40th AE Journal

Kudos goes to Peteb3 who posted his C4s journal, decided to do something similar. I had owned a 40AE a few years ago and decided to get into another 996, started looking at cars and came back to the 40AE, you just cant beat the spec and ultimately the drive. Honestly I have a bit of a car addition and have owned over 45 cars, and one of the first models of car I have ever purchased twice! Purchased my car on BAT, its a great car, well looked after by a previous Rennlister. Paid a premium for it but had everything I was looking for, 50k miles, IMS & clutch replaced, full service history and the full 4 piece luggage. I live in MN, the car was in San Francisco and I had an business meeting in CA..............ROAD TRIP. Picked the car up last Wednesday afternoon, I didn't take a pic of the odometer but it was sitting at exactly 50,500, drove to Palm Springs for my meeting. First thing that struck me was the noise, been a while since I had driven a 911 and on LA concrete freeways the Continentals did roar a little. The car also had a fair amount of wind noise, on checking the drivers door glass was poorly adjusted and sat 1/4 inch too far back. More on fixing that later. Meeting over on Thursday 5pm so hit the road home Great drive to AZ on Thursday night and called it quits for the first day, FM radio soon got boring, noise cancelling headphones and satellite radio helped the miles pass. Friday morning start up and the engine check light decides to raise my blood pressure, I was only a mile from a Pep Boys, ran it there for a check, Misfire of Cyl 1. Car was running fine so I carried on, however was a little obsessed by every sound and vibration for a few miles. My old 40th used to throw misfire codes every now and then depending on the gas I used, so I plowed on. Out of AZ, some great roads, stunning scenery, and a few quirky pics Through NM, in the afternoon Texas sunset Called it a night in Oklahoma. Saturday started at 7am and Kansas, Missouri and into Iowa, all was going great until I hit this A little tense on summer tires, but luckily it only lasted 20 minutes and the ground temp wasn't cold enough for it to stick. 6.04pm Saturday and I'm home, 2,497 miles, 8 states

Fixed the window Sunday morning, sorry but I didn't take any pics, as mentioned before I needed to adjust the fore/aft on the drivers side. On my car the edge of the drivers glass was just touching the rear glass when closed, and it should be 7mm. Its a really easy quick fix, removed the door car, you don't need to cut or remove the vapor barrier. At the top of the door you will see 2 oval rubber bungs, remove these and loosed the 30 Torx screws clamping the glass. Slide the glass forward and tighten, check the gap and repeat until you get 7mm. Took the car for a quick drive and the wind noise was fixed!!. However just 3 miles of MN ownership and - The passenger side radiator springs a leak. I guess I have to be thankful that it didn't happen in the middle of Oklahoma late at night on the way home. As you can just make out in the pic the end tank was a little crusty so was on it's way out for a while. Ordered replacement left and right rads, may as well do both whilst the front it off and the coolant drained @ $400 each....great! As its still winter here decided to strip the mufflers off and get the PSE mod done at a local shop, I'll post pics of the modified mufflers when I get them back. Getting the off the car is a little fiddly but not too difficult. The hardest part is getting the tail pipes of, the bracket unbolts fine but its tough to open enough to take it off. Easy tip as shown below, just add a bolt and 2 nuts to split the bracket, then it comes off really easy. Finally cant wait to get these beauties on the car, love the AE but not a fan of the bling wheels.

The car came with all the original IMS bearing, clutch and RMS. removed the seals and cleaned up the IMS for the ultimate office fidget spinner. The previous owner had it done when he purchased the car ~45k, I think his timing was very fortunate, you can feel the bearing pick up very very slightly once it was cleaned. You can just see some light pitting on the inner face in these pics, maybe most are like that and it would have lasted for many more miles. I feel he was very lucky.

Is that a Classic or Pro bearing?

It�s the original Porsche bearing, how can you tell? As it didn�t have any markings other than K701 I think

Enjoyed the 'road trip'. I always wanted to buy a car like that and bring it home...most everything I ever ended up buying made the western trip on a trailer without me though! The pictures and experience are terrific. Can't wait to see the pictures of the car with the wheels! Chris

Got some time to spend on the car yesterday, removed the front bumper and wheels fenders to get to the radiators. As you can see from the pics I dont think they were ever cleaned, honestly there was at least 10-15% of the surface area blocked by dirt and debris. If you haven't checked, removed your front bumper its a really simple DIY and a very important one. My RHS rad had failed around the top endcap. Whilst the front is off I replaced both left and right rads. I also got the mufflers back from a local shop, whilst the integrity of the mod is good, the quality of the visual welding isn't great. luckily you cant see it when fitted to the car and how I have sport mufflers (without the switch) for $91

That�s just a light dusting of snow. We got our 996 at the beginning of April 1 year ago and we ended up in a road closing snow storm in Colorado. 996s perform very well in bad weather, way better than American built RWD higher horsepower cars. It�s actually impressive to drive a 996 in bad weather. Of course my car never leaves the garage in bad weather now.

Congratulations! Nice car, great drive home. That muffler mod will be the mellowest of the two types of Gundo/Fister hacks. A more aggressive one leaves the end cap and connects the two existing pipes with from 1 1/2” up to 2” dia pipe depending on desired sound pitch/level. One of the ***** in post 3 looks like it has some damage also.

Fixed another job on the car tonight, after I got the car home I noticed it suffered the window drop issue. To be fair to the PO, there was no issue when I purchased the car. The issue was that the window would drop when opening with either the internal or external handle, but once you released the handle the window would rise even with the door open. Its a common problem that this great forum has listed a bunch of fixes. The issue is due to the microswitch in the door latch failing. If you take the door card off and peel back the water barrier you can test the switch in the latch. Remove the wiring connector to the latch and test pins 3 & 4 for continuity, with the door latch in the open position you should have continuity. If you find it has failed unfortunately Porsche dont sell the switch separately and you have to purchase a new latch at ~$300. Some geniuses on this forum however worked a fix of the switch. Basically the tiny plunger in the switch breaks, here is mine, plunger broken off and rattling around in the latch Go to Digikey.com and order part # SW719-ND, its a similar switch/plunger. Cut the new switch apart and remove the plunger and rubber. You can gently prise your latch switch apart and replace the plunger and rubber, then pop it back together. here is the new switch chopped up on the right and plunger fitted to my old switch. ll put back together and it works perfectly, the switch was around $6-7 and Fed-Ex was $7, but a fix for $15 vs $300 is what I like. In searching posts it looks like the switch is the same as a VW door switch, search Ebay for 3bd998786, I think this would be better to replace with the VW part vs taking the old one apart, however you may need to epoxy it in place if the housing is not identical to the Porsche one (The Porsche one has 2 locating pins, looks like the VW is the same). I didn't go this route as all of the VW switches listed were from China and I didn't want to wait to fix it, Digikey shipped the parts in 3 days. The VW switches are only $6 so I've ordered one and will save it for if/when my next one fails.

Excellent repair. I love to read about the creative fixes like this... Mounting the tires and wheel install soon? Chris

Ah yes the wheels!! Dropped them off to a local Porsche Indy last Friday to get my current and nearly new tires fitted, wasn't in a rush as had the rads to fix, Got a call Tuesday, to say they were mounted ......BUT..... the tech accidentally dropped I tire iron on one of them and chipped the wheel They are trying to get it repaired and have agreed if it isn�t perfect that they will replace the wheel, expensive for them and time consuming for me. Well is still snowey here for the next week, so the delay is annoying, but not the end of the world.

I feel the pain as well with the weather up's and down's...the warm season can't start soon enough. What a bummer on the damage, nice job from a careless Tech! At least they are doing the right thing for you. I have been in the wheel purchase category for my car now...what brand are these wheels? I thought I had THE perfect set of wheels until I found out the manufacturer didn't have the correct offset. Back to the drawing board. Chris

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They damaged one of your original 40th wheels? Oh boy I hope they have insurance because not only are they not really repairable due to the finish process, they are also ridiculous expensive to replace. Even if you aren't a fan of the "bling" wheels (I'm not either and I run OZ allegeritas as my competition wheels), they are part of what makes the car special and I wouldn't accept anything short of a replacement.

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No luckily if you want to look at it in a positive way they damaged by new Fuchs wheel that probably can be repaired, if not replaced. Whilst I am not a fan of the original wheels, I will be keeping them in a safe place with the luggage for the car

When I purchased my car the main key was pretty worn. The spare looks unused but I would rather keep that like new. New key looks great and is a very simple swap over.

Lets see the Fuchs' mounted.

Got on the road with the wheels on at last. I really like them on a 40AE. Whilst the offsets listed were withing a few mm of OE I think they need 5-10 mm spacers to set them off perfectly, they look a little too far inboard. What do you think of the retro modern look, mixed with what should finally be a 40+ day in MN. For those interested I weighed the wheels vs the standard lightweight Carrera's fitted with the exact same swapped tires. The rears were 3 1/2 lb lighter, and the fronts were 2 lb lighter. sorry for the bad pic angles, couldn't see how to rotate them.

What size are the fuchs? They definitely need spacers to stick out more. Would look better if suspension was lowered a tad IMO.

18's same as standard, 8 & 10 I think. Agree on ths suspension, thats for next winter

Been busy with the car over the last month or so putting an end to a persistent misfire, it was triggered when the car is hot and revved. Based on the service records that came with the car it looks like the PO had been trying to fix this for a while replacing coils and plugs but to no avail. The records also show that the original owner had Porsche replace 1 intake lifter on Cyl 4 to address a misfire. After alot of research it looks like 3.6 cars do suffer from sticking intake lifters that trigger misfires. I decided to drop the engine and replace all the lifters as well as chain guides, seals, thermostat, AOS and get the injectors cleaned and matched. Here is a full thread covering the work I enjoyed doing it and glad to say the car runs perfect now and no misfires!!

Pretty simple job that's been covered before, tap into the sunroof switch wiring. Its switched so cuts off once the ignition is off and the door opened.

Rattles and creaks are one thing the 996 as many other older cars is good for, I am sure it doesn�t bother many. But as my wife will attest creaks in cars are one of my biggest annoyances. When I first got the car I noticed the sunroof interior cover creaking, that was resolved pretty easily by pushing a felt pad under the front RHS of the sunroof cover. On Sunday on a drive to get breakfast I could hear a slight rattle in the rear, which then ends up with you driving around holding parts of trim and panels until you find the cause, mine was coming from the drivers side interior C panel trip. It wasn�t difficult to remove but after 15yrs the plastic locating tabs on these panels can get brittle. Removal is pretty simple: 1. Pry off the coat hanger cover and remove the screw under it. 2. Pry off the seat belt adjuster cover, remove the 17mm seat belt bolt under that. 3. Now remove the B panel trim 4. At the rear of the car pull out the trim piece just under the rear screen, it is held in my clops only. 5. Remove the rear speaker from the side panel. 6. Looking down from where the B panel was located to the lower trim (part that the speaker is attached to) you will see a screw that you need to remove. 7. Remove the rear seat upper lock boss (the part the seat back latches onto when in the upper position) 8. From there you can pull the speaker panel and the C trim off, they are attached by small metal trim clips Once I removed the trim it became apparent why it rattled, there are around 6 clips that hold the trim on, of the 6 one was missing and 1 as you can see was damaged in the past. New clips ordered for $1 each, pleasing when a fix with Porsche parts is so cheap!, next up is the creaking stereo trim.

I always wanted to upgrade the head unit to something more modern that you can stream to from my phone. I�m no audiophile (too many years riding motorcycles as a youth put paid to that). I wasn�t interested in nav, my phone does that perfectly, I wanted a single not double unit that looks as close to OE as possible. I love the look of the Becker Classic unit but at $1,500 it was too expensive for what I needed. Searching around I saw the Continental TR7412UB, did everything I needed and was priced at under $200 for the HU. There are plenty of places that sell it, I contacted Bergvillfx.com. Explained what I was looking for and got an instant reply from Tore, he could not have been more helpful, asked som questions regarding my car spec and sent me a detailed email explaining option for head units and connection harness needed. Shipping was free and the unit arrived and a few days the HU and adapter form my MOST system came in at around $385. Fitting was pretty much plug and play, all that was needed were 2 wire taps into the climate connector and cigarette lighter wiring to power the MOST harness as shown below The only other part I needed was a Fakra antenna adapter, you can pick them up for $7 on Amazon. 30 minutes later and I had a fully functional streaming Pearl Jam........perfect. The pic doesn�t do it justice, the contrast on the display vs the climate isn�t so noticeable in real life. Tore can eve supply a Porsche sticker if you really want the OE look. I may be over optimistic as I was excited that it was so easy to fit and worked first time but to me it sounded great, better than standard to my ears. Maybe as the rest of the system is standard including the speakers the sound is exactly the same, as I mentioned I�m no audiophile. But looking forward to not having to suffer the local radio stations anymore.

That looks really nice! Does it have a usb aux in/charge cable input in back?

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just checked and whilst there is a usb connection in the front but it doesn�t charge your phone. Here is a better picture. Still have some work to do with it, it has the grounding buzz that needs fixing as the new HU is shorter than standard so the rear mount doesn�t fit, I�ll work on it the weekend.

The fact that you can fix anything on the 996 is truly amazing and I envy you for that. If I had your skills I would be shopping for a water cooled 911 right now!

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Honestly the 911 is one of the easiest cars to work on and maintain, basic tools and common sense can fix most of it's issues. Go get one, listen to that engine right behind you ears, revel in the grip.......you wont look back

Update on the stereo, unfortunately I had to send it back to Tore. I contacted him about the grounding buzz I had, and he couldn�t explain it and hasn�t experienced it before. I�ve sent the unit and the harness back to him, I hope he can find a fault with it and replace it as the unit worked and sounded great. Fair play to Tore in that he offered a full refund or to test it. Great customer service.

Whilst having the stereo in and out, I decided to have a look at the cup holder. It had the issue where the front cover didn�t slide over when you open it, not the end of the world but annoying. I expected I could pick one up used for $100, how wrong could I be, well they were $250+ used..�what gives? When you take one apart you soon realize, this thing is so detailed and complex you expect it came out of a Swiss watch factory not a German car company. You also realize that when they developed the 996 interior Gunter spent � the whole budget on the cup holder, leading poor old Hans to make up the budget shortfall by designing the rest of the interior out of 1 piece of recycled plastic. Taking it apart is easy enough, it�s held together by very small torx screws, can�t remember the size sorry. Once stripped I could see that a small plastic peg that rotates a gear that moves the cover plate had broken. A genius on this board is 3D printing replacements. I took the yard built approach, drilled out where the peg was located, cut a nail down to size and epoxied it in place. Put it back together (after 15 tries as I didn�t take note of every spring when I dismantled it). And now it works as it should. Another free fix that I love

Well its winter here in MN and the car has been put away, part depressing but part exciting as it kicks off the winter project list. Its what keeps you going through the winter when you cant drive your 911. There are a few areas I’m working on this winter: 1. Suspension refresh: Ohlins, Tarett drop links, Powerflex road (purple) bushings all around 2. As I have the hubs off for the suspension, checked the wheel bearings and 1 front, 1 rear has a very slight rumble so new bearings all around 3. Paint the Fuchs wheels black 4. Paint the front grills black 5. Replace the fronk struts as it seems to have a desire to try to decapitate me at will 6. Go on a weight loss program (the car as well as me!). The stereo is awful and a replacement Continental head unit from Bergvill FX didn’t work out. So going to strip out the amp, CD change, HU, Bose box in the rear + speakers. Remove the rear seats & belts, remove the rear wiper (I know some like it but I never use it and think it spoils the look), remove the spare and tools, console delete and possibly a LW battery. Hoping to get 100+ lbs out of the car. So plenty to keep me busy whist its -20F outside! Started the suspension strip last weekend, it’s a pretty simple job. You just have to be methodical and as on any big rebuild take lost of pics if your unsure and bag/label screws and bolts in ziplock bags. That sound over the top but I can attest that when your removing parts it all looks very logical and simple, then a few weeks later what you come to refit, its not so simple. Taking all the suspension off and the rear subframe took about 5 hrs in total, it would be a relatively easy job to do in a weekend if you have everything ready to replace. An electric impact wrench is your best friend for this work saved hrs of wrenching stubborn nuts and bolts with wrenches. In the past I have replaced suspension arms vs replacing bushes and for wheel bearing dropped the hubs off at local shops to press them out. This time I decided to invest in a HF 12 ton press with Black Friday savings it seemed a good deal at $250 delivered. There are a lot of bushes to press out as you can see I ordered the Ohlins, drop links and bush kit from Design911 in the UK, they were already offering a good deal for the parts I wanted as a kit, then add in a Black Friday 15% off and the terrible effects Brexit has had on the exchange and it was a good deal at $3,800 delivered, cheaper that I could buy the parts in the US. Bushes and drop links arrived yesterday, Ohlins are tracking to be delivered on Monday The press arrived this week so I’ll be assembling that and hopefully starting replacing the bushes this weekend, more to come

Assembling the press was pretty simple, and decided to to tackle the wheel bearings first. Pressing out the spindles first On 2 of then the bearing split leaving the outer on the spindle, a 2 pronged puller and socket adapter did the job Remove the bearing retainer (4 bolts) and then you can press out the bearing, the press made easy work of it

Most of the bushes in the arms were east to press out, you have to be careful not to flare the bush, if your bushes are not completely torn you can press the centers and the strength of the rubber will push the bearing out. The hardest to remove are the bushes in the end of the control arm, they are 2 parts, pressed in from either end, so first you have to carefully saw the end of the bushing off without damaging the arm, With that done you can press both halves out All done, it took longer than I expected, I guess I spent 6 hrs in total removing the bearings and bushes.

Looks great! I like your ideas and how you approach the upgrades. To bad that Continental radio did not work out, really looked like a suitable replacement. I have a the Kenwood double DIN with that fiber optic converter box and it works pretty well, definitely does take away from the stock appearance also. I just purchased some GT3 swaybars and was looking at the Ohlins also, just not nuts about that short maintenance interval they have...you did get a great buy though. If I do follow though, I am going to check them out in the UK! Are you replacing all the bushings or just certain ones? Chris

Great progress!!! I've got a press at home and my 99's bushings are shot for sure. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Powerflex bushings!

Hi all. Sorry, I don't have much to add for now, I just joined and need to get my post count up so I can PM about some wheels. I will say that I recently purchased my first Porsche (40th AE car) and so far, except for a few annoyances like the airbag light, I love it. Future plans include new wheels (Champion RG5's are at the top of my list for now), new brakes (Zimmermann Coat Z rotors with Hawk ceramic pads already purchased), a wing (currently looking at the Getty GT3 base with GT2 top) and once all that's done a ceramic coating to protect that sweet GT metallic silver! I look forward to following this thread!

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I'm replacing all the suspension bushes, decided to leave the sub frame bushes alone primarily as they look like a nightmare to get out and they are in perfect shape.

Very cool. Look forward to watching the progress.... Chris

Got to spend another some time in the garage tonight. First worked on one of the wheel spindles that I couldn't remove the old bearing race with the puller. The puller method worked great for 2 out of 3, the 3rd seemed stuck on. 3 minutes with a dremel and a tap with a cold chisel and it was off, even through the dremel didn't cut entirely through the race, its enough to relieve the contact and you can then get it off. I also got to rebuild the control arms with the new Powerflex bushes. First I cleaned up the arms with some scotchbrite, used plenty of the silicon grease supplied. The center purple bush was pressed in, the black end bushes you can push in by hand, the centers can be presses in with a rubber mallet.

Assembled the remaining fitted the remaining bushes and assembled the rear arms onto the subframe. One think I would say was the upper links were tight with all of the spacers. As a tip to help fit them, take a sharp blade and run it down the edge of the spacer It creates just enough of a chamfer to make fitting much easier

Pure mechanical artwork, cant wait to get these on the car

Spent a few hours in the garage yesterday, first job was the rear wheel bearings. With the MN night ranging anywhere from 2-20F there is no need to put them in the freezer!. With the tools I had I found it easier to press the hub onto the bearing to ensure that I kept is square. With this method you can press the bearing all but 5-10mm short. For the last few mm, I turned it over and used the old bearings underneath the hub to hold is square The bearing pressed in and done. I was tempted to just go ahead and press in the spindle, but decided to let the bearing warm up and put the spindles outside, should get onto that in a few days. Next up was building the new shock, the instructions that come with the Ohlins are sparse but simple enough to follow. On the rears you only need the domed washers and the top mounts from your old shocks. On the fronts you need the same washers, mounts and the bearing that sits between the top on the spring and mount. I kept my old bearing as they were in good shape but replaced the top mounts.

I like this thread! I am really jealous of people who is able to do such amount of work on their own cars

Pressed the wheel spindles into the new bearings, have to say the Harbor Freight press has been a great investment, really easy to use and paid for itself doing the bearing alone. Everything ready to go back into the car I have to say reassembly with the Powerflex bushes is harder work than the OE Porsche bushes. Where the standard steel in rubber bushes slot into place in the chassis, the Powerflex by design are slightly larger and take some "persuasion" to get them in place. Use plenty of silicon grease during assembly, the last thing you want is squeaking suspension when its on the road. One thing that is good about the Powerflex bushes is that you can torque the arms up without the car being loaded on the wheels as the bushes move/slide in the arms. Unlike the OE bushes that are fixed in place and twist the rubber when in the suspension moves. After a few hours of hard work, one corner is done

Very nice. Maybe we will cross paths next year, and I could get a ride and feel the difference.

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Sounds good, your welcome to give it a try once its all set up

With Christmas over got a chance to spend a few hrs on the car yesterday, glad to say it went much quicker than the first rear corner. I also tried to take a few more pics to document the process for anyone who may be thinking of doing something similar. Working on the rear first, I refitted the upper dogbones, rear diagonal support and toe arm. With these in place you can torque up the mounting ONLY IF YOU HAVE Powerflex or similar poly bushes fitted, if you have the standard Porsche bushes then you have to have the car fully assembled and on its wheels before you can torque up any of the suspension. Having done this before I have found the easiest way is to place a jack under the control arm to replicate the can being on its wheels, then you have more space without the wheel on to get to all the fixings. Next, clean up the coffin arm mounting thoroughly as the Powerflex bushes move even when torqued up (not front shown here, however rear is exactly the same. Next make sure you grease up the coffin arm bush face liberally with silicone grease, not only to aid assembly but also to ensure you don't have squeaking suspension. With a rubber mallet you can then tap the arm in place, I refitted the adjustable bolt in the previous position, it will be off but after the can has settled it will bee a corner balance and alignment. Next attach the diagonal control arm to the coffin arm and torque it up, You can just get a wrench on to torque the diagonal control arm to the body. Next clean up the tapers on the coffin arm and toe arm ball joints and the hub. you can the place the hub on the coffin arm ball joint, at first you will need a torx to hold the ball joint as you tighten the nut, once the tapers engage you can use a socket and torque it to spec. You can now angle the hub and re-engage the axle, after that refit and torque the toe arm ball joint. Now mount up and torque the upper dogbone arms to the hub.

With the hub all bolted up you can now fit the shock, place the hub and only tighten the shock mount finger tight, this will need to be torqued up with the car on its wheels. I was doing this on my own so used a pry bar to lift the assembly with one arm and align the upper mount with the other hand, with it in place my rubber mallet was the right length wedged under the hub to hold it in place. Then inside the car torque up the 3 shock mounts in the car. Now to refit the parking brake mechanism, first feed the cable through the back of the hub. The brake shoes are held in place by these springs that hook onto the back of the hub. I am sure there are many ways to refit but this worked for me, I fit the lower shoe first, and hold it in place by the spring as previously shown Next I fit the longer of the 2 springs that pull the shoes to release (the one at the front of the hub), and place the upper shoe on the car. next you need to fit the adjuster, below you can see what it is and how it works. with it in place fit the holding/hub spring, and the rear release spring. Below yo can see how you adjust the parking brake with a screwdriver once the disc is on place. Fit the disc and the adjust the brake 1 click at a time until the brake engages and you cant turn the disc. then back the adjuster off 1-2 clicks and ensure the disc turns with no brake engagement. Finally refit the rear caliper and reattach the ABS & Brake pad sensor connector. Only think left to do is torque up the lower shock mount and axle/hub center nut, both of which needs to be done with the car on its wheels.

Onto the fronts that are a lot easier than the rears, refit the coffin arm and diagonal control arm as the rear, again clean the mount and apply grease to the coffin arm bushes. Now refit the front hub onto the control arm ball joint, you also refit the steering ball joint. Now angle the hub out and slide the strut into the hub, hold the strut in place by lightly tightening the sway link mounting bolt to hold the shock. Once the car is on its wheels loosen this bolt to settle the shock fully in the hub and torque up fully Now align the upper shock mount to the body and refit the upper bolts under the fronk. Again I fitted min the the previous position but this will all get adjusted when it is aligned. Finally refit the brake caliper as well as the ABS/Brake wear sensor wiring at the back of the hub. After doing 3 corners in an afternoon I called it a day, just the sways and under body covers and its done!!

Awesome journal updates. Thank you!

Managed to spend some time on the car yesterday, I painted the wheels last week. I wasn't a fan of the Fuchs polished rim, it just didn't work on a silver car, so decided to go gloss black. Painted them myself for 2 reasons, first is that I'm still not 100% sure what color to finally powdercoat them so wanted to try gloss black first, 2nd was the tires are still good for another season so makes sense to powercoat them when I need new tires fitted. I'll post some pictures once the center caps are painted and fitted. With the wheels on I could finally torque up the hubs, I dont have a 340ftlb torque wrench so used the method shown below. Divide the torque needed by your body weight in lbs, for me that was 340/175 = 1.94 ft which is 23 inches. Then from the center of the breaker bar mark 23 inches down the bar (as shown by the blue tape). Support the wrench head with an axle stand and basically stand on the breaker bar at 23 inches with your full weight (with the bar horizontal - parallel to the ground). I'll re-torque them again once I have a few miles on the car.

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Nice idea with jack stand. Did same, minus jack stand, on my '85 axle nut.

Started the weight reduction plan on the 40th, goal was to see how close I could get the car to a GT3 experience without the $$$. My car is just a fun car with a few DE’s a year, I don’t use it for long distances or road trips. From my perspective everything I do to the car has to be fully reversible, so bolt on/off or buying replacement parts if there is any modifications. At the end of the day I want to be able to convert that car back to fully OE should I want to. So some simple math as to how the 996’s stack up: 996.1 C2 2901 lb/296 bhp = 9.8lb/bhp 996.2 C2 2959 lb/320 bhp = 9.25lb/bhp 40th AE Std 2959 lb/345 bhp = 8.58lb/bhp 996.2 GT3 3043 lb/380 bhp = 8.01lb/bhp The above stats are from Excellence magazine’s online specs, I understand the above is not an exact comparison as torque and gearing play just as big a part in performance as bhp and weight does. So started my weight reduction plan as below: 1. Remove parts I don’t need/use such as spare wheel/tools (in an emergency I’ll call my son to bring the spare), manual, frunk trim, rear seat belts and seats, rear wiper (used it once in 6k miles, and prefer the look without it) 2. Remove the Audio system (HU, amp, CD changer, Bose, Speakers) I think the system is pretty poor, if needed I’ll wear ear buds and listen to my phone. Also add a console delete. 3. Lightweight battery, and modified battery tray. Purchased a used one off ebay. Went with a Dekka ETX30-L, $113 off Amazon. Removed and weight the parts on our bathroom scales, not perfectly accurate, but close enough for this exercise, weight savings below: Fuchs wheels -11lbs Ohlins coilovers -4.5lbs LW battery & Tray -33.5lbs (From 56 to 22.5lbs) Spare wheel & tools -32lbs Audio system -36.5lbs Rear seats & belts -26lbs Rear wiper -4lbs Manual -3lbs Frunk carpet/trim -5lbs Front deflector -8.5lbs (behind the front bumper, would deflect air to central radiator, but there isn’t one fitted to a 40th) Total -164lbs Looking forward to driving it, on paper it looks a lot closer: 996.2 GT3 3043 lb/380 bhp = 8.01lb/bhp 40th AE Std 2959 lb/345 bhp = 8.58lb/bhp 40th AE LW 2795 lb/345 bhp = 8.10lb/bhp Next steps (Next year) will be some LW seats, mufflers, LW clutch, some big savings there but also big $$$. Another 30lbs would put the lb/bhp under a GT3!

Great info. forgot to weigh my MOMO wheel and hub, but guessing I cut 3 lbs.☺

Been working on the car over on and off during these depressingly cold MN months. So I thought I would post an update: Lightweight battery and tray fitted, it fires the car up grate. Be interesting to see how it fairs day to do but a great weight saving for less that $120 With all the audio removed I added a console delete, I really like the clean look I removed the front bumper to get it repainted as the PO had the license plate mount fitted and it had damaged the bumper which really spoilt the look. The front lower deflector does absolutely nothing on a 40 AE, with it removed you can see the front shell, love the assembly mark up straight out of the factory I didnt want this to get rock chips or see the silver through the front grill so ordered a sheet of 1/8th rubber and cable tied it in place Finally purchased a set of black C4S grills (Kept the originals), never been a huge fan of the silver grills so decided to black it out. Bumper back on with a refreshed lower trim To finish the car off I purchased a pair of replacement mirrors off ebay for less than $100, painting them up black and will finish them with a satin lacquer. Excited to see how the car looks once its finished. Again kept all the original parts.

Further to the weight reduction plan a few weeks ago I saw someone on the list selling a set of GT3 hardback seats, in silver they were a prefect match for teh car. Managed to get them in this weekend and I love them. My standard seats weighed 58lb each, the GT3 seats weigh 27lb with all the mounting hardware, so a total saving of 62lb. So now in total I have taken 226lb out of the car which would give it a lb/BHP ratio of 7.92............bettering the GT3's 8.01lb/bhp.

Wow! Very nice!

Polish and waxed

Roseville tmrw?

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Whats going on there?

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[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlist.com-vbulletin/1062x1491/20190629_210625_64b318bd38d3ea456a783421ffba6208ef7e99ba.png

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I couldn't make it sorry, hope you avoided the rainstorms

Love that stance/ride height. Can you please share the gap in mm (metric I know) between the tyre and the fender

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From the wheel center to the wheel arch it measures 334-336mm

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Thanks!

I noticed you're running 12mm spacers on your rear hubs. What size/offset are the Fuchs? Are you running front spacers as well?

I'm not sure what the offset is from memory, however if you go on the Fuchs website there is a full spec sheet that you can download

Latest update on the car, I've refitted the car back to standard except the Ohlins suspension, Fuchs and the black grills. Maybe the edge has been taken off the acceleration with the added weight however you offset that with a little added compliance from the deeper padded seats reminds you how great a 996 rides!! And with that after a lot of consideration I've decided its time for another car to obsess upon so I will be selling my 40 AE. Over the next week or so I'll be giving it a full detail, shooting it and all of the parts that I have accumulated and probably post it on BAT. Clearly I am biased but I think its one of the best driving 40AE's out there, I've loved working on the car over the past 2 years modifying it to what I would consider my perfect 911. I'd love to keep it but I'm just not driving it enough, with my kids driving now I'm riding my bikes more this year and it must be an age thing as I really hanker for a cab to cruise around in during the summer. Leaning towards a Merc looking at R107's, R129's, A124 or even an R230 SL55. either way I think i'm ready for something different. Sad to go, but I love driving and trying our new cars, and if history tells me anything I'll be back to another 996 at some stage

I�d already checked the Fuchs site. I believe they were 8� 50et and 10� 65et, so it looks like the stock wheels could space similarly. good luck with the sale. There was a red Targa with Ohlins on it a while back with more miles that sold on the mid forties. All about the presentation. I�d get pro photos done and be responsive to intelligent questions. It�s tough to be civil when people ask questions that are answered in the listings. Your car was really clean when I looked at it in San Jose. And with your documented work on it and good pictures, should do really well.

996 gt3 euro buckets for sale? interested. I have a pair stuck in customs on OH right now. If I can't get em out I'll be needing a pair...

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Yes I still have them, I was thinking of keeping them. make me an offer

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had to get some BK floor mounts to drop the driver seat for headroom clearance. Bonus that their side mounts have some provisions for seat angle adjustment. They fit and look awesome. Thanks again!

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they look great against your carbon interior!!

This fall I posted my car on BAT and it came very close to meeting my reserve but didn't sell, after much debate I held firm to the reserve and if it didn't meet it decided to keep the car and continue my journey with it. Following that I decided on a few changes to undertake this winter around the following: 1. Looking to swap out the Ohlins R&T springs, as standard it come with 60 & 120Nm rates, which for me are just too harsh on MN roads. This was also reinforced by an article in 911 World in the UK who tested numerous setups and concurred that softer springs gave a much nicer ride without losing the precise control. After lots of chasing around with Ohlins it's apparent they don't offer different rates however put me onto a specialist who recommended Swift Springs as a replacement and even commented that the Japanese made Swift springs were better quality than the Ohlins. I went with 40 & 90Nm rates and just got them delivered, the only odd thing is the bizarre Japanese affect colors of green and orange/brownish. Going to fit them up and see how they ride, if an improvement I can always take them back off and paint them. 2. Going to try a different color on the Fuchs wheels, they are black at the moment and want to change them to a Bronze/gold color. I still have at least a season left on the tires so I'm going to rattle can paint them and once I get the color I like then have them powder coated when I change out the tires. 3. Audio, I'm interested in the new Porsche integrated system on offer, I'm not a huge fan of double DIN however really like the features of the system and that its OE, be nice to listen to something other than the local radio which is mind numbing here. More to come over the next few months So more to come with the car and more miles ahead.

Removed the front struts on Sunday to fit the new swift springs, to my surprise the front left had a very slight oil weep as you can see below with the tide mark There is no damage or nicks in the stantion so I’m guessing that there was an issue with the seal from new, however the struts are coming up for 2 years old with 2,995 miles so I’m guessing no warranty. Sent it off to Ohlins for service today. Finished the 2nd strut off with the delightfully colored Swift spring, thankfully you can’t really see it on the car. I set them up with 20mm of preload, however this I expect will need to be adjusted on the car to replicate the previous stance. Plan this weekend is to change out the rear springs, I’ll post more pics of the differently colored rears.

Looks awesome! I'm hoping to get a set of these coils on my 40th car this spring/summer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought one of the benefits of these coilovers is that you can adjust the ride height independently of the spring preload. How has the shock body and especially the threads held up over time? Have you done anything to treat them to make sure the adjustment rings don't get stuck?

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Yes you are correct in that the preload and ride height adjustments are independent, however read the below quote form 3DM Suspension wo Ohlins USA recommended I connect with on buying and changing out the springs: "Remember that the spring preload will determine where the stroke travel is located and the lower adjuster will adjust ride height. In your case with the new softer springs, you will want to measure the current ride height before swapping springs. Then once you put the new softer springs on, only adjust the spring preload adjuster until you get back to your original height. This will set the stroke travel to the same point as before. In other words, don't adjust the ride height adjuster." With regard to the shock body and adjusters, they are in perfect condition with absolutely no corrosion, I don't drive me car here in MN winters (so no salt) but do drive it all other seasons so its not a garage queen as such.

Awesome - thanks for the explanation. I know that ride quality can be subjective, but how would you compare the stock suspension our cars came with to the Ohlins? Did adjusting the shocks to a softer handling help with the ride quality? There is a local rennlist member to me with Ohlins so I'll be looking to try them before committing. Either way, great build thus far!

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I guess that I should first start by saying that here in MN we have pretty rough roads, if your roads are nice and smooth or you want to spend most of your time on the track then the standard Ohlins setup would be fine. The adjustment in the struts is for damping, however for me on the hard settings the car was just too stiff and on the soft settings it was still more firm than I wanted for general day to day driving. It�s honestly difficult to make a back to back comparison with the M030 NA standard setup on my car as I undertook the work over the winter so months between driving the 2 setups, however I think the Ohlins feel firmer than the standard setup. So I drove a year on the standard Ohlins and felt more and more that for my driving needs they were oversprung with too high a rate. Then in 911 & Porsche World magazine (Jan 20 issue I think), they did a large 996 suspension test including a few Ohlins setup cars some with the standard 120/60 spring as well as 90/40 and 60/40 rated springs. The outcome was that they felt the standard setup was too firm and the 90/40 setup gave better compliance with no handling detraction, it�s a great read if your looking at suspension.

Swift springs in place, beautifully made but awful colors

That looks sweet. Great job on the whole thread, enjoyed all the pictures and documented task you did.

Had the Ohlins returned and apparently there is nothing wrong with it, here is their explanation: We have inspected your damper and found that it is not leaking oil. It appears that a small amount of grease was carried through the wiper by air trapped in the outer tube. This is considered normal. There would be no warranty coverage in this case as there is no defect in workmanship or materials. However, we will not charge any labor for the inspection as good will. So the morel of the story if you have an Ohlins with what looks like a leak is to give it a good clean and check again later. The good news is that I don't need to get it repaired and I'm happy to cover the postage to know that its all well and good, hopefully get it back in the car this weekend and the newly painted Fuchs wheels on.

The suspension is now on the car, as noted above, very easy replacement job, easily done in a few hrs. I ended up having to add around 20-25mm of preload to the new springs to get the ride height to within a few mm of where I want it to be at 335mm from the wheel center to the arch. Going to run the car for 50 odd miles to let it all settle before the final adjustments. Also got the repainted wheels on minus the black centers, pleased with how they came out. Hopefully weeks away from getting it out on the road,

I’ve always been disappointed with the standard audio in the car, not only the fact that you only have a choice of cd or FM radio but also the poor sound quality. On my previous 40th I had the Becker aux line fitted, but that is mono only output and really not worth the money. So after deciding to keep the car I went all in and purchased a PCCM+ from Suncoast and installed it myself, now whilst I feel reasonably competent on mechanical work, electrical and audio isn’t my strength, I know the basics but that’s about all. Porsche definitely wants you to go to a dealer for the install, when you get the box there are no installation instructions. After fishing around I found the dealer instructions here, the are basic but help. https://rparts-sites.s3.amazonaws.co.../pccm_plus.pdf You can modify the single DIN mounting frame if you want or order the correct mount Porsche part # 996-552-231-1 they run around $60, for me worth it so that I can alway return the car to standard at any time, It’s all very straight forward plug in and play install, the instructions advise to mount the microphone on top of the steering column with double sided tape, I didn’t like that solution, and decided to take the microphone apart and glue it into the original microphone mount (the small mesh grill on the LHS of the instrument cluster) as shown below The rest is very simple, I mounted the usb/aux connector in the glovebox as I didn’t like the official mounting suggestion in the storage tray. I then routed a phone cable back to the storage tray, as I didn’t like the idea of a charging cable dangling out of my glovebox all the time. I did not purchase the mapping card, I think it was around $135, just seemed a waste as I will alway have my phone and prefer Waze that works through the CarPlay. System fired up and works great, the microphone mount works perfectly. Whilst I’m no audiophile I would also say the sound quality is significantly better. Really pleased with the system and the way it looks totally integrated as if it were designed this way back in 2004.

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Excellent link! I've archived it at archive.org so there's a permanent link to it even if this site removes the original: https://web.archive.org/web/20210221.../pccm_plus.pdf

Awesome work! Always impressed in how you manage to find a better way at getting things done besides what they provide in the manual. Once I get to installing this I'll definitely follow your mic install mod. I thought about putting the aux/usb box in the little storage bin by the window switches but not sure about if it would actually fit. Could you post a photo of how you mounted yours? Ideally, I'd like to upgrade the speakers as the Bose is missing the clarity I like. Perhaps there will be improvement with the head unit first.

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Here is the connection in the glovebox, I haven�t mounted it yet

First drive of the year, really like you the new springs has taken the edge off the ride making it much better, great setup. The PCCM+ is amazing, works perfectly, audio is so much better than standard and the call quality was excellent, the best I have had in a car to be honest Not 100% sure about the wheel color, I think I will do up with more of a darker bronze

The wheels look very cool!! I like the current bronze color. Would be interesting to consider the exhaust tips in the same color.

Decided to sell my car next year, I pit it on BAT in 2020 and it came very close to hitting my reserve in the current condition/spec. This time I will be converting is back to mostly standard as all the work I have done has been either bolt on or I purchased replacement parts and kept all the standard OE parts. First off was to refit the standard suspension, the original struts were bone dry and in excellent shape, not surprising really as they have around 55K on them, this is the pre cleaned pic They cleaned up nicely. Here is a before vs after cleaning Same story for the fronts really however I replaced the bump stops and rubber shrouds as one had a split in it. I also cleaned and regreased the top mount bearing that had no play and was still silky smooth. Fronts and rears now fitting with the standard drop links Last job of the weekend was to remove the front bumper cover to replace the current blacked out grills for the original color matched. Great opportunity to clean and vacuum the rads which inevitably get leaves and bugs trapped. A job that should be done every few years to avoid damage and corrosion in the radiators, I replaced both of mine when I purchased the car, now cleaned and in great shape for the next owner. More to come over the next few weeks and the following will soon be available for sale: Ohlins R&T struts (5,211 miles) Swift 40 & 90 Nm springs for Ohlins struts (softer springs that I think gave a better ride vs the Ohlins springs) Tarett adjustable drop links Fuchs forged wheels Black front grills (fits 40th, C4S, Turbo) 997 factory shifter (30% shorter shift to the 996)

it's hard to understand the car buying public - every mod that you did to your car just makes it better was not impressed with the M030 at all and now have PSS10's - H & R sways - better wheels and aftermarket exhaust along with GT3 shifter and a few others you've gone onto the massive bushing replacement operation if buyers had drove this car as is VS a completely stock one = instant sale when I got mine I couldn't wait to start upgrading

As I mentioned on the Facebook 40th group, I�m interested in the coil overs. I�ll hit you up over there

..

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Feels like people are beginning to get wary about modifying some 996's based on perceived future values vs a standard car, probable affects the 40th more than others. its going to be tough to judge the demand for standard vs uprated spec as the market has moved on so much in the last 2 years ​​​​​​​

have modifications ever been an indicator of increased value? If I put a black widow body kit on my car would the price go up?

There is modifying and then there is upgrading while keeping things tasteful. I think the stock M030 suspension rode like crap and I love my Ohlins too. You provide 2 sets of spring as an added bonus. A smart buyer would be all about this and save him or her self $3k+ in the end because those stock struts won't last forever. Sorry to see this car go but good luck with the sale!

Here are my 2004 996 AE mods 1. PSS10s and GT3 alignment and ride height 2. 6GT3 Euro seats 3. Fisters of course 4. 996.2 Aero rear wing 5. 6GT3 polished wheels 7. Factory roll bar All Porsche 2004 period correct mods sans PSS10. But anyone thats driven with them know its a great upgrade for these cars.

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I personally wouldn't view bolt on recognized dynamic upgrades (that are 100% reversible) in the same way as irreversible style or personalization modifications. Each to their own

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save money by paying more for the car?

You're correct if the seller adds on the full price they paid for all parts + install to the price of a stock car. You never get all of that back so the buyer does save in the end. Has my car come with Ohlins I would have been a happy camper but I get its not everyone's cup of tea.

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pic of wing ?

****, picture of the whole car. I�d love to see what polished GT3 wheels look like on it.

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996.2 rear wing and 6GT3 polished wheels

Gorgeous!

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ah yes, now I remember - - this getting old thing is getting old

Wow, that looks sweet.

Please show up close pics of your gorgeous car Mike

Before and after 2004 period correct mods to 33k mi IMSS 2 owner CA car. Ive owned 8 years now. After mods Before with one of too many wheels sets I have for this car

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Great looking car, if I had kept mine I think a ducktail wing was next on the list

Completed that last few jobs for this year, Before taking it off the lift did a oil and filter change, then refitted the GT Silver front grills and refitted the front bumper. So put the car away for a couple of months, battery tender connected and cover on Before spring, I'll pull the original wheels out give them a good clean. Then as soon as the snow goes away I'll put some miles on the car to bed the suspension in, get a full alignment and detail then it will be off to another owner. Happy Holidays all

Last few pieces of the prep for sale, new set of PS4's fitted and took the time to polish the wheels. Took it for a short drive and the tires really are an improvement on the Continentals, going to miss this car, but time for a change. In the next few weeks I'll get a 4 wheel alignment and a full detail then it should be ready to list.

My Fuchs wheels, tires, center caps, spacers and lug bolts are now listed for sale on the forum: Fuchs wheels and tires

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I know this thread is old at this point and the car is likely gone, but do you remember if the GT3 console carpet matched the black of the 40AE carpet? Love the look of the console delete and want to do this in my 40AE as well.

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It's close but it's not the same. The 40AE uses "Natural grey" carpet, so it's slightly different than the grey that comes with the kits.

Thanks- looks so clean without it, but tough for me to spend $470 if it isn�t perfect. The price on it has gotten crazy for what it is.

Also, I didn�t know that the grills popped out. One of the reasons I haven�t autox this car is I was concerned a cone that got in the way would break through those grille slats. Knowing that I can get them in black as a throw away set is nice. Do they just snap out from behind the bumper?

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Yes, they do. Once you have the bumper off you can use a flat head screw driver to release the plastic clips and pop them out. I have mine stored away and have had my DIY mesh grilles in place for about 2 years now. They're pretty sturdy in there so could be a good option for an autox day.

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You could still order it from the dealer directly like I did (link below). Matches perfectly as Porsche in Germany make it to order (took 4 months back in early 2021) but I hear now the lead time is tremendous! D11 is the color code for our carpet btw. Mine was a little more complicated as I had the double din Nav unit and had to convert to single din radio and relocate the HVAC up top (figuring out the part numbers for all the trim pieces was a little tedeous but worth it in the end IMO). https://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/o...1302d11?c=az0x

That body kit looks sweet. Where can one fine one like that?

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GTSchport that is a great find. Does it come with the trim piece that is in front of the shifter boot? It doesn't seem to list it...can't find that part #5 anywhere.

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Thank you! #5 is a separate order. I originally ordered it in granite grey (first link) as I wanted it to match the side natural grey leather patches on center console (#29) however it looked a little weird IMO (it was a lot cheaper back when I ordered it, not the $81 it is now). So I reordered #5 in black (second link) to match the black plastic trim of the horseshoe. https://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/o...g2LWdhcw%3D%3D https://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/o...g2LWdhcw%3D%3D

Is your original picture the granite grey or the black? it looks awesome. and this is cheaper as well.

The original picture is actually the granite grey piece. Be advised though as there are some "sparkly" bits to the finish (used flash to show this)...hence why I switch to the black.

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Thanks- ordered the other day. Sunset already got back to me and said 10-20 weeks wait time. Perfect, just in time for the summer.

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Awesome, glad I was able to help!

might as well post here as well...installed a 997 shift **** in FOY dark grey (same as D11 natural grey in the 996) with a 997 shift assembly. found another 40AE shift ****/boot (from a wrecked car) that i cut-up in order to fit the 997 **** (i did not clean the 40AE shift boot prior to installation, thus it is a little "greasier" compared to the BNIB OEM shift **** so hence the color shade difference (appears darker) but i assure you it is the same color).

This looks REALLY good! It seems like the top of the shift **** seems to match the silver pretty well too! Nicely executed.