Another Porsche Boxster engine swap. Audi 4.2 V8

[Jens1968]

Hi guys,

i''m René from the Netherlands and i would like to post my project here that i just startet. First off all.... my english isn't the best in writing so sorry for that.

here we go.

bought a couple off years ago a porsche Boxster with a 3.4 996 engine in it. great car. it was from origin a 2.5 manual shift. the previus owner (who is a Custumer off me) had put a 3.4 996 engine in it. a 986S gearbox. 996 turbo breaks. Added myself a KW suspension set. Drove it for a couple off years.

Now it was time for a Change. i'm a V8 lover (owned Corvette's C4,C5,C6) and was checking the LS swap. A lot of work hacking the car and costs.

Found a couple off thread's with audi V8 Conversion, but a few finished. Found Escy thread with the v6 turbo, Hilly's thread with the lotus. with that in mind i started the project

here's the Boxster



bouhgt myself a Audi A8 with a bad gearbox for peanuts




Sold the interieur and a lot off stuff, so the engine is for free

Pulled the 3.4 out and sold it for decent monney

[Jens1968]

thnx guys for the kind words.

there have to be a little cutting, but i will finish this project... i want to have it ready by spring. i'm a little bit off a nut case, but iff i set my mind to something.....

@Cheddar..... it had a 911 engine in it, but i think Porsche engines are lazy. You need high rpm for some result. V8's are more torque. I like "the kick in the but"

The Boxster S gearbox doen't fit that great (No place for the starter) i read the tread from Beaker77, that he want to cut in the gearbox for fitment for the starter and senso. I'm not keen on doing that. Send beaker a mail if he finished it, but no response.

So i borrowed a 5 speed from the previous owner and mate it up to the engine. its a perfect fit. so i offerd it to the engine bay. gearbox on the Original mounts and in the front with a strap.






i mounted the strut to see for clearance and making a plan for the subframe. i'm not going to use the boxster engine mount, but i going to use the audi mounts, So i made a wooden plate as a mold. i want to make a frame from the strut to the Original engine mount, including the higher mount on the distribution cover.



thingswil be going not fast. I'm my own boss in electricien and plumbing, so free time is rear.

have desided that i'm going to use a audi 01X gearbox witch i will pick up saterday in Germany. They are cheap over there (in holland everyone thinks that they have gold in their hands)

found some solutions for the gear linkage, and its actualy pretty simple. As in Escy's thread, he used the G97.21 Porsche gearbox, cable and shifter.
because the V8 is rather big, the shift cable will probably not fit, so i'm going to make it custom.

I Reaped the audi and sorted out the wiring



mounted a wooden plate to the gearbox and mounted the audi ECU and relays to it, so i could find out iff it would run stand alone. in this picture the immobilizer is still functioning, but will be programmed out.




these are pictures standing the engine next to the Audi A8 with only feul lines connected and a wire to the feul pump.

Here's a video i made off it running. (the first 40 seconds a little boring )

https://youtu.be/sNeTsjBmy6c

couldn't run it for long, because there's no cooling

[Jens1968]

He Guy's,

Been a wile since my last post. Work was very bussy.

My cheap-ass action off buying a 01X gearbox diddn't pay off. I forgot to messure the driveshaft mounts. and ofcourse they didd'nt fit. Lucky for me i found a refurbished G87 trans and i could trade the 01X trans in. That was a realy good deal for me. Unfortunately it has no rods or anything attached to it. I thought...... wel i buy those new. But the prices blew my mind. so i'm looking for used parts. The alluminum plate i have already found. just need the lever on the left side and the 2 rods. So iff anyone know something, PLEASE let me know.



very happy with it. So i attached it to the ABZ. its a perfect fit. yust need to drill out the hole for the crank sensor.




with that in place i could make the subframe for the engine mounts and cross member. i allso lowered the gearbox, but i'm not happy with the result, because i don't have enough clearence for the exhaust, witch going to fit over the drive shaft.





And some picture's with the engine in place.








As you can see in the last picture, i could use more clearence for the exhaust. This whas a rough prototype gearbox mount. In Escy's thread i believe there whas a custom mount witch was painted bleu. Unfortelaty he used allso Photobucked, so the picture is gone.

Next step will be the gear mount and exhaust

[Jens1968]

Strangely the last foto is on his side.


this one gives a bette view off the exhaust manyfold in the back

Edited by Jens1968 on Sunday 6th August 09:50

[Jens1968]

for some reason i can't turn the foto, but i hope you get the picture

[Jens1968]

The Crack Fox said:

Looking good.

Jens - your profile on PH says you do not accept emails - can you drop me a line, please? My email address in my profile. Bedankt!

Whell, iff i did it right, people can sent me email now. Hat to put a button in the menu

[Jens1968]

shalmaneser said:

Good luck with this project, looks good already!

Exhaust does look very tight! Could you go side exit or something completely mad?

Well, i'm making a custom gearbox mount, so that gives me more clearance for the exhaust.

The parts for the gearbox (lever and rods) i bought from Tom (Escy)
Probely i also need new shift cables, but that is for later.

And yes i know.... my englisch S*cks. BTW what does OP mean?

[Jens1968]

Mayrun said:

Nice project! If you're near Groningen I'd be happy to meet you and see the car.

Another dutch guy? I'm in Lelystad, so thats not realy close. but in holland nothing is far away......

[Jens1968]

220 said:

OP is Original Poster, person who started the thread. Keep it up theres 2 boxsters to keep an eye on now.

Ok. Thnx. Learning every day

[Jens1968]

Escy said:

Have you got the driveshafts for the 987 gearbox figured out?

Well those are a perfect fit. For some reason there where already 987 driveshaft mounted.

[Jens1968]

Escy said:

Are they the same length or different lengths?

you saw it comming didn't you?

The shafts have a different length. when i took the shafts off, i only looked at one shaft. there was a 987 number on it, so i thought, oke dont need that.
after your comment, i got curios. and put the right shaft on. perfect fit. now the left....... its too long... a closer inspection i noticed the 986 number.



the shaft mount are a perfect fit. What i noticed is that the gearbox is more to the left, then to the right, but its hase to be good, because i used Original 987 mounts.

I moddified them, but only to lower them

Here are the modified mounts.



and mounted to see for clearance for the exhaust. that will do.




@ Tom (Escy). Is the left 987 shaft shorter by an Inch or more then the 986?????? (can imagine that you have different things on your mind, than messure things)


and santa came early. racing flywheel from TTV



And some Simons universal exhaust parts.





The T-pipe and Cat's are on back order, so i can't start on the exhaust. but probably i have to find a left driveshaft first.

and i could start a the first part on the exhaust that has to be mounted to the manyfold

Edited by Jens1968 on Saturday 12th August 20:56

Edited by Jens1968 on Saturday 12th August 20:59

Edited by Jens1968 on Saturday 12th August 22:17

[Jens1968]

eltax91 said:

Another book title brewing rich?

No he didn't want to sell me anything. He's from a magazine that wants to do a article from my car

[Jens1968]

Please let the pictures there. There a help. The clutch will be the same as yours. RS4 B5 2.7 turbo.

[Jens1968]

I had to read your story twice. I couldn't figger out why you had to open de drive shaft. I thought to myself, i'm going to find a left driveshaft and mount it, and thats it.

In my surge i see that the 987 shafts, don't have a rulator for the abs. Now i understand why i have to modify it.

And as you already said, they are quit expensieve Ah well. Keep on surging

If i'm correct, i need part nr: 987.332.024.23

[Jens1968]

Only thing i don't understand is my car. On the right there was a 987 shaft mounted. (See the number) but there is a rulator on it, and it don't look like its modified. Btw. Found a ugly shaft for peanuts on ebay.uk. Its comming my way and then i will modify it the "Escy way"

[Jens1968]

Got some parts from the UK yesterday......

i thought i was getting an ECU........

but it was the parts from Tom for the gear linkage............. and a SOCK



Thanks Tom, but your wife is gona yell at you where your sock is

and the axle came in from the UK.

it was very rusted, but i knew that from the pictures.
so sandblasted and dismanteld it.

unfortuned it has a crack in it.



so i took the axle compleet apart and cleaned it.
going to use the compleet yoint from the 986



@ Tom, you used silicone sealer after closing the axle, but if you look close, you can see there is a sealant on the axle

[Jens1968]

[Jens1968]

Well putting the joint back together was a real PITA. But i got it back together and with a new Booth on it, it looks like new.




At last i got the missing part from the exhaust in, so i could finish the exhaust. The simons parts are easy, and its almost like Mecano. Just a little bit off welding and cutting.

i'm happy with the result. Ain't got the sliddest idea how its going to sound, but whel see when its runs.

The mounts i sort off copied from the Original Boxster mounts. I used the 2 mounts that are normaly on top off the Boxster, and made them on the exhaust clambs. And made a Bracket on the gearbox.



Not shure iff i'm going to end in 1 oval or 2 rounds, but that is for later.

Edited by Jens1968 on Monday 28th August 19:38

[Jens1968]

While waiting on the exhaust part, i was thinking off the throttle body. The ABZ trottlebody is huge. I knew from the beginning, that i had to cut in the compartment. Don't mind for that. But if i mount the trottle body as it is, the soft top can't be opened, because the frame doesn't fit then.

On top off the Trottlebody is the IAC (iddle air control) witch is huge.



so i dismanteld it and see where to go from there.



i'm going to cut off the part thats on top, and make an external IAC.

I'm going to drop the engine and see iff i can mount it up side down or something like that. Not shure what to do. Or score a different throttle body. will see when its down.

[Jens1968]

Jimbo75 said:

I'll follow this with interest as I've taken a slightly different approach on the mounts and exhaust and a few other bits. I've not had to cut any bodywork to fit it, but have had to resort to a different throttle body setup. I've had mine briefly on the dyno, but an issue with the timing belt has caused me more than a couple of headaches! My build thread is on Facebook under V8 Boxster build (the red Boxster).

Realy love your page on facebook. I heading the same direction with the trottlebody. Bought an aftermarket one. But its eating a lot off time. Will post some pictures soon. A well...... winter has to come, so i have the time.

I see you pussed the engine as far as possible up front to get more clearance for the trottle. Cant see good what you did with the plumbing. Normaly on the audi, one of the lines on the back off the engine go’s to the coolant tank and heater core and the other go’s to second line heater core. Are your lines only go to the heater cor now. And where did you connect the thin line that is normaly at the front of the coolant hoses and go’s to high connection of the coolant tank. Thnx

Edited by Jens1968 on Wednesday 11th October 22:01