Project Lucky

A few months back a 2001 C2 followed me home, I say followed me home because I wasn't looking for another project. The garage was filled with plenty of bad ideas (2001 Audi S8, 2000 Boxster S, 1986 944 Turbo), but I felt like this particular 996 needed a change of luck. The VIN shows a car that has been stolen, wrecked, and sold at auction a few times, the owners didn't seem to truthfully care of the car, and I figured it was one more bad owner away from being in the scrap heap. Anyway, I like project cars to have names, so I figured Lucky would work. So here is Lucky after her first bath under my ownership: By taking this 996 into the garage I had to sell something, the 986S wasn't ready to sell so I listed both the S8 and 951 up for sale with the hopes the S8 would go first. But fate had other plans, the 951 sold quickly, and that determined the direction I would take the 911. The 951 was setup for track use, nothing crazy in the hp department, but a nice track ready suspension and supporting mods. The goal will be to go to a DE in 2022, and maybe sprinkle a few Auto-Xs in as well, but the car should stay a street car because with three kids my time at the track is limited and it is more fun to have a car that I can use on weekends. There is a laundry list of things I need to get done before a DE can happen, but I am looking forward to learning a new chassis after decades of messing around with 944s of all types.

If you've done any work on the Boxster, you'll feel right at home working on the 911. Great selection in the garage. I'd love to have a D2 S8.

Oh man the S8 is so sexy though! Do they have the same 4.2 issues the B6 S4's had or are they their own paradise? Nonetheless congrats on the 996 - it looks clean on the outside despite being neglected. Looking forward to following your adventures. Welcome to the board!

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The 4.2 in the D2 used a timing belt, instead of the crazy chain drive setup on the B6+ cars. The older 4.2s are very reliable and easy to work on.

my B6 S4 Avant munched it's own 4.2 during my ownership. we wound up getting a brand new $19k engine straight from Audi Germany through my extended warranty. the car was on BaT no long ago and i attempted to buy it back. there seemed to be zero knowledge of the engine miles versus chassis miles by anyone involved. wound up going for more than i wanted to spend. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...i-s4-avant-17/

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Well it turns out that Boxster was an impulse purchase from just about 6 months ago, so my learning curve will be a bit steep, but having the pair I have jumped in with both feet. The 4.2 in the D2 is different, it is based on the earlier V8s and uses a timing belt on the front of the motor, instead of the timing chain on the back like the later S4s. It is a silky smooth V8 that loves to rev, a bit out of character with the large sedan, but somehow it works. The 996 looks clean, but pictures can hide a lot of faults. Will try do document them as I fix them.

Nice! +1 on that S8... love big body Audi's.

sweet rides !

Man, I wish I had a 3 bay garage, definitely jelly over that. Working on the 986 and 996 is not unlike working on any other performance vehicle, just be deliberate and methodical, all the tech info is readily available, You just need the will. Best of luck with "Lucky".

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with plenty of height visible, that's potentially a 6-car garage.

Sweet! Welcome to the 996 family. As other's have said 986=996 basically.

The first update (sorta unfair because I have had the car for a few months and just decided to start this thread today), the new coilovers are here, and install has started. I decided to go with the H&R RSS units, they might be a bit stiff, but I once had a 951 that had what felt like sewer pipes for springs, and I managed to put many thousands of miles on it. When pulling the suspension apart I did find that the sway bar end links were all toast, as were the tie rod ends. Thankfully the kit came with new rear sway bar end links so I was able to make some progress there during the longest / shortest F1 race of all time over the weekend. The rest of the parts should be here this weekend and then it will be time to set the ride height.

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oh my - Nogaro Blue S4 Avant manual. A clean example is very hard to come by and that was clean! OP, great cars, great garage. Best of luck with Lucky.

Looks pretty good for a car with a checkered past !

That�s a nice set up you have there. 996 is a fun car to work on. Thank you for showing the love the car deserves.

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I have H&R RSS coilovers on my VW. I actually got the very last set that was made specifically to fit my VW before H&R discontinued them. They are very stiff and lowered the car a lot more than I was expecting. They damp quite well. I don't have the bouncy feeling that so many stiff spring/damper combos provide. The ride is harsh but tolerable, mostly because they don't do that pogo stick effect that's so common with cheap ebay coilovers.

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When I ordered them I was worried the car would be lowered more than I wanted, but I set them at the highest allowable height in the instructions and if the rear is any indication it should be spot on with my needs (I do think it will settle a bit from the below). So fingers crossed Lucky's stance won't be too stanced.......

Congrats on your new 996! Love seal grey paint. Got the same on my 02. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures with it! Also got to give you a thumbs up on the S8. I had a 2003 (Blue) which is still my all time favorite sedan. I would still have it today if it didn't protect my daughter in an accident when a driver ran a light and hit the car. The car is light but strong as he'll, and she was perfectly fine after the accident. But unfortunately the insurance company totaled the car due to it being aluminum and unable to quantify the repair costs at the time. Was a bummer. What an awesome, safe and fun car to drive around. Miss the 4.2. Only problem I ever had was the transmission. Had to gladly replace it with a rebuild. Other than that, it was bullet-proof.

Congrats on the new to you 996! Looks great ! I do have a question on your rims in the last pic. Who makes those ? Mine look very similar yet have no markings and I’m trying to chase them down to get a spare. Thanks in advance ! - scrh1

Congrats on getting Lucky !! Hope it lives up to its name !!!

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S8 sacrificing itself for your daughter was a worthy cause, glad the car held up and did its job. Those are the TR motorsport wheels, they were made by tire rack, but they stopped production many years ago. so if you need a spare, the used marked is your only option unfortunately, and they don't seem to pop up that often.

Thank you ! That was super helpful and at least solves my mystery. Time to look at some new options for me. Thx - scrh1

Need to drop the front a bit more to match the rear, but we are getting there. In addition to the coilovers I replaced all the sway bar end-links, sway bar bushings, and the front tie rods. There was a "thunk" up front that is now gone, after pulling everything apart I am sure it was coming from the drivers side sway bar end-link because it was beyond perished.

Another day, and some more adjustments to the front coilovers. I wish I could move the rears up, but I think I am at the top of the adjustment range, will certainly need to take some more measurement to be certain. Also swapped on the twists because the tires on the TR wheels are in desperate need of replacement.

Beautiful ride, I’m partial to those Tr rims though . Here’s a shot of mine..

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That is a great looking set of wheels on your car, it looks like yours are the 18x11s in back (based on the lip), and I have to say I am a little jealous as those stand out a bit more than the 18x10s I have. As for my set, I am going to send them out to be refinished at some point in the next few weeks (months), I decided to go with a gun metal / dark gray color, and then I'll need to order up some fresh rubber in a 996 GT3 Mk1 sizes. And then the twists will get passed down to the 986, or at least this is the plan I have for now.

You are correct on the 18x11 rears. My wife is slowly convincing me that a set of BBS LM’s is what the car needs and I’m not going to argue with her . I am still on the hunt for a set of for a nice set of factory sport classics in similar widths as my current ones. I will likely get the current rims refinished to a black or gunmetal like you are thinking when either one of the two above scenarios play out.

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You should let your wife convince you, BBS LMs are on my list of favorite wheels. Hopefully before too long I can update this thread to give you an idea what the TR wheels look like in gun metal.

So when Lucky arrived the front seats were a bit ragged, the leather dried out, and torn. I could have recovered them, or found some good used seats, but instead I decided to go for something a bit more aggressive / sporty. On craigslist there was a nearly new Cobra Nagaro for sale, and it seemed like a perfect fit. The drivers seat is mounted on the Cobra side mounts (they allow the seat to sit very low), then it is mounted to the car with a planted seat adapter and Recaro sliders. The passenger side seat is somewhere on a container ship in the Atlantic, but it will be hard mounted in place. I think the seats look great, if it wasn't for the Cobra logo they could have been a factory option. Maybe long term I'll have the center sections recovered, but I think that is getting ahead of myself. And even if I have the TR Motorsport wheels waiting in the wing for Lucky, I couldn't pass up a set of hollow spoke turbo twists that were sale a few miles from my house. Sure they are the same dimensions as the wheels currently on the car, but I am a sucker for lightweight wheels. They are curb rash free, but they paint on them is terrible and like the TR Motorsport wheels they desperately need to be refinished. So now I have three sets of wheels for the car, hopefully I can get someone to buy one of the sets before too long.

A couple other small changes for the interior. - Rear seats removed, I think with the fixed back seats the rear seats become useless, so why not just remove them? The carpet in back is quite sun faded, so it might need to get re-dyed at some point in the future, but then again maybe not. - I had done the center console delete in the 986, and the extra leg room on the side makes driving the 986 more enjoyable, so why not do the same thing for the 996. + And not done yet, but I need to figure out why the air bag isn't sitting flush in the steering wheel.

Ian, Seats look good. Yeah, you won't miss the back seats nor the extra weight of them. They do become useless with the racing seats. However, you would be surprised how you can use it for storage! Enjoying you thread!

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I did like the rear seats folded down as they created a bit of a shelf, but given the direction I am going with the car I figured it was just worth taking them out and boxing them up. I am sure they are going to be the type of thing I throw up on a shelf, and then eventually when I sell the car the new buyer won't want them and I'll have stored them for nothing. But with the way 996 prices are going, who knows, maybe somebody would want to take lucky back to stock some day. Having the rear seats out is also a reminded that I need to start planning for a roll bar and harnesses.

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Makes sense. Yeah, I have my front and rear seats in storage. Have done without them for 14 of the 20 years that I have owned the car. Thought many times about selling them, but always talk myself out of it just in case I need them someday. The reality is that I won't because I plan on keeping the car and keep tracking it. Eventually my son gets it when I can't drive it anymore. My daughter has no interest. I am 56 so that's a long way off. Heck, we have some guys in the PCA Chicago region in their 80's that were still club racing and fast.

Messed with the ride height a bit, and added 15 mm spacers and wheel studs. 2nd seat is finally here but now I am having issues with the mount. Still getting closer to being a driver.

A few delays, but at long last the 996 has two seats again.

Congrats and looking good!

Those seats look great. I think your front co's could be lowered about a 1/2"... just looks a little high IMO...otherwise looking awesome

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I think the car is looking fairly level, or at least if I am measuring things correctly. I'm happy with how the car is sitting for now, but will see how things get adjusted when it is time to corner balance and set the alignment.

Quick update on Lucky, has been a bit, but not too much has been happening. But I did swap out the original twists for two sets of wheels: 1st set - TR Motorsport wheels refinished by Prince Wheels in Monroe NC, I think they did a great job, there was some rash that the cleaned up and the finish is really nice. Trying some Falken tires out, they had good reviews on Tire Rack, so far so good. 2nd set - Lobster Claws, these need to be refinished, and I know not everyone likes the look or the fact that they are 19s, but I happen to love this wheel design.

The claws look great

Ian, looks great. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the falkens. Assuming it's the 660s?

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I had gone back and forth about tires, and I ended up with the 510s. So a Ultra High Performance Summer Tire (300 tread wear) vs the 660s as Extreme Performance Summer (200).

So Lucky got a hand me down (hand me up) X-pipe from my other 996 project. It is a tick loud with mufflers on the car because they are bypassed and a bit rusty inside, but the wail of the flat 6 is fantastic now. I'll be looking for some sport mufflers to swap in in the not so distant future to tone down the sound just a bit.

Great project! I also installed the H&R coil over , "Street Performance". In the rear I had an aluminum spacer laser cut, 0.250" I believe. Three hole, O.D./I.D. I have the AutoCad file I can send you for local cutting in you like. PM me. Any laser cutting facility can do it quite reasonably. Plenty extra length on studs. Godspeed! Dave

I'm going with Fabspeed once the engine is done.