996 LS V8 Conversion
 

It's been a long time coming, but it LIVES! I'll attach some pictures and a video, but suffice it to say it's pretty amazing.

What you can't fully appreciate from the pictures is the level of refinement the LS brings to the table. This isn't some funky marriage between the prom queen and Larry the cable guy.

Drivability is excellent and the power is very smooth and linear. In fact outside of a 996 owner who's potentially very tuned into the specific sound and character of the stock motor, very few people would pick up on it being modified.

In terms of performance, it's a lot like a new turbo, but no turbo lag of course, which makes it amazing on the street. Thanks to the wide, flat torque curve of a 6.2L engine the power is there off idle to over 6k rpms. Rather than coming on hard at 3000 to 4000 RPMS like a turbo or even many N/A porsche motors it's just smooth and seamless all the way through the powerband. That's also nice on the track when you are balancing the car with your right foot.

The final kit isn't quite ready to retail, so no pricing yet; but the bang for the buck is off the charts. Compare a porsche factory replacement motor that still has some inherent design flaws to a $9k brand new 430hp LS3 engine package. That doesn't include conversion parts or installation, but from a reliability, performance, and value standpoint it's an excellent alternative.

Current updates can be found at www.RenegadeHybrids.com

Scott, the owner of Renegade did the video:

996 LS V8 Video


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Pretty impressive but it will never have the true spirit of a Porsche !
Sure it will look like a Porsche but it will sound like every other American made cloned musclecar !
Might as well buy a Mustang,a Camaro or a Challenger, at least you will be able to say you have something real ...

I've had 70's big block musclecars but i wouldn't trade the sound of my dual out Fabspeed 3.2
for any of them :)

Just sayin ...

Cheers !
Phil

IMO, the LS conversion is by far the best solution for the M96/M97 RMS/IMS issues on these cars.

Based on what I can see in the photos, that is a super neat installation.

I know that the purists hate these conversions but if I still had my 996 and it had a leaky RMS, I'd be doing this without hesitation.

Kudos!!

You couldn't be more wrong about the exhaust note. It doesn't sound anything at all like a typical muscle car. I know the audio isn't great, but listen to the interior portions of the video when the car's driving. It's very quiet, running through the porsche exhaust actually. It does have a bit of a performance note when you are driving it hard, but nothing that seems out of character.

I've got more Porsche powered cars than 99.9% of the people on Pelican, so I like them all, but in no way is it an abomination. Unless of course you think that the stock 996 is the best thing Porsche ever made. In that case you'd be in a pretty small club :)

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

Steve,

Awesome looking conversion.

Hal

The way the economy is, I'm surprised that more GM conversions aren't done. Cheaper and still a reliable powerplant for a ride that lost it's engine for some reason.

Does it still run a 12 quart dry sump?

I met Scott many years ago and have always been impressed with his work. He does a quallity conversion that puts the others to shame.

I've seen some cruddy conversions in my day. The fit and finish look factory. You could do a lot worse.

I'd sure like to see the numbers on the conversion and compare it to a stock 996 factory replacement.

Looks like a really fun car thanks for sharing. I met Scott at a PCA instructor training session in Hastings, NE. He's a great guy.

+1.


Andreas

Steve,
cool video. Do the 996 radiators keep the chevy engine cool?

Doug

Yep, the Boxsters are coming. It's in progress. Lots of neat stuff going on.

Cooling works great so far. We started with just the two stock radiators which were fine on the street. On the track after a hard session it started to get warm, so we added a 3d radiator. We're using an emissions legal engine that's tuned fairly lean so it's going to run a bit warmer than something really optimized for performance.

Chevy engine or not, thats an incredibly well done, classy looking conversion. Agreed on the 996 power plant also....Its really nothing special and doesn't sound that "Porsche" to me at all compared to an air cooled motor, but thats just my opinion. SmileWavy

Very nice! Wonderfully clean conversion.

what's it look like from under the engine?
nice job. how much different is a 997? 996s are just kind of ugly :-(
I'm sure 997s are too expensive at this stage.

Doug

+1 I'd love to see a 997 GT3 RS converted. It'd be like a RUF. You could also use this Chevy Engine:

Chevy 2002 GEN II IRL 700 HP Spec Sheet

;)

I was wondering the same thing about the dry sump, I know thr grand sport corvette has a dry sump 6.2L LS3.

Hey Steve,

That is a great conversion, nicely done!!

The problem with stuffing a small block Chevy in a 911 is that you have to go through all of the time, trouble, complexity, and weight of adding radiators, fans and associated lines.

Edit: Just did a quick google search. Apparently the new 911s have radiators and what not !

You'll sell a few of these kits. ;)

In fact I wouldn't be surprised if a 996 converted like this becomes more valuable than a standard 996. :eek:

I've been thinking about a 996 as my next daily. My kids are grown so I don't need the room of a four door anymore.
The only thing holding me back was the reputation of the engine.

Porsche has always maintained that only a small percentage had the problem.
Well if this is true why didn't they recall that small percentage and fix the problem? :mad:

There are lots of people all over the planet making a living repairing this "small" percentage.
(A small percentage to me means less than 5% of cars are affected)

I'm not sure this conversion is for me but at least people with ailing 996s have another option now.

Meanwhile... I bet a new 997 would have trouble keeping pace with this car.

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!

Now THAT I would like to see!

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

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

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.

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. :)

Purist!

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

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?

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

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.

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. :(

That is way too cool...
 

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

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

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

Very cool. Is it smog legal in California?

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.

Can't wait to see the boxster one!

Cheers

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.

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 :D

"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!

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