoyed not seeing the taco wing in the rear view mirror, but I like the change and it feels refreshing.
I took the 911 to work a couple of times just to get out of the house and guess what I found in the car park!
The other car is on the M030 sports chassis which sits -10mm over standard. It's actually the other car that I enquired about when I was buying mine, but I decided to pay a premium to have 40k less miles. Seeing both cars side by side and assessing their condition - I feel content that I made the right choice.
Which look do you prefer?
Edited by Alfred Pina on Friday 1st January 20:32
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