Like Father, Like Son - My Porsche 996 Project

Hey Guys Long time lurker, first time really posting. First of all, let me say how much I appreciate communities like these as a place to share a passion with like minded people. So, here is the story behind my 996 - When I was little, my dad bought a 1999 Porsche 996 Cab with about 20k miles. I thought it was absolutely the coolest car I had ever seen. He and I joined the PCA and did TONS of events together throughout my childhood, teens, and into college. It was our shared passion. Everything from concours (where we won first place at Parade for our class once) to autocross to rallys (where I always had the harder of the two jobs as the navigator) to tracking the car at Atlanta Motorsports Park (AMP). That car was such a part of our relationship and something I am so grateful for. I think that's what these cars are really about......shared passion. Well, about a year back my Dad passed away....When he did, he wanted me to have the car because it was so special to us. Now, it's my legacy to carry forward and someday to pass along to my son, who is currently 3. My dad did some cool stuff to the car over the years. He had his tastes, I have mine. My plan with this thread is to give a little history on the car and then chronicle various changes, mods, projects I plan to embark upon to make the car "my own". I hope you all enjoy and welcome your comments. I love this community and look forward to taking you all on my journey as I love this car just like my dad did. Ok, so the car was purchased mostly stock, with turbo twist wheels and a nice burlwood interior trim kit. My dad quickly decided to add a factory MK1 Aerokit to give it a sportier feel. He also added an amazing new sport exhaust with some beautiful chrome TechArt style exhaust tips Here's a photo of us tracking the car together Eventually he decided to add some Innsbruck 19" wheels to the car. While I think these looked great and really fit his style, I decided to let them go in favor of my favorite wheel our there, the 996 TT Wheel. Here are the ones he had on In addition to swapping the wheels, I also decided to swap out the standard Porsche crest for something a little more unique. Many of you may know of Carerra East Studio. They did an amazing job on creating a unique and modern hood crest that is more my style. Definitely check out their Ebay store! Here are a few more pics of the new wheels, "911" rebadge, and new LED tail lights I added. Also shows what the car looks like washed, clay bar'ed, paint corrected, waxed, and sealed with all my favorite Chemical Guys products. Especially Blacklight and Black Wax! Current project in the works now is swapping out the front bumper for a TechArt GT Street style bumper from Jeff at Xtrememotorcars. Can wait to get some mesh on this, DRLs installed, bumper painted, and installed. Check the Rennlist classifieds for my current Aerokit front spoiler that is for sale. STAY TUNED - Current projects also include: - Double din stereo conversion - Custom matching steering wheel crest - Rear bumper diffuser addition (also from Jeff at Xtrememotorcars) - Rear wing swap to Techart style or Misha GTM (will be posting current Aerokit wing in classifieds) - New Porsche accent floor mats - Custom accent seat belts - Upgraded LED/Xenon headlights - Custom painted headlight covers

Looks great!

Looks good keep it up This is the best part of the 996 you can customize it as you like

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+1 And what a great tribute to your Dad (truly sorry about your loss). Never let that car go....sounds like the memories are special. Car looks great!

Just my unsolicited 2 cents, but I'd hold onto that aerokit front bumper. It's a classy look and they aren't easy to find, should you ever decide to go back to stock. The aftermarket look doesn't age as well as the factory look, IMHO.

Awesome story, thanks for sharing. Sorry for your loss but looks like you have quite a tribute to remember your father by. Love the car and the mods your into, do keep us all posted and enjoy!

Very nice, and you are lucky. My Dad needed to buy a car, his favorite choice was a "Checker" -- yes, like the yellow Checker cab cars which they also sold to the public. And then we ended up with a Chevy "Del Rey", which was below the Bel Air and the stripped business / salesman car. We boys ended up buying cheapo sports cars the he never approved of!

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+1 I agree with this.... Either way though, real nice tribute

Wow! Great story, great pics! Thanks for sharing, reminds me of how I got my start, my Dad gave me a 87 944 back in 98.

Very cool story. I'm doing/did this same thing with my little guy. I've joked around about selling it with him and he is always quick to say "NO" so I can't wait to pass it on to him. If I could make one quick suggestion. I have installed a few of these fiberglass aftermarket bumpers on my cars and the sun warms them up nicely in the summer and will make you want to kick it. If you check my wide body thread you can see what I did to help prevent that. Just a thought. cant wait to see more

Great story!

Sorry about your dad but it's great you can carry on your passion. It will help you remember all the good times together!

Awesome! My dad passed away about 17 years ago an I am just now restoring his C4 996. Its an awesome experience. I often think about him while driving it down the road.

Jeez...he was a young man when he passed....truly sorry. He only has like 3 years to enjoy the car....That is why I tell everyone I want to be a time millionaire....my time account is the only one getting less every minute and I don't even know how much is in it....that is why I leve for every minute!

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Thanks for all of the feedback everyone. Love this community. I have been traveling for work all week but my wife says there are "a ton of packages" that have showed up at the house. Most of this is stuff I ordered for some of those other mods I listed. Should be jumping into that stuff soon and will post some updates as I do. Will also be meeting with my local body shop soon regarding next steps on painting and install for the front bumper and rear diffuser. Definitely agree with you here but the sale of the Aerokit one is funding my new mods. So....while I'd love to follow your advice on this, we all have make trade offs Nice. Thanks for the heads up and advice. I will definitely check your thread and will PM you if I have any questions. Very cool. Be sure to post some pics and updates here on the forum. I'm sure everyone would love to follow along as you do.

As others have said, great story! I think my taste in wheels and bumpers is closer to your Dad's than you but half the fun of these cars is dialing it in to suit YOUR taste.

Nice car, if I was you, I would leave the car as it is... It is the way your dad had it and its special the way it is IMO. Adding a techart bumper will make it look rice IMO and BTW factory Aero bumpers retail for $4000, so if you decide to remove it, please keep it around in case you change your mind. Edit: now looking at the 996 with techart bumpers, I think this is the only aftermarket bumper it looks nice on a 996, specially on Turbo's

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Thanks. I personally really like the look of the Techart GT Street bumper. The GT Street "R" bumpers are a bit aggressive IMO, so I stayed away from that. Also like the ability to add the 997 style turbo signals/DRLs in this bumper as opposed to the Aerokit bumper.

So. Lots of packages showed up today. Here's a few updates on what showed up related to upcoming projects. Heading out of town overseas tomorrow so unfortunately I won't get to enjoy any of this until next week: Black mesh and some of the lighting for the Techart bumper. Still waiting for the 997 signals/DRLs to arrive: New touchscreen radio unit and double DIN conversion kit: More detailing stuff from Chemical Guys. Absolutely love their stuff. Go check them out, especially their YouTube channel! Once the mods are 100% I plan to paint correct (been about a year since the last), detail, and ceramic coat. Based on my research, this stuff is a great option for the ceramic if you want to self-apply and save the coin. Stay tuned!

Here is the rear diffuser:

You have your work cut out for you I have one of the rear defusers you pictured above and I am willing to let it go for $75.00 it’s painted black not sure if that helps you Remember it’s your car customize it are you desire your on the right track Best of Luck

Cquartz is nice but it can be finicky to use. 3.0 is suppose to be easier but it still can be frustrating, its mainly apply and wipe but get some extra microfibers so you can go over multiple times to catch any high spots. I recently started doing Opti-Coat Pro and was amazed how easy it was to install. I still carry Cquartz as non-warranty coating, it will last the advertised two years and is a great overall product. The people over at Carpro are also great to deal with, I recommend giving some of their products a try if you like the coating.

Finally back from some overseas travel so I should have some time this weekend to get into some of the projects. Thought I would start simple today with the replacement of my steering wheel crest. I sent my hood crest off to Carerra East Studios to get it refinished in a custom black and silver look, a theme I plan to carry through the car. Jim did such an amazing job I decided to send him my existing steering wheel crest to refinish it to match. I think it turned out great:

Crest on the airbag looks nifty, but I would be very concerned that it could become a projectile in an incident that caused the airbag to deploy.

I believe the steering wheel crest is supposed to be riveted to the airbag cover.

Good catch. I will be sure to secure it through the airbag cover as well.

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That bumper looks killer. Curious if you have a pic with that bumper installed? I tried searching google and i couldnt fi d that in a 996. Curious how it'll look.

I was originally turned onto this bumper from xtrememotorsports based on another Rennlist member's post. Kevin M did the same to his car a while back. Here is a pic:

Definitely not a look I would do to my car. IMO, it looks out of place (too modern and doesn�t fit the aesthetics) of the 996.1. But it is your car, so the only person that needs to like it is you...

With all those packages showing up for the car, don't forget to order a few nice things for your wife...

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i actually like it. Gives the car a fresh look.

^^ Looks great^^ I wonder what the total cost of that mods is? Is that bumper Poly or FG ?

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Good call. Happy wife, happy life. I actually must have married right because her comment was "I love that you are so passionate about things like your car" Thanks. Agreed. Total cost with bumper, shipping, paint and install will be about $3,000. This includes 997 turbo-style DRLs. For comparison the 997 Techart GT Street bumper (without any lighting) this is inspired by is about $5,000 for just the bumper. Probably about $6,500 painted and installed + lights. Bumper is fiberglass and it's obvious a TON of hand work was done to get it right. According to Jeff at Xtrememotorcars they make each one to order.

couldn't agree more, that's a big problem with the airbag badge, also don't know if you plan on still doing autocross or de events, but 19 inch wheels are not optimum for that. you sed the bumper was made of fiberglass? and not PU, please be careful that's not a great material for bumpers imho. definitely keep your original one.......good luck.

Ok guys. Double DIN conversion with new Kenwood radio is complete. Very happy with the results. A lot of posts I read said that the color of the black plastic on the Metra kit was an issue. I think since I have the burlwood trim it was less-so. Certainly a nice savings over the Suncoast kit! Next project for the weekend is rolling the rear fenders.

Looks fantastic!

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Thanks! Really pleased with how it turned out. Really modernizes the car.

Just a quick update everyone. Car is finally in the shop this week to get the front bumper and rear diffuser installed. Should have it back by the weekend and will post some pics then. The place I settled on I would highly recommend for any sort of body, paint, stereo, interior etc. custom work. The guys there couldn't be cooler, more professional, knowledgeable, etc. I am sure they will do an amazing job. The place is Monster Customs Atlanta in case you want to check them out. I'll post a couple of pics of their shop below: Also - The new black LED projector headlights I ordered arrived. Will be installing these next and adding an HID kit as well. Will also be rolling those rear fenders this weekend. Stay tuned!

Wow, looks amazing! Did I miss where you ordered the new projector headlamps from? Nice choices overall...

That does look really good :-)

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Headlights came from the same place I got the front bumper and rear diffuser. XtremeMotorcars

Ok guys. Here's a big update. Finally got the front bumper and rear diffuser painted and installed. I am totally pleased at how it turned out. Again, I am more in the vein of the "modern" look so it fits my taste and style. I know there are plenty of Porsche purists that will probably gasp at these mods I completely respect everyone's opinion on these kind of things. At the end of the day we all are enthusiasts around a common passion and all rock the same "crest". Weather your into outlaw, bone stock, Singer, heavily modded (techart, Sharkwerks, Gunther), or safari, we all have such an awesome appreciation of the brand so there's plenty of room for a variety of approaches in my book. Hope you like. Here are pictures before installing the new black projector headlights. Personally I feel like the OEM headlights "jump" off of a black car a bit too much Here are pics with the black projector headlights in

looks good

Hm, it's growing on me! Need to see what the headlights look like on the car.

Stunning, love it! Very tasteful and nicely updated!

Wow, just wow. If I had a 996, that's how I'd want it to look...

Those new headlights do look really really good. http://www.xtrememotorcars.com/catal...=1#prettyPhoto

Thanks everyone for the positive comments so far! Today's project was to break out some of the new Chemical Guys products and tackle the engine bay. It wasn't terrible to start but man does this stuff work! Protect intake and electrical items, hose down, spray Chemical Guys Orange Degreaser, hose off, dry and then apply the Chemical Guys Black on Black. Whole thing only took about 30 mins. Highly recommend these products. Photos of the final result:

WOW! It looks amazing, nicely done. Other than the intake, can you give me a quick list of which parts to cover? Thanks.

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Thanks! I looked around and found everything I possibly could so this should be it, but others can chime in if I maybe missed something. Used a plastic grocery bag around the intake and blue painters tape over all of the electrical wires where they connect to the various plugs as marked below. Hope this helps!

Incredibly helpful, thank you!

Well this weekend's task will be to see how far I can get on a wash, clay bar treatment, paint correction, polish, and ceramic coating. At least I got everything in the garage organized in advance. Wish me luck!

Paint correction? Jeeeezus! The thing looks like glass - you're clearly a sufferer of PCDS (psycho car detailing syndrome)... Have at it!

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Guilty as charged.....Am I the only one with at least half of my YouTube subscriptions filled with car detailing channels? Filming it in time lapse so you all can enjoy the process in 1/10th the time it will take me

Can you please identify the products you purchased to upgrade your car visually. It looks brilliant.

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Thanks for the compliment! Happy to recap everything so far in a simple list: Wheels: Genuine 19" OEM Porsche Twin Turbo Wheels - Purchased from local seller on Facebook marketplace Wheel Spacers: 20mm spacers for front wheels to match projection of rear wheels - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M59DGQX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M59DGQX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Side Skirts: Porsche OEM Aerokit Side Skirts - https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/996G1SS.html Rear Wing: Porsche OEM Aerokit Rear Wing - https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/996REARW.html Front Bumper: Aftermarket Techart GT Street Style Front Bumper - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-Box...UAAOSwPcVVqr9f Front Hood Crest: Custom Refinished Black/Silver Genuine Porsche Hood Crest - https://www.carreraeast.com/product-...omotive-enamel Steering Wheel Crest: Custom Refinished Black/Silver Genuine Porsche Hood Crest - https://www.carreraeast.com/steering-wheel-crests Double Din Conversion Kit: Metra Single DIN to Double DIN Conversion Kit - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N3T0ZBW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N3T0ZBW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Double Din Radio: Kenwood DMX110BT 6.8" Double-Din Touchscreen - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01982R350/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01982R350/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Floormats - Black and Silver Custom Porsche Stitched Floor Mats - https://www.lloydmatsstore.com/ Ultimate Cup Holders - https://www.ultimatecupholders.com/index.html Lower Rear Diffuser: Aftermarket Techart Style Rear Diffuser - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911...oAAOSwEY9Zj312 Headlights: Black Projection Headlights with LED DRLs - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-Box...item2a37d2cf4a HID Upgrade for Black Headlights: HID Nation Aftermarket H1 Kit 4300K to match DRL color in Front Bumper - https://www.hidnation.com/collection...onversion-kits

Thank you so much for your effort. The car is so beautiful that I can't stop admiring it. There must be your artistic side that contributed to this outcome. Even a friend of mine who hates "fried eggs" admitted that the car is stunning. I have a Gen 2 fried egg C4 Cab in grey color. I hope to copy your design and make it look similar to your car. Thank you again.

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Thanks man. Really appreciate that! I did a lot of research and thinking about how to do some modern upgrades to the car while still keeping it "in line" with the overall aesthetic. I feel like I was able to strike a nice balance but always glad to get confirmation from others of the same. Be sure to post here on the forums as you make changes to your C4! Would love to follow the progress and glad I could inspire other owners here with ideas on how to personalize their cars.

" I have a Gen 2 fried egg C4 Cab in grey color." Gen II aren't even technically "fried eggs"...

Gen 2 is a fried egg without yolk.

Got any pictures from further away that aren't edited?

Ok well the fender rolling is complete. Was pretty easy with the right tools. Solved the rubbing issue 100% and no paint chipping or cracking! BEFORE ROLLING AFTER ROLLING (LOWER LEFT PART)

Any chance you would rent that rolling tool out? I have a 2002 which is supposedly rolled by the factory, but it could use a touch up.

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I actually just sold it and shipped it to another Rennlist member! Seems like these things are in high demand...

Oh, cool. Makes sense. I�ll keep my eye out for one.

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Sold it to Gregcoleman81 . He might be interested in selling to you when he wraps up.

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You may already know, but you can rent one from rollmyfender.com. Very good customer service.

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ill let you know when I finish up. Hope to receive it in the mail in the next few days. Car looks great Andrew!

Great thread, the story about your Dad brought a tear to my eye. I just put down a deposit yesterday on a 2001 C2 Cab in black. My son (8yo) and I have been watching Porsche videos on YT and he's been really excited about cars. I haven't told him anything about it yet, I can't wait to share it with him like your Dad did with you. Not only that you have (or had) the exact setup I want for mine, MkI aerokit + 997 Turbo wheels. The pictures you posted early on are exactly how I imagine my car looking. I'm hoping i can piece together a mkI black aerokit for a hair less than the $9,000 that Suncoast is asking ( ). How have you liked the 19" wheels on the 996? I'm a little leery about ride harshness but I absolutely love the look of the 997 Turbo wheels.

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This is how my car looks in my daydreams...

Awesome thread, no winning just enjoying the 996 to the fullest !!!

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Thanks so much for your kind words! That's awesome to hear about your upcoming purchase. I know you will love it and it's something really special to share with your son. My 3yo son and I love doing Porsche stuff together. If you like Porsche videos on YT check out my channel! I just launched it and it's all about Porsche community, culture, shows, reviews, driving etc. Would love it if you guys follow me as I add more. One of my upcoming videos will be a full rundown of all the upgrades and changes I made with details on how to, where I got things, etc. Also gives you some nice videos of my 996 to look at Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-6...IQRDgJ-f2kikAg . You can also follow me on Instagram if you have that by searching @nineelevensouth. The aerokit is hard to come by but keep an eye on the forums. I sold mine there and for a reasonable price. I love the 19" wheels on my car. I don't think the ride harshness is too bad but to be fair, the 996 is not my daily driver. If it were I might have a different opinion. I found those on Facebook marketplace for a steal. $1,600 for the set including Michelin tires with about 80% of the tread left!!!

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Thank you! I have some videos of it on YouTube, check out my channel! I just launched it and it's all about Porsche community, culture, shows, reviews, driving etc. Would love it if you guys follow me as I add more. Also gives you some nice videos of my 996 to look at Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-6...IQRDgJ-f2kikAg . You can also follow me on Instagram if you have that by searching @nineelevesouth.

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Thanks, I agree! That's the idea

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I'm subscriber #4! I'm really in on the ground floor here. When you get to 1M subscribers the first 5-10 subscribers should get some kind of gift. ETA: Nice job with the videos. Really good!

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$1600 for the wheels and tires is crazy. I'm seeing $2500 for just the wheels on ebay.

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Thanks so much for the support! Hopefully you like what you see because there�s a lot more coming! Just launched it this week so every subscription counts, feel free to share with other Porsche enthusiasts! I�ll be sure to take care of the early adopters don�t you worry

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Like I said, it was a hell of a deal. Local guy who just wanted to get rid of them.

Good content on IG, thanks for the strong 996 love!

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Thanks so much 🙏 if you�re on there follow me!

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What is your name on there?

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@nineelevensouth

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Silly request, already am 👍

Alright guys. Going to shake things up here a bit. I absolutely LOVE my 996 and how I have it dialed in currently. That said, I have a bead on another Porsche that I'm really interested in that would require that I let go of this one. Putting some feelers out there to see if there's any interest from the community for my current 996. The upgrades I have done are fairly well documented on this thread so please take a look at the previous posts for that. The car is in near-perfect condition. The only know issue I have is that the convertible top opener is being a tiny bit stubborn as of last week. I haven't fully diagnosed it. Could be as simple as adjustment or lubrication or may need some replacement of the mechanical components. That said, I have factored that some into the pricing. I have a complete set of very detailed service records. Clean Carfax. As for the IMS, we took the vehicle into the Porsche dealer here in Atlanta proactively and talked them into a complete engine replacement at 46k miles. So, while the car has 91k miles on the ODO the engine only has 46k. Car includes a matching hardtop and cradle in near perfect condition. While I know the market pretty well for these cars and yes, this is a C2 cab, with all of the upgrades and the new motor with only 45k miles I am looking for $25k for the vehicle. I am including some photos and a couple of videos from my YouTube channel that show the car. If you are interested please PM me or feel free to call me via phone and we can talk through lots more detail. I can provide my number via PM. Thanks all and please feel free to pass along to anyone you think might be interested. Wanted to start here in the forum as again, I am exploring this possibility at the moment. If I get more serious about this swap, I will post more formally in the For Sale section, BAT, PCarMarket, etc. Showing my 996 at Caffeine & Exotics Weekend Wash of my 996 Recent Paint Correction and Ceramic Coating upload image

Happy new owner of this ride. Great working with the owner and trailering this thing 400 miles today. Looking forward to having some fun. Car was just as described and transaction was great, not that I am leaving an Ebay review, just letting the forum know this guy is great!

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You got a good one man, keep it going and post any 996 info that is relevant! Welcome!

I wanted to give everyone an update on the car I towed it back to Florida with zero issues (U-Haul trailer worked great). It�s really hot here so I put the hardtop on which my son thinks makes the car look even cooler. I am looking forward to some minor mods and will update right now I�m just enjoying driving her. Taking her in for an oil change and inspection on Friday!

Your car looks better than any 997 I have seen. It is stunning.

Where's the new addition?

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Just WOW! Literally one of the best looking 996s I have seen. Let us know what mods you are thinking if you so desire!

Thanks for the kind words! Not much planned for the body, I will put a tinted/smoked 3rd brake led light in. Looking more for suspension ideas and will be looking to add a new amp/speakers as I am a music nut. Haven't given much thought to it yet as I am just enjoying driving it.