New 996 owner

[rfuerst911sc]

Hello everyone I am an active forum member and have a Boxster S with a Jake Raby 3.6 R51 engine . Yesterday I purchased a 1999 996 C4 with 6 speed manual and a dead engine 😩 . She's black over grey with 149k on the odometer . Has ROW M030 suspension with Bilstein's installed in 2016 .

Plan is to pull the engine , perform the autopsy 😋 and build a 3.8 stage II at Jake's shop . I will add pics of the car and document her progress if there is any interest. I know Rennlist has a large water cooled crowd but I call Pelican home 😁

[Van B.]

You won't be disappointed with that car. Even Jake will tell you, something about the 99 is just a better car. Almost like they took a little more time at the factory.

[rfuerst911sc]

Van thanks for the reply . The internet searches I did before buying this one clearly showed there is a following for the 1999 model year . I hope to slowly bring her back to former glory but with the full punch of a 3.8 . I also plan to make her a GT3 clone with the addition of a GT3 front bumper , side skirts and rear taco wing .

My Boxster S is a GT3 wannabe with an OEM GT3 front bumper , side skirts and a Joe Toth ducktail spoiler . Also has a GT3Tek rear diffuser that is just for looks . She is a hoot to drive with that 3.6 😋

[brittbolen]

The 4wd makes for a lot of fun on track too, car drags you out of the corners in a way thats very different than a C2... enjoy!!

[rfuerst911sc]

^^^^ Says the previous owner 😁 . Was great doing business with you . Stay tuned for progress updates .

[Zeke]

That's a good looking car. I would have paid that just to have it sit and look at it. (if I had the space that is.)

I know you say you're gonna do a Raby motor, but being retired I would think it would be fun to pull the thing apart beforehand even if Jake does the rebuild. By the wording of the ad, the previous owner (see post #4) put a ton of miles on it so I'm sure it needs headwork and a complete rebuild of the lump. Might as well go big.

[rfuerst911sc]

Milt I plan to do the teardown and let Jake's guys determine overall health . But plan is 3.8 Nickasil cylinders and all other internal goodies . Len Hoffman's shop will rework and port the heads . Should produce 300-320 whp with a solid torque curve.

[rfuerst911sc]

Ok first update 😁, plan is to pull the engine this Saturday . Goal is to have the engine torn down by the end of the day . After performing the autopsy we can form the plan moving forward .

[rfuerst911sc]

Small step forward , this morning I successfully registered the car and applied for the title . All went smoothly with no issues . My custom license plate # 996 C4 38 will arrive later this month 😊

[rfuerst911sc]

Last night scored the first part for the build . I won an auction for a OEM 3.8 air box. Jake has proven on MANY Dyno runs that the 3.8 air box flows better and makes more power vs the 3.4 air box .

Being a OEM part it's a perfect fit while using a stock filter insert . I will now be on the lookout for a GT3 throttle body and a IPD plenum . One step at a time 😋

[rfuerst911sc]

This morning we removed the engine and transmission . After removing the transmission from the engine we started the disassembly of the engine . Got the engine completely disassembled and found two spun main bearings . Will have an expert next week look it over but I am hoping a simple crank polishing will do the trick .

[rfuerst911sc]

Yesterday it was determined the crankshaft is toast ☹️ . Oh well I knew that was a possibility and just going to keep moving forward . Found another engine to purchase , it sounds like it has a good crank that I can use . Spare parts never a bad thing 😁

[rfuerst911sc]

Ok problem solved 😊 . Today I purchased a same year dead 3.4 engine with a cracked cylinder . I gambled that the crank would be good . I tore the engine down , had an engine guru look the crank over and got a thumbs up.

The engine I purchased today is actually cleaner than the engine I pulled out of the car so going to rebuild it instead . I will end up selling off the " spare engine " and will almost break even . Today was a great day 😊

[brittbolen]

Check out the coolant lines, cam actuators, ramps, and other rubber and plastic bits on my former motor, lots of bits replaced in last 4 years… assuming the shop didn’t lie!

Also new motor mounts

Good luck!

[rfuerst911sc]

Engine mounts will be reused , everything else will be inspected and replaced as needed .

[rfuerst911sc]

Small update: I submitted my " wish list " to LN Engineering and Charles replied with my invoice . Yesterday I cleaned the two block halves in a ultrasonic cleaner so they are basically ready to be boxed for shipment . I still have to pull the IMS bearing off the shaft and then clean the shaft .

The heads I will deliver to Len Hoffman some time next week so he has plenty of time to fit them in . The engine block and parts won't be back from LN until April or May . So really the only thing I will be doing between now and then is cleaning and painting parts as needed.

[brittbolen]

Pics? Looking forward to seeing this whole thing!

[rfuerst911sc]

Nothing really pic worthy , just parts spread out on a bench . And now everything is in totes .

[rfuerst911sc]

Yesterday I dropped off the heads to Len Hoffman's shop . He will clean and inspect them and then we can discuss the path forward . Many options to discuss .

This morning I ordered a FVD Brombacher X pipe as part of my exhaust renovation . I will use stock headers , the FVD x pipe and stock mufflers with a DIY Fister style mod . The money train has left the station 😁

[Van B.]

Headers bro. Log style headers suck. If you want to save some bucks, you can get the OEM 997 fork/ Y-type as a used item, but long tube is best. It’s a dirty Porsche trick used for up selling models. The base model headers plain suck.