996 LS V8 Conversion

[Carrerax]

What a nice conversion! With all of the problems etc with the M96/97 motors I would this this is a good option. Plus with all of the inexpensive 996's you could build a hell of a car for not alot of money. Nice job!

[Wavey]

Originally Posted by petevb

You're working on one for the boxster too I assume...?

Now THAT I would like to see!

[calling911]

Video is pretty funny.. here's 5th gear here's 6th gear... wow... all 6 maintained!

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Carrerax

What a nice conversion! With all of the problems etc with the M96/97 motors I would this this is a good option. Plus with all of the inexpensive 996's you could build a hell of a car for not alot of money. Nice job!

That's it exactly. You can have a modern Porsche for silly money that's reliable.

[jmitro]

call me a purist, but half of what makes a "porsche" a "porsche" is the motor.

[Carrerax]

Originally Posted by jmitro

call me a purist, but half of what makes a "porsche" a "porsche" is the motor.

And add air cooled to that mix. That said, this is still a cool conversion.

[exc911ence]

I think this makes a lot of sense. I was never a believer of V8 conversions of air-cooled 911's but the 996 is a different breed. Water-cooled for water-cooled, no reinventing the wheel adding radiators to a car that was never designed to take them, and replacing a troublesome engine with one with impeccable reliability and possibly less weight (aluminum block).

As mentioned above, I'd love a 996 for a daily driver too but their reputation has kept me away. I think driving one of these to work and back would make my commute much more interesting and enjoyable. Can you convert a Carrera 4? Need the AWD for Ottawa's winters.

[calling911]

Originally Posted by jmitro

call me a purist, but half of what makes a "porsche" a "porsche" is the motor.

Purist!

(I agree, this is so wrong on so many levels).

[Jerome74911S]

I will keep my '74 engine as-is, thank you. However, this is an interesting idea for certain situations (such as, your 996 engine conked out).

But, here's another idea. There are some hot V-6s out there. They are even lighter than the V-8, plus the mass would be moved forward, improving handling.

What about that?

[kramer747]

Very nice. A buddy of mine put a v8 in an older 911 -weird but cool

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by jmitro

call me a purist, but half of what makes a "porsche" a "porsche" is the motor.

I agree 100% but considering the history and reliability issues of the 996 engine then that makes this acceptable.
I wouldn't consider this for an air cooled car.

Originally Posted by Jerome74911S

I will keep my '74 engine as-is, thank you. However, this is an interesting idea for certain situations (such as, your 996 engine conked out).

But, here's another idea. There are some hot V-6s out there. They are even lighter than the V-8, plus the mass would be moved forward, improving handling.

What about that?

You could go V6 but the LS V8 is light and strong. It's a great motor and people have gone there before so it would be easier than installing something else.

-------------------------------------------------------

I wouldn't mind knowing the real statistics for 996 engine failures.
I can't tell you how jaded the whole thing has made me. I love my 78 SC and she's staying all Porsche.

Also... Some independent repairers have reported issues with the Cayene V8s.

[Outlaw 911]

Fantastic - that is great conversion and finally all of those 100K mile 996 have a second life. There are TON of them out there and if you are willing to do some body work (copart.com) can be had for cheap, cheap, cheap.

So let's do a little fantasy build - early 996 C2, LS2 6.2 that is warmed over (500hp), brakes/coil overs, 997 GT2 body kit, mild cage, brake upgrade, remove weight (sunroof, back seats, other non essentials), open up the exhaust. Oh boy, I need to go take a shower.

Steve - that is great job. Love the electric power steering.

When will the kit be available?

Outlaw 911

[stlrj]

Steve,

What was the reason for going electric on the PS? Was it too hard to hook up the hydro lines for the stock PS?

Cheers,

Joe

[jmitro]

Originally Posted by Carrerax

That said, this is still a cool conversion.

I agree. as an amateur mechanic and fabricator, I have a lot of respect for the amount of skill and work it takes to get that to work well.
a buddy of mine put an LS1 in his BMW E30 racecar, and it is fast for sure!!

a domestic motor in a foreign car isn't my style, but it appears Renegade has the formula correct

[tomdeg]

Very cool. Is it smog legal in California?

[t951]

Great job!
Questions for you:

How was the weight of the V8 compared to the F6?
Did the taller motor affect the handling?
How expensive is the conversion? (I can pick up a 996 so cheap, esp a 99...how expensive a mod is this compared to the purchase price of the car?)
How long does it take to do the conversion?
Finally, do you have pics of the progress?

Thanks, and congrats again.

As both an Aircooled 911 owner and a water cooled 997 owner I love both. This is the sort of mod that Ferry would have done himself back in the 50s...make it better, make it cheaper, make it more reliable.

[Jeff Alton]

Can't wait to see the boxster one!

Cheers

[Joe Bob]

Lot of beat to crap Boxsters out there.....v8 with an auto and a mid engine. That would scream.

Smog would be an issue, but since they use modern engines with FI and intact external controls from the oem engine. If Scott ever got a designation like RUF, I bet he could take on the CA smog weenies and get a pass based on his certified designs. As opposed to having to submit each car for inspection and registration in CA.

[TRE Cup]

I can see a nice market for this type of conversion, with two pools of buyers.
We are assuming that the hybrid aspect will not deter either group, of course

"OE Replacement camp": This is the person that wants a little more performance and obtains great value for dollars spent. He will not be racing the car, or looking to slay GT3RS dragons lurking about. So the japanese built gear box should likely last for as long as normal with a flat six. The total cost is a key factor here, as other makes and complete cars will compete. This buyer may opt for some cosmetic upgrades to mitigate the unusual styling of the 996. Total project cost is very high on the list of factors guiding this owner's decision. Smog legality will be a big deal in most states ?

" Hot Rod Boy" Aw, slippery slope territory- this person will want to have either a stealth B2 bomber in 996 guise, or full on GT3RSR with tons more hp. He will want to find a way to have Scott stuff a ZR1 supercharged monster in back, then realize the plastic bits in the stock trans are not up to the task. Scott will have to develop a GT3 trans adaptation kit (since the standard trans has a different mount pattern) as well as installing coolers and pumps to make it live. Total project pricing will surpass a new ZR1- which this car was trying to emulate with none of the American iron styling

But in the end... i like it!

[mnewport]

Can you convert a Carrera 4? Need the AWD for Ottawa's winters.

The 996 in the OP's video link IS a C4.