CLR Project Leichtbau: adding lightness to the tune of 250kg

I keep having re-occurring thoughts about making my 98 C2 a little more interesting and focused. Problem is it really is a beautiful car and has all the right bits and pieces (Full Hartech, PSE, M030, OEM trick diff, 997SSK, 10speaker system incl door woofers...) so I don't want to potentially ruin it. I am probably already on the border having fitted 200cell cats, BMC filter and CAI, RSS engine mounts, under-drive pulley and soon a LWFW! Question I have is, if I try to retain the creature comforts that make it a semi-practical family car (carpets, rear seats, elec windows...) but remove non-essentials like complete air-con system and sunroof, would the weight-loss justify the removal of these components? How much weight is there in the AC system (I'm guessing around 20kg), sunroof (probably only 10kg). Hardly noticeable in the grand scheme of things. What is the potential kg's that can be removed if I really went to town (Hifi, AC, carpets, plastic windows...)? UPDATE: Thought it best to update this first post with all the available data I have to date (I will update as I go along): Each car has different spec so not all will be the same as my car but for info mine is a 1998 C2 manual with Sunroof, PSE, upgraded Hifi 10 speaker, Rear wiper, sports seats and Turbo Look solid 18's. Stock parts removed/lightened Jack -1.3kg Toolroll -0.8kg Front Impact bar -3.1kg Rear impact bar -3.8kg Space saver wheel -11.3kg Wiper motor assembly and insulation -2.2kg 2x rear carpets (behind rear seats) -6kg Insulation behind Interior rear side lower panel 1.8kg per side = 3.6kg Alpine speakers 0.6kg each x4 = -2.4kg Door sub 1.8kg each = 3.6kg total Carpet under rear seat lightened -2.6kg Door airbag each 1.1kg = -2.2kg Passenger airbag -3.3kg Head-unit -1.6kg 6CD changer -1.9kg Amplifier -1.2 Floor mats -2.6kg Alarm Siren -0.8kg Battery Tray -1.2kg GT3RS Radiator Modification -2.7kg Brake shields & bolts -0.4kg PSE wiring loom -0.1kg Screenwash fluid drained -1kg Engine tensioner bracket modified -0.4kg 2x doors snubbers -1kg Engine cover ram delete 0.1kg Front M030 ARB -2.86kg Parts replaced (weight reduced by) CLR Inconel625 Exhaust -20.8kg Dash delete -1.0kg CLR Carbon roof (sunroof delete) -18.1kg CLR AC/PAS conversion kit -21.2kg Lightweight Li battery -15.7kg Polycarbonate rear window -4.1kg Polycarbonate rear side windows -1.4kg LWFW and Stage 2 clutch -5.9kg CUP steering wheel -1.6kg Ohlins+CLR top mounts (Front 4.8 each rear 4.3 each) -4.4kg Carbon/Leather LWB seats -12.3kg each = -24.6kg CLR Carbon Ducktail -6kg CLR brake cooling mod: Drag/lift reduction -0.5kg CLR Power loom modified -0.5kg CLR Carbon wings -5.4 CLR Carbon bonnet -9kg Fuchs wheels with CUP2's -22.9kg Titanium wheels bolts -1.1kg CLR Carbon doors (5.1kg each) -20.8 CLR Carbon door cards (1.1kg each) -5.2kg CLR Complete suspension (14 arms) and front droplink redesign -1.7kg CLR Carbon RUF Mirrors -0.23kg Total weight removed so far: 253.6kg FOR INFO ONLY: Other parts which have been weighed Interior rear side lower panel 1.6kg Interior rear wiper motor panel/cover 0.5kg OEM seat each 23.7kg = 47.4kg OEM Cat 5.3kg each Inc O2 sensor = 10.6kg Carpet under rear seat 7.4kg Centre console (around gear lever/handbrake) 2.4kg Door card each 3.7kg = 7.4kg Steering wheel airbag 1.2kg Stock battery 17.4kg Sunroof assembly 13.4kg (4.9kg sunroof panel, 5.0kg frame, 3.5kg inner cover, brackets etc) OEM wing mirror each 0.9kg Rear side windows 1.2kg x2 = 2.4kg Rear screen 7.7kg Roof skin 7.5kg Front wheel + tyre 20.8kg Rear wheel + tyre 24kg 15mm spacer 0.8Kg Front strut inc top mount 6kg Rear strut inc top mount 5.3kg OEM Coffin arm 1.8kg Front hub assembly inc wheel bearing 6.3kg OEM PSE 1xsilencer+tip+bolts/clamps 12.4kg per side OEM Cat inc O2 sensor 5.3kg per side Total exhaust (excl manifolds) 35.6kg CUP2 in 215/45R17 9.1kg CUP2 in 255/40R17 10.4kg OEM wing 5kg OEM bonnet 14kg IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are struggling to view the earlier pics in the thread, I believe there is a fix; see below :thumb: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/...nk-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg?hl=en

I quite like your idea, Do you have electric seats, perhaps consider changing those to a lightweight race item or some gt3 ones, throw out space saver wheel, jack, air compressor, tool kit What are your thoughts on the 200cell cats and power pulley? Any rise in water temps? Much of a power increase? :thumb:

Ditched all the front compartment nonsense the minute I bought the car :thumb: 200cell cats are probably the best mods I have done to date. around 5kg less than stock and they give a noticeable gain and sound great. Here is a little video to give you an idea what they sound like from on-board a following car. My car is the silver one in front. Pulley is ok but does increase temps. It makes the steering a little heavier which I think is a plus To counteract the temp rise I plan to fit a LTT in the near future. I've already been looking into seats. Trouble is the carbon buckets are 6.5kg which is great but you lose the use of the back end. The folding buckets are 15kg. Seems quite a difference in weight. I considered one of each but just think it will look a bit daft.

Great idea :thumb: I believe the quick way to weight loss whilst keeping the interior family friendly is written in your signature "Carbon wings/doors/bonnet/door cards" or fibre glass for a cheaper option

That sounds epic :thumbs: That is all :grin:

A very interesting project as an early C2 is not much heavier than a GT3. subscribed. :thumb:

I may be wrong (probably am) but I thought that a 996 C2 was lighter than a GT3.

Go with the LWFW and RSS mounts. 1kg off the flywheel is worth about 10kg off the rest of the car in first gear, less in higher gears, aim for reductions in rotating and unsprung mass. RSS mounts are great. I would keep A/C myself, but lose sound deadening and and seats which aren't needed. Weight high up is good to lose, but is removing the sunroof sensible financially? Interesting project. MC

+1 I'm fascinated by this as the picture on my profile should suggest. I worked with my mate in NI on his hill climb / sprint focused X1/9 when I lived there and it was a real test of ingenuity. (Oops, shattered the 'I've never got my hands dirty' myth...... ) From what I remember while it's tempting to go for the 'big ticket' weight saving items, it was the overall cumulative effect of systematically finding the 'redundant systems and materials'. The compromises made vs the benefits is a really fascinating road to go down (no pun). I'll subscribed too :thumb: I'd agree with Mistercorn and if you're thinking of road use keeping the AC I'd thing through carefully. They're a lot of glass in 996 and most of us at somepoint have had the AC out of commission because of the condenser design flaw. And anytime between May and September in the sunlight it can get very hot in there? :dont know: But you know what you want to achieve so rock on and good luck! :worship:

Ok guys, made inroads into this little project. Had both the front and rear bumpers off to remove the impact bars. By my calculations I reckon about -130kg is possible without going too heavy into the expensive stuff. So far here are the removed weights: -Front impact beam (Incl bolts and brackets): 3.1kg -Rear impact beam (Incl bolts and brackets): 3.8kg -Jack 1.3kg -Toolroll 0.8kg -Spare wheel 11.3kg -200 Cell cats 4.3kg -RSS engine mounts Been thinking about this for some time. Basically everyone would like a GT3 but the £50K difference between the C2 and GT3 is a little off-putting. My aim is to come up with a package where the end result is to get as close to the GT3 experience as possible but without the massive price delta. Initial thoughts are along the lines of retaining as much usability as is practically possible but to also give that GT3esque raw dynamic feel, sound and response; achieved broadly by doing the following: -minus 130kg (complete strip and rebuild: engine out, sunroof issues etc) -Line interior with Alcantara; (also if original car interior is a less than desirable colour leather, re-trim with Alcantara). -LWFW and trick clutch plate to reduce noise -200Cell cats -Induction system -Carbon with Alcantara seats -Lightweight Alloys -All in for say a £10k ballpark (not looked into this yet, so fag packet maths at present :grin: Should make for a formidable weapon, whilst still retaining the beauty and subtlety that makes the Carrera such a wonderful car. I have just bought 3m2 of Alcantara so when I get a chance, I will have a little go at re-trimming the interior to see how it comes out...

:thumbs: Sound deadening, rear seats, rear wiper motor, stereo, amp......? That plus lightweight buckets should all be worth 15-20 kg's as well? Not sure what the saving would be if you went from from a retractable spoiler to a ducktail or other fixed rear as well would be? If any? :dont know: Great so far though!?! :thumb:

Nice work. :thumb:

Lightweight Alloys - http://www.jzmporsche.com/shop/Porsche-Alloy-Wheels/Porsche-997-MM1-Lightweight-Wheels-11 (for 997, you can find similar if you ask around). Those Alloys save 60kg which is a serious saving. Lightweight (or modified) engine cover lid - http://www.tuningcarbonhoods.co.uk/en/carbon-boot-spoiler/porsche-996-rear-wing-spoiler-boot.html (feel the weight of standard lid versus something like this) Carbon Fibre/Fibreglass Doors - search Google Carbon Fibre/Fibreglass Front Bumper - search Google You could do the roof but might cause headache at resale. I wouldn't advise taking too much weight off the front if RWD model. Anything from the rear is a bonus. Bootlid. Rear Bumper. Rear Seats and Carpet (can re-trim in thin carpet for aesthetics). Polycarbonate Windows from plastics4performance. When you're all done get it on the weighbridge. I personally like Air-Con and Power Steering but if you want to go completely crazy you can remove all of that and run an electric waterpump and racing car battery. With most ancillaries removed and underdrive pulley (or whatever everybody else does for quicker revs) you'll have a serious contender ;-) If the car is being used for local blasts and track use the Alternator could go in the bin as well. Racing Batteries aren't too expensive, you'll see 2-3 hours driving from a single charge. You need to calculate your total expected current draw but it is possible. If you stall it will start again, but use a Jump Pack the first time. The power loss of the alternator would be the last frictional resistance to rotation if you chopped everything else.

Looks like you have the standard exhausts. They are heavy. Some aftermarket ones could save quite a bit of weight.

Is there a weight comparison list for the exhausts available - sounds interesting!

Seats prob save 40kg, Ti exhaust, Voltphreaks Li battery, no spare or tool kit, those are the biggies

Might be of help http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...o-weight-loss-thread-lightest-turbo-list.html

I want a pretty stock look and have gone for free mods: Beams, front and rear Rear sub woofer and door speakers (all heavy) Rear seats All the boot crap 45 Amp/hr battery lying around, which is much lighter and works fine. Perhaps 60kg lost, but it still feels heavy compared to my old C4 :nooo: The rear exhaust on the turbo and NA are both very heavy. That's the next area to tackle.

This is what you want http://lightweightperformancetitani...roduct_info.php&cPath=24_65_66&products_id=79 That and a Voltphreaks battery will prob save close to 40kg

Possibly a daft question: are the front and rear impact beams not rather important in the event of an impact??!

Dont crash

A few more bits and pieces done today. As I want to work out what level of compromise is acceptable I have decided to remove the insulation/sound-proofing/carpets in stages. Reason being I don't want to end up with some rattling tin can (race-car). So first I have removed the removable insulation behind the rear side panels and lower panel behind rear screen. Also removed the wiper motor as I have ordered a painted plug to fill the hole. For info here are the weights I removed (Total today 11.8kg): Wiper motor assembly (includes insulation behind rear panel): 2.2kg The 2 carpets behind the rear seats: 6kg Removable insulation behind rear side panels: 1.8kg per side (3.6kg total) Whilst there I also weighed a few other components: Rear side lower panel: 1.6kg Rear wiper motor cover panel: 0.5kg 1x speaker: 0.6kg Just to clarify here are pictures for reference: Rear wiper motor cover (also insulation that I removed): Wiper motor removed So this little lot is 2.2kg 2x rear carpets removed, 6.0kg for these; you can also see the 2x sound deadening sheets in this picture (not removed yet): Rear side panel insulation 1.8kg (I didn't remove the stuck on material behind the speaker) The rear side panel is 1.5kg and wiper motor cover 0.5kg: I aim to cover all the areas where carpets have been removed with lightweight alcantara. I refitted all the panels, so to all intents and purposes it still looks stock. I tested the Hifi at the current stage and there were no perceptible rattles etc. No test drive yet...

I know where there are some carbon side panels dude, weigh nothing !!!!! 8)

Not really; they are light alloy so are really only there to prevent serious chassis/engine damage in a light collision. They will not absorb that much force to have any effect in terms of a life threatening crash.

Exactly that I believe its to stop the bumpers deforming in a 5mph impact.

But cost a fortune :wink: For the likely 1kg max they may save per side I think there may be more cost effective parts to try before getting that serious. First off I want to see what can be done for free. After this then (in the following order): LWFW Carbon seats Polycarbonate windows Carbon roof Light alloys Light brakes Lightweight battery

Do you have a sunroof? If not I would not bother with carbon roof, My mate has the panels will prob be cheap, I get a good discount with voltphreaks and on the GT carbon seats if you want it its yours.

You do realise that theres a GT3 for sale for £50k dont you on here

He already has a GT3 :wink:

Kingston, as Johnny says; I already have an GT3, this project is solely for what can be achieved with the Carrera. JD: My car does indeed have a sunroof hence me looking at the carbon roof option. I'd be very much interested in knowing what sort of prices all these bits are likely cost in the future :thumb: Went for a test drive today and I was quite impressed with the harmonics. I would say only around 5-10% increase in road noise thus far. Based on this I decided to remove the rear sound deadening in the rear. Bit of a pain but a heat gun with plastic scraper does the job. All residue cleaned off with WD40. The 2 small patches came in at 0.8kg. The real problem is that the surfaces are all undulating with bolts, grommets, channelled grooves... So to lay the alcantara is a bit of a PITA. I decided, as I want as OEM a look as possible, the best option would be to try and level off all the surfaces. So I have been filling in all the channels and removing grommets and re-contouring with Aviation 3M High Speed Tape, re-routing wiring looms... Real time consuming stuff and not helped with the limited space in the back. Anyway getting pretty close to laying the Alcantara now:

Glass is surprisingly heavy and high up so worth looking at options there. I love this kind of thing I took 250kgs out of my 3 litre '79 SC and it accelerated like a rocket after that I was being a bit more brutal though!!!! Also don't forget to thin out any wiring loom and blank switches to removed ancillaries - all adds up ! What about all the plastics around the wheel arches? Don't know how much they protect vulnerable bits or just keep dirt out???

I think wheel arch liners help reduce rust by stopping ***** getting throw up, however if your car rusts away it will definitely weigh less :grin:

Richie !!!!! You went completely the wrong way about removing your sound deadening LOL, you want to freeze it with some sort of plumbing spray and it chips out in great big lumps and doesnt leave that horrible mess on the floor. :hand:

Johnny, I'd get bored if I did everything the easy way :thumb: Ok as recommended here somewhere I ordered the colour coded plug which arrived today: Then made a start on the alcantara, real PITA getting this to follow all the contours and sit correctly but the rear section is now done For info; this only weights 230gr / m2. One of the main objectives is to not dilute things on the usability front, hence all the trouble gone to fitting the Alcantara. If you ask me, it now has a better finish than the stock carpets: the Red leather against Anthracite Alcantara adds a nice balancing contrast, with the added bonus of considerable weight saving

Sounds a beast and 250kg is an incredible achievement :thumb: Glass is something I am defo considering. Probably polycarbonate/Lexan, my only concern is how to stop getting scratches. I want everything I do here to be completely reversible though, so chasing every last gram from wiring looms etc isn't on the agenda. I will be keeping all the stock interior panels for instance as they are a perfect fit and not particularly heavy (All panels probably only about 7-8kg total) excluding speakers/airbags obviously. Many thanks for your advice Ben :thumb:

Rear end now complete I wanted to have access to the suspension top mount bolts so come up with a panel solution which is removable but also something which covers the looms and bolts... First measured and cut out the panels from 4mm MDF then covered them in Alcantara: Next up the centre section and voila finally done About 11.5kg gone with just this rear section

nicely done do you need the rear seats or could you carpet the lot? how about removing the rear speakers etc? is there a subwoofer in your car? how about ditch the sub and the rears and just fit better front speakers?

I have calculated that by not chasing every gram and keeping an element of creature comforts 185kg can be removed. By relative comfort I mean keeping all original interior panels, all four seats and no bare metal. This 185kg is split 63kg removing components and 122kg by fitting lighter parts (this is a conservative estimate and could be more). Another 20kg or so is possible by removing all interior panels/carpets/redundant wire looms... This however is not my intention as everything I do I want to be reversible with relative ease as it is still a family car. Not everything I planned was possible as the central carpets (under the rear seats) have looms and sharp metal edges so alcantara is not possible. I came up with another solution though. Basically by cutting out all the foam it shaves off 2.6kg. It's quite a bit of work for 2.6kg but it has the added benefit of around 5cm of extra head room in the back and still looks completely standard: Each seat is 23.7kg centre console 2.4kg carpet under rear seat 7.4kg (I have now lightened this to 4.8kg) This picture gives an idea of why you cannot simply lay Alcantara So instead this is the foam that is removed: Next up I removed the Passenger airbag, really surprised by how heavy this is at 3.3kg Then fitted a 2.7ohm resister to prevent airbag warning light illumination Here is the airbag And all rebuilt again So that's it for tonight; so far 42.2kg removed and the car still looks completely OE. I'll make a weight table later so that others have a guide for future reference :thumb:

Excellent work on this. I love this kind of project and have been racking my brain trying to think of other things you can get rid of Presume you've got rid of the spare wheel, if you have one?, in favour of a can of tyre weld etc

Brilliant! :thumbs: Though does this count as 'What did you buy your 996 this week....?' or do I need to add a post script to that thread, (what did you remove...?) :? :grin:

That thread should be banned :hand: every time I look at it I end up buying something :grin:

Certainly did Ben, about 5 years ago, the day after buying the car; I set my intentions out early :grin: I have gone over the whole car now and have worked out everything that can be removed and what should be bought to lighten existing parts. When I get a moment I will type up my notes here :thumb:

Eyup bud, hope all's well! Just out of interest (being a 'family' car), why remove the passenger airbag? If you're going down that route, might I suggest a lightweight steering wheel? Might be popping over to the Ring on 23rd Oct (but just found out it's shut for racing, so undecided). I'll let you know! :thumb:

Hi Jim, I'm removing all the airbags mate, just posting up pics as I go along so plan the Steering wheel airbag and 2x door airbags tomorrow. Already have a plan in place for the steering wheel. Firstly I'll see how much weight is removed with the airbag (this may suffice), it not I have a stock 997GT3RS steering wheel to weigh or buy a CUP version. Either way I am firstly going down the 'what can be done for free' route before I start with buying titanium exhausts, Lexan windows... :thumb: Please let me know when you are next over at the NBR :wink:

UPDATE: Here is all the available data I have so far (I will update the first post as I go along): Each car has different spec so not all will be the same as my car but for info mine is a 1998 C2 manual with Sunroof, PSE, upgraded Hifi 10 speaker, Rear wiper, sports seats and Turbo Look solid 18's. Stock parts removed/lightened Jack 1.3kg Toolroll 0.8kg Front Impact bar 3.1kg Rear impact bar 3.8kg Space saver wheel 11.3kg Wiper motor assembly and insulation 2.2kg 2x rear carpets (behind rear seats) 6kg Insulation behind Interior rear side lower panel 1.8kg per side = 3.6kg Alpine speakers 0.6kg each x4 = 2.4kg Door sub 1.8kg each = 3.6kg total Carpet under rear seat lightened 2.6kg Door airbag each 1.1kg = 2.2kg Passenger airbag 3.3kg Parts replaced (weight reduced by) 200 Cell Cats 4.3kg Total weight removed so far: 50.5kg FOR INFO ONLY: Other parts which have been weighed Interior rear side lower panel 1.6kg Interior rear wiper motor panel/cover 0.5kg OEM seat each 23.7kg = 47.4kg Carpet under rear seat 7.4kg Centre console (around gear lever/handbrake) 2.4kg Door card each 3.7kg = 7.4kg Steering wheel airbag 1.2kg

Really helpful! :thumbs:

Great work, keeping an eye on this as the results should be excellent! Who supplied the 200 cell cats? :thumb:

All very interesting, is this to be a track only car? I understood that if you have removed airbags which were fitted as standard then that is an automatic MOT failure now. I guess you could just fit resistors so that the airbag warning light works correctly to fool the MOT tester, as I think it refers to 'obviously defective' systems, but no idea what the insurance company would think about it. There are exceptions for heavily modified cars, I had this on my Clio which has a full cage and a single bucket seat with full harness. This got through with no airbags on the heavily modified clause. MC

Its amazing what weight can be saved , when you see how heavy they are , top work :thumbs:

Hi MC, these questions have been answered in this thread (see previous page) but just to clarify: Aim is for the car to be as useable as a stock car; rear seat and carpets retained etc Therefore no, not a track only :thumb: Airbag resistors have been fitted to prevent dash light. I will be leaving approx. 44kg of parts in the car that could be removed for a more track orientated car (all interior panels, rear seats and belts, front and mid carpets, mats...) My best estimate is that I will remove 185kg and still retain a standard looking car. Total possible to remove is around 230kg.

Following with great interest. Excellent info so far. Thanks.

Many thanks for the kind words guys :thumb: Ok a little update, I am basically pretty much finished with the removal of components now (will remove Air-con system and Engine bay insulation lining: around 14kg) when I buy the LWFW. So in total 57.8kg has been removed with around another 14kg to come (total ~72kg). The car still looks like it rolled off the Porsche assembly line Here are the last few bits and pieces done: Tried to remove the steering wheel airbag but basically it is not really worth the hassle for 1.2kg as you would then need to fabricate a mount for the central cover. I plan to replace with a CUP one which is around 1.6kg lighter (997GT3RS Steering wheel wouldn't work with 996 central cover). Stock battery was really heavy at 17.4kg, Head-unit is 1.6kg, 6CD changer 1.9kg, Amplifier 1.2 and floor mats 2.6kg. Front compartment now empty. From this point on it will be component replacement so it will start to get expensive. I predict around another 125kg will be removed by replacing parts and will come to around £14,000. First post updated

You need a voltphreaks battery dude

That would be ideal but, if you are on a real budget, bung a 40 A/H battery in. That's what I have fitted to my turbo. All is fine and it save a lot of weight.

Any idea of prices and weights for the 2 recommended batteries guys? Voltphreaks and the 40 A/H

The 996 3.4 is already quite light, a great power to weight ratio. I'd love to know where taking 200kgs and possibly getting an extra 20bhp out of the motor would land it in comparison to other cars. 200kgs is a hell of a lot of weight. The effect must be considerable and surely a real challenger to a stock GT3?

A brilliant thread Richard.I am really enjoying it. :thumb:

Indeed a great read. I'm on a similar mission with my M3.... But unfortunately this is a Porsche forum. The BM forums all discuss wheels and single mothers... Anyway, i am up to about 175kg reduction now but the thing about airbags worried me a bit, whats the MOT thing with airbags?? I have removed the airbag controller box so no lights on the dash.

I reckon you will get away with this one dude https://p10.secure.hostingprod.com/...log/product_info.php?cPath=1_5&products_id=81 I get a good discount which you are welcome to and you will never get starnded if it drops below 12v it turns off so you just press a button and have 12v to start the car with.

Many thanks for this JD, $900 tis pretty steep though; you able to manage an 80% discount :grin: I have found an Odyssey PC680 for about £100. They weigh 7kg so would be over 10kg saved. The one you recommend would be another 5kg lighter again, but at a considerable price difference.

Important not to let those batteries go flat, though. Be careful with them, and they work fine!

Light should come on and go off. You are better off keeping the controller and fitting resistors for the MOT. Are you on 'cutters? it would be nice to have a decent technical thread on there. MC

May need to find a friendly MOT station...some good stuff and people on cutters but they are well hidden and its a bit of a mess as a forum, totally disorganised..

Not where I intended on starting but today I made a start on the roof. According to my priority matrix, the roof was number eight on my list. Oh well My car has not seen rain for 5 years in my ownership and is in immaculate condition. Or so I thought: a little warning guys, if you have a sunroof, slide it fully back then remove the felt seal around the sunroof aperture as I had some surface corrosion that is not evident unless you go through this process. In my case it is not really relevant as I am replacing the roof with a carbon one. For reference the Sunroof assembly comes in at 13.4kg (4.9kg sunroof panel, 5.0kg frame, 3.5kg inner roof lining/brackets/blinds etc). Lining and panel removed: Here are all the parts: Frame removed. This is the seal that needs to be removed to check for corrosion Trim strip removed ready for me drilling to spot welds for roof removal: Temporary cover to keep spiders out: As I have removed the Hifi system I decided to do a lower dash delete I have ordered all the parts and also switch blanks for when I removed PSE, Rear wiper, and heated rear screen Could someone confirm if all cars are wired for PSE (the black plug in the lower position in this picture).

good to see you getting serious with the big stuff now! I can recommend the Odyssey batteries - had one on my track car for ages, just fit a trickle charger lead when you install it, just in case.

They dont go flat, they switch off at 12v 8)

Have you considered just putting a carbon blank panel in there? Much easier job. Have just done this exact thing on my e46. Sunroof cartridge weighed 20kg!

Hi Senoj, I considered a few options, most preferable would have been to bond the stock panel back in but it weights a ton (well 4.8kg anyway) and the net result would mean all this work for only a 5kg loss (Just the frame/motor). Having removed the seal though, the corrosion, although only minimal, swayed my decision towards full roof replacement. I have experience doing complex sheet metal repairs with Aircraft so the roof is a relatively straight forward job Net result of this will mean 18.7kg gone from the best place possible (Carbon roof is 2.8kg). As it is a pretty unique modification it can also be viewed as a bit of a signature. Can't wait now to see how different this will be when finished. 1150kg, LWFW, 330BHP should make for quite a combination

Really, really nice feature. Not seen that before.

This is turning into something impressive. Enjoying reading this. Thank you again.

Great work :thumb: Looking forward to seeing the carbon roof panel install. Out of curiosity are you selling any of the parts removed or keeping them so the car can be returned to stock?

Harv /drabux, many thanks for the compliments Harv, I will never sell this car :thumb: At the same time I now have a massive pile of spare parts taking up considerable space. I could maybe start a thread listing all the removed parts as this may help a little to off-set all the new bits and bobs that are going to be ordered. When you tally up all the new parts I aim to fit it really is approaching eye-watering sums. Good job that about £10k will be saved in labour :grin: List of components planned -LWFW -Trick clutch for LWFW (already bought this) -Titanium exhaust -Lexan windows -Carbon Roof -Carbon Buckets -Lightweight Battery -Carbon bonnet -Carbon Ducktail RPM or equivalent -Carbon doors -CUP steering wheel -Lightweight alloys -Lightweight brakes -Dash delete and Misc trim panels -New coilover suspension (Probably Bilstein) One question: Original aim was for a Stock looking car, what is the concensus regarding bare carbon or painted. I think with a silver car all the Upper surfaces (bonnet, Roof, Engine cover/Spolier) left in Carbon may work :? I like discrete though so am undecided :?: If I manage to achieve fitting all of the above the car should end up in the 1100-1150kg range, rev like a motor bike, go like a GT3, all whilst singing a beautiful Titanium harmonic crescendo

Based on the above I plan to carry this work out in a modular fashion: Phase 1: Strip and Calculate scope of project (retain OEM feel/quality/look) -60kg Phase 2: CABIN 1: Sunroof delete, Carbon roof, Lexan windows, Lightweight Battery, rewire cabin to suit -40kg Phase 3: ENGINE: LWFW, Clutch, Ti Exhaust, A/C delete, Engine bay lining delete -30kg (7kg unsprung weight) Phase 4: CABIN 2: Carbon seats, Cup Steering wheel -34kg Phase 5: BODY: Carbon bonnet/Engine cover/Doors -36kg Phase 6: HANDLING: Lightweight alloys lightweight brakes, Bilstein Suspension -20kg (all of which unsprung) Total ~220kg retaining all trim panels, carpets, and 4 seats. NOTE: Stage 1&2 accurate figures based on actual testing. Other stages all weight approximate (TBC).

I would be tempted to keep the stock look but maybe have the carbon roof showing. Could work well against the silver body colour :?:

not sure how a wrap would work over carbon, but could be an option if you wanted a change later? or how about you wrap the rest of the panels in carbon look to match?????!! 8)

Drove 800km's today to collect this

ooohhhhh!!!! now that is NICE 8) you can't paint over that, surely?!

Now I've seen it in the flesh Ben, I'm with you... Might just install as it is then I can always respray later if required.

ELA, absolutely LOVE this project and good luck with it all. the carbon roof is a peach and reducing the weight high up is a great move. you got to keep it naked carbon like the M3 CSL. maybe extra layer of lacquer for protection? brilliant. its amazing how much all the stuff weighs they use for sound proofing and wiring. Lexan windows will make a big difference. I have got a friend in the UK who does this for a living (making polycarb windows for race/rally) and he is looking for a 996 guinea pig. drop me a note if you like via PM and could set you up with him? I am doing centre console delete on my GT3 and just got from OPC. £130. or are you going to make sth up and just cover with the stuff you are already using? normal C2s are a peach at 1300Kgs and so well balanced with that engine. to have more power and like 20% less weight then this is going to go and handle so well. where did you get the 200 CELL cats from? I have run Odyssey batteries before on a few cars from race to fast road and they are spot on. even when running lights and heaters. just get the crancking amp right to turn over a 3.4 engine!

You'd be suprised how heavy paint is. I'd leave the carbon unpainted. Excellent project

Now were talking :thumb: Keeping that looking good will be a challenge, I can recommend getting a really good layer of lacquer on it and keeping it waxed. Plastic side and rear windows will save you lots of KG's. :thumbs:

Many thanks for the info and offer of help for the Lexan :worship: I should mention that some of the parts are now arranged/ordered: -CF Roof -LWFW -Clutch -Titanium Exhaust -Polycarbonate windows -Odyssey battery -Lower dash delete (arrived today) So this little lot will keep me busy for a while. There is also quite a lead time for some of these parts. I also have the added problem of getting everything TUV approved over here :what: A little update, made a start on getting the windows out today, real PITA if truth be told. I need to re-use the windscreen so trying to get it out without breaking it is very tricky. Top and sides now done just the bottom to do (it is the bottom corners that are proving quite difficult): Also dash delete parts arrived today Side windows are fairly simple and the rear window will be ok with 2 people. ETA: I'll have to dig out the invoice for the 200cell cats. As I bought them a few years back, I can't remember off hand which company it was.

Many thanks Harv :thumb: I'm thinking that maybe a clear wrap might be the easiest solution and be completely reversible, having never really looked at a wrapped car up close, I have no idea what it will look like though. I have the windows in hand :wink:

This is awesome, and giving me ideas! Can I be cheeky and ask how much was the roof panel? Pm if you prefer

The guy I bought it from claimed he paid €2500 for it but sold his 996 Turbo before fitting it (so still new). I got it for €1250. Problem is all the companies I spoke to were talking of a 2-4 week manufacture time so I thought sod it and drove all that way to collect this one myself yesterday.

Great Project! thanks for sharing have you considered a single turbo conversion :?: I would love a TPC turbo'd lightweight narrow body, nothing wrong with NA but im just a boost junky so would have to be blown for me- but i guess its against your weight saving ethos. However you'd claw it back on power to weight ratio

NA for me fellow, I've previously owned many turbo cars including a mental 1.8l 640bhp underpant destroyer. I just feel my plan of around 330bhp, Titanium soundtrack and the balance and poise expected with 1150kg should be something quite special, especially as all the Carrera usability will be retained.

Fair play, with those stats and N/A will be a very tractable car. will put in good times at the ring for sure when i stop being a hooligan i'm sure i will want a similar setup. keep the updates coming! :thumbs:

Manic996t, much like your good self, I'm far from finished being a hooligan :grin: After a few days of not much progress; as have been away making a little noise en-route to the VLN :wink: Finally managed to get the windscreen out. Having spoken to 3 window removal specialists, they said that more often than not glass breaks during the removal process, so I had to be ultra careful as they aren't cheap to replace. Managed to get it out in one piece :Happy: Then made a start on the side and rear windows:

Watching this with interest :thumbs: Very much the kind of thing I intend to do with mine, although more of a long term project for me, you are really cracking on with this! You've obviously got the carbon roof, some of the other bits can be very expensive from the usual porsche specialist/tuners etc, I had a full carbon bonnet made for my old Corrado (r32 transplant ) by some guys called LWS Design.co.uk they are based in Hayling Island near Portsmouth and prices are very reasonable, sure they would be interested in making porsche parts, think they have a Facebook page. They use the infusion process and I can confirm that results are very good visually and very light! Bloody love the drive by in your gt3, seen your thread on that also, amazing!!

ooh matron the sound of that RS with that exhaust. its like a cup car from the VLN. brilliant. good work on the windscreen. I would never tackle sth like that with my lack of skills. doing my centre console delete was taxing enough ;-)

LJ911 many thanks for the offer on CF bits, would be interested to know prices for Bonnet and Ducktail spoiler and whether they would include all original mounting points for seals, clips, looms et cetera :thumbs: :thumb: reference the White one :wink: NLW73: Glad you approve of the sound of the RS. There were one or two locals that were not quite so understanding :grin: Rear side window out, tbh I'm not so sure I would bother if I was to do this again. It weights 1.2kg, I expect the polycarbonate ones to be around 50% of that so just over 1kg saving for the pair. Hardly seems worth the effort and expense. Still nothing ventured nothing gained Awaiting my friend to come over tomorrow to give me a hand with the rear window (this is only possible with 2 men).

It does all add up though and the final feather weight will be the sum of all reductions :thumb: Maybe about 10kg then in total for the side 1/4 's and rear window, a nice nod to the GT3 with a poly rear window. Can anything be done with the door glass? I thought you would be doing those too if it was possible but there's some curves to replicate. :thumbs:

You can do door glass it's just I was a little reluctant due to likely scratches. I also have to abide by German TUV approval which only allows from B-pillars back.

Just finished getting the rear screen out, a little disappointed that it only comes in at 7.7kg, was hoping it would be a bit heavier, however without going through this process you never know: Now the serious work can commence with drilling the roof out

Ti nuts and bolts

[Image-only or quote-only post; no author-written text.]

http://www.rosepassion.com/en/cat/p.../B308/window-glazing/I2869/rear-window/P61586

JD Ti nuts: getting a bit serious :grin: Manic996t Agreed about the colour scheme; it may work quite well. ultegra many thanks for that link, I'd never noticed before that Rose Passion state weights :thumb: Roof in process of being drilled out:

I have a source for Ti nuts and bolts !!!!

This is just so awsome :thumbs:

Major progress the last 2 days If you ever end up doing a roof swap, make sure you remove these 2 forward brackets as they hide a spot weld underneath Then voila the roof be no more 7.5kg just incase you're interested I now have a cabriolet Filed off and levelled the contact surfaces then touched up with grey primer any exposed surfaces: It'd be rude not to at least have a look First test fit Then made inroads into a few interior bits that have arrived. New dash delete fitted, around 1kg less than what it replaced. Also fitted some blank switches in place of rear screen heat and rear wiper.

Nice work Richie !!!!!

BHZ661 / JD thanks Really happy to get this job done as it will be the trickiest of the whole project. Should be relative plain sailing from here today I'll be fitting the roof

Amazing work Richard. :thumbs:

How do you fit a carbon panel? Bond it in?

Yup, Kawasaki bike frame are glued together !!!!

Sikaflex 252 :mrgreen:

Isn't that the name of a planet in Star Trek.........? :?:

Like this :thumb: I used PR1440B1/2, it is used for sealing fuel tanks on aircraft; therefore you will not find a better product for the task just not sure if it can be purchased by Joe Public :dont know: First I used aviation HST to seal off all the spot weld holes ( prevent sealant dripping everywhere): Then a proper test fit to ensure correct fit: Before applying sealant I rewired all the upper console to remove all sunroof related looms. Then masked off cabin. Now securely attached the CF roof and leave for 24hrs @ 20.C (adjust time according to temp): And there we have it I wouldn't recommend doing this job at home, you really need to be very careful, lots of prep and be pretty competent with sheet metal bashing. Got to sit on my hands now waiting for sealant to cure :thumbs:

Nice work

I feel the need to pointlessly add that I am really enjoying reading about this work. Thank you.

Far from pointless Drabux, I appreciate all of the kind thoughts passed on by you guys, so thank you :thumbs: Keeps my motivation levels up to crack on with the next challenge. Taking all the pictures and uploading is a bit of a PITA though :grin:

That is going to be amazing when done , inspiration to us all :thumbs:

Great work, love a bit of 3M425 HST :thumb: aviation would be lost without it. You must have had to work quick with the 1/2hr sealant on a panel that size, were you not tempted to use the 'A' sealant as its between surfaces?

Steve r, I think you have caught aerosexual quite bad :grin: Another parcel arrived today Now the dash delete is complete: Now a question, I am quite liking the raw carbon on the inside, what do you guys think, leave it exposed or buy a non-sunroof lining for OEM feel??? Here I have installed the side strips to get an idea of what it will look like when finished

fantastic work and that just looks brilliant Richard. love reading this I would be tempted to keep it naked carbon inside. will be loud though. how heavy is the alcantara lining? would certainly make it bit more civilised and finished in the cabin as you still have some leather and trim in there. actually I would just put a light cover over it thinking about it.

am loving that carbon roof if you've got kids climbing in and out of the back I'd be tempted to have a thin liner on the inside; as said already will be a lot louder naked so you might want a bit of sound deadening - suppose it depends if it's a daily driver and long motorway miles etc. I've got no interior at all in my track car and the noise melts my brain if I'm not wearing plugs or ear defenders

This is a brilliant project to follow. Wish I had the nerve to tackle something on this scale. Re the roof interior, I would laquer it and leave it. I would expect it to be quieter than bare metal so might be bearable. It looks fantastic as it is.

I don't mind a little project myself but this thread is fantastic. Very fine skills and huge commitment. All carried out on the open forum. Every credit!

I think go with a head lining keep it looking OEM :thumbs:

Once again :thumb: guys, really glad you approve :wink: NLW73 the Alcantara I purchased weighs 230gr / m2. Opinion seems split on the head-lining front. I think I will try a compromise solution by trimming the steel frame edges in Alcantara and leave the carbon exposed. If anything I feel that Johnd52 may have a valid point. The carbon weave structure should dissipate resonance/harmonics better that the sheet steel. It is also bonded as opposed to welded so another layer of vibration absorption. I don't really think the head-lining adds much in terms of sound reduction either as it is very thin and after removing the heavy thick rear carpets there was a negligible change in sound. Today I also decided to add another layer of structural stability by also riveting the roof in place. Then got a little side-tracked as my friend asked for a little help in his wine cellar

Windscreen going back in, here are the tools I used: And screen back in Next up I made a little blanking plate for the dash delete, then covered it in Alcantara: And here it is fitted just forward of the gear lever Then I measured and cut the Alcantara for the roof: Before that all the holes need to be closed Then the Alcantara Then re-fit the trim panels:

Top job Richie as usual, Im thinking about doing mine.

the cabin will get pretty hot, i would consider doing a backed rooflining of some sort. won't be much of a weight penalty and will be alot more comfortable especially on a warm sunny day.

Awesome thread!! cant wait to hear about the performance gains, all looks factory too. Where did you get your centre console delete?

Elaborate please, im thinking about this but would just put in a sunroof deleted alacantara headliner

the bare carbon (or steel for that matter) will radiate the heat, so on a sunny day the cabin will be pretty much a greenhouse ok for a race car, not so much fun on a road car. its all down to personal preference though- some people dont mind it. looking up at that caron roof would be uber though

Wouldn't a light coating of silver paint on the outer surface reflect much of that heat? Or even a chrome wrap? :?:

it would certainly help in terms of reflection as you say, but a headliner solution would insulate the cabin better by adding an additional thermal block. it would just reduce the effect not stop it completely of course, again it's really down to preference and intended use

:thumb:

This is all looking superb. Okay, what next :?: I don't suppose you took 'before' performance so that it can be compared to 'after' performance?

Looks like you've done a great job installing the roof. Have been thinking about it - could you fit a fixed position rear deck lid and spoiler in carbon, or a ducktail perhaps, and remove all that weight off the rear - inc electric spoiler motor etc?

So if I cut my black metal roof off and replace with carbon and reinstall a alacantara headliner it will be the same

yes mate, that will be fine

As per original brief I want to retain as much OEM feel as is possible. Well been a bit busy the over the weekend trying my hand at fabricating something: With the roof lining now gone this panel now floats in mid-air about 2 inches below the roof-line. Here is my solution Really happy with how this turned out Then my friend let me drive his 964RS to the NBR

:worship: :thumbs:

Very nicely done

To answer a few questions above: Bluecat: Dash delete: I bought all the parts from Ebay. Someone here did a thread recently about the dash delete and I think the parts are about £130 from OPC. I also removed the stereo and some switches so other parts were also ordered. Then I also custom made the gear lever blank. Manic996t: I'll test first in summer to see if headlining is required :thumb: drabux: regarding performance: I'll have to get an independent to try the car when finished to verify any performance differences. BenC: I really want a Carbon Ducktail but the only one I can see is the RPM one at over £1500 from memory, so seems a little steep for what it is

Time to tackle the AC :what: First time the car has seen daylight for sometime and a chance to see the new roof in all it's glory Next up I needed to remove all the R134A AC fluid: Then back home to make a start on the AC removal: Whilst in the vicinity decided to remove a few other bits deemed surplus to requirements: Battery tray 1.2kg Alarm Siren and bracket 0.7kg AC system front components came in at 6.4kg so first post now updated with a total now of 85.3kg removed . Getting all the pipes out was a total PITA as the fuel tank fill tube and various other components needed to be removed for access. Then some of the AC pipe bolts had to be cut off with an angle grinder as they didn't want to play :nooo: Still on target for minus the 220kg ... ETA: Now looks much better with all these bits removed:

I was just wondering how you are getting on and up popped the errrrm update :lol: Stunning work, a man after my own heart for sure. The roof looks superb against the silver body. Wonder how much the a/c will weigh? Can the steering rack be removed and modified, you could loose the PAS too? Interestingly there's another thread on the forum about modifying and hot rodding the 996's. Forget the GT3 wannabe clones.... This is how you do it folks, history being written right here. :thumb:

Just read this thread from the start, absolutely amazing work! Richie, you are a very talented man :worship: :thumbs:

Progressing nicely :thumbs: But isn't it going to get super hot in there withouth the AC?!! My car currently has broken AC (job to fix soon!) I drove down to the south of France in spring to watch the Monaco GP, weather was mild but certainly not hot, but oh my it got hot in the car with no AC!! It was pretty uncomfortable as you couldn't really have the windows open at speed or you just went deaf after a while, maybe ok for an hour but after a long journey I ended up pretty tired and with a miserable girlfriend!! Ah well, you've removed it now, sure it will be fine on short journeys. I reckon I'd get a non sunroof headliner if you can get one reasonably, not so much for the heat/insulation but just to finish it visually. Totally loving your thread, as I said before I'm planing similar things and this is guiding me, helping to pick the bits I'd like to do to mine, keep it up :worship:

Harv / V8KSN :worship: makes all the hard work worth it to see like minded individuals appreciate what I am trying to create :thumbs: Harv, I expect the complete AC system to come in at around 14.5kg I may consider a Non-PAS conversion as I fitted an underdrive pulley recently and the main benefit for me was the steering weight was really improved. With all this weight going I feel there may be no need for PAS as 1100-1150kg with a 350mm steering wheel should be more than manageable. I'll look into internal rack modifications once the engine is out. Lj911, a few have mentioned the AC system and heating issues. I just don't see the problem. I very rarely use the AC and I live in an area much warmer than the UK. AC only really came out in around the late 80's and I never hear of people complaining in early Porsches/Ferrari's etc. I think it is just a modern phenomenon where people are just use to the creature comforts like AC. Headlining may prove to be the perfect option but what I have done allows me to opt for this if I want to later. Reason I haven't is 3 fold: to save the 1.5kg above my head, the CF looks great from inside and one of the main benefits is, in combination with lowering the rear seats, the headlining removal has really improved the rear head room. I am 5'10 and can now sit in the rear seat without having to bend myself in half. It really is a major plus point to have the practicality of the car improved with the rear head room (around 5cm extra headroom). Really happy you can draw some inspiration from this to improve your own car :thumbs:

Lj911, a few have mentioned the AC system and heating issues. I just don't see the problem. I very rarely use the AC and I live in an area much warmer than the UK. AC only really came out in around the late 80's and I never hear of people complaining in early Porsches/Ferrari's etc. I think it is just a modern phenomenon where people are just use to the creature comforts like AC. Headlining may prove to be the perfect option but what I have done allows me to opt for this if I want to later. Reason I haven't is 3 fold: to save the 1.5kg above my head, the CF looks great from inside and one of the main benefits is, in combination with lowering the rear seats, the headlining removal has really improved the rear head room. I am 5'10 and can now sit in the rear seat without having to bend myself in half. It really is a major plus point to have the practicality of the car improved with the rear head room (around 5cm extra headroom). Really happy you can draw some inspiration from this to improve your own car :thumbs:[/quote] I know what you mean about the AC, I've had a number of cars without it and have always been fine, in fact I like the simplicity, it's perhaps just that my girlfriend whined about it so much during/after our long trip (nearly 14hrs, traffic etc) in the end I had to have a word with her, as her moaning for months afterwards was really beginning to p*#s me off! I noticed the extra headroom in your car, kind of a bonus for the back, I really can't get in there (6'2"), when I first got the car and was cleaning the rear glass I almost got stuck! I think I'm going to remove the rear seats in mine (quite a bit of weight with the belts etc) and I really just don't need them. I need to talk to a trimmer to get a carpet made with no holes etc, I'd get a gt3 one but they are crazy money! Surprised that the headliner is 1.5 kgs, just shows how the little things add up! :bye:

Like the thread, but perplexed (given the lengths that you are going to) that you are leaving so much on the table by leaving the stock seats in there. I was under the impression that there are folding (i.e. non-bucket) alternatives from the likes of Recaro that should surely save you over something like 20-25lbs per chair... :?: I guess you would have to have them dyed to match (though you could replace the rears and have the seats as a contrast colour), but for what you have invested in the car so far that is surely viable? Or are you really attached to the stock sports seats ? [Apologies if already covered - I don't recall seeing it and there is rather a lot to back read now]

Sorry Colin, also covered on page 4. Carbon buckets will be going in along with the following :wink: List of components planned -LWFW -Trick clutch for LWFW (already bought this) -Titanium exhaust -Lexan windows -Carbon Roof -Carbon Buckets -Lightweight Battery -Carbon bonnet -Carbon Ducktail RPM or equivalent -Carbon doors -CUP steering wheel -Lightweight alloys -Lightweight brakes -Dash delete and Misc trim panels -New coilover suspension (Probably Bilstein) Phase 1: Strip and Calculate scope of project (retain OEM feel/quality/look) -60kg Phase 2: CABIN 1: Sunroof delete, Carbon roof, Lexan windows, Lightweight Battery, rewire cabin to suit -40kg Phase 3: ENGINE: LWFW, Clutch, Ti Exhaust, A/C delete, Engine bay lining delete -30kg (7kg unsprung weight) Phase 4: CABIN 2: Carbon seats, Cup Steering wheel -34kg Phase 5: BODY: Carbon bonnet/Engine cover/Doors -36kg Phase 6: HANDLING: Lightweight alloys lightweight brakes, Bilstein Suspension -20kg (all of which unsprung) Total ~220kg retaining all trim panels, carpets, and 4 seats. I also spoke to Parr this afternoon about a Power steering solution and they said the only solution they have is an electric/hydraulic unit like in the CUP cars (same as in my RS). This isn't really what I am looking for though as it still draws a bit of power (albeit electric), has weight and adds artificial feel. I have worked out a solution and will strip down and test my steering rack design this weekend. This is the most exciting development so far as there is nobody that I know of that has a manual conversion for the 996 (Using a 964 Non-PAS rack is the wrong width and as already mentioned the electric system doesn't really cut the mustard so I have no option but to design/develop my own manual conversion). I will also need to design an idler pulley and mounting bracket and calculate what belt length is needed with both AC and PAS deleted. Can't wait

Ah - thanks. Presumably folding buckets though? Otherwise you really may as well delete the rear seats and belts - it is contortion to get into the back of a 996 with buckets and in the event of an accident it would be dangerously problematic for anyone back there to escape the car (or indeed be rescued) in a hurry... ? [Mentioned it as IIRC retaining the rear seats was part of your design?] Also - I don't think I saw any mention of carbon wings (except in relation to your other car from your signature). I seem to recall from a thread somewhere else that there is quite a chunk of weight to save from doing those (it generally being an appreciably more effective weight saving measure than for example the bonnet or roof). Finally - even though you are leaving the wheels until last - will you be going to the absolute lightest combination (i.e. picking the lightest combined wheel+tyre against diameter and weight) or are you going to select a preferred option on the rubber for performance reasons and choose the lightest wheel that will mount it? The root of the question is that {again from another thread that I read in the distant past} that the lightest combination used to call for a 17" rim due to weights of tyres in sizes. I don't know if that is still the case, but if so then that would limit tyre choice (so you couldn't have Cup2s for example). Or has that angle simply not even been considered yet?

Also have some great news; I now have the first non-PAS 996 Carrera in existence. It has been a major faff to come up with a solution but after some serious head-scratching and some unique fabrication work it is looking quite good (70% there right now: Rack modified and refitted, engine modifications designed, just waiting for the machine shop to finish a part I sketched for the engine). Will post up pictures when I get a chance

Just read this thread, fantastic build buddy and we'll done on the roof swap! Looks immense

Loving the thread! Just back in the garage today for another round of tinkering. This one is around a strategy for the suspension having discovered a broken spring and a shock absorber with flaking chrome on one of the pistons.....(not checked the others yet)/ Currently looking at replacing with OEM shocks but with lowering springs (plus spacer to slightly reduce the effect). Cuprinol brake lines, stainless bleed nipples for the PCCB callipers and HEL flexi brake pipes.

Once again many thanks guys You've got your work cut out there Chris, good luck with it Happy to report that I have now reached a bit of a milestone 100.1kg now gone Here are a few pictures of the solution I come up with for the PAS conversion. First up I would not want to go through this again, steering rack removal is a bit of a PITA. So first mark up and measure everything for reassembly later: Then start removal. Reason for it being tricky is here in these next two pictures, there is very little room to work and I ended up cutting the old PAS lines out as they were not coming out (dissimilar metal corrosion as Porsche thought it a good idea to use a steel retaining plate over the PAS lines mounted to the Alu rack Now the fun starts, rack out and strip to convert to a manual system I quickly made a blanking plate for after conversion (no more hydraulic pipes And here is the front end of the manual conversion ready for installation. I wont go into any detail regarding the internal modifications as I need to keep something in my top pocket With the AC and PAS pump removed I needed to come up with a solution for the engine driven ancillaries. Firstly here is the stock configuration for the belt And here is my drawing for the conversion. Basically PAS and AC pumps gone, upper deflection roller removed and reroute belt as per below. Trouble is this requires a completely different tensioner pulley as the stock one is smooth faced and as I have now rotated the belt over this pulley it now needs to be grooved. I also have to get a specially made belt configured for new length. Engine bay a lot emptier now. This has many advantages: less weight, increased power (minimised losses), better cooling due to less heat soak and improved air circulation and also improved weight balance Here is the PAS pump and mounting bracket. I re-use the mounting bracket as it has the tensioner pulley attached and alternator also mounts to it. PAS and AC delete comes in at minus 21.2kg Steering weight feel fantastic so far. I will do a pull-off check later to measure the force required for static steering inputs

very nice indeed

Everyone is dying to see how this car turns out. And I'm sure a couple of Porsche magazines will want a spin in it.

Got to be one of the best and most inspiring threads ever... Fantastic work, not just on the car but documenting/photographing everything to then post on here...

+1 :thumb:

Thank you for the updates , fantastic :thumbs:

Thanks for the very kind words above guys :worship: A few other pictures I forgot to upload the other day: One of the alloy caps was rounded off as it was incredible tight so here is a little solution I come up with that may be of some use if you are ever in this situation: Myriad hoses/pipes that have been removed for the PAS and AC delete: The little one inquisitively wondering why I choose to spent all my time crawling under cars :grin: Windows are now manufactured so have been sent from the UK, hopefully by next weekend they will be here, then fitted along with my new tensioner pulley... After this it will be engine/gearbox out for new LWFW, trick clutch, LTT, Titanium exhaust, engine bay lining delete.

Hi Colin, maybe you can be of some assistance here??? I have just been out to check exactly what wheels I have fitted Front: 993.362.134.06 7.5J 18 ET50 Rear: 993.362.140.04 10J 18 ET65 Here they are with 15mm spacers fitted all round: I basically want to retain this exact stance but remove the 15mm spacers so the new wheels will have to stick out by 15mm more than these do. These are fitted with 225/40's and 265/35's. I feel these are plenty wide enough, especially when the weight will be so much less when finished. What wheels are there out there that will fit the bill, ideally 3kg lighter per rim minimum and not crazy expensive.

Hi, great work here. Can you tell me which companies you spoke to ref the carbon roof? I'm looking at doing the same sunroof delete and carbon roof in my 997 but I can't find any companies really that make them for the 997.

According to the very useful 944racing page that gives you rears that weigh 13.3kg and fronts at 11.3kg. Off the top of my head I reckon that if staying with 18s, OZ Allegeritas will get you into the weight ball park, but not so sure about eliminating spacers. With 265s you can of course go down to a narrower 9j rim on the rear (.05kg lighter each), and thus it might possibly work to use the 9jx18 ET 43 at 8.25kg (actually a Boxster fitment, on which it is specified to run the tyre size that you want) on the rear and get close to the effect that you want. For those wheels you would still have to go up to an 8j ET 50 front I believe though (still less than 8kg so meeting your weight target}. However, my wine fuelled mental arithmetic still thinks that you will need a spacer {albeit a narrower one - it isn't far out I reckon} to push as far into the arch as you currently have with that option. Ballpark price is circa £1500 for a set of those, so I think that they are a viable option for your brief? For over 17kg of gyroscopic mass eliminated in your case that would seem a reasonable sum? [Allegeritas are popular with GT3 track drivers as when combined with floating disks on alloy bells the net effect is greater than the weight saving of ceramics for much less money..... :thumb: ] If you want to stay with Porsche OE options, I doubt that you can beat the original 996 10 spoke 17" in 7" and 9" widths though - they would get to your weight target I believe (though 17" Sport Classics look much better IMHO and are close). You are obviously into spacers for those to fill the arches like your current setup though.

Here is one, looks like 996 and 997 have the same roof. Price for one similar to mine is €1642.20 (£1150) and is 2.8kg, again the same weight. The real cost will be installation though. Finding someone who has experience in a roof swap on a 997 might be tricky. As I posted up earlier, all interior trim will need to be removed along with headlining, sunroof and associated frame/motor etc, both front and rear screens, potential rewire and headlining issues... I am more than happy to give some guidance or even take this on for you but am really looking to finish my car first.

Many thanks for taking the time for this response Colin; certainly points me in the right direction :thumb: I wish I could type so coherently when under the influence.

Thanks for the info. It's a job on my list that's going to be done next year now. Now I know I can get the roof I need I can put it on my list for sure. I'm planning on getting the White carbon and having it painted. Not sure who will install. I have a feeling 9M (near me) have done this job.

A few parts arrived this week, so the weekend will be busy. Firstly the new Lightweight battery; I'll need to fabricate something to secure this but a good saving of 10.4kg. Then finally after 2 weeks and considerable expense (they claim prototype tax :roll: ) the tensioner pulley is now finished. Here it is against the stock item albeit I have transferred the bearing over. Polycarbonate windows have also arrived so this weekend the PAS steering conversion will be completed along with battery tray fabrication and fitting of the new windows.

Glad to report PAS conversion now complete, here is how all the ancillaries now look and also a little video: Next up new battery sorted That leaves me just these to fit tomorrow. Sides weigh 0.5kg each and rear weighs 3.6kg

As per usual, jobs you intend to be relatively straight forward end up becoming somewhat of a nightmare; in this case window installation. All done now but here are a few pictures of installation: Rear screen test fit Rear side windows have these mounting points that need transferring to the new windows Some serious effort required to get these off. All back together and sealed up again, it's been a while now so glad to see the car back in one piece

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. :worship:

The great work continues! Go on - raw carbon bonnet and duck would look awesome - you know you want to

You may also want to consider the weight of a steel roof. I did the sunroof delete on mine and the steel replacement section seemed very light, just some thin pressed steel directs from Porsche.

See Page 6 :?

Windows look excellent :thumbs: Is the lexan material the same thickness as the original glass?? Sometimes you see track cars (thinking of a friends m3!) and the plastic Windows look frankly gash, held in with screws/rivets so it's nice to see something looking so OE with the seals etc, proper. How dose this stuff hold up to scratches etc? If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay for the new windows?

Hi Lj911, my aim from the start was to retain oemness as best I can; so with regards to the windows it's a case of you get what you pay for. I ordered 3mm sides and 4mm rear (large surface area so I wanted an element of safety, GT3RS is also 4mm). To keep them looking stock I ordered them with a black boarder, 'e' marked and all with the hardened scratch resistant coating. Windows alone are quite cheap but once you add all these extras the price is around double. For me though I felt why go to all this trouble then scrimp on these important finishing touches. All in about £850. More details here

It's coming, it's coming just need to sell my other car before I'm allowed to go too crazy with this one...

Approximately have way through this project now and as the car is fully assembled now seems a good time to test the car. In this configuration 116kg has been removed and PAS has been removed. After a quick drive around the block I realised that the steering was 1x spline out on the steering column so I adjusted this back to central. Then a road test for steering feel, engine response, vibration, harmonics, wind noise/sealing... Happy to report the car really picks up well, there are no discernable differences in cabin noise vibration etc. Steering is really alive now; anyway I've tried to make a quick video during the test drive to give you guys an idea of where I'm at with the car. My apologies for the film (I'm no Chris Harris) it was just a spur of the moment idea

That sounds fantastic! :worship:

With apologies to Chris Harris - that is waaaaaaaayyyyyy more inspirational than any of his videos IMHO. :worship:

It doesn't seem possible that only 10 weeks ago she looked liked this. For the record, she doesn't sound anything like most 'stock' 996s do. :wack: Performance wise I struggled to keep up with you before ........ I don't think I'll bother trying next time. :worship:

I've not been in a stock version, but judging by the sound track, the car seems to pick up a lot quicker after a gear change compared to other on-boards taken in standard cars. Having come from a 190hp, 560kg Mini, I'm loving this thread! Great work!

:bow: Been following this thread since the beginning .... Looks great , and sounds great, even via mobile phone footage.

Wonderful video. Once again, you surpass expectations. I can't remember what you've done to the engine but here are two mods that I found made a significant difference: 1. 100 cell cats 2. Smaller underdrive pulley. I've heard that the former nets 10 bhp and the latter about 6 bhp. With both there is a clear difference in power from the car. The cats also allow the car to make the most fabulous howl on open throttle.

seems to pick up really well already! I've always made my polycarb windows in the past but that link seems to have some quality products so I might have to treat myself to a new rear screen

I think the 996 Carrera tribe might just have found their Magnus Walker. Fantastic thread. I was thinking about the weight numbers. Your car is now somewhere around a quarter of a ton lighter than a C4S. And obviously even lighter again over a turbo. It must be approaching a driving nirvana sweet spot in terms of balance between weight, power and still reasonable OEM day to day comfort. Exactly what I would wish for personally. I don't want to get into a car with fire extinguishers, roll cages and harnesses. I want a sports car not a race car but one that drives like a race car. Very inspiring thread. Car sounds fantastic by the way.

I beg your pardon; not once did I drive into the back of a truck, spend 20mins on a duel carriageway thinking I was at L.Seca and my hair is less than 2ft long :grin: Anyway gentlemen, I cannot thank you guys enough for the kind words and thoughts :worship: :worship: :worship: The next stage is where the performance aspects of this project will be really ramped up to another level :thumb: Once again many thanks guys :thumb:

I bought my pulley from you fellow :thumb: Agreed the cats make a considerable difference, in my case the 200cell variants but I can't see 6bhp in losses from turning a few pullies at say 20% lower speed, be good if there is though. By ditching the PAS and A/C there will certainly be more power available at the wheels. I will do a dyno run when complete to see what she is making and report back :thumb: Many thanks for your kind thoughts and input :thumb:

This thread proves what a versatile car the 996 is and that I think they will continue to gain a following all of their own for people who do mods of this quality. The engine sounds just fantastic and revs beautifully, against any benchmark.

You did. Of course! With the AC and PAS ditched the gains from the pulley will obviously be less, but the consensus from numerous dynos seems to be 5-8 bhp crank gain on a stock car. I'm always suspicious of such claims but these do seem to have some weight behind them e.g. http://www.planet-9.com/porsche-dyno-charts/16362-dyno-charts-bbi-under-drive-pulley.html

[quote="You did. Of course! With the AC and PAS ditched the gains from the pulley will obviously be less, but the consensus from numerous dynos seems to be 5-8 bhp crank gain on a stock car. I'm always suspicious of such claims but these do seem to have some weight behind them e.g. http://www.planet-9.com/porsche-dyno-charts/16362-dyno-charts-bbi-under-drive-pulley.html [/quote] You mean wheel power, not crank I'm thinking.

I think the way your car is picking up now, you might need to be a bit more careful about trucks ahead than you used to.

Popped over from PH and love this thread. Bookmarked as if my mate ever sells his 996.1 I might have it off him and do something similar

I have enjoyed reading this thread and recently bought my first 911. In time I´ll undertake some lightening mods with a view to using it as a Ring Tool. I´m looking forward to seeing how yours handles on the track. Some brief details: 2001 996.1, immaculate and unmodified, no sunroof or satnav, black leather. It´s also a Tiptronic . Unless I find out the auto box won´t handle track work I plan to use it on the Ring like this.

Lovely car nsa , your gorgeous little ones look almost as happy as you are with the car Must also be quite rare with no sunroof as I thought it was a no-cost option with the 996. Mario149 I don't have a thread on PH about the car, how did find this? Niall996 thanks for the heads up, I'll give the LGV's the respect they deserve in future Thanks again for your kind words :thumb: Many thanks for all the support here guys this year and a merry xmas to you all :thumbs: I aim to get this car finished, ready for Dinksladen in Spring, so there may be a chance for a few to see it there; just need to sell the other one before I'm allowed :judge: to buy the rest of the bits needed. As always I'll update as I go along :thumb:

From memory you linked to it!

Looks great. Seems odd you've gone to all that effort including the plastic windows and haven't changed the seats to lightweight buckets. This maybe to allow access to the back or for driver comfort. Anyway great thread. :thumbs:

About time for a little update; a few bits arrived: For me this is the modification that will make the single biggest difference in terms of how the car performs, so can't wait to fit it

That Should have it spinning up nicely. Was tempted with this on my e46.. tHe Lwfw was the biggest single difference in the driving experience between the 7 GT3 and 7 GT3RS for me. The dual mass is perfect for an every day car but that chunter and subsequent throttle response is the "event" you need for a car thats all about driving.

Brilliant project! About the seats: What did you decide on in the end? Would it not be more in-keeping with your OEM look theme to use manual standard seats? I did a quick Google and it looks like you could a pair from the boxster, same colour too. I was also going to suggest fitting a dash without a glove box but realised you have had that deleted as standard, perfect. Can I ask what you did to blank off the rear wiper hole? Ps, Let me know if you are looking for a home for your front seats.

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LWFW in today guys: Here are the bits fitted AASCO LWFW, Stage 2 sprung clutch plate and Stage 2 cover: This picture give you an idea of the old vs. new (Upper row new parts): 964RS, E-Type, Talbot, Bentley amongst the weird and wonderful things in the workshop: New LWFW fitted: And finally the clutch assembly: With the gearbox off I also managed to get the last 2 remaining PAS pipes out. For info the new sprung clutch was 0.9kg heavier than what it replaced, covers were the same weight but a grand total of 5.9kg (unsprung weight) was saved in total. In total now 121.9kg removed

121kg is about the weight of two young, pretty ladies. I'm glad you were happy to lose them. Phone numbers please? :hand: Anyhow, great to see this project moving forward. I agree that this mod will make a big difference. I'd love to do the LWFW to my TT if it weren't for the well-known affect on refinement it has on this variant.

I can't believe I hadn't spotted this thread earlier. Your work is mega, it should be something else when you have finished. Awesome !

Drabux, by my calculations it comes in at 2x my Mrs + 1x 6year old. (50kgx2 + 22kg) all of which I don't think you would forgive me for if I troubled you with looking after Trig_112, I'm glad you like the project, I'll try my best regarding the final product being something special :thumbs: A little video update guys, showing how the car drives with the Lightweight Flywheel fitted Once again let down by my resistance to learn anything too digitally challenging (video making and editing) but hopefully you'll catch the drift :thumb:

Sounds incredible :worship:

Excellent! Watching that vid makes me wish I'd fitted one when I had my engine out for repairs. Picks up really nicely. A few peoples recommendations put me off due to the design of the crank, did you make any attempts to check the balance of the new unit or match it with the clutch pressure plate? Do you get the GT3 'chatter' at idle? :thumb:

Agreed :grin: :thumb: Many people are concerned regarding M96 engine issues. I had little concern for a few reasons: -Clutch is balanced by the manufacturer -LWFW is balanced by the manufacturer -Losing all the unsprung weight makes a considerable difference in terms of the forces the crank shaft is subjected to and I feel that, although the harmonic damping of the DMF is removed, an 88k mile DMF is probably less than perfect on this front. There is a little chatter at idle and when transitioning through certain low RPM levels, I feel this just adds to the drama though, and gives you that feeling you are driving something special. It's not for everyone I agree, but for me, I am more than happy to live with these negative attributes as the overall car is now really becoming something else

Thanks for the video. Having recorded it and played it back is it a decent representation of the noises you were hearing when you drove it? I mean has the recording lost some of the noise? I couldn't really hear any chatter. I'm thinking of doing this on my car but unsure right now. Not so much because of the noise but I'm told it can cause the car to stall when you come of the throttle also does it make the car harder to drive?

I can't understand where this idea about increased stalling potential comes from, from all my tests so far, there has been no change on this front. Regarding chatter/whine, I notice sometimes 2-2.5k RPM a bit of noise, at idle not a great deal. Overall there is certainly more noise in the cabin (driving at steady 60mph for instance), but now that I have changed so many things it would be difficult to detail exactly which noise is as a result of what, as the cumulative effect is noticeable but the incremental small changes are barely perceptible. If you wanted GT levels of comfort then probably best to leave out the LWFW. But if an element of mechanical aural feedback floats your boat, then you wont be disappointed I will perhaps try and make a video that concentrates more on the idle/normal driving noises to give you a better idea :thumb:

Thanks for the feedback. I like the idea of some mechanical noise, I am building an RS style car so I would imagine it would fit. I'm also not planning on using the car as a daily so I'm not too concerned. I've had other feedback about this, and comments vary: stones in a tin can, noises in the wrong gear. I wonder if there are better flywheels than other for this? Also did you notice much more noise after you put in the lexan windows?

Lexan/Carbon roof/elements of sounds proofing/carpet removal had a negligible effect; perhaps a 10-15% increase in noise. My guess is that as the Turbo flywheel is completely different to the Carrera one this is why there may be reports of noise with them. If you are ever in my neck of the woods you are more than welcome to see for yourself the difference :thumb:

I'm going to be fitting carbon roof eventually, I have just had the rear windscreen changed as the old one had a hole for the wiper. After seeing yours go in I'm contemplating fitting them also. Don't you live in Germany?

Yes but only 4hours drive from Calais and only 40mins from the NBR. Good luck with the rest of the work you have planned :thumb:

I was asking because I've just spent the last year in Germany, but in the north (Bremerhaven).

About 550km from me, so not exactly local!

Hello, Found your thread through PH; great car and great project! I'm a keen 'track-dayer' but I'm new to Porsche and have recently purchased a 2001 996 C2 3.4 with M030. I was hoping to pick your brains if you don't mind! You mentioned that your car's engine was rebuilt by Hartech; have the cooling and oil sump been modified at all? If so, what modifications have been done? I'm trying to come up with a shopping list in order to get my car 'track ready'. I'm not trying to build a track car though, so I was thinking the 'essentials' are: - Motorsport / X51 oil sump - Centre Radiator - Lower temperature thermostat - Brake pads Are the above a good starting point? Are there any other upgrades that you'd recommend before tracking the car? Many thanks in advance.

Welcome Y2Y! If you are doing track work then centre rad and larger sump maybe worthwhile. For a fast road car, I'd say neither are needed. Low temp thermostat is a definite. Get one. I think I paid about 35 quid. Alan

Welcome Y2K, lovely car you have bought :thumb: The engine I have from Hartech is what is known as a full rebuild (closed deck with alternative liners). The Sump and LTT were not fitted and are not normally done during a Hartech rebuild. If I were tracking the car I would do the following mods in the order below -Brake Fluid (cannot stress enough that you need some good quality fluid ATE Typ 200 or the like) -Brake pads (the post 2010 Yellowstuff compound or equivalent) -LTT From there it comes down to personnel preference. I would start with removing weight, and in terms of components probably the following: -200Cell cats (may want to consider noise regs at your local track first though) -BMC panel filter -CAI kit -997 SSK -Change M030 (I also have the M030 but compared to my GT3 on H&R coilovers there is a considerable difference). -RSS Engine mounts -Lightweight wheels That lot should make for an interesting steer :thumbs: Perhaps wise to also have a geo setup

Thank you for your informative reply. Are there any worries regarding cooling and oil surge for the M96 engine (mine is standard and never been rebuilt)? I read that there might be issues with oil surge at fast long right-hand bend? Any truth in this? (Hence my thought about Porsche Motorsport / X51 baffled sump) My local and my favourite circuit is Thruxton and there are plenty of high speed right-handers. Your thread is great help for people like myself who would like to improve the car's 'trackability' whilst remaining OEM and without turning the car into an out-and-out track car. :thumb:

Sorry Y2K must have missed your questions earlier. If you are not using slicks then I don't think you will generate enough lateral grip to need to worry about oil surge/baffled sumps. I would speak to the likes of Parr or Hartech who race these cars first though just to be sure. Cooling is more of a concern and most would recommend an LTT and possibly a 3rd central radiator.

^^^^ Thank you. My 'to do list' and my shopping list is getting longer and longer.

Not had a chance to add anything on the development front for some time but did the annual service this week and noticed a few things that needed sorting. Firstly waterpump had given up. Luckily noticed a small puddle of coolant on the floor. So ordered a new one. Great news was that the new one came with a metallic rather than plastic impeller. A major issue was fitting it though. It is a bit of a pain (exhaust clamps, engine mounts, jack up engine, water hoses, idler pulley, ancillary belt...) then once fitted I fitted everything back together, added the approc 10l of fluid that was drained only for the bloody thing to leak. A word of warning for anyone replacing the waterpump; use a very light coating of hylomar either side of the gasket to account for any slight surface imperfections to save going through this process twice like I had to. Also noticed an oil leak emanating from the 4-6 (RH) cyclinder bank oil scavenge pump, so this was also removed to replace the O-ring. Only good news was the old oil was about as good as what replaced it Here are a few pictures to explain: New waterpump fitted, decided to throw in a new 71.C LTT whilst there Replaced the bearing inside my PAS/A/C delete pulley as that was showing signs of wear: Old oil being drained, first time I can remember oil being this clean when being drained Oil scavenge pump out And here it is removed with the new O-ring

:thumbs: Be careful with the metal impeller pumps - if the bearing goes the impeller lunches the surrounding crankcase.

Many thanks for the tip Chris I'll throw in a few regular checks to keep on top of this. There was also an audible change when the water pump bearing went plus the fluid leak, so I hope that should there be a failure, it would most likely be spotted before any serious damage

Im really loving your work on this project and it's inspired me on my GT3 project. One question about the 5 mph impact beams. They have the towing eye threads in them, so by removing the beams what is the plan to tow the car in the unlikely event of a breakdown? I was thinking of attaching tie downs to the front subframe to body mount and in a similar fashion off the rear crossmember. These would be strictly for pulling the car onto a low loader or trailer and not actually towing the car.

Interesting. I was going to remove both beams but now may only just remove the rear one, so then I can fit towing eye for track days.

Very good question ontheloop I have not needed to ever use the towing points so never even considered them; this high-lights why sharing these projects on here is important. The next time I have the bumpers off I will look for a solution (most likely fabricate a light alloy bracket or fit one of those harness fabric type ones).

Interesting, I had considered fabricating a bracket that bolted to the original 5mph bumper attachment points on the end of the chassis rails but the issue is that the hole in both front and rear PU's do no line up with the end of the chassis rails. So I was thinking something like these; http://www.rennline.com/Rennline-Front-and-Rear-Tie-Down_-Jack-Plate-Set-Porsche/productinfo/E32.04/ with one of these stored in the car; http://www.zeemotorspares.co.uk/recovery-towing-straps---2500kg-x-35m-maypole-6112-new-505-p.asp I have access to our waterjet cutter at work so could make them out of some Ti plate.

Not a cheap solution, but you could always get the front and rear racing PUs with fixed tow loops?

Any performance updates??

The car really does go well now Niall, unfortunately the 997GT3RS still hasn't sold so I haven't been able to progress for some time now. The good news is that in it's current state, the car will be independantly reviewed later this month (as a part 1 of 2 if you will), by 911 & Porsche World magazine. The journalist has masses of experience so hopefully he will be able to describe how the car performs now in comparison to stock, in minute detail Also Just in the process right now of getting some wheels specially commissioned, in the perfect off-set and size, to keep rotating mass to an absolute minimum but widen the track 20mm front and 24mm rear using the stock 225/40 18 and 265/35 18 rear tyres sizes, which should equate to around minus 17kg. Proving difficult though but hopefully one of the companies will be able to help (fingers crossed) I'll keep you posted :thumb:

Keep them updates coming :thumbs:

Can't wait! That's worth a subscription to 911PW alone. I don't want to miss that. :thumb:

Sorry Niall, I meant he is coming to review the car this month 23/24th then it will be published, so I guess 1 or 2 months later I'll let you know as soon as I find out :thumb:

Did you contact them or they you?

I was speaking to a friend and he contacted me saying that they would like to review the car.

Inspirational project, I love it!! I purchased the same rear wiper blank, but could get it to fit due to the angle of the out panel in conjunction to the inner skin where the large washer sits, any suggestions? Keep up the progress photos, we're all waiting...

Glad you like it Si I had the exact same problem with the blank, it was also an incredibly tight fit. Due to it being such a tight fit I effectively just positioned the large washer as best fit as I could get and tightened the nut with a low torque value. Best also to seal with silicon: this adds extra security but will also make this area watertight. It really isn't the best design but just about fit for purpose.

Cool, thank you, I thought it was just me! Loving your car and what you're doing! Look forward to the next update. Thank you again

I'd be very grateful if everyone reading this thread would be kind enough to answer the probing question in this thread. Many thank 911UK :thumbs:

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Done! I think they look great and would definitely consider them if I had the spare cash sloshing around. Do it!

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Thankyou Mr.Ninja :thumb:

Happy to report some progress with this project. Fitted a CUP steering wheel today which removes a total of -1.6kg It's quite a comprehensive kit:

Ace aren't they! Only problem I find is that the reach to the stalks is quite long. This car is amazing, it's making me seriously considering putting mine on a diet too.

The kit came with a spacer ring which sits directly behind the wheel. I didn't fit this but if you have; removing it will get you around an extra 10mm closer to the stalks I not driven the car yet but will bear in mind what you mention when I get a chance to test-drive :thumb: Also the Horn assembly only has 1x connector on the back and the kit comes with 2 wires (black and Yellow). Not had a chance to look into this yet to make the horn function??? Only problem with the kit is no instructions and a pre-made wire to go from the supplied 964 slip-ring elbow to the red connector would have made the kit perfect; saving all the re-wiring and soldering...

I didn't fit the spacer and it's still a bit of a reach- maybe I've just got short fingers! I made the wire up too, it's a shame it's not in the kit as it would be plug and play. I'm finding the wheel a little thin so am contemplating having another layer of alcantatra added.

Try this http://www.oz951.com/public/emmy.htm#Cup Steering Wheel I love this mod and also fitted a works bell quick release ( http://www.worksbell.co.jp/en/products/rapfix/ ) which a really quality bit of kit. It also removed the issue of not being able to see the rev counter through the steering wheel. Re the horn the positive goes to the horn press and I also connected the earth to ground. I did have a strange fault at one point in that the horn worked with the ignition on but once I inserted the key into the ignition the horn stopped working. I stripped the whole thing down and checked all the connections and its worked fine since. Loving this thread, inspiring stuff..........

Not a 996, but same principal (without a squib-ring/clock spring behind the steering wheel you are back to feeling of fingering - that L-shaped thing in a bag is your new positive finger/feeler to the contact ring on the back of your steering boss - but you'll need to attach it to to your switch stack - all explained with photos in that link). Your earth/negative is already made! (that's the steering column spline) ... And the airbag warning defeat too.

Sorry Paul, I should have been a little clearer, all connected up ok but there appears to be a problem. Just took it all back off again today and found the issue. The steering wheel was ordered from Carnewal, but at the time they had none in stock so it took a couple of days for them to get replenishment stock. Having diagnosed the fault today my feelings are that there may be a batch problem. The plastic ring just inside the metal contact ring is around 1mm too large in outer diameter therefore the 964 elbow contact spring doesn't make contact with the ring. I took the Dremel out to cut around 3mm off the outer diameter of this plastic ring to get the correct clearance. Coincidently the horn with the old Steering wheel was also not working. I checked and the 25Amp fuse was blown. Fitted a new one and as soon as I depressed the horn it blew the fuse again. The horn assembly consists of 2 horn sirens. I removed one of these during the strip, maybe there is now an issue with a faulty contact where the horn is located behind the bumper. Next time I have the bumper off I will check. Here you can see remnants of where the plastic has rubbed away from the contact with the 964 elbow. To the left of the picture, where the contact ring meets the black plastic you can see it has slightly lightened in tone; indicating the contact area: 964 elbow: I have now also removed the yellow wire that comes with the kit as it serves no purpose when fitted to a 996 as the earth is made automatically through the mounting contact, as you mentioned. Many thanks for the useful link ontheloop :thumb: Would love a quick release wheel but in Germany they are not permitted for road use. Glad you enjoy the thread; I've not been able to do anything on the car for a while now but rest assured, as soon as my other car goes it will be full steam ahead with: -Ohlins suspension -CLR adjustable pillowball top mounts -CLR lightweight forged 18" wheels with CUP 2's -CLR Carbon bonnet -CLR Carbon wings -CLR Carbon doors -CLR Carbon Ducktail -CLR Titanium Exhaust -CLR Carbon Alcantara/Leather LWB's Should be around another 120kg gone with this little lot, bringing the total removed to around 245kg hopefully :thumb:

Hi Richard What are the CLR Carbon seats going to be, are you going off the shelf with recaro so or do you have something bespoke in mind?

That's a nice little list. And not cheap! Not sure if you want the bother but some items others on here might be interested in as well? So maybe a group by on some of them? The seats and ducktail being the obvious ones. But it might be others? Just a thought? :dont know: :?: :thumbs:

Plan is a bespoke option most likely Leather outer (reduce wear) with Alcantara inner, red stitching and embroidered with CLR logo in a Carbon shell. Would love to N996B, the problem is it is all custom made, so I can't offer people parts that haven't been thoroughly tested and checked first. I know this is an expensive route to take but it would be a lot more hassle sorting out refunds and being left with 5 sets of everything if there are issues. I also need to have everything TUV approved... Expensive and long winded but the right way :thumb: I remember seeing a video once of Rob Dickinson explaining the struggles he was having early on getting parts right. I am obviously hoping to get it all right first time but can't take the risk of doing it blind so to speak. Even established and trusted companies have issues sometimes; look at the original Porsche CUP steering wheel I have just bought. It was not fit for purpose and I had to modify it to fit. For these reasons I feel it would be unfair to pass on potential development issues to others.

But I do hope you'll be in a position on day to pass on that experience.....perhaps a la Dickinson.... :wink: :thumbs:

Just thought of a way you could save a few more KG's.... Did you know that all the RS cars only have one radiator fan? Its always on the right hand side rad. The Left rad has no fan behind it but the plumbing is the same as the non-RS cars. This is for weight saving and the idea that you shouldn't be sitting still long enough to need the fans in those cars! :wink: Although cooling is very important in the M96 engined cars, if yours gets used properly then you might not need both fans? Thats gotta be worth another 2-3kg? :?:

Those seats sound a bit tasty, and if they work out well would be a good seller I'm sure.

Excellent Ragpicker, I wasn't aware of this :worship: The risk is somewhat mitigated in my case having a Full Hartech including Cooling re-routed, the LTT and new water pump I fitted recently. I also have the PAS and A/C pumps removed so this gets rid of a bit of heat-soak and provides more space for air circulation around the engine. The A/C condensers are also gone so direct cooler airflow to the rads also offsets the risk. Only negative effect I have potentially introduced on this front, is the Underdrive pulley. But as you say, it is really only in stationary traffic where there is any concern for cooling airflow, and this isn't an issue for where I live. For one side; the fan, fan housing and the rear shroud come in at 2.6kg, so quite a useful reduction. I will remove this little lot and do a bit of testing to see if there is any negative effect. Many thanks for this little gem :thumb:

Good stuff! :thumb: As I tell my wife - every little helps :wink:

Nice evening for it so couldn't resist whipping the L/H rad fan out. Had to remove the wheel and arch liner, then wing support bracket and main rad bracket; all in about 1.5hours work but another 2.7kg removed Many thanks for this great little addition Ragpicker :thumb: And here is the rad fan that was removed with shroud:

hi there came across this and though of you soon as seen it .. hope link works https://www.facebook.com/groups/566475993460031/

If it doesn't scroll down a guy selling 2 carbon doors with everything windows handles the lot

Yeah, I thought of this too for ELA. GT2 carbon doors, weighing 6kg each when the standard doors are 33kg each! He's flogging them for £1500 which is a relative bargain considering some of the prices people are wanting for carbon bonnets etc :roll:

6kg each probably means racing car doors no door beams for side impact protection? If so, only worthwhile if you are putting in a full cage with double door bars and I am not sure that even then you can get TUV approval on them? Worth asking the question perhaps, but I suspect that ELA will have to choose carefully with carbon doors in order to be able to get ones approved for German road use :?:

Listed and stickered as GT2 doors?

Many thanks for the kind thoughts guys :worship: It is an incredible price but I've looked into these before and they come with fixed polycarbonate windows and no SIPS. So I really don't think these will suffice in terms of meeting TUV approval. The main concern though is I need a more plentiful supply and with these doors pretty much being a one off (they rarely come up for sale); they would only be for my car but no future past that.

Anyone know if 996GT2/CUP cars have the exact same doors as an early 996 Carrera (mounting points, all dimensions, seals...

As far as I remember the mounts etc. are the same.

Re: 996 Project Leichtbau: adding lightness to the tune of 2 Interesting thread - Could remove: Jack -1.3kg pace saver wheel -11.3kg Total weight could remove: 12.6kg Have removed I think: 6CD changer -1.9kg (Gone) Amplifier -1.2 (think gone?) Stock battery 17.4kg (got a Bosch one unapproved?) So in total my car is about 4 or 5 kg lighter than usual? Could be another 13kg lighter? I've actually bought some Holts tyre weld stuff tonight with a view to getting rid of the spare actually.

Where did you get the lexan windows? Also are they Porsche parts?

Hi isysman, I got them from here by the time you add on scratch resistant treatment/Black border/'E' mark, they pretty much double in price but it brings them up to OEM standard: but in doing so though, alleviates the fear of them looking a bit naff Many thanks Chris; it would appear that the CUP doors have been sold now though, so I'll revert to plan 'A' Got to start somewhere cbr6dc

Finally had the car on the weighbridge today. Also spent the day doing a little tour with a new 991.2 C4S. I didn't weigh the car before embarking upon this project but I can now verify exactly how heavy it was when I started. Car weighed in at 1240kg including the 1/4 tank (12kg) with 1x pax seat (23.7kg) removed. Add on the 126.2kg for all the lightening I have done and the car started at 1377.9kg So by my calculation I will end up somewhere in the 1120 - 1130kg region when finished. Quite surprised it was so heavy to start with, as I'm sure they quote 1320kg for a stock C2. Even adding on the A/C, Hifi, heavy wheels, rear wiper... I still cant get near 1380kg.

Bit of a backwards step this week; added a bit of weight back in :hand: Truth be told I spoke to the TUV guys, who will be testing the car once complete and it was noted that window blinds need to be fitted. So with that I looked into ways of minimising the negative impact :grin: Firstly, looking back at the original 911R, it only had a driver's side one, so I kind of like the idea of paying homage to the original. Next up I made it as light as possible: So removed the leather/mirror/light... Filled the hole and then tried my hand on the Mrs sewing machine, making an alcantara cover:

ELA, how much of a difference has it made by removing the weight so far. Currently you've removed the weight of a fat passenger. Now whilst I can imagine that it makes a difference, does it make a substantial difference to the way the car feels, accelerates and handles? Just trying to get my head around it and thinking aloud... :thumb:

Don't suppose your willing to part with the mirror you've removed? As I've somehow broken the cover flap on mine by lifting it a bit to heavy handedly

It's a good question ragpicker and one which I feel an independent person would best answer for two reasons: 1. I will have natural bias, so perhaps it would be unfair for me to answer. 2. I have done all the work in various stages now, so the incremental differences have a lesser impact than say an all at once scenario. Worry not though; a motoring journalist tested/reviewed the car in this current halfway stage last week and his findings will be put to print in the near future. I'll let you know when I find out when it is being released and what he has to say about it. There has only been 2 occasions so far where I have been able to test the car. One was an 80mile dual on an Autobahn on the way back from Dinslaken with a 991GT3RS; between 80-180MPH, there really wasn't that big a difference in performance, which really surprised me as I thought there would be a night and day difference. The other was last week, in a 0-145MPH run with a new 991.2GTS (the new Turbo version), again no distinguishable difference in straight-line performance. However the difference in feel, control weights, sound and feedback are a million miles apart :thumb: Here are some projected performance figures that may help answer your question a little better: Performance Calculations Stock 1998 C2 at 1365kg . To calculate BHP/Tonne: 1000/1365kg = 0.7326 300bhp x 0.7326 = BHP/Tonne = 219.8 BHP/Tonne CLR at 1100Kg & 340BHP . To calculate BHP/Tonne: 1000/1100kg = 0.90909 340bhp x 0.90909 = BHP/Tonne = 309 BHP/Tonne So to put that in perspective: For a stock car to have the same PTW ratio as the CLR, 421.8BHP would be required: Χ = BHP required at 1365KG to have same PTW ratio as a CLR: 0.7326 x Χ = 309 ∴ 309/0.7326 = Χ Χ = 421.8BHP required

Hi Lee, at some point I will get a thread up with all the removed parts. It is a common fault the visor mirror flap and quite expensive for what it is (£86 according to design911

I have an e46 track car amd everytime you take a bit more weight out it just enhances the whole thing. I have done it bit by bit but its still very noticeable in the pick up and directional changes. Power to weight calcs will tell you what you should hope to feel. Its a bit easier to imagine a hp gain than a weight reduction. New power to weight ratio applied to old weight will give you equivalent hp gain but thats not the whole story as overall mass is less etc. I missed the bit where the C2 went from 300 bhp tp 340 bhp though?

Senoj makes a good point, I would much rather a weight reduction than a power hike: Braking, weight transfer and general dynamics have a far bigger overall impact. Regarding power; currently at around 320BHP. Will be adding a bespoke throttle, Titanium exhaust then have VGS-Motorsport (Viktor Günther is as highly regarded as they come and the guy who does all the Manthey and Teichmann mapping) recalibrate the ECU to suit all the work that has been done. Expect to see around 340BHP when complete. As part of the TUV approval it has to be dyno'd so I will have 2 dyno runs to verify final power when complete (VGS + TUV dyno) :thumb:

Can you not get around the sun visor issue by just fitting an adhesive sunstrip?

:thumbs:

Apparently not according to German law. It may be different under SVA/MOT law

Ah, my bad - would have been a good solution if it was 'permitted'.

This is actually one that you can sort of answer for yourself. Go on a track day, get everything fully up to temp, tyre pressures set, driver dialled in etc... Then get a fat passenger in the car and do a few laps. Kick them out and repeat. The sun will come up and you will see the light : much more noticeable than most would normally expect. Obviously the lighter the car and the lower the power, the more pronounced it is. I know someone who used to run an Elise (very stripped out and track optimised). Putting a lump of lard like me in the passenger seat increased the total mass of the vehicle by around 10% and moved every braking point on the circuit... aperbag: I will add a footnote to the thread on mid-to high end straight line comparisons between ELA's car and things like GT3 RSs and even newer Carreras though : Drag. As I recall, the 996.1 is the most aerodynamically clean of all 911s and presents much less frontal drag to the world than something like a 991 RS. At 80mph+ this gives it a big advantage (thus needing appreciably less power to match performance). This could be further enhanced with the more aerodynamic Cup mirrors (which will also weigh less). Are those on the menu (I don't recall seeing them on here and am feeling a bit lazy to re-read the thread and check)?

Hi Colin, here are the remaining parts I still have planned to finish the car (Including the CUP mirrors): CLR Titanium exhaust (Custom) CLR Throttle (Custom) CLR ECU Re-map (VGS Motorsport) CLR Carbon Leather/Alcantara Buckets 6.5kg each (Custom) Seat mounts CLR Carbon wings (Custom) CLR Carbon bonnet (Custom) CLR Carbon Ducktail (Custom) CLR Carbon doors (Custom) CLR Carbon Inner door cards CLR Carbon mirrors CLR T6061 Forged alloys Front 8kg Rear 8.5kg (Custom ET's) CLR Ohlins Coilover suspension (Custom) Pillowball adj top mounts Carbon Strut brace front+rear With all of this fitted the car will be around 18% lighter than stock. For me the best transformation would be a 996C4S as it would be a doddle to ditch 300Kg from one. The before vs. after would be phenomenal; going from a pretty hefty lump to a rwd wide-a55 racing snake :drive:

Or a turbo....... :chin:

I like your thinking Paul and it is certainly something that I would do were I fortunate enough to have a Turbo However I reckon the vast majority of Turbo owners like the planted feel and security with having 4WD and all that power. For that reason I feel the C4S lends itself more naturally to this conversion. With the Turbo having a Mezger also means that the PAS conversion would need to be redesigned to suit and there are probably a few other differences I haven't considered...

It is interesting though isn't it? I mean the stock exhaust is a monster at c28kg and the sub-woofer is 6 kg. I'm sure there's a 100kg - 150kg in a turbo without creating that different a feeling except for greater nimbleness. Hmmmmm.... :grin:

There is around 345kg excess in a turbo if you really went to town but limiting to ~300kg would still leave you with the comfort and stock feel.

[quote="ELA] CLR Titanium exhaust (Custom) CLR Throttle (Custom) CLR ECU Re-map (VGS Motorsport) CLR Carbon Leather/Alcantara Buckets 6.5kg each (Custom) Seat mounts CLR Carbon wings (Custom) CLR Carbon bonnet (Custom) CLR Carbon Ducktail (Custom) CLR Carbon doors (Custom) CLR Carbon Inner door cards CLR Carbon mirrors CLR T6061 Forged alloys Front 8kg Rear 8.5kg (Custom ET's) CLR Ohlins Coilover suspension (Custom) Pillowball adj top mounts Carbon Strut brace front+rear :[/quote] Rich who are CLR?

Rich who are CLR?[/quote] They are nobody at the minute Jon; it is the name I have chosen if/when I start to offer these conversions to others. I intend to use this logo with the custom design parts I am doing CLR= Carrera Lightweight Racing

They are nobody at the minute Jon; it is the name I have chosen if/when I start to offer these conversions to others. I intend to use this logo with the custom design parts I am doing CLR= Carrera Lightweight Racing[/quote] Very nice :thumb:

:yeah: opcorn:

I see a UK based CLR 996 turbo project coming up....... :thumbs: EDIT - maybe that should read TLR......?

TLR sounds good Paul :worship: What do you have in mind?

Well it's your gig dude! I'd just be providing the mule :thumbs: Once you have the CLR enterprise on the road (no pun...) then seriously lets talk? I'll need a winter project :thumbs:

As soon as I have finished my car I'll invite you over for the first test-drive This way you'll get a handle on what the CLR is all about and you can judge whether you have the cajones to convert your beauty into a beast that would make a window-maker seem tame It would be great to see the CLR transformation on a turbo though, but there would be quite a bit of re-design, if the full monty is what you have in mind. I'll have to find someone local with a Turbo; just to see what's involved and scope the adaptations I'd need to come up with. Many thanks for showing your confidence in the project :worship: There will be a magazine review shortly that will provide independent feedback/indication as to where and what the CLR will become :thumb:

Cheers :thumbs: :cheers:

Err - afraid not. The C4S is not a Mezger - only the Turbo, GT2 and GT3. C4S has the same cooking flavour of the M96 as the gen 2 (3.6) Carrera...

Sorry Colin, you have misunderstood what I typed, I should have been clearer. I am referring to the Turbo when quoting the Mezger, i.e the C4S is the same as my car and I would need to redesign to suit the 996T :thumb: If you read the sentence before the one you have quoted it makes more sense. Nevertheless I will edit the above to make it clearer

Loving this thread, I've read it all the way through a couple of times. I have a Silver C2 manual, non-sunroof with M030 and LSD, it's screaming out for similar mods as you're undertaking! Your CLR ideas are awesome and will be great to see it up and running. Looking forward to the next installment.

...or a 997 c4s :?: When can I drop it off at T-T Richard!? :lol:

Your car would be perfect Guy :thumb: Is it a manual? If so 300kg from your car and a dash of extra power would make it just about the perfect driver's car Would look stunning, retaining the subtle C4S styling but go like a GT3RS, whilst still allowing for the everyday convenience and practicality of a Carrera. Only problem is there now appears to be a queue. I desperately need to finish off my prototype but that is pending me selling the other car. Then N996B seems keen on going mental with his 996T. It would be great to have you over again though and to convert your car to something really rather magical :thumb: Trouble is though, I wouldn't want to give it back to you when finished :grin: Si, really appreciate that :thumb: It is killing me not being able to get on with finishing the car. I have pretty much everything lined up now to finalise production and the Approval process, just need to sell my RS to help fund the remaining development costs. Which reminds me askgeez , when you were last over, we had lengthy discussions about an Orange 7RS for your mate. Would an orange wrap fit the bill :grin:

Took the car for a serious shake down yesterday evening at the NBR GP circuit. Car is running PS2 so can't really explore the 10/10th's of the chassis dynamics but have a good indication of where the car is now compared to where it all started. First point is, it really goes well in accelerative terms. Last night in our group there was a GT4, 7.2RS and 3.0RS and my lowly CLR.v0.5 :grin: In terms of performance the car is currently at around 260bhp/ton which puts it in a similar ballpark to a stock 996T in term of power to weight ratio (1600kg@420bhp). So it does give a good account for itself and surprises quite a few higher echelon cars. M030 suspension package doesn't provide the stability required on track; in saying that, it takes nothing away from it's prowess on the road and on the right road, it really is a delight. Just has it's short-comings which are glaringly obvious once you really start to throw the car around. So on the basis of these 3 key points (tyres, suspension and acceleration), the car is limited in it's current state, all of this will of course be addressed in the near future (Cup2's, Ohlins and more power, why not ). I was also very happy with the coolant temps. Although I never looked at the water temp indicator previously, so it is hard to compare like for like, but it was relatively warm yesterday and the indicator was sitting about 5mm before the 100.C mark (95.C at a guess), so I have no concerns about cooling issues having done the RS cooling modification combined with LTT, new water pump and underdrive pulley 8) STEERING: Well after Three 15min sessions, you feel like you have done a pretty intense session in the gym. The NBR GP circuit is a beautiful circuit with a fantastic mix of all you could ever wish for at a track day. Here is a little video of the circuit to give you an idea of what I am talking about. It is very heavy on brakes mind, so a heavy car needs to sort this area out before really going for it here. Now getting back to steering; the 996 never suffered from feel and can be improved quite simply by fitting a underdrive pulley. However what is gained by going 'full commando' is quite enlightening. Is really is a revelation: through turn 9/10 'Michael Schumacher complex', the second apex really grabs the wheel from your hands and reminds you of your need to concentrate, something I had never noticed previously, having assisted steering. This absolute, undiluted control which it now empowers you with is like a drug, it really is addictive. It just pushes the concentration levels up that few notches but is so rewarding (not just in the forearm development :grin: ) BRAKES: As already mentioned, the NBR circuit is a bit of a monster in terms of braking. I had a moment here once in this car and it has kinda stayed with me since, so I subconsciously always leave a little in reserve (probably some form of minor-gheyer-PTSD). I have upgraded to Yellow stuff pads and racing fluid, but other than that all stock. With these minor brake enhancements, the braking performance was never in doubt yesterday and the weight reduction means carrying a trail late into a corner is not so nerve-wracking as it once was. I think once the other 120kg is gone, this set-up will be phenomenal. I must stress though guys, this project from the outset was never intended to be an out and out track car; it needs to be competent on circuit but no more. It's real agenda is touring the open road, where giving the driver everything in terms of poise, mechanical feedback and sound are the key objectives, but balanced with good manners and road-holding with minimal loss of comfort. Basically I wanted a car for my own pursuit in what I consider driving nirvana. Now I could go on but alas, I will put you out of your misery and as mentioned before; it is a little unfair to comment on the things that I have done and would rather leave this for a professional, with an unbiased opinion to say it like it is. So to finish here are a few pics :thumb: The drive down: Group shot: A bit to eat at Mullenbach on the way home:

Looks good, with very good company :thumbs:

Have you yet worked out the likely cost for turning a fatty C4S into a lithe whippet? I'll make sure I'm sitting down before you tell me!

To be honest JN I haven't really done any full accurate costings as I am still to finish the first prototype. Primarily this car is being built as my ultimate dream car, my own Singer if you will, but without the earth moving sums involved. For my own car it will be pretty expensive as I have all the development costs plus the really expensive TUV Approval process. I am also constantly testing my car and have already done a fair bit of track testing and high speed runs by that I mean 285kph Vmax runs x3 plus over 20mins sustained/average 150+mph tests x4. My ultimate aim is to offer these CLR conversions to like minded individuals on a pretty much cost basis. Each car will likely take 2-3months to build with focus on quality parts such as Ohlins, ZF, OEM Porsche, RSS... Here is an intended list of components for a CLR conversion: LWFW (AASCO) + CLR Gearbox mod ZF Performance Stage 2 clutch cover ZF Performance Stage 2 clutch plate OEM Porsche Release bearing CLR Throttle CLR Re-map CLR Titanium exhaust CLR 200 cell cats BMC filter+ CLR CAI Modification Lexan windows (Rear sides+Rear screen) Hardcoat treated scratch resistant CLR Carbon Roof CLR Alcantara Material CLR Carbon Buckets Seat mounts Lightweight Race Battery CLR Carbon wings CLR Carbon bonnet CLR Carbon Ducktail CLR Carbon doors CLR Carbon Cup mirrors OEM Porsche CUP steering wheel CLR Lightweight T6061 bespoke Forged alloys custom ET's OEM Porsche Dash delete and Misc trim panels Ohlins Coilover suspension CLR PAS+AC System conversion Underdrive pulley Kit (inc engine mod) Wiper delete kit OEM Porsche Dash blanking switch set OEM Porsche 997 Short Shift Kit CLR Carbon Strut brace front+rear GT3RS Rad modification & LTT 71.C RSS Engine mounts CLR bespoke Strip/re-trim (Alcantara) Installation/test/set-up of all parts Misc:Workshop/materials/tools/Oil/Tape/Glue/lubricants/window removal... Excluding aint/Tyres/Windscreen replacement/OEM head-lining/Top mounts (as these are not always required/customer specific). Now if you take into account 3 months labour at your local Indy at probably £85 hour you are already looking at £44k before you even buy a single part. The parts I am using will be the most reputable quality available; if you take HRE wheels for instance, they are £10K a set I'm led to believe. I am fairly certain they are made in the same factory and identical to the ones I will be having made. This seems a bit of a long winded way to answer your question but all in I think I should be able to do a CLR conversion for around £29K. This applies to only 996 and 997. Let me know when you have picked yourself up off the floor :grin:

Sounds awesome, be great to see your car finished and you all up and running, love it!

*faints* I applaud your dedication to the project. :worship: For me, I think I'd have to do it in stages, not least because that total is nearly twice what the car originally cost me! Additionally, I think it'd be interesting to be able to appreciate the difference in performance/handling as each major change is made.

I fully understand where you are coming from, it is a serious amount of money but I have just tallied up the parts and it comes in as follows: £25732 +ECU Remap and dyno, P&P to me so probably around £27K just for parts. This already includes me looking for cheapest alternative for parts i.e The Ohlins I have factored in here are £820 cheaper than some of the places I have seen them advertised. This £27K, is what it will cost you today to order and buy these parts online or at your favourite tuner at the most competitive rate (for the bits that are off the shelf) or in the case of non available parts; what they cost me to manufacture (together = £27K). Add on 3 months labour and the costs of running a business and you will see this is being done at a loss no matter which way you cut it. As a comparison a Singer is around £450K by the time it arrives in the UK, a large proportion of that price is the 4000hours labour. As it stands I'm not sure if there is either demand or if I can do these CLR 996 & 997's. All I know for sure is that there will be one CLR996 and that is my car, but whether I can make a serious go of this or not is another question. I really hope others have the chance to experience one of these but we'll see how it all goes What I can guarantee is that the transformation will be shocking :thumb: Many thanks guys :thumb:

Bloody hell Richie - I see your love for a good project car hasn't waned over the years :lol: Really cool idea this; amazing level of detail gone into it mate.

Very kind Arry :thumb: An@l-retention seems to be a key attribute in going through with something as silly as this idea. I just don't seem to be able to shake off this tinkering genetic flaw. It is now an obsession but one where I see the end being paved in unparalleled driving glory; misguided I may be but every stone has to be turned to ensure I don't leave any thoughts of what if...

Any progress on this, keep checking but no new posts.

I wish I could give you an update Si, it is all now pending me selling another car. As soon as this is done, I'll get all the carbon bits in production and order all the remaining parts

No meaningful update, however I went out for a little drive today and thought I'd share a few pics (some also highlight the Carbon roof) :thumb:

Great pictures :thumbs: Can't wait to see more progress on this car. Did you make a decision on the wheels?

Ah the infamous Mosel bridge. Planned by a non-wine enthusiast to pass right over some of the most celebrated vineyards in Germany 🙁. Particularly fond of the Wehlener Sonneuhr myself

I really love the black carbon roof on a silver car - I think I'd do that just for the looks.

Couldn't make a decision on the wheels as I need to take some measurements once the suspension has been sorted and on that front these arrived today Wheels will be next

Now sat just waiting for an update! Nath

Just for you Nath, opened up the box to have a little look. The quality of the Ohlins really is of the highest order The problem is though, they don't come with top mounts. So I am having some adjustable front and rear pillow ball mounts made. As soon as these are ready I can get them fitted and then calculate the optimum wheel ET's I need to have.

Lord, those damper bodies look sexy. Right hand spring looks like it's got some fairly serious poundage, too... Luckily (in a manner of thinking) they aren't doing R&T for 987, because I'd find it pretty hard to resist!

Good God those are special looking units Rich... hope you realise I am going to have to head over to Germany when this is done just to see this build in the metal. Hopefully by then my own C2 will be completed (hitting a bit of a frustrating hurdle at the moment) Cant wait to hear how this Ohlins work out though! :thumb:

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Great to hear they hold up well for serious mileage, also Ohlins can service if required. Deciding the suspension to go with was a bit of a dilemma. Having spoken to quite a few suspension specialists (Ohlins HQ at the NBR test centre, BG Motorsport Silverstone...) it was decided that although the R&T are a great road/track compromise, they are more geared towards road use. A 15% spring rate increase would have made them a little more useful for track work. So I was looking into custom valving/springs; effectively though, with the car being 18% lighter when finished, it will mean the characteristics I was aiming for will essentially be achieved with the stock R&T setup. There is also enough adjustability with them to fine tune to suit. I look forward to your visit Nath and I wish you the best of luck with this issue you are having. Feck you're brave Niall, I'd just get a wrap if it was just for looks as it is a bit of a faff taking out windows and chopping out the roof :grin: Some of the best wine is produced in Wehlen so the bridge is a very contentious issue for many here. Surprised that knowledge of this is so wide spread though???

Absolutely loving that carbon roof 8) And obviously loving the ohlins :worship:

Can you tell me where did you get the blanking plug for the rear wiper from? I cant see it in the thread, unless im being blind!

pye21 type this article number into ebay: 320901389552 They seem to have come down €10 since I bought mine too 996lee :thumb:

Thanks for that :thumb:

Just been reading your window and roof conversion again. Top work. My car is going in November to have my roof and Lexan windows done. Obviously I'm not attempting it myself. Let's just say though that you saved yourself over 3 grand doing it yourself. I'm going with a replacement OEM roof panel though, no carbon.

Thanks isysman :thumb: It is a fair amount of work so no surprise the labour comes in at over 3K. I guess you have a sunroof car then to warrant the fitting of an OEM roof skin? I wish you the best of luck with this undertaking and don't forget to upload some pics :thumb:

Yeah bloody sunroof! If the original owner hadn't chosen it he would have saved me a packet! Don't worry I'll have plenty of photos and I'll shoot a video also.

Rich Your just playing at this weight reduction, this is how you do it :grin:

You're right Jon, but to design in a full door ejection system is a bit beyond my skill set :thumb: Also did you see what happened to the poor bloke once he tie-wrapped his door back on, just after the mini Karousel...

Probably about time I got rid of some of these parts I have amassed. There is probably a load more than this and I'll start a separate proper thread when I get a chance, but here are the parts that I think are/will be available (there are probably pictures for most items in this thread somewhere): Stock parts Front Impact bar Rear impact bar Space saver wheel Wiper motor assembly and insulation 2x rear carpets (behind rear seats) Insulation behind Interior rear side lower panel Alpine speakers x4 specially adapted in OEM housing (plug and play) As new. Door sub x2 Door airbag x2 Passenger airbag Porsche Head-unit with code Porsche Head-unit with code 6CD changer Amplifier 6channel for upgraded M490 package (door subs...) Porsche Floor mats Alarm Siren Battery Tray AC System all components PAS system all components (minus rack) LH Radiator shroud and fan Porsche Sport seats OEM Cat x2 Sports Steering wheel (3 Spoke) Steering wheel airbag Stock battery Sunroof assembly (sunroof panel, frame, inner cover, brackets etc) Rear side windows x2 Rear screen Roof skin Wheels in excellent condition with PS2's Flywheel Clutch (Plate and cover) Dash delete components Front wings x2 Bonnet Rear engine cover/spoiler system Doors Door cards Dash switches (PSE, Rear wiper, Heated rear screen) Upgraded parts 15mm spacers x4 200 Cell Cats Porsche Sports Exhaust PSE Short shift kit Headlights 6.1 UK RHD Full amberectomy Full M030 Sports suspension.

I'm sure you'll be inundated with PM's now

Utter nightmare Paz, I wish I had waited until I really have the spare time to dedicate to doing this selling stuff properly :grin: I now have a for sale thread in the for sale section guys :thumb:

I think dinslaken 2017 should incorporate a "yard sale" at your place :grin: Fit those 200 cell cats after lunch :?: uh:

Probably a good idea Guy :grin: It will save me all the hassle of posting and wrapping... I'll keep you posted :thumb:

Update guys: I have some great parts in the process of being manufactured to my spec and they will be with me shortly. In the mean time, I have started to strip the car a little and have even managed to find a massive 0.4kg today :grin: Ok so the weight saving isn't that spectacular but there will be an improvement in brake cooling. All four brake shields now removed. Just a note of warning, the front had to be cut out, well it's either that or wheel bearing removal, and following wheels, calipers, discs, pads, I wasn't prepared to go any further for the sake of 100gr per corner :grin: Rear before: Rear after: Front before: Front after: Striped the rear end down: Whilst in there I also took a picture of the PAS system delete solution to give a clearer idea of how it is now: More to come shortly, as soon as the parts arrive

You know, I'm most interest in the PAS-delete option out of all that loveliness I recently had the misfortune to have a serpentine-belt failure (seized/failed idler pulley) and in the very short period of time it took to pull over (into my Porsche Indy - how lucky was that?) I had to negotiate 1 turn and 1 roundabout. Yet - even with all the drama of the warning lights and worry about no water pump running - I can still remember how good the unassisted steering felt!

Very lucky there EGTE, glad it's all sorted for you now So today another giant step towards the 250kg weight reduction target. Full PSE loom including: relay, switch etc, a grand total of 0.1kg :grin: Basically a reverse PSE install: And here it all is removed:

New top mounts arrived. They need a slight redesign to work correctly with the Ohlins but hopefully that will be a week or so turnaround for a new top cap type design to be manufactured. Once fitted, measurements for the wheels can then commence

Ohlins DFV Road & Track dampers and monoball top-mounts :thumbs:

Strong work as allways! I'm thinking about fitting the cup steering wheel; -do you have any pics of the interior with the wheel fitted? -How do you find usability with the extra distance between the wheel rim and the stalks ? Ta!

Hi Scho, there are a couple of issues with the wheel. As you have pointed out distance to the stalks. Not really that big an issue though. The biggest problem is the top of the dials are obscured after fitting the CUP wheel. I aim to address this by fitting difference seats that lower the driver. I will also contact Momo to see if they can produce a 370mm version with only 50% of the dish of this one. Then it will be absolutely perfect in all respects and will also lessen the steering force needed in my case with the PAS deleted. Pics below:

I believe in the UK if you remove the airbag on the wheel you can only do it legally if you have a harness in the car. I take it it's not the same in Germany? PS I got the roof panel

Cheers for the info, Yours looks lovely with non of the horrible soft touch paint and no centre console. Love the cubby hole radio delete too. No messing!

While I think the 996 Cup wheel is 350mm, I have the 997 OPM Cup wheel (Superturismo, 330mm), with the GT3 seats/harnesses, and even with the seat as low as it goes, the dials are still obscured. Pushing the seat all the way back (until it hits the roll over bar), you can just about see the indicator arrows.

Had a bit of a mare getting the front ARB drop links off so if anyone else has the pleasure of this job then here is a little guide: Where the drop link attaches to the strut was the problem. It basically completely seizes. So to remove try the following. Spray with WD40 (or equivalent) undo nut and extract bolt. You may be lucky and this works. If not saw off the drop link which will effectively leave a 17mm hex bolt head which may then help. Not in my case a 45" breaker bar still wouldn't move it (both sides): This basically left me with no option but to remove the strut with the hub attached: Here is the offending bolt: Strut and hub removed: I then used a 15T hydraulic press to finally get it out (air powered ratchet wrench, industrial bore hammer... no use). Now the hub and strut are separated: As I'd gone to all this trouble I decided to polish up the hub So, I have the other side to look forward to tonight :nooo: I don't believe it is the same. My 997RS has a cup wheel and it doesn't mention in the TUV documentation the requirement for a harness. I look forward to seeing the progress on your roof It's the only way :grin: I'm hoping a 2" drop in seat height will alleviate this problem. I'll let you know once the seats arrive.

it does look much better though Richard so fair play to you ;-) the interior looks great and the centre console delete is such a small but nice thing to do. really de clutters the interior. so glad I done it on my GT3. it stand out even more in the red.

Note to self: never, ever try to remove ARB drop-links from hub myself! I hope that's a lightweight CLR sticker you put on that hub carrier

Obviously hard work but WD40 isn't the best releasing agent for rusted bolts. Try Plus Gas it's excellent. I've also heard that a 50/50 mix of gearbox oil and acetone is good. I guess the acetone make it very penatrative and I will try it next time I get a really tight bolt. Mike

Ive had to cut those bolts and scrap hubs in the past, as they do rust in seriously bad! dissimilar metals and all that.

So onto the other side: Same as previous and voila, 2 shiny bits ready to go back on: Next up, as I am fitting adjustable pillow ball top mount, the stock top mount hole doesn't provide enough access to adjust the camber bolts, so here is my solution: First up trial fit and measure carefully. A little more tricky that it looks due to the curvature of the chassis above the top mount: Then drill, cut then prep surface for re-protection: NLW73 :thumb: EGTE you have a valid point I hadn't considered the negative effect of weight by adding the decals :grin: Maldren my last can of pro gas ran out a couple of months back and you are right it is much better, however it wouldn't have made any difference in this case unfortunately; as RXBoxster points out, the dissimilar metal corrosion in this area is often beyond repair.

are those compbrake top mounts?

The 996 is generally considered to be a robust corrosion resistant beast but I've picked up on the start of something here that maybe others want to just keep an eye. As I am replacing the top mounts, I thought a quick clean of the mating surfaces will suffice. I noticed a bit of surface corrosion on the upper surface where the 3 nuts are attached and rectified this as per below but on the underside it looks like Porsche decided to scrimp a little on underbody protection just around where the top mount/suspension turret is. You will never notice this though as generally there is a pretty heavy layer of crud built up over time. As I cleaned around here I noticed a bit of bubbling and the spot welds rusting. So I've now rubbed it down and treated with a rust convertor (Fertan) and will respray and protect as new. Just a heads up guys as I haven't heard of anyone else reporting 996 rust issues: Upper surface masked off and primed: Now repainted with new cut out for camber adjustment: R/H side lower surface, after cleaning and sanding you can see the extent of the corrosion: So I stripped back the arch liners to check further and to enable masking later: Then treated with Fertan: Same on the other side: I have to leave this on to react for a few days, so tomorrow I'm off to the Nurburgring (not as glamourous as it sounds; only to Teichmann Racing for a service) then for a TUV inspection, with the white one

Hi there's. Quick question, when you got your Lexan windows did the rear have the Porsche badge at the bottom centre saying: Porsche?

I can't remember isysman, I wanted them to look stock so paid extra for black border and 'E' marking. You can pay extra to have whatever labelling you want. About £35 per window from memory

Due to previous top mount not working with the Ohlins, I have redesigned them to incorporate a top cap. After checking all the dimensions and clearances a thousand times over, I'm hoping this time round they should work perfectly. Will send these drawing to the manufacturer next week so will hopefully have them made within the next 2 weeks: Checking min and max permissible lengths: I have drawn everything to scale to get a better feel for clearances... The final solutions include pillowball dimension changes, sleeve nut redesign, top caps incorporated and top mount plates and camber plates completely redesigned. Shall see how in works in practice shortly:

Unfortunately I found an error with the Ohlins mounting instruction dimensions so have had to redesign the top mounts again. So another little set back but at least now I am 110% certain these will work with the Ohlins: Front arches now repainted: Whilst in there I decided to go for a complete suspension refresh. Nothing was actually worn but it makes sense to do it whilst I'm already there. So I am going to modify the new coffin arms; here is the before picture...

Ok thanks. I tried to contact them before my windows got shipped but they have been very slow to respond and I just got confirmation the screens have been delivered. So looks like I missed that opportunity. For the record you cannot buy the PORSCHE sticker from Porsche. Only available if you buy the screen.

Now this probably wont seem much to anyone else here but for me the single most exciting and important component of my car has finally been produced I am now sitting here like a kid at Christmas waiting for it to arrive. It is the exhaust system. Now I have spent considerable time researching and speaking to manufacturers about the requirements for this project and I am absolutely certain it would not have been possible to make a better system. Initially I had lined up a company to make a Titanium system; although light and aurally unique, Ti is prone to cracking and doesn't like extreme heat or heat cycles. So in the end the material chosen is one I am familiar with in Aircraft engine components where the lowest CTE (Coefficient Thermal Expansion) is required. The only other environment I am familiar with this being used is in F1 exhausts. So Inconel625 it is It is as light as Titanium but extremely strong and resistant to corrosion and cracking. The negatives are, it is extremely difficult to work with i.e tube section needs to be made from flat sheet and welded along it's length. Welding Inconel also requires a very skillful specialist. From the calculations I've made my Stock PSE and cats including bolts/clamps come in at 35.4kg. So over 23kg will be saved. Here are some of the prototype 3D renderings that have been made for the Bespoke Inconel/Carbon tips. They will also have a painted logo when they go into the autoclave: I have also modified the control arms as there is around 40% of the central bush rubber missing in the OEM Porsche arms. It also happens to be about the axis where tangential control arm forces are exerted. In filling this gap, there will now be a much crisper response but without the NVH associated with going solid: Before: After:

Interested to see how this works, did Porsche have had a reason for the rubber spec, possibly to allow stiffness in one direction but not the other? Mike

Stunning work as usual, can't wait to see the exhaust, a very nice weight saving indeed. Can I ask what you used to fill the rubber voids in the coffin arm bushes? Is it avail off the shelf, it looks like black stickaflex / automotive bonding sealant to me?? Another place for use would be the gearbox nose mount, they are quite cut away :thumb:

Hi Harv, thank you for the compliment. I may produce these converted coffin arms for say £175 a pair in the near future (Brand New arms then CLR conversion), I will test first and let you know. Can't give away all my secrets

Simply comfort Mike going solid / semi solid everywhere is a little too hardcore for your average Carrera buyer so Porsche design components to meet a certain comfort level. I don't want to go too crazy as the noise levels will go through the roof, so as per the original brief, I want to find the perfect balance and I'm hoping things like this mod will give that balance.

Yes, I suspect you're right. I'm very interested to follow what you are doing, re-engineering the car with a different requirement from the Porsche original.

10-4 that's quite understandable, sadly just replaced all my units so will be sometime (hopefully) before doing all that work again.

You need a turbo next as a mule I suspect :?: :thumbs:

Mr Hughes, it would be an honor and pleasure to chop your car to bits and present you with the remnants. I'll send you an invite to mosey on down to mine for a little prelude prior to the mass onslaught at the Tryp at the end of April next year Should be a few of us in convoy to wreck havoc at said rendezvous and also enough time for you to see what you are letting yourself in for

Sounds like a plan :thumbs: :grin:

Please tell me more about your PAS delete. ...are you using a trw electric pump?

Finally able to update having received the final design of top mounts today. So full suspension overhaul can continue: Here are the top mounts: Here are some of the parts to be fitted. Still awaiting pillowball adjustable castor arms Suspension built up ready to fit: Strut refitted into hub: So one down three to go: Now able to quickly access top mount camber adjustment: Jimk04, manual steering system converted from PAS. No hydraulics and no electrics Details in this thread somewhere

How are you getting on with the lightweight battery? Thinking of getting one but not sure how practical it is?

:yeah:

Holy mother of car *****!

isysman / NB996: it would be difficult to say whether or not a lightweight battery is the right solution for you guys but here is why it is ok for me: -I have removed alarm system; this being one of the main draws on the battery, mine will last longer. -My car is permanently parked in the garage on C-Tek so no issues with starting. They have plenty of cranking power, the PC680, so for my type of use they are fine. From memory the battery will have enough charge following no use for 1 week. If I was to go on holiday with the car , I would simply bring the C-Tek with me and remove the battery if it needed a charge. Did a few calculations for weight loss today and have added data to the first post: OEM Front Strut/Top mount 6kg Ohlins Front Strut/CLR top mount 4.8kg OEM Rear Strut/Top mount 5.3kg Ohlins Rear Strut/CLR top mount 4.3kg OEM Coffin arm 1.8kg CLR Coffin arm 1.5kg So a total of 5.6kg removed today bringing the total thus far to -132.6kg. 911munKy very funny :grin:

Thanks for the info above. So where did you get the battery? My 911 is pretty much the same, in the garage on charge until I want to use it. But I have an alarm and tracker.

Thanks Richie. Sounds like not right for me, but thanks for explaining. I'm thinking simple and obvious things for mine such as seats, rear spoiler, exhaust, subwoofer and other sundry bits. I will determine a target and work towards that. Having read the latest post by Ken from 9E a RWD conversion could be interesting as well...... :?: All helpful for the planning :chin:

Did the lightweight battery thing a while ago. http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=111384&highlight=battery Mine leves in the garage when not being used and not any heavy use/short journeys over winter. It's been fine but might not work for everybody.

Rear suspension fitted today, I had to modify the ARB drop links to fit the Ohlins. Pretty much all set up ready to drop the car, just awaiting the top mount bolts to arrive: Rears assembled: Here you can see how the drop links need to be modified to fit the Ohlins: And fitted: With a little help from this one

Some hard thinking gone into those parts, but all looking lovely Bet you can't wait to get a feel for the new set up. Next on the list - exhaust? Or something else?

I ordered and paid for the exhaust a long time ago now Ben. It is being made in Inconel625 with bespoke Carbon/Inconel tips. The system has been manufactured but the moulds for the carbon tips didn't come out well from the autoclave, so these were re-done/polished this week and are now perfect. Just want my logo painted on these now, so that's all that's holding them up. Will come in at a -23kg saving over stock, so I'm very pleased to get rid of this amount right at the back of the car. Once the top mounts bolts arrive (hopefully on Monday) then I can measure up for the wheels, which are next on my list. Wheels and tyres will be another 23.708kg gone. After that seats (around 30kg), then all the carbon parts, 2-piece brakes, titanium wheel nuts.... Should mean a total reduction bringing the car down to around 1087kg dry with 4 seats, carpets, interior... ETA: Just tallied up where I'm at just now (-132.6kg). Exhaust is already on it's way, with the wheels and seats I would have already broken the 200 barrier at -209kg without a single carbon panel

You'd been talking about the exhaust for a while so I presumed it must have been ticking along in the background somewhere!! Keep up the good work Look forward to seeing it all installed.

This just a terrific thread. I have a '98 996 C2 with an LSD that I'm in the process of doing much the same to. The aircon pump has just been removed and many small brackets etc have come out or been made smaller/holier. I've previously made carbon panels for a friend's classic race car (He wanted to be much lighter but not look like he was going against the 1960's spirit of the series.) I've been pondering making a carbon/kevlar roof panel as the cost of making my own would be around £700, and I get a lot of satisfaction from the process. I just need to find a stock roof panel to take a mould from. I also have the LWFW. The car really was hard to park because it was so easy to stall. I then had the AOS let go in spectacular fashion recently, and now it's replaced the stalling issues have gone away. I now realise it had been on it's way out for the last three years and was the source of a large vacuum leak that was giving me the complete absence of torque at very low RPMs. Anyway, keep it up, you're an inspiration.

A few new bits arrived today, Carbon/leather seats and some titanium wheel bolts which are beautifully made Inconel/Carbon bespoke exhaust and custom, wheels should also be here within the next few weeks. Only just seen your post Martin my apologies. Your project sounds very interesting and I'm glad to hear you now have her running as intended :thumb: I do have a roof skin but it had a sunroof so probably no use for your moulds. Will update this thread when I have fitted the seats. Also they are advertised as 6.5kg. Mine weighted 7.4kg, so I'm guessing the 6.5kg is probably for the fabric seats and the additional weight is the leather. They are a very nice looking seat and seem fairly sturdy. Not sat in one yet but will go fit them now and see how they compare to stock (height, comfort, usability, access to the rear...)

They look really nice - It'll be good to know if the lower seating position helps the visibility of your dials using the cup wheel. Also I recall you wanting to keep your car as a family car - fingers crossed the access is ok getting into the back! If it works I'll be copying :thumb:

Great stuff, nice to know they arrived so quickly. They are on my wish list; modding 911 can be so addictive What mounts will you be using? Did you order any mounting kits from D911? Cheers.

I am , silently, loving what you are doing here ELA :thumb: I had the same sort of plans for my 996.1 ( although no where near as thorough ), but have been waiting for my recent visit to Centre Gravity ( THE people to assess the underpinnings/suspension for Porsche in the UK ) to make my mind up fully. Sadly my 996.1 got a virtually clean bill of Porscheness on Saturday ( bar a very rusty rear ARB ) and they told me she was just too nice to strip out and turn into my ultimate " track slag " :sad: They have talked me into a set of Ohlins road and track coilovers and Eibach adjustable ARB`s, just for the hell of it though :grin: Will probably go for the same GT3 rep seats you have as well :grin: Keep up the fantastic work young man :thumb:

I didn't order the seat rails as the other thread mentioned you can use the stock seat rails. So my intention was to modify the stock rails to suit and just add a set of the side brackets. Turns out it is not possible as the standard seat locking mechanism sits on the top side of the rail and this would need to be flat/clear for the brackets to bolt on to. I may just design and weld up my own seat rails as the ones currently on the market are very heavy. Also this way I can make them so that at maximum rear position, they will be set up for my leg length. This will then allow the maximum possible forward travel for better rear pax ingress/egress. I was hoping to drop 30kg with the seats but this now appears to not be remotely possible if you want to retain the sliding functionality. So 26kg is probably a little closer to where I'll get to. CG are a great outfit KK. Only thing I'd add to their recommendation is to fit Powerflex bushes when changing the ARB. Also bear in mind the Ohlins are only compatible with stock top mounts. There is nothing on the market that will work with them, hence me designing my own top mounts to suit. Thanks for the compliments :thumb:

Just thought it important to add, if anyone ever fits a CUP steering wheel or similar this is what I mean by obscured view of the dials. I took this picture to accurately reflect exactly what you see from the drivers seat. I'm 5'10 to give you an idea I'll also take an after shot to show the difference once I have fitted the seats :thumb:

Thanks for the reply RE: mounts, look forward seeing your lightweight solution. Cheers.

I had similar issues in my SC track car - so the 'get a round' was to rotate the dials so you could see what you needed to. doesn't look like that's possible on the modern dials?

Not true. I have standard runners that i pulled off my old std 996 seats and i designed and made my own side mounts to mount in the same positions. The original set of mounts i made where too low and im now making new ones that are 25mm higher. You have to watch the clearance from the seat base to the cross bar, but my mounts clear. I originally bought the runners from Design 911, but sent them back as they where crap beyond belief. I will take a pic tonight and post it to show what i mean.

Maybe your seat are different to mine Pye21 :dont know: as it is definitely true that the locking mechanism sits on top of the rails meaning you cannot bolt the side bracket to them on my OEM seats; maybe these pictures will help to clarify: I have placed my thumb above where the locking pins are located on the top of the rail: And here is a picture from the inboard side, again the big gold bracket refers:

Hi Ben, I had two options in mind to get around this: 1. Have custom steering wheel made, same design and finish as CUP one but 370mm rather than 350mm. I would also remove the dish to bring the wheel a little closer to the indicator stalks. 2. LWB's were going in anyway so I kind of hoped for a serendipitous benefit of being able to view the gauges again with these fitted. This will also save the massive headache of more custom parts designed/manufactured/approval...

I think you misunderstood my comments. The locking bar goes over the top, but you can design the side brackets to go around these. My locking system is the same as in the images, but i designed the brackets to sit around this and bolt into the standard locations. I will take a picture tonight, it will explain. I currently have my existing brackets on the OE runners bolted in-place, but with no seat in them.

Are you putting the chaises longues in the rear, as a bench-seat?

Perhaps remove the ally dial rings for another 150g of savings :?:

GT4^ Aim is more of a strip club than Pimp my ride :thumb:

Loving the scatter cushions for the passengers to hold. Does this mean you've removed the air-bags too? May I suggest a compromise, perhaps Pimp my Strip Club :grin:

Mould for Carbon tips all polished ready for going in the autoclave:

do you need to have a metal 'sleeve' for the carbon to fit over as a heat shield? or can you just have exhaust heat directly onto the exhaust tips? re: the wheel - I'm sure there is a 370mm version already out there to negate the need to build a custom version. anyway you could raise/tilt the steering column up an inch?

Hi Ben, the tips will slide over the Inconel625 pipework. Here are the early 3D renderings; they are a very intricate design and very difficult to manufacture, hence the length of time it has taken to get this far: Unfortunately there is no up/down adjustment in the 996 steering column.

Some pics of my mounts. Hope these make sense of my comments. [/URL] [/URL] [/URL] [/URL]

How will you fix them in place? grub screw type arrangement? now you've got the mould are they expensive to produce going forwards? (I've never done any work in Carbon myself)

Many thanks pye21, yes that makes perfect sense. You have cut an opening into the side bracket to allow for the locking mechanism. I did consider this but the OEM lower seat mount assembly seems pretty hefty, my guess is probably 6kg or more. I'm hoping to find a solution in the 3.5-4kg region which will also retain the sliding function. If what I have planned doesn't work I'll probably use the same method you have come up with. I have made a jig and knocked up a few drawings; I'm just waiting for a few parts to arrive now, then I'll buy a few strips of steel and weld it all together

Some good news I have now ordered all the remaining parts for the project including: -CLR Carbon doors (see pre-production pics below) -CLR Carbon door cards -CLR Carbon Bonnet -CLR Carbon front wings -CLR Carbon CUP mirrors -CLR Carbon Ducktail -997 OEM SC brakelight assembly for Ducktail -CLR Throttle -CLR 2-Piece lightweight brakes -CLR Front castor arms (due next week) -CLR wheels (due Feb) -CLR Exhaust (been in production for 4 months) -Carbon seats (arrived) -CLR seat mounts (in production) -Titanium wheel bolts (arrived) -CUP 2 tyres 215/45r17 and 255/40r17 (arrived) Then after all this is fitted, I need to get the car re-mapped, paint all the parts, set up, then go through the very expensive TUV process. With a big push it will all be ready at the end of April for the Dinslaken event. Pic of the Carbon SIPS (requirement for road registration).

Do it. :thumbs: You've got a title to defend.

Oh my u have been busy and spending. This is going to be so awesome when finished and cant wait to see the end product.

Many thanks Nick, to say it has been a challenge to design, re-design, re-design again, fabricate, redo drawings, build, calculate and work out what can/cannot be done, then factor in German regulations, find competent suppliers to work with from the ground up (initial drawings to final prototype), set up a business, tax advisor, accountant all this in your spare time whilst you have a job that requires around 150-200 flights per year, family commitments, I've also been quite poorly the last 3 months; so yeah it has been fun! I have dealt with suppliers from the UK, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Taiwan, China with varying results. But I am so glad to now be getting close to unleashing what for me, will always be first and foremost, my dream car. It will have all the key attributes to make this the most exciting and rewarding drive, whilst delivering to all sensual elements on an Elevenerife scale Well that's the plan anyway; those close to me have suggested I am somewhat mental to be chopping up a car and ruining it, in every conceivable way. So the jury is out as to whether I have just wasted a massive chuck of my life on this project and eye-watering sums I don't have, to bring this idea to life. My main motivator throughout though, is that I know I will never be able to afford a 'Singer'. And for me the attention to detail on a holistic scale pairing each change in a co-ordinated manner, as to not disturb another part of the car is what takes the time. Having watched Rob Dickenson video's I can relate to some of the headaches he's been up against. And I'm sure there will be more fine tuning for me to address over the coming months/years. In fact I have already adjusted the suspension height 3 times and that is without even having driven the car out of the garage since I installed it, as I have added a touch of rake angle and to make it sit just right. Now if this CLR lives up to my expectations, I really hope in the future to be able to offer that 'Singeresque' experience for normal people to be able to afford and enjoy. One last point on this subject, I'm hoping for between 330-340BHP when finished so just to put this into perspective, as it doesn't really sound a great deal, at 330BHP it will be 295BHP/Ton, a stock 996TT by comparison is 269BHP/Ton. My car started life from the factory at 1378kg so around 214.8BHP/Ton. So although a very minimal uplift in power from the stock C2, this package should really pack quite a punch. ETA: I should maybe clarify the Singer reference above. I don't really think this car is anything like a Singer. There is a shared emotional basis about why the concept arises but Singer is more focused on the most beautiful, refined polished complete article, with a delicacy of design and finish, fit for a king. They are all master pieces and Rob has chosen his base as the 964, as he believes this the Apex of Pork DNA. I on the other hand find the ugly grandchild of the 964, to be where Porsche had it's finest moment. Where Rob generally looks forward for inspiration on the technical front (numerous 993 parts and systems), I look back to a different era. My focus is also more about the purity of the driving and the emotions created by the interaction whilst in motion (exhaust, handling...) rather than the whole ownership experience. If you take a single item like the exhaust for instance. Singer have designed a stainless steel ceramic coated system. I on the other hand have used Inconel625 with Carbon Fibre, the costs involved are probably 10 times more going down this route. For me though, it is one of the key details in a CLR, so I have chosen the best system possible- Bar none . On a Singer though they completely replace the wiring loom, installing a Mil-spec loom with a modern ECU and data-logging. This may be born of necessity as the 964 loom will be a bit haggard but at $30k, it is a serious amount of money. Any other system/part you choose to compare, you will see a similar outcome: Different focus and objective dictates. You've got me thinking Terry, I could bring the trophy from last year but it's so bloody heavy it'll destroy all the work that I have done :grin:

Outstanding Richie :worship: :worship: :worship: Right now I am wondering if I should have kept my '6 turbo and started her on a diet and 9e mod regime.......... :sad: Looking forward to seeing it and yourself again in Dinslaken. :thumbs:

A little update: Lightweight Carbon/Leather buckets now fitted. Was a little trickier than it looks as a light seat mount with access to the rear and a drop of 1.5 inches were required to ensure the practicality of the car remains as close to OEM as possible. Very pleased with the final result but these photos only relate to the final solution Before I start on the seats though I also removed the throttle ready to be reworked: I started by measuring up and then made a jig. These pictures only relate to the final solution, I have tried 2 other methods prior to this; including trying to use the original rails After cutting all the steel and bending it to the correct angle (where required), they were welded up. Here is the wooden jig I knocked up. First one welded up Test fit Then tidied up and painted This picture shows why the OEM rail can't be used as there isn't enough clearance for the locking mechanism. Seat rails fitted And now for some in car testing One issue I had with the previous seats was the dials were obscured following the fitting of the CUP steering wheel. The seats are now mounted about 1.5" lower than before so this issue has now been alleviated. I also designed the rails so that access to the rear is still possible. This is normally very tricky with bucket seats. And just to prove, I managed to slip my considerable bulk in the back. The end result is I couldn't get the weight reduction I had planned with the seats, but I am very pleased to have met the design brief by retaining the usability. I will also be reinstalling the seatbelt warning light system to retain the full OEM features. Fabricating my own rails saved around 1.1kg per seat rail. These also have an extra 1" inch of travel over the stock rails. With the side mounts I have, the OEM rails will not fit (not enough clearance). Total weight for seats, rail, all bolts/fittings and seat belt buckle is 11.4kg so with 2 fitted these seats drop the total weight by 24.6kg.

Exhaust is finished, a little excited to say the least. Should be here next week

Nice work ELA - this is all coming together nicely. Those exhaust tips are going to look stunning when fitted. Quick question about your seat rails. Do the ones you made up make the seat sit lower than the standard rails from Design 911?

Short of bolting the side brackets directly to the floor it would not be possible to go any lower than the ones I have made if you want to retain the sliding function. The D911 rails would be around the thickness of the silver alloy beam higher (about half an inch) plus the side brackets must also mount the seat higher as pye21 has fitted them to OEM rails so I would say a total of about 1.25" higher with the D911 ones.

Thanks ELA - that sounds like I'd still have the obscured view from my Protopito if the D911 seat rails are 1.25" higher. I might just have live with it!

those are very nice indeed

Thanks Ben They have taken some time but I'm sure they'll be worth the wait! Both seats also now in; all adjusted and tested, seat belts all fitted & wiring harness for seatbelt warning light transferred over.

Seats looks fantastic Richard and they really suit the car. plus the added bonus of less weight and better driving position. you feel much more integrated in the car with those buckets. I love the exhaust tips and that exhaust is going to save weight and only increase the noise. I totally get what you say about the 'singer' thing. there is only one UK company doing what you have done with the ducktail and some changed bits ( I think its CSR? ) but yours has taken it to great extremes with epic results. as the 996 becomes more cherished and desired it will follow the 993 and 964 and people will want to do what you have done and you could have a decent niche there and projects to do. I hope that you do and good luck to you. if I get over to Germany this year would love to swing by for a blast in it. with that bhp / tonne ratio its going be 997.2 GT3 proportions I would imagine. happy days ;-) a mk2 GT3 is about 285 per tonne.

Sorry for being dim here; the side brackets for the seats, are they the D911 ones? Thanks.

That is very kind of you Nick, it would be a great pleasure you show you around the car and sample some of the local Moselle valley roads Your calculations are also just about bob-on; in terms of projected power to weight it will be about the equivalent of the 997.2GT3, but under any driving condition other than a straight line, I really don't think a 997.2GT3 will know which way this car went due to the circa 300kg delta. Now onto some more good news and if you're a lady, I'll advise not to scroll down any further for I fear the nether regions becoming wetter than an otter's pocket :grin: The exhaust is complete. This is the first prototype of the lightest exhaust system in the world for a 996 Carrera. It has 200cell cats, will last a lifetime being handmade from Inconel and by my calculations, will come in at around 23kg lighter than the OEM PSE system that it replaces. The tips are only 0.5kg Felix at Kline, has totally surpassed himself in creating this piece of art. It will be such a shame to have it covered up, but knowing such a massive amount of weight has been removed from right at the rear; singlehandedly probably having the greatest effect on improving weight distribution for the entire project, will surely help overcome this criminal act. The CUP 2 tyres also turned up today. It's like Christmas every day at the moment Hi Y2K, yes these are the same generic side brackets that D911 sell. The rails I sourced in Germany then customised to ensure the optimum functionality of the new seats.

Once it's put back together it looks like it'd be an ideal time for a full respray. Are you planning on changing the colour. :?:

loving the exhaust. that is seriously light and very pretty that would make a lady wetter than a spastic's chin ;-)

Seriously inspiring stuff here. That exhaust looks incredible, top work!

But that would require a strip back to bare metal to keep the weight down.........

Someone else asked me this Terry. I hadn't even thought about it as I wanted to keep the car original :grin: I also think red interior with silver works well. I will however be painting the front bumper, bonnet, front wings, doors, engine cover, so I will be practically doing the whole car so it would make sense to change at this point. I think silver is also quite anonymous so the wolf in sheep's clothing effect will be more effective. You've made me think now... I have so many other areas of the car to concentrate on, I don't think I need the extra headache of deciding a different colour

The exhaust looks like a work of art! Would be interested to know if it is UK track day friendly. So, with exhaust, wheels and seats, plus removing a few non-essential items, one can easily achieve 80kg saving. :thumb: Thank you. So contrary to what was mentioned in the GT3 replica seats thread, D911 brackets don't go with OEM sports seat rails. So it would seem the only option for one who doesn't have the necessary skills to fabricate one, is to buy the D911 fitting kit (rails + brackets) as shown in the other thread. I was hoping to save a few £££ by reusing the rails :grin:

You can use the rails as pye21 has done it. You need to cut a little section out of the side brackets for the locking mechanism but the problem is he must have used very high side brackets to get the clearance between the locking mechanism and the seat base. I couldn't afford this luxury as I needed to drop the seats as low as possible. I would love to drop them by another 1" but it just isn't possible with these seats and by retaining the sliding rails. It took me 3 days faffing around to come up with my solution buying all sorts of different strips of alu, steel, rivets, bolts, then, measuring, cutting, welding... So going for an off the shelf solution is a lot easier. I just wanted to achieve certain things with the seats (rear access, extra seat rail travel, lower by 1-2", lightest possible, meet TUV regs...) so had to devise my own rails. I may offer these as an off-the-shelf solution in the future.

Absolutely love this project, great to see it moving on! Keep up the great work! Those exhaust tips are bloody gorgeous

Thanks again. I'm only 5'6 so I don't need to drop the height by as much

Hi Rich Did you go for new headers? My Kline headers must be 1/3 of the weight of the originals. By the way that's my system on their site for the 997 GT3 exhaust. Also you may be able to lower seat further with something like this https://www.gmgracing.com/store/2007/porsche/gt3/gmg-seat-base-996-997-991.html It allows the runners to be moved further apart and allows seat base to drop between runners. I have it my car and seat base rubs carpet. Did have seat direct fixed to floor with the above the seat is 10 mm higher but with runners. Down side it's heavy as made from steel but could be made lighter by cutting out excess and making from alternative material.

Nope. The base of the seat in my car was less than a fingers width off the carpet. With the mounts i made, it was actually too low for me and i am remaking them with higher mounts.

Well remember that the paint on a car typically weighs about 4kg, mind you a new top coat will weigh rather less than this. Mercedes went to silver (ally) cars before the war to save weight for formula 1 and the German cars went from being white to silver. Mike

Yes, the Mercedes "White Elephant" was reborn the "Silver Arrow" once over 1kg of paint was stripped from the aluminium panels.

Many thanks for the heads-up Jon did you also go Inconel, and was this system fitted to your car when we met last year? I didn't go for the headers for 2 reasons, one being: during my research it appeared many had found the performance of aftermarket headers worse then the OEM ones so they removed the SS ones and went back to stock. Another reason being the bolts can be an utter nightmare to remove and I wanted to avoid any additional headaches I did look into the seat rails you mention but noted they were made from 3/8 steel, which means heavy. Now I'm sure they are of excellent quality and meet FIA regs... but for my project, weight is a significant factor, I have even bought titanium wheel bolts to give you an idea of how silly it has got The great thing about being open about this whole project has meant many have shared and come up with great ideas as you have here. It has been a great source of info and ideas, many of which I have adopted. The final destiny of my car is pretty much decided now though, although I did have a bit of a shock today when I got the invoice for the Carbon doors at over 6K. reason being I thought the price quoted was for the pair, it now turns out it was just for one Frantically trying to find an alternative option that isn't going to bankrupt me :bonk:

I'm really not sure how this is possible. I tried to use the stock rails. The locking mechanism sits about 2.5cm proud of the upper surface of the mounts. The mounts themselves are also quite chunky at around 3cm thickness. To achieve the clearance between the locking mechanism and the lower surface of the carbon seats means the seats need to be mounted quite high. I tried, but had to choose the difficult option of custom mounts to get the seats mounted low and to keep the weight down (total around -1.1kg saved over using the stock mounts). If you take a measurement from the aft side mount bolt to the floor carpet surface (outboard side, from rear seat rail mounting bolt), it would give a fair idea as to how low your seats are

It took 5 sets of test mounts to get it right. I moved the seat back in relation to the centreline of the runners to play about with the fit. The locking bars where sat millimeters from the base of the seat and the lowest part of the seat was around 10-15mm from the carpet. I bought the runners and extra low sidemounts from D911 originally,but the quality of the runners was terrible and i wouldnt put them in my shed, nevermind a car. I used the D911 setup as a base and my mounts are actually lower.

I see now it makes sense :thumb: I didn't have this option though as I guess you no longer have access to the rear seats as you mounted them further back. I moved mine forward as I wanted to try and retain use of the rear seats. If you wanted to use the back seats with the stock runners you would need to raise the seats, which is the point I was trying to make above. As I have the CUP steering wheel fitted, this was not an option. So in trying to balance all three of these objectives, the only option was to go the route I have taken.

Exhaust now here; pardon the detail pics, I've waited a while for this to be produced so a little excited to finally have it here. Total 20.6kg reduction, so total now at minus 173.5kg

That's so nice! Real shame to cover it all up! Can't wait to hear it! As always top work :thumb:

What a work of art !! :thumb: I think the "P O R S C H E" badge needs to be replaced by a "CLR" sticker .... must be a couple of ounces there :floor:

I'm on it Guy the whole boot is being replaced with a Carbon Ducktail. I'm really not sure about badges/logos just yet. I have the logo on the exhaust and that's about it so far (what's visible from exterior). Was thinking of keeping it quite discreet but when I get close to the closing stage, I'll give it a little more thought You and me both, I'll try and take a video when I have it all fitted

Beautiful work as ever. If you fancy remaking the bumper in carbon fibre I'd happily give the rear PU a new home...

Oof! That's a bit nice. I saw the tailpipes update the other day but now it's complete.... :worship:

Love this thread - I need to somehow find the time to read it all now! Fantastic work there ... I reckon you should aim for 820kg like this guy (who happens to be head of design @ Bugatti), with his heavily modded SC

Beautiful work Richie (as ever) :worship: :worship: Now the question is can it help you retain your trophy this year at Dinslaken?? :?: And......will you be running with the 911UK pack......or setting up in your own CLR stand............? :chin: If you are I'll pay for GT4's body paint so he can be one of your "Hosts with the Mosts" :wink: :grin: :thumbs:

There just isn't enough weight in the rear PU to warrant the expense of a CF one sorry :thumb: Thanks for the video link, I hadn't seen that one before. There is however absolutely no chance of a 996 ever getting anywhere remotely close to 820kg. Besides, it was never my intention to be so brutal and chase every gram; don't get me wrong, I've gone seriously an@l in places but that balance of OEM usability and refinement is something I feel is intrinsic in what CLR stands for. There will be 40kg or so left on the table, but this 40kg will be what makes the car more than a one trick pony. I'm not sure if the exhaust will win the outright 'who can blow the most ear drums award' but I'm hoping it will at least bring a little aural delight to the party I wasn't going to set up alone but what you have offered leaves me no option surely; you can perhaps join him, to cover both left and right flanks, as we all know you currently hold the 911UK pins of the year title :grin: You would both just need to be extra careful not to damage the Carbon panels or smear any of your body fluids over the car in all the excitement

Oh my Scottish legs would scare punters away - even with body paint hiding the natural shade of blue :wink: One beardy Paul will be enough I'm sure :grin: But joking aside some form of marketing collateral for the CLR concept wouldn't be a bad idea? :dont know:

This is all making me feel a little queasy ... :yuk: So that's another lb or two

Made inroads into the prep for the Carbon Ducktail that is in production. First though I finished off fitting the exhaust, unfortunately as I have sent the throttle away for a little rework I can't test it just yet: Then onto the Engine cover removal ready for the Carbon Ducktail: Decided to remove any redundant loom (Only retaining engine bay light and fan): So here are the only parts from the loom that are required (Only the bits on the left):

Wheels arrived yesterday These have been a massive headache to get manufactured but finally after 4 months of CAD drawings, clearance checks, design changes... they are finally here: In the interim though I have redesigned the suspension on the front so effectively when the suspension parts have been manufactured these wheels will no longer be the optimum for what I have in mind. So after all this trouble producing these wheels to fit perfect straight out the box I have to sell them. So if anyone would like them please let me know ASAP. The combined weight saving of these fitted with CUP2's compared to the OEM wheels and PS2 tyres currently fitted with 15mm spacers is -15.4kg. These will fit perfectly for a Narrow body 996, filling the arches the equivalent to the OEM wheels +15mm spacers front and rear. They are a forged T6061 wheel completely customised and a one-off set: 7x17 ET29 front 8.5x17 ET 31 rear I have had them made in these sizes so that 215/45r17 and 255/40r17 CUP2 tyres can be used as the optimum choice. These were incredibly expensive to have made but I now need to order a different set so will let them go for a bargain price of £2500. PM or Tel: 0743 8642 996 for further details.

GLWTS as they are a thing of beauty! :thumbs:

That rear quarter pic looks very trick with the exhaust, strut & wheel on display. Regarding the wheel hiccup, probably best not to mention it to the missus :redcard:

Thanks Paul, don't worry I will be ordering the same again just a slightly different size It wasn't a hiccup as such, more a change of plan after the wheels had been commissioned :bonk: With so many things all in progress at the same time, I just didn't plan for the suspension set-up changes at the time when the wheels were calculated. They are perfect for a stock car set-up (with any suspension) as that's what I based them on. I am just re-designing all the arms so that an alternative wheel size can be utilised. Unfortunately the Mrs already knows as she was the one who had to remove the rope from around my neck :grin:

:thumbs:

Wheels look perfect, can't wait to see them with rubber fitted and car back on the floor! Keep up the fantastic work, love this project!

I really, really like those rims. Let's see how much spare cash I have at the end of the month, by which time they'll have sold of course, but just in case they have not I shall live in hope.

:yeah: Loving those wheels. As ever, just superb attention to detail. And as if the thread wasn't enough of an insight into your OCD, you even have 996 in your phone number. :grin: :worship:

Well spotted Mr 911. It was however a bit of a fluke of sorts the phone number! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Dammit; to go through the process and expense that I did to get these was a bit annoying to say the least so this option saves massive agro and expense. But I really am in more of a first come first serve position right now in order to get a new set which takes a considerable time to manufacture. I just need to recover some of the costs by selling these first though before I can order the new ones, according to the boss :lock: Si you are too kind :thumb: I have a deadline to meet (The Porsche show in April) so am really up against it. Progress will really start ramping up over the coming weeks

Lots going on behind the scenes with drawings and measurement for stuff but still waiting for parts to arrive before I can do a proper update; (Carbon: Wings, Ducktail and Bonnet arrive on Monday), but in the meantime I came up with this little idea this afternoon As I removed the pax airbag this leaves a useful sized space behind this panel being wasted: After a bit of work with the Dremel making the opening a bit more user friendly, I now have a glovebox. Still early stages and needs a little tidying up but you get the idea: And closed again. I know this goes against the grain of this project, but with me losing the door card bins very soon, this little mod will come in very handy. It weighs less than 100grams so is a no brainer. Also a bit 007, having a little secret hiding place

Remind me never to ride in your passenger seat........... :wink: :grin: :thumbs:

How does that airbag cover attach? Hinge? Magnets?!

Nothing quite so clever made or needed Ben

My own personal video! I am honoured Thanks - much easier to see it than have to write an explanation I'm sure! Nice neat solution and certainly discrete, perfect if you're loosing the door pockets. Love those wheels by the way, would have wanted those for my 993, but can't afford the spend at the mo.

I don't do requests but made an exception in your case This glovebox should return pretty much the same volume as the space lost from the doors; also a bit more convenient. I may be able to move a bit on the price for the wheels. I am already making a loss but I can't afford the time for getting another set manufactured so may compromise on price just to keep the ball rolling PM me if you are seriously interested.

Carbon Ducktail, Bonnet and Wings turned up today:

Some serious weight winners with that lot

Ducktail :cloud9: :thumbs:

:thumb: :thumb:

Gentlemen thank you :thumb: Ok serious discount offer here guys. I'll knock £500 off the price of the custom forged T6061 wheels. This is a seriously cheap price compared to what I paid for them. Brand new still boxed. Happy for this message to be passed on if you know someone who may be interested

Amazing :worship: The most beautiful and focused 996 ever :cloud9:

...and the scales say...?

Brilliant, seriously can't wait to see the finished article :thumbs:

Gentlemen you're too kind :worship: My scales simply say 'ouch you're hurting me you fat fecker' :grin: I've not weighed the bonnet yet but the wings save 2.7kg each and the Ducktail saves 6kg. Bonnet should be 5kg against the stock one at 14kg. So I should be somewhere in the region of -195.1kg, so not quite made the magical double-ton. But once all the remaining planned parts arrive, I still think I'm on to make a 1086kg dry weight target Today carried on with the laborious task of pre-paint test fit and adjustment of the carbon panels:

Very cool, makes me feel guilty that I bought a cab each time I see your dedication to weight saving. My hardtop is 18kg or so, and with it in place I have not one but two whole roofs fitted.

In your dreams! Cab tips scales at +70kg for roof mech and strengthening and then +33kg for hardtop! (although 997 were offered with two cost optional lids, light and heavy weight versions)

Hah, well- it's even worse than I thought then. I've removed my centre console and ashtray, got to be 40 kg there...

Another great update OP. I'm really enjoying reading this thread, very inspiring. Keep up the good work :thumbs:

Another tremendous update. Stunning stuff ELA! (PS; if you want rid of the original left side (non-fuel filler side) front wing then PM me. My boxster wing is starting to show a hint of rust through the paint on the wheel arch edge. I treated it and painted the whole wing last summer but its starting to show through, so I'm working out whether to treat it again or just replace the panel. How much of a ball-ache was removing the wing?)

A bit of a PITA but I'm sure nothing too taxing for you : Headlight Arch Liner Front bumper Front bumper forward support (mounts onto wing) Headlight tray transfer across Move screen wash reservoir out the way 13mm bolt (to gain access to 4x rear mounting bolts. Headlight loom attachment at rear of tray Then see below for location of fasteners: Also a few other pics of a stripped down 996 as it is quite a rare sight as nobody is quite restoring these just yet: Major PITA fitting these Carbon panels. All the holes need to be carefully marked out and drilled. The fuel flap panel has taken me 3 hours today and it still isn't finished... Allowance has to be made for the additional thickness of Carbon to steel. Very fine precise cutting and trimming... so not a 5 minute job. The fit/curvature/size is very accurate though so I am very happy with the moulds that were made It's just 3 days work to get them sorted ready to bolt on. 911Tom, thank you, a pleasure to have someone to share my interest with. I am so excited by it all but my Mrs obviously doesn't want to hear a word of it, so sharing this project with you guys is perfect

Utter utter nightmare today :sad: Tried to remove the LH door but was unable to fully open the door (only half way) due to garage wall. I had also sold my spare wheels this week so could not move the car. Major :wack: to myself for not applying the 6 P's. This meant trying to cut the attachment bolts down from inside the door and cutting a T45 bit really short to get to the door attachment bracket bolts. Really was not funny but finally got there in the end, so first door off ready for the carbon replacement:

I don't think I could have got a more comprehensive reply! Like most things with these cars its just a case of taking things off in a methodical, patient way. If you do that then they aren't difficult to work on. Occasionally you get stuck or rusted fasteners, or have to contort yourself to get in at something which really tests your metal. My go-to tool is usually the dremel or angle grinder which is probably not a good thing though!! Cracking pics of a de-winged 996, like you say its quite a rare sight. I think I could get a car to that stage, but my ability stops the moment any sort of precision has to be employed. Getting the holes etc right for the carbon wings and finishing it with an OEM look like yours would be impossible for me. You make it look easy, which is one of the many reasons I'm subscribed :thumb: :thumb:

To be honest Ragpicker, I am yet to try and fit all the carbon panels and it isn't something I am looking forward to. Even something like the fuel flap panel is proving to be a serious head-scratcher to get right. Trying to align rear quarter to door to front wing, and bumpers all windows and trim... is going to be very tricky and is where all the hidden hours and days disappear that will never be appreciated. I'll see how I get on but am really up against it all now with trying to get all this done before Dinslaken. I still have to redesign and manufactured all the suspension arms, new 2-piece brakes, new wheels manufactured, carbon doors and door cards, paint everything, TUV, Geo, test and set-up. Fitting all the panels, as already mentioned will be a mare. The doors are a real PITA with all the looms and mechanisms... It may look easy as I spare you all the boring details, but I'm sure I have to think about how to overcome all the various issues and make the mistakes the same as anyone trying all this for the first time

Absolutely! Think of all the man-hours, prototypes, tooling for parts which are never used etc that Porsche put in to their lightweight cars - and they've got huge R+D budgets, teams of engineers with the latest and best software, and bags of time to play with! A man in a garage in Germany has a real uphill battle when you think of it like that. The fact that you're able to develop and modify what there is already is testament to the ability and passion you've got. This is what I'm saying - any old spannerer like me can take stuff off and put it back on, but to redesign something and have the passion to plug away for hours is something else. But you're right - how many of us look at a wheel arch liner and cast a thought to Hanz and his 56 hours of CAD profiling over and over again to get it 'just so' in a plain office in Stuttgart? Chin up dude, keep at it! :thumb:

What he said ^^^^^^^^^ Look forward to a beer in Oberhausen with you and hearing all about it :thumbs:

Great thread this! Are those carbon parts from Belgium? I am thinking of buying a ducktail for my GT3. Any comments on the quality of the parts? Keep up the good work. :worship: I'll be at the NRing from June 10th onwards. Are you around then? Would be nice to see the car in person.

ELA, I found this thread after google searching "lightweight Porsche 966"... Thank you for sharing your project. It is almost exactly the project I'm considering, including the 'Singer' inspired thinking. Although my budget is more modest, the goals are similar in creating a nimble driver's Porsche in the older 911 ethos, without having to sell a kidney: - Find a tidy/well loved but sparsely optioned 996 C2. - Reduce mass by at least 10%. - Increase power by at least 10% (possibly add capacity if/when rebuild required). - Keep vehicle suitable for normal road use and stock-ish to casual observer. - Focusing most of the budget on chassis/handling and unsprung weight reduction. You've taken the concept to an impressive level. Thanks for the inspiration and information. Edit: Will TUV certification require the eye-level brakelight to be visible? You might consider having an eye-level brakelight in the ducktail and replace existing eye-level brakelight panel (and rear wiper mount) with a flat carbon panel?

^^^ Couldn't agree more. Totally focussed driving enjoyment. The only bling allowed is bling that serves a purpose way before it serves as bling. Hang in there ELA. Test fitting and panel gaps can soak up sooo much time. Deadlines are great for keeping the focus, but if it's turning the project into hassle or stress more than enjoyment, then I'd make a new deadline. Anyway I hope you're having a productive week over there. :thumb:

Sorry guys been in hospital; was working on the car when this sudden pain put a halt on proceedings, thought I'd have some sort of heart attack, so been on EGC, blood tests, xray... Turns out it is just some muscle tear near the heart so back on it again now Panels are in the paint shop being prepped for painting: Having a little go at coming up with a logo, more to be revealed in due course When I arrived back from the hospital the throttle had arrived so tomorrow I'll be able fit then test the exhaust for the first time So I'll try and take a little video of that Ragpicker N997B thanks for the encouragement Jarmol carbon parts are from various sources (Germany, Holland). I have tried a few companies to see how the quality compares. Also much of the carbon parts are produced solely for me so ground up from the moulds. Doors, door cards and mirrors still in production. Terra, I really wish you the best of luck with your car. The 996 is certainly a cracking platform to undertake the plans you have in mind Regarding the ducktail brakelight. I specifically asked them to build me one without the light as I felt the design is purer without it, The original didn't have one, extra weight and expense. I've got my fingers crossed it isn't going to be too much of a hassle come TUV time. Thanks Marky911 This project has certainly been a challenge and stress has been off the scale. I may add though that I attribute none of this to the car More the Mrs giving me a hard-time, my job getting in the way, setting up a business... I just can't wait to drive the thing now. The April deadline is something I really have to meet, as I want to bring the car to Dinslaken. I have kind of resigned myself to the idea that the car may not be 100% finished by then (Brakes, suspension components, re-map, TUV). But so long as the panels and wheels and paintwork is finished, I can work around the other issues by using spacers and stock suspension arms and brakes just to get it complete. The other bits just may not be produced in time. We'll just have to wait and see.

Crikey Richie! Glad you've had the all clear. But mind how you go :thumbs: Loving the logo :thumb:

Many thanks Paul :thumb: No serious update but just sorting out some little issues. Firstly I drained the screen washer fluid (1kg for free ) so this meant permanent dash light on, same with the rear spoiler light due to ducktail: I've also had this really annoying issue ever since I bought the car. The drivers side central air vent would always droop down and direct the airflow downwards. So I took the central dash section out and sorted this out. There is basically a friction device to ensure the vents have just the right stiffness to allow you to adjust to suit. All sorted now Now I need a little help from you guys. Fitted the new throttle and exhaust. Started the car but it doesn't run correctly: -Idle erratic 800-1500rpm hunting -Pops, bangs gurgles -RH bank very hot pre cat (pic below is after after 5 mins idle only) -Terrible throttle response I have lost my PIWIS software disc so only have the cable so can't read any data just now. So I thought maybe an 02 sensor was faulty so bought 2 new ones and no fix. Checked crankcase vacuum by removing oil cap, this induced further issues so no crankcase related problem. Checked for intake vacuum leaks, nothing obvious (a sucking/hissing noise present but I'm sure this was always there and fairly normal). I disconnected the MAF plug and it all went normal, albeit at a low idle setting (600rpm and normal throttle response resumed). Low idle could be due to me adjusting the idle valve adjustment screw by eye recently due to it being bored out and bigger butterfly valve fitted. It came back from the machine shop fully closed. I only recently replaced the MAF, maybe a year ago so may have incorrectly assumed it can't be that. Just ordered an ICV (Idle control valve) just to see if that is causing the problem but would appreciate any other thoughts from you guys Regarding the logo; I got a little further with it. Drawn on black paper (I'm no good with computers so everything done the old fashioned way ) Then took a picture so that I could add text to see how it looks. Something to start with but have other priorities now so will leave for another time.

Re: logo, I'd simplify by dropping all the lower accents (ie leaving just top surface hints, as if seeing light glinting off bonnet, windscreen, roof, and decklid/ducktail)

Hi ELA, I'm no expert on your running issue, but a few thoughts.. The throttle butterfly on my standard 1998 C2 also sits closed at idle. The Idle control valve would affect both banks rather than just one, and you say its throttle response is bad which indicates that this isn't just an idle problem? The temperature of the combustion gases in one bank are dangerously high, but better in the other bank. The MAF affects the issue. But also sits in the common air intake. It does sound like one bank is either running dangerously lean, or the ignition timing on a cylinder, on that bank, is wrong. Both could be affected by the engine management (which is informed of engine condition by sensors, ie Throttle position, Knock, Lambda, MAF, oil temp. water temp.) ...or air leak into inlet manifold on one side? See what others come up with, but I'd just double check for air leaks as a start, then maybe "borrow" a know working MAF from someone elses car if you can. Good luck, Cheers

There is no substitute for knowing what codes are stored in there. However, bear in mind it might not be that you have one side running dangersously hot, it could be that the other side is running rich and therefore cool. Lamdas were a good first shout, it may be that the loom to the possibly rich bank's lamda is damaged, making it default to a rich setting to protect that bank because of a lack of signal from the lamda. You'll be able to tell if this is the case because once the engine is up to temperature and you've given it a few squirts of the loud pedal, the cold enrichment will have stopped, and if you have a bank in failsafe rich mode you'll be able to smell the unburned fuel in the exhaust. On the other hand, the hot, lean bank could possibly be that way due to an air leak. When you removed the PSE gubbins did you stop up all the little vacuum pipe take offs from the inlet manifold trunking? That said, those holes are pretty small and may not cause a real issue anyway. Once you get a code reader onto it you'll be able to see what the lamdas are reading and if that side is lean then I would consider dropping the engine to make it easier to look for the air leak, and to pull and test the injectors to make sure they're squirting all the fuel they should be. Good luck, we're all rooting for you.

Horrible pops bangs, incorrect idle sounds to me initially like an AOS pipe not reconnected following throttle replacement. Either that or the pipe from the AOS to the Plenum has split leading to this problem. However... If you remove the MAF and it drives and idles properly then that may well be your solution. My plan would be to follow the pipe from the AOS to the plenum and make sure no splits in it, particularly in the concertina bit, and make sure its attached properly to the plenum. Ensure hard plastic vacuum AOS pipe originating from the back right of the engine (right and beneath the power steering res) is connected and not split. (come to think of it, this would lead to incorrect running on one bank) If those are fine then replace the maf. :thumb:

Many thanks guys, maybe I have thrown in a bit of a red herring. If the hot exhaust is ignored (it is after all very thin gauge Inconel and the pipework closer to the manifold is not glowing red) so just ignoring this for a second: is it likely that a faulty MAF can cause the 800-1500RPM constant cyclic idle hunting and the poor throttle response, pop, bangs... Must also add all coil packs are new, if there was an AOS issue I'm sure there would be associated smoking from exhaust. When the PSE is removed it is only the one vacuum pipe (which I sealed up). I have just checked all other AOS pipes; all seem good. Car was running perfectly when last started in October. So to simplify: -Idle erratic 800-1500rpm constant hunting with poor throttle response -Pops, bangs, gurgles -Disconnect MAF and faults disappear Can a faulty MAF on a 996 produced the issues mentioned above? Already fitted new Lambda sensors and I have now just ordered a new MAF and ICV so will fit the MAF first when these arrive. ETA: Just found this on youtube which is similar to how mine idles

Thanks for the feedback Paul. There is a bit of a cryptic reason why I designed it like this. All will be revealed soon :thumb:

Just taken a little video of the problem

Does the car also double as a boat? You are James May and I claim my five pounds!

Still looks like a vacuum/aos pipe leak to me bud. You don't need to always get smoke for it to be an aos issue either. In fact only a few weeks ago I was doing a little service on my boxster and took the AOS pipe off to check it whilst the engine was running. Engine started doing exactly what yours is doing, but no smoke. Obvious observation but did you re-check the vac pipe you sealed up when you removed the power steering? Interested to hear what the eventual cause is when you track it down. :?:

Had the same thing a few years ago and I can testify to A. How painful it is B. How scary it is!! All sorts go through your mind... I was in A&E at 2am on my knees and no one seemed to believe me.. just kept giving me Gaviscon!! Good to hear you're ok and the car is coming along.

Just a thought: I recently removed the PSE exhaust. There was a vacuum reservoir and check valve that I removed as they were requested to be sent as parts of the PSE system. Are these not needed on a stock car? I disconnected the vacuum pipe and plugged it closed, but just wondering if this canister/reservoir + checkvalve are actually needed?

Ok .. no, 30 here is the carbon canister valve i was talking about .. No. 6 will be the brake pedal servo connection from the engine. http://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?MAK=3&MDL=25&TBL=2535&SMA=&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0 No.6 here is the vacumnn containor i was talking about and some of the pipes .. http://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?MAK=3&MDL=25&TBL=2536&SMA=&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0 I had a thought that the throttle angle is wrong and so the tps ( under the iav ) is saying the throttle is open to the dme , you would need to back off the throttle plate to closed position and see what that does .. i think you mentioned it had an adjuster screw. Replace the maf as this may all be just down to its got dirty whilst off the car but either way i dont like the maf readings as they are wrong.

90% of the problems I've ever had with my car have been down to the MAF failing (something they seem to do with great rapidity). This is in no way a suggestion that this is what has gone wrong here, of course, merely an observation.

Gents thank you all for the contributions :thumb: Looks like I have found the problem Well done Ragpicker :worship: Found a vacuum pipe under the LH bank disconnected, looks like it was one that goes to the AOS. Very small vacuum line probably only 3mm internal diameter but enough to cause this issue. I basically connected it up then started the car. Idle (cold) was very high 2500rpm but stable; I will adjust idle tomorrow, I had to shut it back down again as it is very loud at this time of night on a Sunday. Looking back now I see how this was caused. I recently decided to remove the rear power feed line that attaches to the RH bank, from where you can jump start the car. This removed about 0.5kg of heavy cable and I connected it directly to the starter motor. In re-routing this fairly rigid heavy cable it must have pulled this vacuum line out. Here is the offending vacuum line (picture taken from under the inlet manifold: Shame to have now bought 2x Lambda sensors, a MAF sensor and ICV for nothing :grin: I'll give myself a massive :wack:

Great stuff pal! Glad you got it sorted. :thumb:

Nice one. Bet that is a relief!

Turns out it wasn't the complete fix. Today I checked to see if last nights find had finally resolved this issue. Idled perfect for about 40sec then a check light came on and started with the pops and bangs again, but stable idle this time. At least I had a fault code this time though, well 4 of them to be precise: -P0300 - Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected -P0304 - misfire is detected in cylinder 4 -P0305 - misfire is detected in cylinder 5 -P0306 - misfire is detected in cylinder 6 So it was clearly something relating to the RH bank. After a further check, I found another hose disconnected underneath a wiring loom at the rear of cylinder 4 near the MAF plug. (I've moved the loom out of the way in this pic, as you can't see this hose when the loom is correctly located): Once connected all problems now sorted A bit of a behind the scenes video warts n all, including quick exhaust test.

Now that unplugged would CERTAINLY cause problems ! Glad its fixed :thumb:

Top work Richie. Mind you if your lass lives with you I can see why she maybe doesn't share your enthusiasm. It's like a Royal Mail sorting office in there. :grin: I've just re read the thread in its entirety. It's funny looking back at your first post where you were pondering how far to go. I also noticed you're using an Odyssey 680 battery. How is it holding up? I've just bought the Rennline bracket so will be buying a 680 and AGM suitable charger. Also you mentioned you may fit a shallower steering wheel at some point. I may well be interested in your cup wheel if you part with it. Just ping me a message please if you ever do. As ever, it's brilliant watching the development of this car. I can't believe how much gubbins you've managed to delete from that engine bay. Stop it with those pretendy heart attacks though. They eat into valuable tinkering time. On a serious note though, I'm glad it turned out to be minor. Anyhow, as you were ....

Marky911, you poor thing having to read all this, is it a cry for help/some form of self-harming :grin: With so many things on right now, the steering wheel is not something I've had a chance to look into just yet. Once I've finished the car, it may be an area I revisit and of course I'll give you a shout :thumb: Thank you for the well wishes, too much to sort out with this project to worry about other problems, so rest assured I'm not losing any time from the mancave :thumb: Finally a meaningful update. Wheels on, well two of them at least: Now onto perhaps something a little more controversial, having given this much thought and considered all the options one could imagine, I've done something a bit crazy. Bear with me, there is at least some reason behind this. I always intended on producing a wolf in sheep's clothing but in the final hour, I've come up with this. Now I've stuck as best I can to original Porsche heritage and historically significant styles with this build. Well here is my inspiration for this latest idea: Well here we are then: I did consider a complete colour change, Gulf Blue, Gelb Grun... but this has all been done before so decided to try something a little different. Wont be to everyone's taste I'm sure, but it is certainly not something you see everyday or may want to for that matter :grin: I mean come on; this fried egged beast has a hard enough time without me going all Joseph's technicoloured dream coat on it's @ss

WOW! Love the colour. 996 Outlaw.... Magnus Walker watch out.

I like it, is the front bumper a matching colour?

that's a nice idea for the colour scheme - can always change it later if you grow tired of it, but I think life's too short not to have a bit of fun with it at this stage of the project!

:worship: The red roof strips against the carbon roof look particularly nice :thumb:

+1

This should answer your question :thumb: Also just tested the wheels 15mm spacers and 1 deg neg camber which sits just about right:

:worship: Richard. Dinslaken 2016 has a lot to answer for. I can't help feeling that you were subliminally influenced by the car in front of you in the 'Battle of Sound' queue.

Take away the lairy Martina stickers and I think you are bang on the money Terry I've been subjected to subliminal programming and have you to blame now :grin:

It's bold and that's what you need to make the impact your hard work and ingenuity deserves. Personally I'd have added the orange touch at the swage lines at the back and echoed that at the front. Technically that wouldn't be below the bumper line which is what your homage is following. But aesthetically IMHO it'd work better. But that sort of detail is subjective! But you did ask. :wink: I'm looking forward to seeing it in the flesh (again) more than ever! Superb, truly superb :thumbs: :worship:

love it Richard and go for it. it will look stunning. you can always switch those things back if you want change.

I'm loving that. I spent hours the other night at work googling martini stripes as I was thinking of trying to incorporate some on my car next year. Spooky. Red bumpers, for the win. Is that set of wheels number 2 then? Or have you not fitted the redesigned suspension yet? They look great. I thought they looked amazing anyway but had a tiny doubt about 17" looking too small. They don't though, they're perfect. I'm half tempted to sell my Aerokit parts and buy those wheels you're selling but I think I'll try and stick to my original plan. I don't want to create a CLR wish-it-was. Much as I admire your car. Stunning work. :wink:

Great work. I'm loving the colours, really looking forward to seeing the car with the ducktail.

Some think it looks like an accident damage temporary repair but most kinda get where I'm going with this look so not all lost in the final battle :thumb: I'm glad you fall into the latter camp Mark :thumb: These are another set of wheels. I say set; the problem is Fuchs have not produced any RSR wheels for a year now (I wont go into why here). You cannot buy them anywhere. I managed to find the last set in Europe and convinced the company to split them as I only wanted the rears. I have now also managed to source the fronts needed. I actually think the other set (first ones I had made) are a better styled (more like the original 70's wheel) and a far more robust design (made by a motorsport manufacturer). I also agree that the 17's suit the car perfectly, once the car is off the jacks and sitting right I'll get it out the garage into natural light and you'll see what I mean :thumb: I finished the final drawing last night so all the suspension arms will be put into production next week. It's all getting very close to the wire now and I still have all the suspension to make, set-up then geo and test. Brakes still aren't manufactured, doors and door cards; first batch not perfect so moulds being adjusted. When these arrive they will need lots of prep. Painting of bonnet, wings, ducktail, doors. Probably new door release mechanism to design. Front wheels still needed, re-map and dyno. TUV test and approval... It's all just a bit crazy right now especially with a full time stressful job getting in the way. :thumb: Thank you once again Paul :worship: Do you have any pictures of what you describe above?

The red highlights really work. I agree with Paul, the car needs some obvious / bold elements to it , to stand out from the crowd. So much of the work is under the skin. Red door mirrors too ? :grin:

Looks fantastic :thumb: p.s. You have pm!

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Sure. Now as I said this is all personal taste! But taking Isysman's pictures as a starting point and to illustrate what I mean, my personal (opinion alert!) Would be to locate the line of the join between silver and orange at the swage lines, rather than the whole panel. I've crudely marked below where I mean. A 996.1 has well defined swage lines in the rear bumper but less so on the front. But a line (as with the crude markings on the 997 example shown) is still possible. For example here's a 996.1 grabbed from the Web with equally crude markings. Which I just think works better aesthetically than the whole panel being orange. But it's only an opinion. And others are available but I think it echoes the RSR racers more closely :thumbs: But however you paint it its an outstanding achievement it really is :worship:

A little more weight removed from the engine today. Well tbh weight was a secondary benefit. Essentially this was to create even more space for future servicing: First up here is how it currently is (with airbox removed). As you can see it is already very empty: So I removed the PAS pump/Tensioner bracket: Chopped it in half: Cleaned it up a bit and refitted. Lots more space to work, reduced heat soak, better air circulation... Also 0.4kg removed which now takes the total removed to 220.5kg. I reckon I could do an engine drop now in under 30mins, that's how handy it is to work on it Totally forgot Magnus had done this GT2. Thanks for reminding me. I see where you are coming from Paul and thanks for clarifying. I've hedged my bets on the full bumper + other details for the time being and designed a logo based on this paint scheme. I'll see how it turns out when finished. Could be back to the drawing board but so far I am happier than I expected to be with how it has turned out.

I'll charge you one German beer for my RSA level design skills and IP :wink: :thumbs:

You do realise bier is cheaper than water over here. I wish you had the time to pop over to mine en route to Dinslaken so I could perhaps offer you something a little more hospitable and interesting

Before the plans suggested by T8 we'd already laid out the Hockenheim leg, including a walk in the forest to the old track. Time just won't allow a detour via chez ELA sadly. Gutted but just not enough hours in that Sunday :sad:

I'll let the pictures do the talking

Oh wow.... doorcards. More info please Richard! Nath

They are a one-off Nath, I've not even seen them yet. They should be here within the next day or so, then I'll be able to give a bit more feedback In the middle of cutting out the rear toe arms right now so it will be a welcome relief to work on these doors instead; I wouldn't wish cutting these arms out on my worse enemy :nooo:

wow! the carbon work is quite something - I bet you'll have trouble shutting them against the door seals! Have to give them a proper slam

The doors weigh 5.1kg each so not a great deal, also the door cards save a further 5.2kg so quite a handy reduction. Total now 246.5kg gone

They do look very nice 8) Random question I saw in the thread where you were selling all the removed parts and noticed the more modern(997 gt3rs I believe) porsche steering wheel Was that just removed off your other toy or was that something you were planning to fit to the 996 and decided on the cup wheel instead? As I'd love to have a more modern wheel if that was something that can be done? And still have the airbag

You can get your standard wheel re-trimmed in alcantara to make it more special. I'm seriously considering having this done myself.

I like the look of the GT3 steering wheel, the main reason I'd get one would be to move the wheel closer to me though - I always wish the standard wheel had much more adjustment toward the driver than it does.

Each to his own, one of the things I like about my 996 is the 3 spoke wheel, although it may need recovering at some stage as it's gradually getting shiny.

ELA, have you encountered any issues at speed with all the weight removed? Any 'waftiness' or floating? If so are there any aero consequences to consider?

Hi Ragpicker, I did some testing early on but haven't driven the car since about last October. Since then a massive amount of work has been done to the car and around another 130kg or so removed. Also complete suspension change as currently fitted (Ohlins and top mounts) and I am in the process of changing every single remaining part of suspension; some 186 individual parts will replace the OEM set-up on top of what has already been done Carbon panels are now all prepped and at the paint shop. Wheels are causing me a massive headache, but I'll talk about that another time. Brakes are the only part that is currently holding me up but that is neither here nor there as they can simply be fitted once done. So in answer to your question, in around 2 weeks I hope to have the car somewhere close to finished. I will then start trialing a few geo settings and suspension settings. Once a good base has been established, I'll do some high speed runs 170MPH+ and see how it all combines. To be honest though, if anything, I expect to car to be much more stable than before as I have reduced drag and lift. There will be more ground effect, lower CofG, better weight distribution, I have added a little rake angle, will have much stickier tyres and the suspension will be completely rose-jointed. It should be very stable and planted. The only unknown really is how the ducktail will alter things. But the fact they use them on the 997SC tends to give me no real cause for concern. Truth is in the pudding though, so I'll just have to see how it all pans out :thumb:

Slight diversion today: I bought ELA's wheels and thought you might like to see how the look/feel. Bear in mind my car already runs GT3 height and "fast-road" geometry. She used to look like this (I shall be keeping the wheels/tyres, explained later): The OEM Carreras are extremely light already, but the new Fuchs save 1 KG on the front and 4 Kg on the rears, which is always a good thing. Here's some pictures with the new lightweight TSRs on: Michelin PS4s for the fronts (went for 225/45 R17 for maximum front-end grip) Michelin PS2 255/40 R17 PS2s on the rear. A LOT more sidewall both ends! Looks-wise, they are really nice; I'm surprised how much I like them already and it seems the 996 suits itself to a retro look, strangely (I always considered them the most futuristic-looking). I guess ELA (and RPM Technik) are onto something? As you can see, the wheels really fill out the arches! They are so nearly too bulky-looking, but I do genuinely love how they look (and maybe I need a ducktail, too.....). I was really pleasantly surprised how they drive, too : it definitely feels more "rubbery" with the bigger sidewalls;it feels more "old school" as well, with a touch more nose bob and a lot less fidget/crash than modern cars tend to have. For track work I think the 18" OEM wheels (and 30-section tyres) would be better (there is a touch of sideways motion), but for the road these are significantly more comfortable - and I didn't think it was bad before! The Exe-tcs run a soft, progressive-rate spring and low rebound, so they are really comfortable. With these tyres, the car is really, really comfortable. I would expect an even more marked improvement on firm set-ups. Widening the track (thanks to low offset on the wheels) and down-sizing the rears from 285mm while keep the fronts at 225mm cross-section gives the car a little more bite at the front end, too, it seems. Considering the small weight-loss, the change in character of the car is quite large, but it's definitely for the better. Looks are subjective, but I really like it and hope you do, too.

:worship: Now all you need is a ducktail......? :cloud9: Though just as they are that is a great look :thumbs:

Glad to see an update on here. I was just thinking yesterday that all was a bit quiet on the CLR front, knowing that Rich would be beavering away in the garage getting ready for his Dinslaken deadline. EGTE - Great purchase! I toyed with the idea of them and changed my mind daily. In the end I decided to stick to my original plan of Aerokit and GT3 wheels, etc. I was going to sell my Aerokit to recoup the costs if I bought the wheels as I would follow Rich's concept of standard bumpers, no skirts and maybe a duck tail as I think the bulkiness of the Aerokit may dwarf the wheels a bit, plus I like the retro simple lines when coupled with those wheels. That was just my plan though and the wheels look great either way. I decided I didn't want to be doing a bad mash up of Rich's car, which is what mine would have been if I went for the minimal look, so I didn't waste his time about the wheels. I'm glad someone on here bought them. The widths are perfect and the finish is really authentic with a nod to the early cars. Some quality components on your car then! Along with the Exe-tc's. Very high end stuff. Lovely car. Nice one! :thumb:

I think the suit a black car better than the silver. For me they were just a touch too much with the silver. On yours though they look luuuuurvleeey! :thumb:

Stunning Russ, they sit just perfect on your wonderful car Marky, I've been a little quite the last week but as correctly guessed I've been beavering away in the hintergrund I can't begin to describe what a nightmare the wheels have been to resolve. Firstly the original set were a real test and I'm sure EGTE will testify; there is literally a gnats ***** clearance in some areas :grin: So I had sorted the new rears out. But getting fronts was proving impossible. I managed to get some through the back door, but when I opened the box they were the 'Natural' finish (silver). I couldn't believe it. I took the day off work and drove over 400km to 3 different wheel paint specialists who all said they couldn't do anything with them as they are so tricky to do and only Fuchs can fix it. I have been in constant talks with Fuchs for about a year now and lets just say, that if you want RSR finish, there have been some waiting since last April and there are no signs of this improving in the next 5 months... I was proper stuck. I had sold my custom wheels, sold my OEM wheels and had invested in 2 rear Fuchs RSR's and couldn't get the fronts to match. I was literally about to throw the towel in. Bear in mind I have a million and one other issues going on simultaneously so this problem is something I never expected. It is now semi resolved though, I have had to go for a slight compromise which means a pretty serious suspension re-design but it is all just about sorted now. Remaining suspension parts are in production, wheels are arriving today hopefully (nice B-day present, not that I can fit them) so hopefully next week I can make serious inroads into getting off the jacks. Another bit of bad news last night. I phoned up about collecting the doors, ducktail, bonnet and front wings from the paintshop (originally planned for this Friday), to be told they wont be ready until next Friday now. I really can't afford to lose another week but what can I do :nooo: To top this off, I inadvertently found a bit of corrosion the other day that needed some attention. Things like this all add up and can be a bit testing sometimes! Still almost there now, I have some RUF mirrors being made from Carbon looking like a goer very soon, lightweight brakes maybe another 3 weeks away so pretty much all bases covered now from what I can do. Just a remap, then TUV, geo, set-up and testing phases to do after this lot. It's very tight but fingers crossed all potential show-stopping issues now resolved

Sounds like an absolute nightmare week. Very demoralising, but when you're so far through it like you are I imagine you've got to just suck it up and keep going? Are any of these challenges you are encountering going to be any easier if/when you do this again? Still loving the updates dude, nice to hear the rough with the smooth. It gives an appreciation of the effort and time which you're putting into it. :thumb:

Producing this car has certainly had it's up's and down's but there are still potential areas of the design that a prolonged testing phase may highlight as needing to go back to the drawing board for; although at this stage I'm reasonably happy that the 'completely redesigned parts' will surpass the originals in terms of reliability and strength. In terms of going forward and replicating; I now have manufacturers, suppliers and machine shops that I can work with and upscale. Doing everything for the first time is what is difficult, repeating or having bits ready on the shelf, should be relatively simple by comparison. I have all my drawings done and samples of each part, so there wont be anything like the trouble I've had to go through the first time. I would also hope to have all of the following CLR customised parts on the shelf to save me any supply hold-up for 996 and 997: -CLR steering system kit (all hardwear) -CLR Ancillary drive belts -CLR Ohlins mounting kit including pillowball top mounts (front Adj camber) -CLR lightweight 2-piece brakes -CLR Front adjustable pillowball LCA -CLR Front adjustable pillowball castor arms -CLR Front adjustable pillowball drop links -CLR Rear adjustable pillowball LCA -CLR Rear adjustable pillowball castor arms -CLR Rear adjustable pillowball upper control arms -CLR Rear adjustable pillowball toe arms -CLR Inconel/carbon exhaust -CLR LWFW and clutch kit -CLR Gearbox mount -CLR Throttle (exchange only) -CLR Re-map (Out source upto 8 week notice depending on race season) -CLR Carbon ducktail (with or without brake light) -CLR Carbon RUF mirrors -CLR Carbon Doors -CLR Carbon Door cards -CLR Carbon front wings -CLR Carbon bonnet -CLR Carbon Roof -CLR Forged wheels -CLR Carbon seats -CLR Lightweight low-mount seat rails Also other parts I use for a conversion: -CUP steering wheel -Lightweight battery -Titanium wheel nuts -RSS Engine mounts -997 SSK -Underdrive pulley -Lexan windows -Powerflex ARB bushes -LTT 71.c -O2 sensors (If required) -MAF sensors (If required) -ICV (if required) -Water pump -Various resistors for airbags... -Clutch release bearing -Alcantara material -wiper delete kit -OEM Porsche dash blanking switches There is also a lot of custom work done to existing components like the Radiator cooling, brake cooling, power supply loom, interior full re-trim and weight reduction, re-spray, resto-corrosion treatment... That little lot is off the top of my head so probably a few bits I've forgotten; but you get the idea, having parts ready will help enormously to ensure a smooth turnaround. Going back to the origin or the question, had these turn up yesterday: And whilst having the CUP2's fitted I went to the paint shop and managed to talk them into getting all my carbon bits painted earlier so that gives me a few more vital days Here they were all primed up I also gave the front bumper black plastics a bit of a paint touch-up the other day and also trial fitted the CF doors, corrosion treatment and prevention, suspension arm mountings prepped, so still bits going on but it would be a whole lot better if all the remaining parts were actually in my hands

:? :superstition: :thumbs:

Looking like it's going to be fantastic Richard. When you fitted the RSS engine mounts did you get vibration through the car at low speed/revs or when Erving the engine while stationary? Had some fitted this week and only had a very short drive but noticed quite a lot of vibration that has never been there before. Are there different torque setting when fitting the mounts to get around this or will they improve after some miles?

Can't say I noticed anything as pronounced as you describe Peter and being a relatively simple mod to fit, I really can't imagine whoever fitted them could have done much wrong. Might be worth going back to them and describing the issue you have

A bit cryptic for my simple brain Paul, care to enlighten

I think he just means that the 996 CLR is almost upon us. We are all waiting with baited breath to see the finished article. Also, I would be really interested in what advice you would give on how to lose the most weight for the least cash. As in, given a budget of £1000, what would you remove, and what bits would you buy/replace in order to improve the car the most? I'm guessing seats and a knockoff cup style steering wheel, and then remove all the bits that you've detailed in this thread. Correct? Or are there some items that have really made more of a difference than expected?

It is actually very difficult to answer this question directly. Reason being some things, which I can highly recommend, can only be done at certain points; for instance, take the PAS conversion: 'a key factor in this project', but I couldn't recommend it if you are only losing 50kg or so. The PAS conversion in combo with the A/C system will reduce mass by 21.2kg, and pretty much all of this weight from the rear of the car improving weight distribution as well as the weight itself. It also has the major benefit of the engine parasitic drag reduction, reduced heat-soak, aid engine cooling, lowers CofG, improves access to engine for servicing etc. But if the car is still weighing 1300kg I would never recommend it. Also it would depend on how this budget is spent. I would recommend the LWFW as the first mod; before seats and steering wheel even. But if you factor in labour then in it not possible. You also need a special clutch to optimise this modification. So again you may be able to get a LWFW within budget, but add on all the extras and there is no chance. So I would look at stripping as far as you feel comfortable, this might net you 50KG, but be prepared to lose certain services, HIFI for instance. In terms of the best value for money mods I would probably go in this order (bear in mind these are no driven by weight loss but best value and improvement in the car overall): -200 Cell cats -BMC Panel filter -CAI -997SSK -Underdrive pulley -RSS Engine mounts -71.C LTT -Complete suspension check for worn components None of the above has anything really to do with weight, but I feel this is where your money would be best spent first to improve your car before embarking upon a weight-loss program. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply. I have a GT3 body kit on mine, and I believe this creates a high static pressure area where the air inlet is already, so that should be cold air induction already taken care of. That said, it's something I could test with a manometer to really find out. I've also already got a LWFW. I'm not a big fan from a driveability standpoint, but it's something I'm preprared to put up with for the weight reduction. I've been having gearbox and linkage issues and recently bought a 997 gearbox to put in, and I'll be paring that with the 997 SSK as much because it's needed for compatibility reasons. This is however dependent on the 997 gearbox accepting my G96 gearbox's LSD. I shall certainly be putting in a low temp thermostat. If I can find or make an underdrive pulley then I probably will. £200+ for a new one seems a bit much to me. Suspension wise, I have an M030 setup on there from new, and it's definitely tired. When I can afford to I'll put something better on such as rebuilt PSS9s. I'd love to have new Ohlins but I can't justify that king of money. Most of the coffin arms and other bits have been replaced over the last two years, but I would really like some adjustable rear toe arms as getting and keeping my preferred alignment(no camber and no toe) is a ballache. As soon as the camber and toe settings are lost the car becomes more understeery and harder to drift. I've been considering having an exhaust made that would get rid of the existing mufflers and have 200 cell cats feeding to a small centre box with a centre exit. It would be loud but much lighter. I strongly feel that loosing 25KG or more from behind the rear axle will have major benefits. Also I have PSE exhaust currently, so selling that could potentially cover most of the cost. I'm also trying to track down some cheap Sport Design wheels in order to use the rims from the front with the centres from the back to lose a few KG from the rear wheels. That way I can go down to an 8" rim with a 245 section tyre and kill some understeer and lose some unsprung weight.

No time just now to explain but suffice to say there is progress :wink: Now assembling and checking my drawing for the new suspension: I promise a better update soon, there is just so much on right now with 06:00- 02:00 working days at the moment to try and get this all finished. Some of the suspension had to be redesigned but by mid next week, it should be back on the deck, boots on ready for a geo

To get your TUV approval would the centre brake light not need to be visible? (Might be the angles but looks like it wouldn't be visible from behind)

awesome progress Richard as always and I can't wait to see this finished. I really like the ducktail and a lot more air being drawn in I would imagine did you go for the bigger TB and plenum in the end to help with moving more air? NW

Really coming together now. Can't wait to see it back on the floor. :thumb:

Carbon doors fitted and looms in: Getting somewhere close to having my car back To get it looking like this was an utter nightmare, probably 30hrs graft to get the carbon panels in and there is still lots of trimming and fine detail to resolve. Also just going back to the previous update; to give an indication of the weight saving, for this picture below, the OEM LCA/Castor arm assembly is 2685gr and my one is 1820gr. NLW73: I have fitted a larger throttle but the plenum is stock. 996Lee: The '73 RS has a Ducktail with no central brake light so I wanted the same. I'm not sure yet how it will work for the TUV but if the 73 has it I don't see why another car can't? I'll just have to try. I could have gone for the 997 Sports Classic brake light assembly but didn't want to. It would be an option for the future though. Martin996RSR: It sounds to me like you already created a bit of a beast with all the bits you have done to your car From all the parts you have listed as still to do, you will really like the 200cell cats when you fit them

Looks...light. What is your durability testing plan for your finished setup like? Surely you will need to batter a few thousand particularly hostile laps of the 'ring before you can even consider selling something with so much less structural reinforcement than the original component to prospective buyers for your parts? I don't want to be a naysayer, but given that I have been told of a factory RS arm failing before, the prospect of something with so much less metal in it being up to the job does present a question that could only be answered with pretty exhaustive testing. Even fairly sophisticated finite element analysis is surely unlikely to model the kind of shock loading and fatigue stress that it will have to deal with? It isn't like you can tell prospective punters not to drop into Karussell, carry powerfully built passengers or hit potholes. And you cannot expect that any other car will even be lightened to the extent of yours either :?: Or does your business plan just use huge liability insurance to mitigate any prospective issue? Or are these suspension components strictly for yourself only and not part of your stated plan to build a business out of the project? Is it really worth the potential indemnity issues just to save less than a bag of sugar per corner?

Very good question Colin The original is a clumsy design, reason being it has to incorporate soft rubber for compliance and road comfort so in order to accommodate this the design is less than ideal and bulky. The castor arm we can forget for the time being as in terms of stress and loading, it isn't really subjected to a great deal. The LCA is a different matter. The original coffin arm is made from Aluminium, the ones I have made are made from Steel. The rod ends are the top of the range motorsport Chromoly/Kevlar ultra high performance. So these have already been tested to far exceed a road car. My bush inserts are all made from Stainless Steel and most of the arms are made from Stainless. Again the OEM bushes are all aluminium. Without stress/destruction testing I am confident mine will far surpass the original, also aluminium is not the ideal material regarding fatigue stress (it doesn't like repetitive cycles). The design I come up with is typical in motorsport. I can easily put my gear on a hydraulic rig and test to destruction to ascertain the values of where they break but I really don't think I am going to gain much personally. So in this regard, I will be driving the car to see how I get on. I am not selling anything at present as I want to evaluate how everything performs and feels. Some of the arms I have designed are also heavier than the original but in replacing everything I save a total of 1840 gram. There is scope to drop another 150gr from each rear upper arm (600gr total) but the ones I have fitted presently are solid so heavy. Here is how the weights of everything compare: LCA: CLR=1180gr OEM=1870gr (-690gr) x4 Castor Arm: CLR=640gr OEM=815gr (-175gr) x4 Rear Toe: CLR=705gr OEM=580gr (+125gr) x2 Rear upper arm: CLR=695gr OEM=405gr (+290gr) x4 Front drop link: CLR=405gr OEM=300gr (+105) x2 Every single suspension component redesigned* as nothing off the shelf would work with the settings I have for the CLR design. For instance I think the maximum shims for the RSS coffin arm is something like 12mm. I need 26mm on the front and 18mm on the rear so have no option but to design my own. I also have a different design to replace the eccentric bolts for the rear toe and LCA arms (not pictured). Onto your last point, the weight saving in consequential. It was not a primary factor I considered here; as you can see, most of the arms are in fact heavier. I wanted an adjustable design all rose jointed. The fact that some weight has been saved is neither here or there in terms of intended design. I also have other designs that I had made but they haven't made it through to the final design. Even these here, after testing, may need to be redesigned, as was the case with the LCA outer tapered joint that I fitted this week. I had to quickly draw up a different solution to optimise the design. These should be here next week. *With the exception of the rear drop-links as Ohlins allow for drop-link adjustment on the strut itself

that is some garage with the RS in there too. those carbon doors kind of make me have a wee dribble. shame you have to put the door cards on as the carbon weave on the inside is legendary. can you not put a clear but of Perspex over so you can see the carbon ? ;-)

This just keeps getting better and better, gonna look awesome and drive fantastically! Love it

If you rose joint the suspension and remove all rubber bushings does it become more direct but a harsher ride? More track car than road?

The fun is almost at an end, managed to get pretty much all the body work somewhere close to reasonable. The amount of work to get these Carbon parts to work with the OEM fittings/seals/clips is just not funny. All totally invisible once fitted too. A few of the latest pics: Don't worry my friend, there will be plenty of raw Carbon/Kevlar on show From a few of the recent questions, this one included: It may come across (if you have been following this build) that I am contradicting previously stated aims. The truth is, this project is very dynamic/fluid in nature. I have an idea an one juncture then totally redesign or change something at the next, so my apologies if it seems a little sporadic sometimes. If you take my starting idea for instance, I was trying to see if I could maybe reach the dizzy heights of minus 130kg. I'm now at 248.something kg (with a bit more to come), so the game has moved on at an alarming pace. In terms of this specific question: You are quite right, 'more direct and harsher' in principle. I do not know at this moment in time, the extent of the change, however I have tried to balance some of the more hardcore ideas. In this case the stock subframe rubber bushes are still intact, also I have increased tyre profile, so there is a bit of give and take here and there. I really do want the car to deliver beyond my wildest dreams though, so the instant response and sharpness is a necessity. I have gone to a completely difference tolerance level to other gear on the market to achieve this. If you take the coffin arm bolt/bush/attachment bracket clearance you can be looking at 0.5mm in places. I have a pressure fit or 0.1mm clearance in most areas, so it should give unparalleled tactility and feedback. That's the plan anyway Thank you Si :worship:

Hi ELA, cars looking really great now :thumb: Not sure if I should ask this, any plans to fit ceramic brake discs......

Starting on the static testing. Massive problem with steering force. This was there previously but due to all the new geometry of this set-up, the force required to steer beyond 70% input is not funny. With PAS it wouldn't be an issue. After much head-scratching and testing I have found the problem. Basically the torsional load created by the sway-bar when you turn the steering wheel as one drop-link pulls forward and the other aft is what is causing the heavy steering when approaching full lock. So I have just this minute redesigned the Upper drop link attachment and lengthened the drop links by 80mm. Also the standard set-up and my previous design (OEM +/- 10mm adj) didn't provide enough articulation. So these 2 factors when combined prevented full steering. Hopefully the new parts will be made quickly enough to then move onto the next delightful problem: Even getting to the point of finding this problem meant adjusting suspension height twice, aligning all the new suspension components, many adjustment... Anyway here are a few pictures of how the car looks now it is pretty much all together Something to smile about at least Just starting the nightshift Hi Harv, I have 2-piece lightweight brakes in production; the bells are done, I'm just awaiting the rotors. I also have some Carbon RUF mirrors that should be ready in around 3-4 weeks.

Im so excited for the end :thumbs:

I think the car is looking great - my questions about the suspension and the resulting ride were more from a learning pint of view than a criticism

Looks fantastic :worship:

Wo! That's looking really good now. :worship:

This reminds me - what is this rubber thing called? Mine is borked and I need to buy a new one, but I don't know what it's called:

Looking fantastic! Keep going, keep going! My car would be the perfect UK based demo car

Hi ELA. Amazing work, thank s for posting. One question please. How are you going to protect the rose joints etc. from rapid wear due to the dust and dirt that coats up the suspension? They do seem very vulnerable.

996 Sealing Bellows Air Cleaner Joint Flange, 996.110.250.52

Hi John. You can assume that ELA will be putting rubber boots on the rose joints. They are commonly available from the rose joint suppliers.

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Blimey - nice to see it outside back in the wider world again! :thumbs:

Oh yes oh yes oh yes! Go Richard! The front seems a trifle low, presumably to get the rake you need? I guess you'll be having a few goes at settings as the suspension settles. Anyway, what you've acheived is truely special. I can't wait to see it in the flesh. How long until it comes to the UK?

Throttle response I didn't take it as criticism Ben :thumb: Even if it was I would only see that as I need to up my game and try a little harder next time You're on! :thumb: I made the suspension so that it is simple to replace worn parts. I wasn't going to fit rubber boots, but if the wear due to FOD ingress is as quick as mentioned, then I might just fit them. I will be having the car geo'd on Monday, I was just desperate to see it sitting on it's own boots. Yes currently running a good bit of Rake angle. I had a massive problem with the steering the last few days and I was considering some extreme measures to get around the issue like running with no front ARB. The problem was the torsional loading created by the ARB when steering input is >70%. I did lots of geometry calculations and have worked out a solution: - Redesigned the upper droplink attachment point so that the pick-up sits 17mm further back than stock and by utilising a 4mm spacer on the rear end, will be able to get full articulation around this point. I then extended the drop links by 80mm and moved the lower droplink point outboard 10mm. These measures have alleviated all the issues I was having. I took the car for a gentle test drive and it is absolutely sublime, I can't believe how good the steering weight is now. I was not going over 20mph, as none of the suspension arms are tightened at present, but it was enough to judge steering weight. I am so happy after all the trouble I have gone through to create this system that it works better than I ever hoped. I have driven a 964RS and I would say it is very similar in weight and feel to that I will try and make it over to a UK debut for that event at Beaulieu, which I think is at the beginning of June. To all the other lovely messages thanks you guys :worship: There is still lots to do and a few thing's I'm still not even sure how to sort out yet, but nothing now is a show stopper. The rest is pretty simple by comparison to getting to this point.

:thumb:

It's looking impressive Richard :worship: I'm looking forward to reading how the set up and testing progresses. It's certainly keeping me thinking about options for mine.

As a new 996 owner I have to say this thread is awesome - some fastidious work and I can't wait to see the final results - very very nice :thumb:

revving like a bike!! nice

Well done, Richard! If you do come to the UK, let us know early, as I'm sure quite a few of us will be very interested in how she drives! :thumbs: uh:

Thanks gents :thumb: I am thinking of coming over to the UK for the Simply Porsche event which is early June. Anyway today was finally the day Had it geo'd then out for a test drive. I am still shaking now. It is ballistic but I was kind of expecting that, the funny thing is this wasn't what impressed me the most. The compliance from the suspension set-up was totally overwhelming. It is just so smooth yet razor sharp. It just boggled my mind, as I expected really harsh and hard; what with rose jointed everything, coilovers... I was just totally blown away with how it gilded along some really bumpy roads like a Mercedes would. Another big surprise was the exhaust. It is much quieter than the previous system at idle and normal road speeds but open the taps and she screams like a Mezger, it really is a very clever bit of kit and the real icing on cake. As I type this now, I am kind of surprised that I haven't mentioned the steering yet. It just didn't overtake proceeding like it had previously. So much was going on that I really had overlooked this aspect of the car. I have already made 3 suspension adjustments this afternoon since the geo and need to fine tune a couple of other small things but so far it is totally shocking! It'll be so good to drive it to work tomorrow, something I have not done for so long now (the roads to get there are fantastic Here's a few pics of todays antics starting with fitting the new ARB drop-links:

:worship: Your mates on here are almost as excited as you are :grin: It's like when a friend announces she is pregnant , and you're waiting 9 months to meet the baby :floor:

Congratulations! That car looks really special. Glad to hear it drives as good as it looks

Awesome! The car looks stunning. Those wheels. :worship: Glad you've made your deadline. Looks like a lovely place you live in.

Have you got a lot of negative camber on those front wheels? or is it just the pics?

Top-quality suspension is always worth the money (see halfway down page below). http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=48&t=1544997&i=20

Thanks Marky :thumb: There is still a fair way to go though but I'm at it everyday now with all the fine tuning, tests and adjustments. I'm very lucky to live here in the Moselle Valley, the driving roads are incredible Hi Ben, there is slightly more on the front but not a great deal (-2deg front and a quarter of a degree less on the rear). It is probably the rake angle in that picture which makes it look that way. I have since raised the front end 10mm

I did a little acceleration test this morning. This was a bit spontaneous and not planned at all, so you will have to forgive the TC kicking in slowing down proceeding between first and second, also doing all this one handed is less than ideal, but it should give some indication as to current straight line performance. This is still running the base OEM map and it was a very gentle launch (mechanical sympathy/or me being a big Jessie, the choice is yours): video

JESUS! that is rapid

:thumb:

Nine seconds to get to 100kph really isn't all that special. - This is what crossed my mind when watching the video in small format first. I naturally assumed the speedo had been set to KPH seeing as it was being driven in Germany. I then watched it in a larger format. MPH baby! After much tooing and froing with the play bar I figured this was 0-60 MPH in 4.5 seconds. Clearly a more aggressive initial launch and then feathering the throttle just so at the right time to avoid wheelspin, this has a shot at going below 4 seconds. This is really pretty special! Well done sir, now please please bring it back to Blighty and show us!

I shall be bringing the car over to Blighty to make its UK debut at 'Simply Porsche' Beaulieu in June. If you would like to have a closer look prior to this, I will be staying a few days in Essex before heading on down to Beaulieu so would be happy to show fellow enthusiasts around the car. My plan is to come over on the 31st May, then head back home on the 5th June. I will be staying near Southend. Regarding the video Martin, I was filming with one hand and steering/changing gear with the other. It was also just a normal start, (as you would pull away from a junction) no build up to 4k then side-stepping of the clutch... As I was filming I didn't really optimise gear changes... Feck me that's some amount of excuses already :grin: Anyway suffice to say, I agree with you, given better prep and switching TC off, it would put in a good time for a lowly 996 C2. Also a good indication of the way she pulls is the fact it's running CUP2's and managed to wheel spin in perfect conditions between 1st and 2nd. Funny thing is this isn't the area where the car is suppose to shine. The 20mins before this up the Moselle valley to work, was where the magic really was. Still all a bit scary at the moment though so am taking it relatively easy

996 Turbo performance from a Carrera :worship: And to think I had problems keeping up with you before you started the mods. See you on the 30th. :thumb:

Lovely picture Terry, mine is now like the love child from your pic :grin: Not being picky but a 996TT would need around 477BHP to have the same bhp/ton Don't worry I've already given myself a :wack: on your behalf for being a pedantic t055er See you soon :thumb:

Essex you say !! My neck of the woods :grin: Then obviously I'm going to Beaulieu, likely going down night before like last 2 years ... I feel a plan coming on :thumbs:

Sound good to me Guy, keep me informed Since being back on the road, the car has been tested everyday, lots of little issues here and there ironed out and slowly getting there. A few scenic pics taken along the way (excuse the filthy car in the way some of the tracks were a bit dusty )

Looking good! I have a second pride & joy as well as my 996. It's a Vans RV-8 based just outside Farnham, which happens to be on the way to Beaulieu. Perhaps you might be interested in swapping a go in mine for a go in yours? Six litres of Lycoming's finest and a VP prop. It's a little fighter.

I'll have to admit, I'm no aero-sexual Martin and had to look up what it was :grin: It is a very kind offer and if it works out ok for you then I will gladly oblige, but I am more than happy to let you go in mine regardless :thumb: Today I will hopefully finish the last real PITA job on the car (the remaining parts should be plain sailing from here on after these). The carbon door cards came with pre-cut holes which don't line up with anything. Also I will have to utilise a different handle and door pull mechanism. I ordered some Porsche 944 inner door handles and have managed to modify the existing door pull cable to get them working. Still not sure on door pull yet. Getting the panel to line up with the handle is also a bit tricky so it will end up being a bit of a bodge to some degree. Worse case scenario, I can always fit the stock door cards back on, it would just mean a 5kg penalty

Still looking great Rich. Can you not rig up some sort of fabric 964RS style pulls? Not sure if that would make things easier or harder to sort mind. :?: Either way I'm sure you'll come up with a neat solution. PS. Acceleration looks "lively" to say the least. Good work!

Thanks Marky, if truth be told, I've had a nightmare weekend, was on the car from 08:00-22:00 sat and 09:00-18:00 sun whilst it was 25.C here; a few unforeseen issues that need sorting, all part of the fun I guess Well I've come up with a solution for the doors. Not perfect but they are at least on. Also had a letter arrive on Saturday. The postman handed it over with a smile mentioning it is the right stamp for me Here are a few pics giving an indication as to how the doors were fitted

I'm sure you must have considered manual windows to save a little more weight. Can you say why you didn't go with them? Too much of a faff vs weight saved, or just something to develop in the future?

oh my oh my. those doors and door cards look epic Richard. jesus that is sth else. the interior looks like a great place to be. I love the red RS fabric pulls too. nice touch. can't wait to see the finished product and hopefully see in flesh and hear too. top top work as ever!!

Stunning work as ever :thumbs:

No 996 (or 986) was ever offered with keep fit windows, so to do that the entire mechanism would have to be developed and engineered from scratch. There wouldn't be any mounting support in the door design either and since ELA has opted for carbon doors and cards then there would surely be far too much potential flex in the system for a winder to be mounted to permit an effective and consistently aligned mechanism wouldn't there? I'd be surprised if the weight of a window motor would justify going to such lengths? Meanwhile another question : are the carbon door cards ultimately going to invest a few grammes in pockets or nets to provide a bit of extra storage? The 996.1 isn't exactly brimming with places to put things at the best of times...

The electric mechanism simply isn't that heavy plus the great advise from Disco. Even if I went to the trouble of going down this route, I doubt there would even be 0.5kg saved per door. But the main reason is I always wanted the car to function on as close to an OEM level as possible. Going all Neanderthal with window winders, kind of defeats this objective Great thinking Disco ref door bins, see the end of page 23 for your answer and also the video at the top of page 24. In coming up with this solution it, pretty much recovers all the storage space lost with my carbon door cards

Thanks guys NLW73, I'll be over in the UK with the car at the end of May so hopefully I'll be able to meet you at the 'Simply Porsche' event :thumb:

pefect. hoping to be heading down there with the GT3. are you doing the martini or other decals before then?

Very neat. :thumb: Sounds like a bit of an endurance challenge! You're definitely winning though and cool stamp. 8)

loving all that carbon! Is it a lot louder now inside the car with those doors? Surely remote solenoids to pop the doors open and keep that carbon interior door skin looking clean?!

Love the car, such a huge amount of original, focused work. Unconvinced about the bumpers - but agree with the idea of making it distinctive. Maybe just having the red bits restricted to the lower parts of the bumpers? Kind of like this?

I have a few decals in production right now but nothing so lairy as Martini Thanks Marky :thumbs: No additional noise from the doors. I have also used the original insulation. If anything these doors will be quieter than the thin steel doors. Thanks Avon :thumb: Great idea, not sure the Carrera bumpers lend themselves naturally to being painted in this way. If you see the car in the flesh it does look much better than the pictures I have taken and I had now also designed a logo and others factors are based on the current paint scheme. So I have moved on to other areas for now. Nothing to say I wont come back to this at another time perhaps but for now I am happy :thumb:

Hi Richie, loving the door cards and all the rest (still unsure on the bumper lines though :wink: ). But as ever I'm in awe of the quality and skill. See you in a few weeks :thumb:

ELA, Great work, as usual. Just wondering what were the final corner loads for the car? And how much did the loading shift front/rear? Thanks.

Sorry Paul, just read this, shame we didn't get a chance to have a good chat last week. Would also have loved to have gone for a run next time maybe. As ever thank you for your thoughts Hi Terra, I looked into buying some corner weight scales the other day but just can't justify the cost just yet. I still have a few bits I'm waiting on (brakes and wing mirrors). Once these are fitted I'll try and get to a weighbridge. Regarding the weight distribution, I'm hoping for a little more forward bias with the 50kg removed from behind the rear axle and the additional rake angle. I expect the car to come in around 1090kg dry (1120kg wet). And hopefully a few percent more neutral weight distribution. I think they come in 39:61 stock so hopefully something like 43:57 can be achieved. I could calculate but I am on duty the weekend so getting all the weights and moments worked out is not something I plan on doing just now :grin:

Ok thanks for that ELA. The question actually came about due to some calcs I already did on your mods. I'd read that the 911 'front end bobbing' was noticeably less on a 996 C4 compared to a C2. This was attributed to the extra load of the awd set-up aft of the rear axle. It raised questions if your mods could achieve a similar shift and improvement in stability... Doing a (very) rough back of envelope calc on the major items you modified/eliminated indicated about 2.5% shift forward (using 'before weight' of 1380kg and the same 39:61 you mentioned). But in calculating the moments I could only guess-timate the distances of the items to rear axle centre, so the shift could be more/less. It will be interesting to see real world results. Good luck with the rest of it.

Mirrors finally ready and have been shipped out today Terra I have nothing scientific to verify the CofG or Weight distribution just yet but I did some high speed testing last week (multiple 150mph runs upto 181mph) and the front end, upto say 165 seemed quite stable. from 165-180 it was light but how this compares to stock I can't remember and also at this speed on public roads (legally over here), the concentration levels are perhaps skewing your ability to focus as intently as you would like into just this one area.

I've had my GT3 body kitted 996.1 up to 154mph and the stability at that speed was good. I'm totally convinced the stability was due to the wing. I really could feel it working above about 120mph. Any more rake than stock should help stability because of the relatively flat floor the car has. (I'm not talking any serious downforce here, just a reduction in turbulence under the car that would cause lift). A proper splitter would make a big difference at high speed but I guess it would be outside the aesthetic that is trying to be acheived on this car. I don't have the little front lip on mine that goes under the bumper chin as I know they get smashed off all the time, however, perhaps one of these might be subtle enough and settle the nose down at autobahn speeds?

Nose-down rake also improves the angle of attack of the whole car and the wings, as well as because of the floor pan.

Hi ELA, Love your thread and your project! And I was happy to see the GT3 still in the garage in the pics from several weeks ago. I can imagine that the wife is unhappy. I am up to 10 cars total ( ) which makes my wife occasionally... I do my own alignments using the smart strings method, and I have a hard time justifying corner scales as well. Just in case you did not see it and are interested, there is one seller in the US offering scales at $690 on Amazon and ebay, but there are also numerous people using less expensive scales and beams to distribute the load. Even Jack Olson couldn't jsutify the cost and is using bathroom scales :lol: I do not have enough time to play with this in the coming months, but I hope to be able to try a 2:1 beam similar in construction to those below and these scales next winter (insert "ebay.de" if the link doesn't work). https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/638137-diy-corner-balancing-scales.html

Sorry guys, been flat out and to be honest, I underestimated just how much time all the set-up and testing phases would take. I must have removed and adjusted the suspension 6 times now since the last Geo. Also had a few unexpected issues crop up that are causing a headache right now: - Gearbox rebuild. - Possible engine drop to sort out a noise that so far I have been unable to diagnose. - Many others... Many thanks for this post Steve :thumb: I do still have the 997 but 10 cars is another level :grin: that'll take up some serious space. I did look into those vet or industrial scales but they only went up to 300kg; no problem for the front axle but 400kg would be needed for the rear for a 911. With all the issues I have on the go right now though, I will have to come back to the scales another time.

That's what the 2:1 beams are for: you make 600kg scales out of the 300kg scales. If I get to this sooner than you, I'll let you know. It does sound like you have your hands full - sorry to hear. Gearbox repair is actually one of the few areas where I think DIY is not always the best solution (assuming the inclination is given). There are many items in a rebuild where experience plays a role. It starts with inspecting the components on teardown so that you don't reuse worn components and goes to being able to reassemble without having all the expensive factory tools. That said, with enough preparation and diligence... It's not rocket science. Unfortunately almost all DIY rebuild threads I've seen are GT3/turbo transmissions. Edit: I bookmarked this a while back and forgot about it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/0yie0ew0cb774fe/2002BoxsterSTransmissionRebuildDecember2011Revision3.pdf Somewhat superficial, but still...

^Many thanks once again Steve About time for an update. I almost had to cancel the 'Simple Porsche' trip due to a gearbox issue, but I have just this minute fitted it so will be making my way over to the UK tomorrow. Whilst the gearbox was being completely overhauled I also decided to try a custom made trick diff with dual ramp angles (40/60) and a fairly light pre-load of 25lbft. Hopefully it will still retain some road manners. A few pics during the rebuild and re-fit:

As always :worship:

Nice one ELA. As usual, no messing about with half measures! Is the diff a GT Guard item or something sourced in Das Vaterland? Judging by the signs in the backround of the pics, the gearbox was built locally as well? Look forward to your feedback of the on road characteristics. I'm thinking of a GT Guard rebuild kit for my standard GKN LSD, ($1800 plus postage and taxes) or go with the Wavetrac Torque sensing type. The advantage of the proper LSD is that it works during braking. But is that what you need or want for road use......?? Very interested to hear your thoughts,

I have a 1998 C2 manual with the 220 diff. You can feel it working even on the road under acceleration, but on the track it was obvious it had nothing left to give under deceleration. The back end was very loose under braking and clearly a fresh clutch pack in the diff would have made a difference. I'm not so sure I would get to appreciate it on the road though, I simply don't drive that close to the edge when not on a track. When I put my spare gearbox in I will be swapping the LSD over and I'll be getting it freshened up as well, as I'm keen to see if I can make use of the stability it provides under braking.

I'm assuming the weight saving target escalated as much as it did to compensate for the size of your balls....?!!! - impressive (if as crazy) as ever - easily my "go to" thread on the forum whenever I sign in after a few days.......

Sorry guys, it's been crazy the last few weeks. I was under a lot of pressure to get the box overhauled with the new diff going in at the same time, it is also quite a tricky process to set the diff up. I then needed to bed in and test on the way to the UK as I had no other chance. It wasn't quite plain sailing and I had no room for manoeuvre. In the UK the car underwent it's first independent test with a motoring journalist and even the Editor of the magazine was in attendance, to get a feel for the project. I believe it will be in the next issue of the magazine so I look forward to hearing their thoughts. The diff is basically a custom plated type diff which was developed in conjunction with a Motorsport company in Germany. The Auto Torque Biasing diffs are a bit of a compromise and not something you would ever see fitted in a competitive environment. I decided to go for a full fat diff but went easy on the settings. To my mind this meant I should meet the objectives of Fast road rather than full attack but safe in the knowledge that I have the real McCoy fitted. So 40/60 dual ramp angles were chosen with only a 25lbft pre-load, which after full shake down should settle somewhere in the 20lbft region. At first I thought there was a serious issue when I fitted it. It was seriously noisy and a very unfamiliar driving experience. It also took much longer than quoted to settle down; around 600miles rather than 60. But it is now far better than when first fitted. There was a little issue with a leak, I think from the L/H diff output flange but I have dropped the car off at the gearbox specialist to look into this yesterday. Still waiting to hear back from them. First impression (once settled) is it has massively transformed the character of the car; probably more than any other change I have made. It is a serious bit of kit and probably on the edge in terms of what most would want in a out and out road car. I live in area where I have some wonderful driving roads on my door step and this car is for those special times when I want to have the ultimate driving experience, so for me this diff is magical and the slight slow speed/tight turn issue I can live with. The stability under braking and acceleration is phenomenal. Transitions are pretty smooth so long as you drive understanding what the diff is designed to do. I will however give a better review of the diff once I get a few more miles under my belt. Very funny demon :grin: I've not been able to do many updates of late, but at this stage now it is all about the testing/set-up... so no big component changes anymore. I still have the Brakes and Re-map to do but other than that, the TUV Approval process is all that remains. There are however going to be some independent testers trying the car over the coming months (also the one last week in the UK), so hopefully you'll be able to get a better feel about what this car is like from those that know how to write and their opinion will be completely unbiased, which I feel is probably a better way to go about it that me babbling on. Many thanks for all the other comments and words of encouragement guys :thumb:

Please do keep the updates coming. You may not think some of it is very interesting, but trust me, we really are hanging on your every post. Perhaps you could do a video of some of the remap process/rolling road, or tell us more about the brake set up and other fine tuning. Sorry I couldn't get to Beaulieu, like a tit I had left the master switch on in the plane and had to go back on sunday morning and pull the cowlings off and jump start it from a car for a fellow owner. I had been hoping to fly down to Goodwood and see another car mate, then fly back and take the 911 to see you. In the event I achieved neither. Do you have any plans for another visit to England any time soon?

Martin really sorry to hear of the troubles with your A/C and the knock-on effects. I currently have no plans for another trip to the UK just yet, but I see T8 is planning a little Spa trip in September which I may pop along for I am honored that you have taken an interest in this project and will try my best to keep you up to speed with developments. So latest news upon return from the UK; I took the car directly back to where the Gearbox had been overhauled with the new custom diff fitted due to a leak. Well they have stripped down the diff again and found a few technical issues which I don't want to discuss on a public forum and aim to sort ASAP. The diff is now being sent to an engineer for analysis and hopefully I'll get a report back early next week. The trouble is the company where the car is, after today will be closed until the last week of June. I have arranged for a serious motoring journalist (read as the best ) to review the car later in June, with the aim of producing a video. I have not informed him yet of this latest development as I am hoping by some miracle to get this problem resolved, like yesterday. I also planned on sorting out a few fine details like noises... but am now stuck with the car a 5 hour train ride away. Disaster to put in mildly :sad: As alluded to above though, I have now had it confirmed by the author that the review/article will be published next months magazine which should be released around 1st July, if I'm not mistaken. Below are a couple of pics I was sent of the diff this week.

Ha, you weren't the first and won't be the last. I remember the chief pilot, back in the the day when I was on turbo-props, having to explain to David Bowie why he couldn't fly the band to the next leg of their tour for the same reason, he couldn't jump start it from his car either!

Any more details re. these...? (meant to ask before getting side-tracked by gearboxes and diffs) I started fantasising about RUF RGT mirrors recently as well as staring hard at pictures of 996.1 Cup cars..... - your mirrors look very much the same vein (although I'm ultimately staying in the body-coloured rather than cleared carbon route)

Sorry Demon, I actually answered your question sometime back but it appears something must have happened. It also looks like all the pictures have gone from this thread??? Anyway in answer to your question, I basically took original RUF mirrors: these ones on page 10 here then had them made in Carbon fibre. They use all original ruf electrics and mirrors (which are actually BMW), bolts... They come with RUF instruction manuals. They are identical but just made out of polished Carbon instead.

You need to check the photo bucket thread. Apparently you need to give them $399 or find a new image host :nooo:

Just read your article in 911 & Porsche World - car is awsome 👍 Great work and a great read..........nearly as impressive as your updates on here! Reading it as it happened makes me feel I'm involved in the build - thanks for the experience 👍

Colin and all the rest of the 911uk members. Probably best if I say a few words. Although my car is currently in pieces, (have found a slight design flaw in the trick LSD recently fitted; not to worry though as in the process of redesign as we speak), I feel I owe a massive thank you to all those that have participated in this thread and offered your words of encouragement, brilliant ideas or simply pushed me on to get the bloody thing finished (still not managed this yet :grin: ). Getting to this point has involved all the emotions including some I wasn't aware I had. But I am happy to be in the final throws of this project now, with a car that truly and fundamentally is all I could ever wish for and more. I am very lucky to have had the support from everyone here and there have been some real hero's. Even had a very kind IT whizz from here knock up the logo for me completely out of the blue. Our very own Alex Yates was able to come in at the final hour to help out with a few issues (namely sending me over some emergency rations of Warburtons Crumpets)... A special mention has to be said for SlippyDiff. We have spent many an hour on the phone together, with me sending designs or scribbles/silly ideas and he has always been there with his words of wisdom. He even came up with the name 'CLR'. Absolutely instrumental it getting this car to where it is today. Thank you Henry :worship: Steve Rance of PH has also been a true gent in offering his support and ideas and many others. Come to think of it EGTE even offered to send me back the wheels I had sold to him, just to enable me move the project forward :worship: Things like this make all the effort worth it. There are so many other examples like this, so once again a massive thank you to you all Now Colin mentions he has read the article; I really hope it delivers the true character and feel for the car. I don't have a copy yet so I wait in nervous excitement. If anyone else has read/seen the article I'd appreciate your honest thoughts :thumb: Whether they be critical or not, I consider all opinion as part of the process to create new ideas and improve the design. This is by no means the end. The testing phase and fine tuning is a massive part of the development. I then have the approval stage and still have a few other bits and pieces I'm still considering. Where this leads going forward I really don't know just now. I would first like some time to enjoy the car and try and learn how to drive it. It is now so far detached from where it all started, it is almost like learning to walk again. Hopefully, in the not to distant future, there will be one or to other independent reviews which, if anything, will give me some feedback and ideas on how to improve the design/set-up if required. Dicso, thanks for the info about the pics Looks like I'll have to find an alternative way to upload pictures :sad:

Richie - photobucket had ruined this thread by hiding your pictures unless you pay for storage you're no doubt still seeing them in cache but they're gone for me. Stupid PB

Arry I'm the same mate, can't see anything and I'm not going to pretend to know what you mean by cache. I'm certainly not interested in the idea of having to stump up $400 a year to add a few pics though. Trouble is getting them all linked here and knowing which ones they were, is now almost impossible. I'm open to any suggestions in how to overcome this problem though from one of the clever computer guys on here

Host them on facebook

Richard, Have just read Jeremy's article and you have nothing to fear; he rates your car very highly indeed. As do we :thumb: . Keep on inspiring!

Thanks Russ :thumb: My Mrs is currently in the UK and returns on Monday. I have put it to her, in no uncertain terms, that immigration will refuse her re-entry if she fails to bring a copy of the magazine with her :grin: Some good news is that a redesign of the LSD is now done, so I'm hoping next week to get the car back. I have not seen the car since Beaulieu so it will be great to finally be able to crack on again. A video review or two will follow shortly. It will not be the finished article as there are still a few key areas that I am resolving and I need time for all the fine-tuning, but it should however, give a pretty clear indication as to what all this crazy nonsense has done to my poor car. Kingston: I tried giving your method a go but it didn't work. How would I for instance turn this into a picture here?: https://www.facebook.com/CarreraLig...558814960847/1564871110229612/?type=3&theater

Well done on the cover feature Rich! Very well deserved. I spotted it on here last night so went for an early morning blast to my nearest town for a copy this morning. Looks like a good write up although I'm saving it for Monday when I'm waiting while my wife's car is serviced. Glad you're nearing the end of the main project anyway. I'm sure it will always be evolving but at least the headaches and stress should be over eh. :thumb: Editing this post to try Postimage.org

Doesn't work. You can onlu link jpg urls. Facebook don't create them as that.

Looks like I'm having the same problem. Tried to post a pic of front cover above. :dont know: Edit! Yep they want $399 per year now. Jokers. So that's ruined everyone's previous photos in threads. Screw you Photobucket! You're dead to me. :grin:

Just an update for any of you having bother. Post image seems good. I'm also on Imgur but can't manage to get third party links. If anyone knows how, I'm all ears. Of course this still means hours are now to be spent redoing all old photos in threads like these. Or do we wait and hope photobucket back down?? Anyway sorry for derail Rich, but it may be of interest to yourself. :thumb: Also, I've read the feature now. Pretty good account of things and plenty of good pics. I don't care much for the writer but there's nothing wrong with that feature. :wink: Hopefully you're getting a few hours more sleep per night these days Richard. :grin:

Richie the feature is superb. It's a wonderful window into the work you've done and the potential you have. Well done, you truly deserve it. I owe you a beer or two either in Dinslaken or before :thumbs:

I'll try and pick up a copy. :thumb:

I'm going to track down a copy this lunchtime. It will be the first Porsche magazine I've ever bought, and the first car magazine for about ten years. That's how much this project means.

I really hope it doesn't disappoint you Martin! N997B, the last 2 events we were at together, we didn't manage to get a chance for a proper catch up. Next time I'm holding you to your offer :drink: Marky, agreed the author has a very serious and focused attitude to life in general and he never lets his guard down, ever! This does indeed rile many on PH. He is however a gentleman in real life and knowledgeable. The trouble lies in his desire for certain characteristics and technology in cars. He will not budge, so much so in fact, that he refuses to do any new release motoring journo stuff nowadays, as in principle, he doesn't like what is currently being manufactured. Fair play, he sticks to his guns with no deviation, so at least you know where you stand. Maybe this was beneficial for me; that a car such as mine really floats his boat He is a good writer though and knows how to drive. For me this was critical. The trouble is he was limited to 2500 words (even for a cover car feature). For this reason he has to chop about 50% of the article out, there is no spec-list for example, as this would have taken up a whole page alone. He could really only touch on a few of the keys issues of the project. Steve 'the editor', also adds a few words on the first page for another view; so I was very honored that he made the journey specially just to see the car himself. Alex, I've heard some WH.Smith's have sold out already so if you struggle to find one I managed to order a copy here

:thumb:

Not really posted on here since the tragic loss of my C4S but I dip in and out to see what's happening in the 996 world. Went to Mallorca last weekend and luckily WHSmith in Gatwick had a copy which I read cover to cover by the pool. Luxury! It's a great article, Richard, and I applaud you for getting the project through to the end. It was fascinating to follow the build on here and then see the finished motor in print. I was hoping to embark on some minor weight reduction for the C4S but having the whole front corner taken off proved to be a step too far! I hope this does prove to be the beginning of a great new business venture. All the best, Rob

Still not got the car back guys so as a gap filler, I just popped down into the garage for 2 mins to make a little video: Now just a few points: As photobucket has an issue at present, I thought I'd try something else. Being on camera/in pics, ain't my thing but for the purposes of describing this issue, video format may help. Also it is raw footage, no p155ing about editing or adding funky music; as basically, I don't know how to. So camera drops and poor focus... are all included FOC :grin: Video basically highlights a known M96 gearbox issue that starts anywhere from 60-90K miles normally. A whine that progressively gets worse. It is an expensive fix as the complete gearbox needs to be overhauled and there are very few capable of doing it with the Getrag transmission (70T hydraulic press required and some specialised tools). Mike at Sport & Classic in the UK is your man here. In the case of my gearbox, it was the differential pinion bearing that was making the noise (The main output shaft inside the gearbox that transmits drive to the differential crown wheel). It would be good practice to replace both this and the main bearing during overhaul + the 2x diff bearings. Each of the large bearing are around £400, so it is not a cheap fix. Hope this video helps provide a little insight into this problem :thumb:

Hi Rob, I hope you had a lovely time away in P.D.M I'm sorry to hear of your 996 adventure being cut short and thanks for the kind words about the project. Hopefully I'll get the car back soon so that the project can continue; in the meantime though, I'll have to make do driving the GT3RS :thumbs:

Useful tip Richie. Similar to the IMSB but bigger really :thumbs: Oh and loved the camera drops. Nothing wrong with authentic :grin: :thumb:

Picked up this threads issue of 911 and Porsche World today to read on the train, it'll get pride of place in the Morning Reading Room. Cracking job, and one I suspect that is not yet over - looking forward to seeing how it develops next.

Glad you appreciate the artistic flair I intentionally added in the form of camera drops Paul Just to add, as I forgot to mention in the video: the bearings during repetitive heat cycles start to lose the grease. This then combines with metallic particles and collects around the magnetic inside the gearbox as a silver paste. So you can actually check if your bearings (main and pinion) have started to wear by draining the oil and sticking your finger inside the gearbox drain port, then if you point your finger forward you can feel for this grease/paste around the magnet. Indeed Dammit, I am still waiting for the LSD issue/redesign to be sorted. Once back I can then finally get back into it. Glad it brightened up your train journey :thumb:

A little engine work today due to a noise. Trouble is I can't bed in and test the new LSD until I resolve the engine issue first. So incase you ever need to, here is a little guide on Tappet (hydraulic lifter) replacement: Here are the parts and tools I ordered: If the engine is installed, then you need to strip away exhaust, manifold, brackets, coil packs... to gain access and clean away any debris/oil stains...: You'll then need to drain the engine oil then pull out these plug so that you can set TDC on the bank you are working on: You'll need to look in this hole to check the bank you are working on is at TDC: [ Lock in TDC: Fit this special tool into end of camshafts: Disconnect cam solenoid plug and the cover 2xbolts: Undo oil pump 4x10mm bolts: Undo head cover 23x bolts and prise open: Then remove cover: Here is how it looks inside: Fit cam special cam support tool: Remove tensioner: Remove oil pump: Unbolt the chain sprocket but ensure you tie wrap in place to keep the timing: Unbolt variocam solenoid 3xbolts then remove securing tools and drop out complete cams with vario cam assembly: Here are the tappets: Pull them out and jobs a goodun

Welcome back! :thumbs:

It was a painful few months not being able to crawl around under the car getting covered in ***** Paul. Glad I survived that dark period though. Even managed to find another way to sort out pics. Just need to go back through and sort out all the previous ones when I have a week spare :frustrated:

Whilst you're in there I'd look at the Variocam tensioner pads and replace them as they tend to get eaten by the chains. May as well whilst it's in bits!

You wont believe what I did today; aimed to get it all buttoned up rebuilt and tested. Well I checked the timing was all good then fitted the 2 aft cover plugs then fitted the fwd one but I got a bit too excited and pushed with a little too much force. Let this be a lesson to anyone else doing this job. Don't do this silly mistake. I have now had to strip it back down again scrape off sealant, Order new plugs from Porsche... Yes sometimes you are fighting battles you could really do without :frustrated: Oops: Start again to remove the plug:

It was mentioned earlier in this thread about the potential to offer parts or packages in the future, as going the whole hog is a seriously expensive undertaking. Well today I devised this little idea of a potential way into a CLR with basically 3 levels: Essence: For me this is the enthusiasts buy in point, intrinsically all the essential ingredients to get a truly magical and optimised 911. Evolution: The next rung on the ladder. All of the above + an extra dollop of CLRness. Extreme: This is the no holds barred Daddy; the full works with potential for a full Hartech big power engine rebuild. Includes both of the packages above. This table may help explain a little better: Nothing here is finalised but at this moment in time it is the most probable way I'll take this in the future. Right now I am redesigning some suspension components again (4th time now) as during the testing phase I noted some fatigue. I now have a solution but a 2 month timeframe is required to manufacture the prototype parts in the States. These are however fantastic and made by a TUV approved manufacturer. The LSD is also still in the trial phase. Once these 2 issues are resolved and tested, I will be putting the car through the full TUV approval process. I have also recently been certified in Germany for Chassis development & restoration and Automotive Technical by the IHK (Handwerkskammer), a regulatory body for these type of trades, which is a massive hurdle out of the way Anyway I just thought I'd update and I'd appreciate any thoughts on the table above or the ideas I mentioned :thumb:

I think that's a great way of doing it, then potential clients can spread the costs a bit as they get more involved. is it worth giving the power to weight ratios or 0-60 times etc as examples as the car evolves with each stage - so people have something to gauge what it's going to feel like?? just a thought

Clear and precise. As BenC says maybe some 'for instances' will help with seeing how it'll feel. But definitely a step in the right direction :thumbs:

Did you manage to get any hard data for power increases that the induction and exhaust mods have made? I think potential customers would like it even if it's fairly crudely presented. I know we spoke about gt3 throttle bodies and that would also be a good mod to add if its proven to offer further gains without the need to overbore or re-cam the engine.

Loving that Heart/Body/Soul arrangement, Richard! Can I suggest Exe-TC suspension for the Extreme Soul level? They love building to customised specs, FYI. Test-drive mine if you want to compare to Ohlins (or speak to Jeremy Laird) Cheers.

Hi Richard, I love the package pricing ideas. It's clear and professional. My only tiny worry/query would be are there enough punters out there willing to throw very large chunks of cash at their 996 in one go? That's not in anyway a criticism of what you're offering, I'm simply looking at where the 996 market still is etc. Coming from someone who is fascinated with the evolution of your car and loves what you've done with it (as you well know) I just wonder if you would be better off offering everything individually as well as the packages you've proposed. That way if someone wants say, the lightweight battery they could, then a bit later LWFW etc. It's a hard one, I just know as a tinkerer I have an end goal in my head for my car but can't afford to blitz it in one go, plus I enjoy the journey and would get bored if it was "finished". When I buy parts and carry out mini projects bit by bit though, I still feel like I'm heading towards that end goal. So I think what I'm wondering is would you be better off staying true to how you want to do it, offering complete packages but maybe slower turnover? Or sell individual parts with a steady trickle of them constantly selling? Or am I missing the point altogether in that the exclusivity comes from buying the whole package. A sort of Singer for the 996? In which case ignore me and crack on. :wink: Good luck either way. I hope you see the rewards for all the hard work. It's well deserved. :thumb:

As Marky says it very much depends on what your own goal is here, from the perspective of a potential customer I'd be interested in groupings of like parts- for e.g. the carbon body panels. I'd want them unpainted, to be delivered to the body shop nearby, which may be completely against your philosophy however.

Definitely an interesting approach and I think absolutely the way to go in terms of offering a range of packages for fully modded and finished cars. Personally (and as others have mentioned above), I think it would be worth considering also making individual parts available to buy. It's tricky to know how many people would want to send a car off for extensive mods, but I'm sure there's a market for a range of parts that have a level of thinking behind them that's exceptional. It may be that if a brand can be built from the parts, then selling the 'packages' will be more viable. If you add the 997 platform into the mix, too, then you have an even larger market - one big enough to perhaps build a significant business. Not an easy call as I understand if there's a desire to only offer packages that really deliver on the philosophy involved here

Thank you for taking the time to add your thoughts gents :thumb: I thought the overly wordy guff might put a few off so I'm glad it didn't scare everyone. Just to be clear, Heart refers to Engine/powertrain, body = chassis and Soul is the tactile/feel element. If somebody wanted the Essence package for instance, it would include all of the elements in the Heart/body/soul fields under the Essence column. If you wanted Evolution it would mean you get all of the Essence column plus the Evolution column... Just to clarify on a few other things I picked up on; I'm no marketing strategist and will probably never be able to cater for every single config that everyone would personally want but my thoughts on this matter are that Singer have a successful thing going on, as far as I can see. Now I don't think the world is quite ready for a 996 Singer just yet but feel that a 3 pronged approach could be the way forward. I feel Singer do not offer parts as it would dilute the brand and I don't really want to turn into a tuning shop selling parts especially when you have the potential shipping issues for large carbon panels. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. My intention is to spend my days twirling spanners and seeing through the creative design aspects of this concept in order to create/offer a truly magical driving experience. All of the design thus far is for both 996 and 997 models. I know I have taken a 996 as the base but in all phases, I have contingency measures in place to ensure the 997 is also on the cards. I don't see this venture as a business person would and don't want to get rich off the back of this. I have spent serious money getting to where I am already and feel very lucky having got to this point already with my own personal tailored 911. The creative design and rewards from driving such a car is what does it for me. I want to try and offer the absolute best products available for 996/997 but at an affordable (relatively speaking) price. For instance I've roughly calculated that if I sold the Essence package for €21500+VAT I'd be just scraping by but would need to be constantly churning out cars. This would never include the infrastructure and development costs at over €130,000 I would have spent to get a full working demonstrator. I then need a workshop with ramps... I know it sounds expensive but if you tally up the parts prices alone you will see that there is no money being made here; exhaust alone will cost you £5k. Then registering and running a business in Germany is not cheap etc. I don't know if it is remotely feasible to make this work but we only live once and I have already got myself far deeper into this than I ever thought I would. I'm not sure if that answers all of the questions but would like to thank you all for your support throughout this project and for your thoughts on this idea :thumbs: ETA: Ben/Paul : Jethro Bovingdon was lined up to drive the car in August but due to a few development issues (continuing still), I was not happy to present the car to him when it wasn't ready so this is on the back burner at present. As I respect his opinion massively, I want his take on the performance differences as he drives a fairly modded 996 himself. I was planning to use his opinion to describe the feel, performance changes and 0-60... so for this reason I haven't mentioned these figures. Also this car isn't about numbers. In simple terms it will deliver greater performance figures 0-170mph than a 996TT but it is the feel elements: sound, character and how well it drives... that are not possible to describe with numbers and that really is the raison d'etre. Harv : I've not forgotten the GT3 throttle. I still plan to try this option. I just want to get the current set-up thoroughly tested and dyno proven to see where it currently is. EGTE : That really is a kind offer for a ride in your car. When I'm next in the UK I'll be knocking on your door :thumb: Marky : Thank you, true gent as ever :thumb: I think I answered your point above. Dammit again I think I answered your question above hopefully. Pothole both the 996 and 997 models apply :thumb:

ELA this is a mighty impressive project. Hats off. The €21.5k you mention is not too bad, IMO, given the work and the inclusion of £5k exhaust and Ohlins suspension. The only thing I would personally not want is the Fuchs wheels as I'd prefer to go full sleeper.

I've been transparent about the cost of adding Ohlins to my car - with the exhaust you're at half the cost of the full package already. I'd agree it seems good value.

Don't forget those are CLR-spec Fuchs: super light, strong (forged) and with minimum offset (maximum width), all to achieve best handling response. I've been extremely please with mine. Considering blacking up the centres (only with Plasti-dip, probably) to get this (sort of) look, which is pretty stealthy:

I would offer 3 different options for the wheels. They are genuine Fuchs and pretty much the lightest wheels available (I saved 22.9kg with my wheels/tyres). Here are the 3 options: Black, Silver and Black/silver (RSR) like on my car: In terms of the parts price, here are a few of the items: The Fuchs wheels are around £2100 Ohlins are around £2500 (for 996C2) CUP2 tyres are around £750 Inconel625 exhaust £5000 Top mount+top caps £680 LCA £1508 (Cost me + TUV approval later) Ducktail £1500+Prep/paint RSS engine mounts £435 SSK £327 LWFW £885 Clutch stage 2 £556 My Essence package above includes much more than what I have just listed + around 60hours labour, geo, paint... Also many misc items I forgot to calculate like saw blades, brake fluid grease, tyre fitting (€80), new steering arms, exhaust gaskets/bolts, wheel centre caps. So I probably have to sit down and properly go through it for accurate costing.

Have you considered offering each heart/body/mind for each level of "trim" as individual packages as well as all three to make up the complete trim level. That way you will have a wider market, since more people could afford them and build up to a complete trim over time by buying the three packages. Also, this allows some level of bespoke creation, which we all like to do virtually and discuss on line and also in practice. So for example, somebody may want to do an extreme level in say "mind" but "essence" in heart/body.

Sorry, soul not mind! I'm jet lagged! PS I think what you have done and are proposing is brilliant.

c3p0-2000, thanks for the feedback, the table was just an initial idea I come up with which may be a direction I take this in the future. Nothing set in stone just yet as there is still some way to go with getting the project finished. It's been some time since I had a chance to work on the car but I made inroads today into trying to find a solution to an issue I've been having with the new LSD: Gearbox output flanges and diff cover unbolted: Diff cover removed: LSD removed: I'll hopefully get a chance over the coming days for some detailed checks to make inroads into finally resolving the issue.

Had a good check of the LSD today vs the stock M220 LSD: Here they are side by side (M220 on Left) I know it's a long shot but does anyone have any experience with the 996 gearbox stripdown? Is this part here under the tapered roller bearing (around 2.5mm thick spacer) stock? From the picture above it looks as though this was transferred over from the LH LSD (previously fitted M220 LSD) as there is clearly marking on the LH LSD that would suggest so. Also when the diff output flanges are bolted in, are they supposed to be mated/butted up to the LSD as per below?:

I have just checked pictures of both my standard LSD's and they both have that spacer ring on them, unfortunately I can't measure them but they look to be the same thickness as you have on yours. What issue are you having?

Since having the new LSD fitted back in May I've pretty much been having a nightmare ever since. Redesign and refit numerous times and it still isn't right. I decided yesterday to strip it down myself and try and find the cause. Here are a couple of vids to highlight some of the issues:

To me it actually sounds loose in there.

As per here then i think its number 4 and is part of a standard diff ( different sizes though ) .. but as you know i dont have a clue when it comes to LSD Seems to be the wrong side of the bearing ? :dont know: see what you think from the link http://www.deroure.com/diagrams.asp?MAK=3&MDL=25&TBL=2558&SMA=&SMO=0&ST=&SC=0 Id also love to know the answer here as i cant belive this is normal for these to make so much noise .

I see what you are saying Demort from that diagram but I have 2 standard LSD's to reference and they both have the spacer behind the taper bearing but with a shim difference from 1.5mm to 2.8mm I think you need to refit and measure your diff casings distance and work it out from what you have and what you need to order, it seems you will need a thicker pair of shims. EDIT, I think I would pull the bearings and spacers off but refit the bearings after, refit the diff and tighten up the side casings. The bearing should move inwards on the shaft and then once tight should leave a space between the bearing and diff, this should give you the shim size you need by adding both sides gaps sizes together then dividing by 2? Be careful not to crack the side casings though, so I would grease the bearing inner surface to lower friction.

Thanks .. i admit this is way beyond what i do but ive been trying to help on this for a while and its very frustraiting for me not knowing anything about this . You have the actual LSD to reference so thats far better than any parts picture :thumb: Im guessing its for pre load .. hence the different sizes so fitting it on the outside would allow adjustment without removeing the bearing :dont know:

The taper bearing are even sided by the looks of it (different part numbers?) so if they were fitted on the wrong side that could be another issue, but I do suspect that thicker shims are required. It would be set at the factory when the gearbox is being built but as that is a different casting of an LSD it could be slightly smaller than a genuine one so requiring bigger shims, if the factory LSD's needed shimming when being built I can see no reason why an aftermarket one wouldn't? My two LSD's with the shims behind the bearing.

Thanks guys you have confirmed exactly what I was thinking. Regarding the taper roller bearings they sit on top of these shims as follows and are sided as follows: LH: 99905906400 is a 50x90 (20x large rollers) RH: 99905906602 is a 50x80 (smaller rollers and more of; around 25) These were fitted correctly. Now I've just checked the other side and the shim on that side appear to be much thinner, around 1mm: However on the previously fitted diff the markings kind of indicate a much thicker shim was in use before. So going forward I need to speak to the guys who fitted the diff again and try and establish exactly what they did. I then also need the procedure for how you do the installation set-up for a new diff. The LSD housings are slightly different in places however the critical mounting surfaces for things like these shims bearings all appear to be the same as the OEM LSD, so my thinking is the previously fitted shims should be just about right for this new LSD give or take a few 0.05mm. The main issue I really have is nobody really gets involved with this type of work. All OPC's would most likely outsource gearbox work, the likes of Manthey the same. The only company I know and trust with this are 'Sport and Classic' (Mike) but they are in the UK. I have lost pretty much the whole driving season last year due to this, so this winter I need it resolved so that I can crack on and get this finished.

I'm ready to be shot down on this but could the issue be back lash between the helical gearing? Just a long shot!

It will be partly the pinion and ring gear backlash being slack with the diff being loose in the housing due to the shims not keeping it all tight and together. Been looking at diff installation procedures and it seems reasonably simple to work out what shims you will need but will take more time in a transaxle. Making sure the pinion and ring gears are tight and run without any slack or binding then measure what shims you need each side to fill the gaps, contrary to what I said previously there is a chance that both sides may actually be different thicknesses as yours is. You do need to speak to the guys who installed it and get them to install correctly, I assume they should know how to do it, if not ask OPC who they use for gearbox work as it looks as though its a fairly bog standard job for someone who rebuilds these all the time. There are a few videos on Youtube to explain the basics of a diff installation.

Just an small update, I said last time I'll never removed the gearbox without ramps again but for what must be 5 times now in the last year, I had to drop the box again :frustrated: Not recommend!!! Having looked into setting up the back-lash and bearing pre-loads; very fine tolerance, 0.03mm I think it was. I decided to take it to Manthey Racing. They have a dedicated race team set up away from the road car showroom, where they do all the engine and gearbox work. So hopefully next week it should finally all be sorted.

Hi ELA- I'm in the middle of swapping to the Cup wheel but I can't get the horn to work as the column (which the horn wants to use as the earth) isn't earthed. How did you resolve this?

Hi Dammit, please send me a pm with your email and I'll send you a guide

Done- thanks!

Hopefully they sort it once and for all, did you remove the gearbox every time you wanted to remove the diff because you can remove the diff in situ, I know it needs to be removed this time though to get it set up.

I've personally removed it 5 times now due to LWFWx2, Clutch, complete overhaul, then this this time now due to LSD set-up. 4 other times have been just the LSD removal with gearbox left in. I really have my fingers crossed this time that Manthey can produce the goods. I lost practically all of June-now because of this problem; having to cancel video reviews and approval process... I still have a lot to be cracking on with so once this issue is resolved, it will be a massive headache finally resolved.

Finally a meaningful update; to be brutally honest, the last 6 months have been a bit of a disaster and I seriously considered throwing in the towel: Costs spiralling massively out of control, development issues (LSD, suspension components, power loss, NVH...). Well the good news is the major stumbling blocks are now resolved (or in the process of redesign/manufacture). Custom LSD issue was due to incorrect set-up. Now set up to 0.08mm bearing preload and 0.15mm crown-pinion backlash. Whilst the gearbox is removed I've also thrown in the powerflex mount bushes (I was sent the old design so had to modify these). Regarding the suspension, I am now on the fifth 'and final I might add' design. The LCA's are in manufacture as I type but I have a few fabrication pics below. New adjustable castor arms done and new adjustable front tie rods due any day now. All being well, I am now on track to have this project complete by spring, TUV approved and ready for review

Looking forward to seeing it at Dinslaken. :thumbs:

I was just saying to my mate Craig last night that there isn't much car stuff happening at the minute. My cars away, there are no decent bits popping up on eBay and not many good threads popping up.... So it's great to see an update on one of the best 996s out there. Glad you're getting there after the set backs. The parts are looking really good. 8) Have a great Xmas Rich and hopefully swap the R&D for some R&R. :thumb:

Those suspension components look much beefier (and more gorgeous!) than the initial ones, were the first redesigns just to test the required geometry for the test drives? This project is awesome, just awesome, thanks again for sharing its progress.

Well done Rich. :mechanic: :worship:

Outstanding Mr B :worship:

Well done for hanging in there, Richard! Sure it will be fantastic.

Glad the gearbox is sorted.

Thank you guys, many of you have been there from the start showing your support and offering many great ideas :thumb: Suspension designs have been changed progressively as my car is a development mule. If truth be told I thought my first attempt was perfect and would work just fine however a combination of excess weight or premature fatigue... have meant I've been back to the drawing board more often than I had ever envisaged. I guess that is just part and parcel of taking on something like this. The main issue is I am trying many new ideas and this induces factors which create problems which you don't consider at conception. Adding 26mm into the length of an LCA for instance, throws up all sorts of issues. This latest design though will be perfect. They have literally just been finished this evening so I will add a few pics of the manufacturing process below. My apologies is this comes across a bit OTT and I am happy to tone it down a bit if this sort of detail isn't to everyone's taste. I am perhaps just a little sad and a bit too excited with finally having a solution which alleviates all the previous design flaws. Although these arms are a seriously well designed and overly robust construction for the intended lightweight 911 application, I have gone this route for various reasons: -All three of the bushes can be replaced if the need ever arises. -They will offer OEM levels of NVH. -Extra weight and complexity of design is a compromise in order to achieve greater than OEM durability. They are a combination of 5 different companies involved to get to this final prototype design. TUV approval to follow :thumb:

Personally I love the details - more the merrier.

Amazing work - fascinating to see :thumb:

Love those pictures. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

I have absolutely no knowledge or experience of any value to add, but I have been following this from the start and will happily see it through to conclusion. Thanks for posting.

:worship: :thumbs:

Yep the cameraman certainly has talent

I'm really looking forward to seeing the video reviews of this when it's all set up as you want it. It'll be a fantastic drive, I'm absolutely positive. 8)

Great Christmas update 8)

Nice work Richie

I'll be a little busy over the coming days Redesigned LCA's: Also the castor arms: Adjustable tie rods: Easier to fill gearbox before fitting: Added some trick friction modifier: Now the job I've been putting off for a while; fitting the GB from the ground. These are unbelievably heavy. So far I've come up with an Egyptian like solution just for sliding it roughly into position but I've not thought about how I'll lift it just yet... One again thanks for the encouragement guys. It's great to finally be getting back to it again. Over the coming weeks I'll be looking at modifying the tie rods for weight reduction and making some jigs for the new suspension arms. Ideally if someone has an old hub assembly rotting away I'd be grateful if you could let me know. I would just like to chop one up to make a jig :thumb:

Looking very nice CLR :thumb: Try looking for some motorcycle jack pads to lift the gearbox up into place. There are some scissor lifts available for not much money, though where from eludes me at the moment, which will lift from about 75mm up to easily 350-400. They are just flat pads with an ordinary long screw operation, so easily operated with a ratchet. I will endeavour to find a link to one for you. In fact, a quick scout around found a better one from wiltec_gmbh on eBay for £78.00. Perfect for you, as it is obviously a German company! We managed to use one to help install a steel 570 litre air receiver a few weeks back, it lifted that baby with relative ease, so should cope with a gearbox ok. Your project looks fantastic by the way. :thumbs:

Apologies for the rubbish picture but this is what I made to fit into a trolley jack. Flat plate steel with angle iron sides and tube that I welded on to allow it to slot into the jack. I then use wooden blocks and a strap to hold the gearbox onto the jack, it makes it easy to pull the gearbox away from the engine and then can lower easily in a tight space. The hardest part is getting the gearbox back onto the jack for installation, as it won't slide under the cra on the jack but a couple of jacks to get it high enough to slide this jack under works fine. Without it, it's like wrestling with a crocodile under a car.

Drool-worthy stuff. You win the engineering-*****-of the-decade prize! :thumb:

DynoMike, Infrasilver & EGTE thank you kindly :thumb: I managed to get it in today but wouldn't wish it upon anyone to try this method: Now onto the more sane stuff...

Great work as ever - fingers crossed that this solves it for good. Can I ask whether the buckets give you a lower seating position than the hard-back sports seats?

Hi Dammit, I made my own custom rails. I have not tried the other seats you mention, but I can say with certainty that you would not be able to get a lower seat than what I have without cutting out the floor.

Don't suppose you fancy making another set?

Flat out right now trying to get my car finished but the future plan is to have stock of all parts

Interesting .. i thought the seats were as low as they could go , i couldnt see anyway of modifiying them . Time for me to ask a favour .. a picture of what you did would be interesting for my own personnel achive as i like to learn what i can ! Btw .. good to see things coming together .. 2018 should hopefully be a good year Oh .. i got bored being away lol .

:grin: :bye: :thumb:

Quoted for Demort.

Hmm, you'll need the Chrome plugin that allows you to see the images mind.

lol .. yup i cant see the pictures (Fire Fox here ) Interesting the height difference though , 1.5 inches ,as that would seem to solve your problem.

Question is whether that 1.5" is comparing the stock rails with the ones ELA made, or the overall seating height of the sports seats to the buckets. Actually what I really need to know is, using stock rails, what the height difference is between sports seats and bucket seats.

Great to see you back Iain :thumb: I do plan on sorting out this whole thread at some point so that the pictures work again and also an index on the first post so that you can just click on say the word carbon buckets or carbon roof... You should be able to click on each pic and they will open up directly in PB for the time being. Wishing everyone one here a happy new year a massive thank you for all the support and warm messages; I really, really promise to get the car finished this year :thumb:

I think you need to look up the dictionary definition of "finished" - pretty sure its impossible to apply this to a car project.... :?: I hope this wasn't a formal new years resolution(!) :lol:

As what always seems to be the case with this project, unforeseen issues arise and I'll share this one with you. Basically I decided on a complete redesign of the LCA and castor arm arrangement. You can see from this picture here; when I overlay the new set up over the correctly set up removed previous design, that I am unable to achieve the correct angle as the fork end of the castor arm fouls up against the new LCA. It is things like this that really do your t1ts in. So here is the fix for this little issue (pic below). Also the new tie rods are just a little on the heavy side at 895gr each. So I'm going to modify the existing tie rods to get the range of adjustment needed for my particular geo set-up. One question for any part number specialist lurking in the back ground; does anyone know the part numbers for the following: -Clip holding on undertray -Brake disc counter sunk screw -Nut and bolt M14 securing castor arm to LCA -Brake bleed nipple ^Demon Speaketh much truth above :grin: Many thanks guys

I'm replacing my bleed nipples with stainless ones from HEL, they're excellent and cheap, you may prefer titanium ones to save weight?!?! They're a fairly standard part in the industry but I suspect the Porsche mild steel ones are expensive.....

Just get an M6 countersunk SS screw from the brake disc (I think it's M8, just double check).

OPC for the clips P/N 99950765709 I got my stainless bleed nipples from ebay and the countersink screw can also be bought easily from there but just make sure the length is the same as you don't want any excess poking into the hub assembly.

Hi Rich Getting there now Under tray front clips are p/n 99950765709 I've used the stainless m10 X 1.0 bleed screws from HEL and they are good. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4X-M10X1...905158&hash=item4d36cba3fc:g:dL4AAOSwEzFZ4Mr6 The brake disc hold down screws are m6 CSK pozi drive, most screw suppliers carry them but watch the length (12mm springs to mind) :thumb:

I just came across the screw size and can confirm they are M6 x 12 as Harv says. EDIT and 45p each.

Porsche tax! I bet a local fastener specialist has them for 12p. Ho hum.

Thanks Gents, I've now ordered the brake nipples and will look into the other parts

Only been a member of 911uk for a couple of weeks and I've spent the last few hours reading every post. And even though 99% of the photos have disappeared I've still been totally engrossed in your journey. Hats off dude, amazing what you've achieved :worship:

ebmbiker I'm really grateful for your thoughts. Hopefully you may find some of the thread of some use to you in future With regards to the pics I believe there is a fix; see below :thumb: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/...nk-fix/kegnjbncdcliihbemealioapbifiaedg?hl=en Over the coming few weeks there should be lots of updates. Lots going on behind the scenes and not too far off the car going through the TUV approval process. A few pics to update: Here are the castor arm fork ends almost finished: Lots of the remaining parts arrived this week and I also decided after wanting one for a long time to buy a GT3 Gear lever. So car currently still on blocks but not long now :thumbs:

Been very busy the last few days as practically all the remaining parts have been manufactured; meaning the final assembly and set-up phase are now in progress So here are the last few bits: Due to previous clearance issue with the Castor arm fork ends, new design now alleviates this problem: So now LCA+Castor arm assembly consists of the following; When assembled they look something like this: Now a quick geo check: Also fit the new gear knob assembly: I spent the last 2 days getting all this gear fitted and set-up so now really only a final geo check to do then TUV approval process. So happy to now be in a position, after all this time, to finally be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel

:worship:

Just a thought, what are we going to look forward to anticipate when you finish the project? It has been/is a great read :thumb:

Have you driven it with the new LSD setup yet ? love to know if that and the other problem is now fixed . Horn fault fix Is on Dammits thread if you missed it .

Great thread , being a aircooled fan i would have said a definite NO for the Red rear , the Fuch wheels and the ducktail but it really does look right :thumb:

Thanks Paul, you are always there offering your support and well wishes Good question bakerboy; if truth be told I derive probably more enjoyment from the process rather than the end result. I see this car as an ever evolving platform though, which I will constantly evaluate and develop as I see fit. Next on the horizon is a CLR997 which I hope to start around March. Firstly though I need to TUV my 996 No Iain, I fitted the gearbox ages back now but haven't even turned the engine over since. The other problem will still be there no doubt, so that will give me something to look forward to :grin: I'll have to check up on the solution to Dammits horn issue, but due to the complete isolation of the rack/column, I guess something pretty drastic was required!

Forgot to mention I have gone a bit crazy and have completely altered the suspension set up. I have now removed the front ARB and have adjusted the front and rear rebound to hopefully compensate for this drastic change. I guess the proof will be in the pudding KP964, I'm glad you like the marmite paint scheme and nod to the classic era. It isn't for everyone but the overall effect I have tried to be balanced as best I can :thumb:

Ill PM you with details .. either tonight if i have enough time or tomorrow .. got a few .. problems to sort first

Getting there now Richard. Those suspension parts are almost too nice to hide away under the car. 8) Don't say your horn isn't working either?? Dammit's already put me off by his turning into a nightmare. If yours doesn't work either I may just forget it. As it happens Carnewal haven't responded to my email about ordering one anyway. :wink: Good luck with the TUV. :thumb:

Thanks Marky, I get what your saying about hiding shiny bits away but practically the whole car is like that, all the carbon bits painted... The only subtle visual clues are the ducktail, Fuchs and carbon exhaust tips. Stealth is the order of the day; if you can ignore the scrapheap challenge bumpers :grin: I've not had any problems with my horn but it would appear you might just want to check before ordering as Dammit had a bit of a struggle on his hands sorting his out

Cool. Good to know your horn is ok. I'll send another email to Carnewal about that wheel. It was with Demort mentioning Dammits that made me wonder if you had the same problem. I thought I haven't read anything about yours though. :thumb:

If anything my horn is over-active; however, sadly it's rarely utilised to the full potential :grin:

About time I add a little colour to the thread Car has been at Manthey Racing now a few times back and forth, this time around over a week trying to diagnose an issue. I went up there again yesterday to collect the car but sadly it was still playing up. So just a picture on the ramp but there were also the new delivered Cup cars outside for next season: I now have an appointment for the TUV inspection for the 22nd Feb so I have been frantic trying to sort all the technical documents and test reports ready for the test... Have also sold the other one so the final bath before she goes next month :nooo: I'll also try and get to a weighbridge next week, am expecting a final weight of 1090kg so we'll see how close it is. Once I get around to doing the lightweight brakes at some point in the future, this should then drop by around another 5kg.

Sold the RS? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :sad: :sad:

Lightweight brakes you say, what are you thinking?

Carbon?

Hope you get the niggle sorted Richie :thumb:

Based on a projected saving of 5kg, Giro Discs?

May I just add my support for what you are doing and your project puts mine to shame. :sad: Great stuff and cant wait to see it finished. Dont suppose u r going to the Spa Classic this year. Id love to see it in the flesh

Ditto! And good luck with the TUV this week. :thumb:

Thank you kindly gents. I have good and bad news. Well the good news is I was called today and the LSD issue is finally resolved. I say resolved but what I mean is they have reinstalled the M220 diff at my request. So after a 10months of trying to get a special LSD working and serious money spent I have thrown in the towel and now have the stock unit back in. In future I may try a Drexler unit but at £3k just for the LSD, following the stupid amounts I've spent on all the R&D for this failed one, it will just have to wait. Now the bad news... Just received an email that the TUV date has been pushed back a week as the TUV engineer is sick. Utter nightmare as it is a fair old trek from me and have made serious plans for it to be done on the original date. Not sure how I can make the other date now... Regarding the brakes; I did try earlier last year to get some lightweight 2 piece units made but was let down by the manufacturer. I'll try again once I have the TUV sorted. Carbon discs would be the ultimate, but for one-off applications in strange dimensions (318 and 299mm), they would be horrendously expensive. I don't want or need to go bigger using offtheshelf components, as they would only add weight. With the ~20% weight drop, I have effectively gained around the same % in braking performance, hence no need for bigger discs. I'm also now making headway into the infrastructure development: garage changes including new 4 poster ramp, flooring, pit, access redesign... So just stupidly busy trying to juggle it all, and having resigned recently from work, I'm flat out trying to make the best use of the time I have so apologies for not being able to update as regular as I perhaps should just now. What the dates for the Spa Classic Astonboy??? I'll see what I can do

Keep going Richard, a great project and read, you are an inspiration for others to follow :thumb: Ive just installed a Rotary 2 post in my workshop, wow everything is now so easy, I don't know how I have managed all these years without one :dont know: but i'm not as young as I used to be! see you for the Dinlaken weekend. cheers paul.

Thank you Paul, there are plenty of inspirational threads on this forum and I'm honoured if you consider this as such. I'm well past the point of no return now though, so you'll have to suffer with me now until the end. So yesterday I picked the car up from Manthey. For those not familiar, they have a serious thing going on there. Here is a pic just outside the entrance: I then drove the car home but had to make an obligatory stop for a pic: Once home I've been busy prepping the car and doing a little fabrication... I recently bought a Lithium battery which weighed in at a paltry 1.485kg, against the original 17.4kg battery it is a massive saving: Following this I'm still trying to resolve another issue so I replaced the fuel pressure regulator: Off tomorrow to drop the car off for the TUV; which although postponed until the 1st March, is a very important phase of this whole project. So I'll be keep my fingers crossed that this hurdle can be overcome...

Good luck with that process! :superstition: :thumb:

What a great car. Best of luck with the TUV.

Cool pics as ever Richard. 8) Any particular reason for the battery change? Any issues with the Odyssey before I buy one? I'm guessing the lithium ones are nearer a grand rather than the £100 I have for an Odyssey. :grin:

No problems with the other one Marky, this one is just another 5kg lighter that is all. PM sent

Hi Richard, Have you considered raising the centre console to bring the gear stick closer to the wheel? Function First used to do a kit, but now they just do the standoffs (spacers). My formula Vee race car has the top of the stick about level with the bottom quarter of the wheel and it's an ergonomic delight. It's so good that I'm considering raising my console if I can sort out the aesthetic problems, though it would only be by an inch or two as anything more would look daft.

Great colour match with the Nürburgring entrance.......... Mike

great work as ever rich and what a massive weight saving on that battery. that is huge!!

Whats involved in the TUV? Is it essentially the german MOT on the car as a whole or are you getting the new items TUV approved? Would I be right in saying you removed your aircon system or just the pump? Tempted to do it on mine as Ive not used it since owning the car and the pump is knackered. Ive ordered up a non-aircon belt to fit in the meantime until I decide what way to go.

ELA removed all of his aircon system. I've removed just my pump and I could tell the difference when driving the car, even though it's only 6KG. I reckon that's because it's so far back on the chassis, I doubt I would notice 6KG from within the wheelbase. I left my aircon pipes in, and cable tied plastic bags over the pipe ends to prevent/reduce water/dirt ingestion.

Kudos for removing the pump, that back bolt is a b*gger to get off, I gave up and got 9e to do mine, apparently you can drop the engine a bit for better access.

Was thinking of doing that even though I have a replacement pump to fit. I ordered this belt? Im assuming that's correct? - http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/prod1...-WITHOUT-Aircon-Porsche--996-986-99610215165/

One of the bolts snapped but I think the remaining end is in a bracket that bolts onto the crank case rather than the crank case itself, so should be easy to sort. I can't remember if I dropped the engine down at all to remove it. Yep Coullstar, that is indeed the belt to use. It's a good time to consider whether to go with an underdrive pulley as well. I elected not to as I don't think the HP recovered by using it is worth the lack of speed on the water pump and alternator when in real-world traffic. This is just my opinion though, and not based on any evidence. ELA may have used an underdrive pulley though, and may want to comment on their efficacy.

Oh, and another thing: If you do elect to go with an underdrive pulley then you'll need a belt that's shorter again, i.e. one that's made for cars without aircon and that specifically goes with underdrive pulley equipped cars. They do exist, I'm pretty sure D911 sell them.

It's not something I'd considered Martin, this project is more aimed towards road driving rather than ultimate track attack They must have copied me Mike :grin: Thanks Nick I couldn't resist swapping out the previous lightweight one when I saw another -5kg was on offer A normal TUV is the same as a UK MOT pretty much, only every 2 year. My car however needs the equivalent of an SVA in the UK, as every modification in Germany has to be approved. This process is very tricky and expensive. Take the Fuchs wheels for instance, they have a 56page technical TUV report. To get my own designed parts through TUV means all the specific material conformity data, load bearing, application suitability... has to be analysed then approved by a state registered TUV engineer. There are also multiple other issue such as each Federal state has different rules; so take Hessen for instance, pretty much nothing is allowed. Bayern or Rheinlandpfalz (where I live for instance) are a little less stringent but still it is a whole order of magnitude more complex than an SVA in the UK. Regarding the underdrive pulley with no aircon here is the belt you need. Regarding Martin's point about waterpump speed etc; for me there is a slight risk, I have tried to mitigate this by doing many different things: -Improved airflow through radiators (In my case I have also only 1x Rad fan as per the GT3RS, but I also modified the way the airflow travels through the front of the car. -Reduced heat soak effect in engine bay (no AC pump or PAS pump). This also enables more airflow around engine. -LTT 71.C + new water pump Where I live there is virtually no travel and I only drive the car for fun so I'm not facing typical stop-start antics.

Thanks, Im involved in design reviews at work so it sounds like that. Do you have to provide material certs etc as well? I'm keen to do the AC delete with the pump and maybe condenser removal to help with cooling as I would like to do some track days. I'd also like it easy enough to reinstate if required.

I had problems with my A/C when I bought my car, it seemed impossibly hot in the summer. With the windows down (no sunroof), it was ok on the move but awful in traffic. Try it before making the change. Not that many years ago, none of our cars had A/C and I've driven across Spain in the summer without it (or even a sun roof). I've definitely got softer as well as older!

I can't believe it. CLR has been approved by the Rheinland Federal TUV Approval board. I have just been contacted just this second with this news that my CLR prototype 996 has been accepted and certified. So I thought, as I have dragged you guys along from the start, that you'll be the first to know. I really can't get over what this means. Right now I can only say it feels like I have just had a car accident that I should have died in and I have walked away without a scratch. I'm physically shaking! To get your own technical designs approved in Germany is not something I ever thought would happen, especially so with no formal background in vehicle design. The last few years have been battles everyday; not just the technical side but family, financial, time and all the other things associated with a project of this nature. To think that the design drawings I've been doing on the dining room table at 02:00hrs in the morning for system designs that had perhaps failed 4 times previously or lying on the garage floor in -10.C battling ideas that seemed impossible... It just seems surreal that the moment has come. In off for a stiff one or six! Thank you all for the support :worship:

:bow: :goodjob: Epic news Richard! Mega happy for you. What a result!! :thumb:

Richard, I have followed you on here, on Pistonheads and in magazines and I have to say you are an inspiration. :worship: I am in no doubt that your work, in demonstrating the potential of the M96 engine and 996 platform, has further driven the renewed interest in the 996. Here's to your successful future!:thumb: Very well done. Cheers, Tim. :viking:

Excellent

Great news Richard 👍 See you at Traben in April and buy you a beer. Paul

Tim, please forgive me for singling out your post. I feel obliged to reply as your sentiment has struck a nerve. Now I'm already 2.5glasses of Vino rouge to the worse (better some may say) right now, so grammar and expression will have to be forgiven! I have unfathomable belief in the 996 platform; as to take it this far calls into question my sanity. So although your words suggest I may have been inspirational and I am truly honoured to hear this, the 996 is the real true star. It has long been seen as the ugly duckling and unwanted one, but I have absolute belief and passion in what it stands for. 30years down the line, the purity and uniqueness that is the 'ugly one' will be really understood. If I in any way go to help it reach its true destined status, then so be it. Even Porsche themselves have shunned it. I raise a glass to the 996 and all challenges it has presented in getting CLR to where it is right now :viking:

Fantastic news. :congrats: Richard. I can't believe it's nearly 2.5 years since the project commenced and that I was the last 911uk member to see the original car before you started in earnest. It was a nice car then. I wonder how long it would take to return it to stock. :?:

Well done young man .. you did it :congrats: :thumb:

Good luck with the rest of this adventure. :worship:

Thank you for the inspiration. Well done Richard, you deserve all the success this will bring you :salut:

Well done fella! :thumb:

Truly amazing work on this and head and shoulders above anything else that has been attempted. :worship:

That's great news mate. Looking at your designs and what you've achieved I never doubted why they wouldn't pass. Much thought and effort has gone in to what you've done and seeing what you've designed compared to some other designs on (German) cars out there, they wipe the floor with them. Excellent news, just excellent!! I'll send you some crumpet! :thumb: :grin:

!!!!Well done!!!!! :worship: :thumb: 8) :lol: :thumbs:

Congrats Richard! Onwards and upwards... we'll done for having the conviction, courage and tenacity to see it through - your work will help countless enthusiasts enjoy their 996 to the max! Cheers, Ryan

Well done sir! Bloody marvellous!

Fantastic news, must be massive weight off your shoulders, to have your designs, work and quality passed with out changes or modification is a huge achievement. Now to make some money out of it :goodjob:

Sorry guys I've been absolutely flat with so many things only getting about 4 hours sleep a night for the last month or so. Truly grateful to hear you all pass on so many encouraging messages So the main reason I've been busy was to sort out the garage. Well just now I finally finished the 4 poster set-up and a few other big jobs in the man-cave. I still have to install a custom 5m wide garage door and sort out some work shop cabinets but the rest is pretty much done now. I've got to get some sleep now but here are a few pictures of the work so far:

Still hard at it then Rich! I thought you may have been having a well earned break, since the thread was so quiet. No such luck eh. Good job on the lift. Excellent. :thumb: Has the 997 not gone then? Or are the pics a few weeks old?

Hi Marky, the last picture was taken 5mins before I posted. The guy is flying over to collect the 997 towards the end of this month, then driving it to Sweden for a track day before driving it home to Oslo. Top draw first day of ownership in my book Funny thing is we did have a little break for 3 or 4 days for my 40th but ended up doing Jerez, Tarifa, Gibralta, Seville... all in this short space of time, so it was just as tiring as being at home :grin:

That sounds like my type of trip. Very nice. 8) Oh and a belated happy birthday. Same age as me. Good that the 997 is going then, well good and bad I'm sure, but it allows you to crack on and focus. And yes that'll be a great first days ownership. The lucky chap. As ever I look forward to seeing the next chapter of your journey. :thumb:

Thanks Marky, the next chapter might end up being a bit of a horror story. I haven't been able to touch the car for a while now as I've had to build the garage. I also have a new job which is a bit of a monster so no time at all. All the serious garage work now complete though thankfully. Also the RS went the other day :sad: In the end he couldn't make it over so it was transported to him: Whilst building the garage I did notice a very strange noise from the enigine upon turing it over on one occasion and also the oil pressure gauge remained at 0BAR. Then after 10sec or so it gradually rose to 2BAR (normally 4 or 5BAR at cold idle. When revving the Oil px gauge also barely responded. So for the first time in a while I had the chance to work on the car yesterday and also try out the new 4 poster. I had already ordered a new oil pressure sensor as I'm hoping it is only that, if not the engine will have to come out for a rebuild (may aswell convert to a monster if I end up having to take this route). Getting the old sensor out turned out a bit of a faff so I ended up making a new tool that got it out. Also added a few other pics to show how I got access, in case anyone else ever has to replace one: Access is tight: Hence me having to chop up a perfectly good spanner: And here is how I gained access between the inlet manifold: Unfortunately I then found out the oil pressure sensor that I ordered has a different thread so I am now stuck until the correct one arrives...

I've got fingers crossed for you ELA. Hope it'll be OK. Its quite easy to access the oil pressure switch from underneath the car using a crows foot spanner head on several socket drive extensions.... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Crows-Fo...604590?hash=item5d532fde6e:g:PLcAAOSwD39acaJZ Link to ebay example above. By the way..... Are your wheels made by Fuchs or Braid or someone else? PM if req. Many thanks Jim

Thanks James, I couldn't find my crows feet adaptors so had to find an alternative solution. I've now just ordered some more though. The wheels are genuine Fuchs. In RSR paint finish they may still be having problems though (the machine they use for this finish was broken for over a year and they didn't have a solution). Hopefully by now this is resolved.

Should have known you'd be all over that! Cheers for info. Your old 200 cell cats still sound awesome by the way..... Good luck with the engine, cheers

Bad news about the oil pressure sensor, mine needs doing too. Must get some sort of lift so I can get underneath. I don't have room for the fancy 4 post type though. Mike

Mike - try these: https://www.cjautos.eu/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=CR012 They are brilliant.

Fingers crossed for an easy fix.

Thanks Ben, I've been looking at all sorts of alternatives and they are certainly the cheapest solution I have seen. Do they lock securely in position when up?

Anyone know what is going on here. The pictures appear to be working again. I was just checking for some weight data and noticed the pictures are back :?:

Ive noticed on a few forums. I think its something to do with forum coding witchcraft where you can reinstate old photo links.

Under New management :thumbs: See => https://support.photobucket.com/hc/...ium=social&utm_campaign=051618_imagesarefreed Subscription will still be needed but now $20 instead of $399.

Thanks Terry, strange though as I haven't paid $20 for the privilege. So maybe coullstar is correct with there being witchcraft involved.

I'm so glad the pics are back. This thread is my weight loss bible. I'm currently back on the road after a clutch failure followed by a new clutch, gearbox opening/fiscal scare/closing again, brake pipe replacement, new exhaust, removal of various bits to lose more weight. It's great to be driving again at just the same time as this thread has come back as it's such a source of inspiration.

Hi Mike, sorry for the delay in responding. They do - they are a great set of ramps:

Either way I'm glad the pics are back. Threads like these are killed off when these company's destroy the links. Cool car Ben.. and ramps.

Thanks Ben, I agree with Marky, great car and ramps

Might be worth downloading those pictures, in case the policy changes back!

The message in the link states that pics have only been restored for a limited time. If you don't sign up for the $20 a year subscription they'll probably disappear again.

$20 is pretty reasonable, I'd not think about it at that price. That said, I'd not use them for new pictures...

I hope you have an Instagram page for the car ? How do you find the lwfw ?

Hi Blanc, I've never used instagram before but correct me if I'm wrong, it is a photo sharing website? In lieu of being a member I can offer these pics from a recent drive Regarding the LWFW; I did a video some time back after fitting it, the car was also much closer to stock back then, so this may give some indication:

How about some updates Richard? We would love to know how things have progressed this year, and what has worked and what required re-working. I have managed to buy a set of your modified coffin arms which are now on the back of my 996. I'm not sure how much better the car is because I fixed an alignment problem at the time that fitted them, and how much is down to your arms, and how much is down to the badge effect of knowing I have a CLR component on my car. Either way, it's better.

opcorn:

The sad truth is I have driven a grand total of 372 miles this year and probably less the previous. My current job is a 24/7 monster (5 days last week in Instanbul, urgent issues all weekend, that sort of nonsense); I've just had a recent death in the family so to be honest it has made me look at life from a different angle and I am seriously considering a complete change. Selling up properties and as ridiculous as it sounds also selling my beloved CLR project. I'm thinking of taking a good few years off work and enjoying life. I've put everything I have into this car over the last few years and it pretty much took over every thought I've had. It's difficult to take on a project of this nature and not give it your all. The car itself is difficult to describe in words. It is the most exciting car I have ever driven, and leaves me with this feeling of I'll never be able to truly master it. It is just so raw and alive with levels of involvement that just leave me feeling scared, but in a good way if that makes any sense. Of course there are little tweaks here and there, that if I had the time I would look into, but in the grand scheme of things these issues are insignificant: like a squeak from a seat, fine tuning suspension setting... All of the hard work is done and the car is off the charts as a drivers car. I have learnt a massive amount whilst living this adventure, not only the automotive design aspects but also about myself. It feels really weird even writing these words and perhaps after a good glass of wine a bit of time I'll retract these thoughts and man-up a bit. Just now though, it's all a bit up in the air... P.S I'm really happy to hear some of the earlier development work has made its way onto other enthusiasts cars here I still have loads of suspension arms etc that I designed that I think I will always keep as a reminder :thumb:

I totally understand where your coming from. I found cars do tend to take over and as much as I love them and love mucking about with them I have to consistently remind myself that family and friends are more important than the lump of metal sitting in the drive.

Amen to both the above posts Rich and Graeme. Not the update I expected Rich and sorry to hear of the family bereavement. What you've done with the car and your whole CLR brand is awesome and whilst hugely rewarding it has ruled your life whenever your "proper" job hasn't. I guess you're at a crossroads and have some soul searching to do. I can totally relate to it though. We are all petrol heads on here and I know speaking for myself, that whenever I'm not working on my car or driving it, I'm researching the next mod or looking at what car or bike I could buy next. Trouble is you look around and a year has passed, then another, then another. Life flies by! I'm 41 now yet my boyracing days when I was 18 feel like barely a few years ago! And the more you try and slow time down, the faster the years click by. I'm addicted to cars and bikes, in fact most things with wheels to be honest but like Graeme says family and friends take priority over a car. These cars are great but it's about where they take you and who with, rather than the car itself. I've enjoyed making mine the car I want it to be, but from now on it's about trips and what I do with it. It's a total cliche that we are only here once but we are. It sometimes takes a loss or a health scare to realign your priorities. I know it did with me. So whilst I'll always love cars, real life takes priority everyday of the week now. Cars are great for when everything else in life is going tickety-boo, but how often is that? :grin: Now if I can crawl around the garage floor under the car, or take the dogs for a walk with my wife, I try and do the latter. Good luck Rich and keep us posted. :thumb:

Sorry to hear that you are having a bit of a time of it. I went through similar upheaval in the last few years, a divorce and my old man passing, and decided on big changes. I sold off a load of stuff and moved countries. On the whole I'm glad I did and I'm happier for it. The one thing I miss though is taking out my SL, putting the roof down and blasting through the mountains down to the coast for tapas and to ogle the bikinis. I miss that car, and I didn't modify it at all. I'd wager you would come to regret selling the CLR... miss having something so familiar. Maybe you could just decide not to do any more to it for a few years? Keep it as is, and just enjoy it.

Very thoughtful words guys thank you I'm now into my 8th year with my 996 and in that time I have driven the most wonderful and rewarding 18574miles I could ever have imagined. Even on the first day of ownership I was doing a cross continental tour to bring it home. A few months later a family trip to Italy via Stelvio, which to date was probably my most memorable drive. The funny thing is though, for me, and I admit I may be a bit strange; the tinkering is probably more important and rewarding than the actual driving and trust me, driving is one of my biggest passions in life, just like all here I'm sure. As a true petrolhead, until the day I die I'll never be able to shake off the desire for certain cars and some of them to most will probably seem a little odd (Mk1 MX-5, Mk1 Elise, Honda NSX, Mk4 Supra, R32 GTR, 987 Boxster Spyder, Ultima, Caterham 7 to name but a few). The 911 was never really a car I had looked into before buying one but the journey I've had has been something very special, and I am honored to have been lucky enough to spend the time doing something so rewarding that few will ever have the chance to. I can't see myself without my CLR and it was certainly planned as my car for life, so these thoughts are certainly playing havoc just now. I have to consider the bigger picture though so health, family and other priorities which I have ignored for too long, are all nagging louder than ever just now

Park it in the garage, throw a sheet over it until some point in the future. It will always be there, be part of the journey as a petrolhead. Sometimes it's good to unplug (speaking as somebody who has unplugged for a while).

Blimey! The wanderer returns :thumbs:

:yahoo: Indeed - thanks for the kind thoughts people. Car needs some 'recommissioning and I have some stuff planned which I will (of course) document.

Your car is an amazing achievement but I totally get your reality check about life's priorities :thumb:

Young man .. as you well know i dont reply to questions that are not car related but im making an exception here as its you ! Talk to your wife .. she will know you probably better than you know yourself .. i know mine does anyways .. See what she suggests . I wish you well reguardless and its been a pleasure either reading about your work or chatting to you . :worship:

Echo the sentiments expressed by all here. This thread has to be one of the most read and replied to on the whole of 911UK and an inspiration to many, including non-members and those that have got here by a google search etc. Whatever you do, this thread is a great reference point of information that will inform and educate many people you will never know or meet. - Nice one.

demort, your advice and knowledge to this forum is one of our greatest assets. Now you may have stepped out of your normal tech support role on this occasion but trust me, what you suggested has indeed shocked me. Bear in mind for years whilst I've been fannying around in the man-cave, I've had nothing but threats of divorce etc, she actually said I cannot sell this car; it is like a child to me. Her words honestly! This response was totally unexpected so it looks like I may be out of jail To top it off, I had a trip to Spa and the NBR with friends this weekend, followed by a little guided tour around my local Moselle region and I was overwhelmed with just how special the car is. It must be a sign. I've had a couple of offers for buying/taking over the business but after the Mrs response and driving the car this weekend, I have not got back to these interested parties and I think it may stay that way James this project was never intended to be anything other than me sharing a few mods with like-minded enthusiasts. Somewhere along the lines though, I think I got a bit carried away and have ended up at this juncture. The fact that you see it as an inspiration and reference point for others to benefit from, really does make all the effort worth the sacrifice Thanks to the encouragement from many here and elsewhere, I am grateful to now have such a magical car, that even if it does cost me in more than monetary terms, is an experience that cannot be taken away and I am pround to have created. I best just start driving it to remind me once and a while, why I started all this in the first place

That's good to hear Rich. You're wife sounds like a good'un too. Always good to have them onside. Happy wife equals happy life. :wink:

And another thing.. Thanks to inspiration from this thread, my 996 now sports a Deltran Battery Tender battery, in the CLR stylee. The lack of mass is very apparent when driving and apart from going to H&R coilovers, it's the biggest difference I've felt from any mod. I had thought that taking 15KG out of the car from within the wheelbase was not going to make all that much difference, but it really shows. Thanks for showing the way Richard!

Thinking of you Richard :thumb: Paul.

Take good care of yourself Richie. When my mum died suddenly in 2011 and then my dad 2 years later it was a double hammer blow. Death and grief can be brutal. But we all find our way. And so will you. You, be you. And do whatever you need. You're already extraordinary. The talent that's within you is a gift. If you park it up that's okay. It'll still be there if you choose to drive forward again. Slainte mhath :cheers:

All the best, Richie. Your work has been inspirational to us all.

All the best, Richie. Your work has been inspirational to us all.

Sorry to hear about your loss. It's a terrible, but unfortunately inevitable part of this life business. You've been an inspiration to many on here, taking in work which leaves me shaking my head in amazement of what people are capable of. As far as "man up" thing, put that thought in the bin. There is no rule book on how we each choose to live our lives, and if you wish to tag out for a while to smell the roses, you crack on. If smelling the roses becomes full time, then you crack on as well. I can only offer one piece of advice. Health, whilst you go through this discovery phase, exercise must be a key part of your life. The physical benefit, along with the mental benefits of exercise will help keeping your mind from wandering into the dark depths. Plenty of my mates have gone through rough patches, and my observations on them has seen positivity return as soon as they put the runners on or get the bike back out. Good luck with your new journey, what ever that looks like

ELA, Where did you get your mirrors from? Cheers

took me 3 days but ive read this whole thread now... INSPIRATIONAL! Well done to the OP, a fantastic journey!

Incredibly I am a Porsche driver from Herts and I have just finished reading this after 3 day's too! Phenomenal thread. Listen to the wife and keep it if you can. I just sold a race car I had before Xmas and I know I'll never get a chance to buy it back again. I am not ready to start on my 997.2 C2s yet but this would be a great basis for a modification route once I no longer have it as a daily driver. Essence plus wheels and carbon roof is my first thought but I appreciate you may have stepped back from doing the conversions which may well end up saving me a small fortune! Really excellent thread. Thank you and I hope life is feeling a little kinder now. David

Don't know what went wrong but I wasn't notified that this thread had been replied to so my apologies. I came up here to post an update. So before that, again thanks for all your kind thoughts and ideas. In answer to your question crash7, the mirrors are a set of genuine Ruf mirrors that were then moulded to make from Carbon Fibre. Still even retain electric functionality Update: I drove the car for the first time in what must be getting on for 6 months today. It is always scary when I first get behind the wheel as it is such a different animal to anything else. So I treat it with a great deal of respect especially more so when it is early March, very cold and I'm running Cup 2's. Reason for the update is I've been asked many times now for some performance data to back up the philosophy. So I took the car to my private test track for a little test run. Knowing the conditions were not perfect and I hadn't even checked the tyre pressures, I just gave it a fairly gentle start to get a rough idea of how the CLR pulls from rolling to 130mph. I've not reviewed the times in any meaningful way as I'm not overly fussed but to be honest I was quite impressed with how it felt. Really does pull quite hard and the drive there and back reminded why I went down this path in the first place. I am truly over the moon with the car with just how mental it is. I also have a private hill-climb venue :cough: and the drive up and down that just now was breath-taking. I was prompted to take the car out today having read a few post by some prolific posters here who are considering selling. Don't do it guys, just pick a dry day and go for a blast. I'm still shaking now :thumb: So even with a whole list of excuses :grin: it looks like the car still achieved the following from my crappy iPhone video: 0-60mph in 4sec 0-100mph in 8sec 0-124mph (0-200km/h) in 14sec All times rough based on the video below In order to make the video I also spent an hour this afternoon making this little holder which did just the job: Besides this I also recently bought one of my all time favourite cars with the aim of adding a little CLRness into it, so far already dropped 18.85kg :thumb: Already knee deep into it: Good to be back where I belong :mechanic:

Just brilliant. :worship: :thumbs:

Outstanding :thumb:

0-100 in 8 seconds is seriously impressive!

Damn that things like lightning! Great job. I love the inspiration for the post too!

That is very impressive! Good to see you enjoying the car and looking forward following the CLRness being added to the new addition. As you said, get out and drive and you then realise what you have! 😀🏁

Welcome back :thumbs:

Bice Richard.....love the sound too

I'm only new into looking at car forums and just generally having a deeper interest in cars, but this is by far one of, if not the, best threads of any sort I've found relating to any sort of car. Truly an incredible and inspirational journey, that I hope will be a useful source when I hopefully one day get a 996 and start tinkering. While I understand that such is unlikely to be anywhere near a priority for you, is there any chance of the drive by Jethro Bovingdon mentioned almost two years ago materialising? To see a video of him driving the car and hear his thoughts on it would be a really interesting way to round off the thread and progression of the car, as well as being immensely entertaining for anyone who's followed this thread for at least part of your journey through building the car. Finally, is there a thread anywhere with the Lotus? If it is anything at all similar to this, it will undoubtedly be another great thread.

ELA has been spending his time elsewhere lately. See --> http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=134906&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=elise

Good to see you've signed up the the official "add lightness" marque, Richie

Thank you very much T8!

F15hface this post has struck a chord with me to get my a55 in gear. Since getting the car TUV Approved I've pretty much left the car in the garage and forgotten about it with so many other issues taking priority. I think I owe it to the car to get it perfectly set-up for a serious review. I will take the car to the best in the business over the next few weeks for some professional driver sessions and set up (Manthey Racing). Once fully sorted, I'll look at finally getting a video review done. I was previously in email contact with Jethro but since then he has started a new life over in the States. Although he would be my No.1 choice, if he is unable to take up the challenge I'll look into other options Regarding the other point you raise; I'm really overwhelmed to hear you value the content of this thread and if it one day motivates you to get into a 996 and start a similar journey then all my efforts have been worth it :thumb: Thank you

I made a little video today highlighting some of the key features on the CLR 996. I'm not one for being in pictures or videos. This is raw footage with no editing or preparation (either the car or myself), just a case of picking up my phone and running with it, so apologies in advance. I also forgot to go over many aspects of the car such as the steering rack, Polycarbonate windows, wiring loom alterations... but hopefully you catch the drift. Due to the size it is split into six parts including front and rear axle, exterior, interior, paint scheme, test drive and exhaust testing: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Hi Richard, thanks so much for doing those. It's great to see the car in video as well as the thread pics. Can you describe how you arrived at using no front anti-roll bar? I'm considering going with a base model Boxster one to try to reduce my front roll stiffness to improve low-speed turn in. I also have a lighter than standard front end, with 1 rad fan, no aircon gubbins, same battery as you, and no spare/toolkit.

Hi Martin, I would not recommend removal of the ARB for the reason you mention. In order to improve turn in I would adjust camber and toe angle, then alter the rake angle (+front bias). I don't go into detail in the short clip but my primary reason for ARB removal was to reduce steering force load. Also bear in the mind I have around 250kg removed so besides the components you mention: all hifi/amps, carbon bonnet, carbon wings, Fuchs 17's and light Michelin tyres, forward brace, horn x1, batt tray, alarm, all associated bracketry...basically anything I could get away so there is probably at least another 50kg from the front end. In removing the ARB you will indeed improve initial turn-in but this will be at the detriment of induced chassis flex, leading to roll and snap oversteer. In unison with the completely altered geometry 52mm wider front track, lower castor angle, more camber, Ohlins and -18% weight I just about get away with it but this car was not designed with ultimate lap times in mind, I wanted to recreate handling of old, to make it more characterful and rewarding in all driving conditions. I wish you were here today you could go for a test drive in my car and see what I mean (23.C and not a cloud in the sky ). By all means whip your ARB off and try it but take it steady. I think you will be putting it back on again pretty sharpish unless you have gone to extreme lengths to counteract the inherent chassis dynamic changes I mention above.

Nice to see one of the all time best car threads living again, thanks for the video updates, I still want to know even more about the car though! Ultimate road going 996 :thumb:

I tried no front anti-roll bar a couple of years ago whilst troubleshooting a knocking sound. It was pretty much as you say, much better turn-in but snap oversteer once the car loaded up past a certain point. It meant drifting roundabouts in the rain at 20mph was a cinch, but pressing on in the dry on long sweepers was something to really focus the reflexes. That's why the plan is to keep an anti-roll bar but go for something much softer than the M030 that's on there currently. I do now have much stiffer shocks and springs on the rear, and that's what cured 80% of my understeer problems, but I'm still hankering after more front end bite and better ride. If I could afford them, then I'd go for Ohlins, but as it stands I think I'm going to re-valve my H&Rs as on full soft they're still too hard for anything but a smooth road.

Hi Martin, as a quick fix perhaps try a slightly stickier front tyre compound than the rear. It might fix your issue perfectly, something like a CUP2 up front and a MPSS4 on the rear. I would not normally suggest different compounds as side wall flex and other issues may be a negative side effect but for what you are looking for it may be a simple and cheap solution. Thanks Munky, I do try to put most of the data and development on this site. I'll also look into options for video reviews

Good update Rich. Nice vids. I've only watched part one, but I'll get the rest watched soon. Goodstuff! 8) PS. You're one of those blokes that has a calming influence. I can't imagine you throwing spanners around when things don't go right, like I do. :grin:

Details and LOTS of photos of this fantastic ALFA PROJECT have been moved to a separate thread. Click Here -> CLR Alfa Project

I've just spent the last week reading through this, very gripping stuff. Seems you have done a cracking job by any ones standards. It's one thing to take an idea and make it work, it's another to go to town like this. I can't believe you had the patience to stick at it. I'd have lost the plot long ago but I do know what it's like to have a dream. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read with some first class ideas and info for the rest of us. We are all aspiring to make our 911's better in some way or another but that's a high target to be aiming for. I'm on a bit of a 'restoration" of my own car and as I go I'm doing a few mods here and there on a tight budget. A few things I do want though are the gt3 seats and a lightweight battery. I'll be doing the clutch and other bits so I'll go the lwfw route. Can I ask what spec battery you were able to use? It's a weekend toy and I have a c-tek so the whole race car things grand. I can also sort AaAn aluminium bracket easy enough too. Can I ask your opinion on an aluminium race car style undertray instead of the standard plastic ones? I could knock this up easy enough. Any thoughts on this?

Hi Ned, the best battery in the case you state would be the: Shido Lithium LiFePO4 LTZ14S You can probably pick one up for £100 new, they weigh about 950gr so a saving around 16.5kg just on the battery. You will need a suitable lithium trickle charger; only around £40. The OEM undertray is made from steel so you will save another 1kg or so here (the exact weight saving is probably on my first page, it may even be a little more). Glad to hear you are looking into weight saving options and have found the thread useful ETA: just checked the first page: battery tray is 1.2kg

Hi Richard The undertrays Ned is referring to are the ones that fix to the underneath of the car rather than the one the battery sits on.

Hi Richard, is that a bike battery? And martins right, I'm just talking about the chassis under trays. I'll sort the battery box/tray when I get to the battery

Hi Ned, yes a bike derived lithium battery. Very compact but has plenty of cranking power. Regarding undertrays, the standard plastic ones are very light. So I guess you are looking at this for other reasons. I personally wouldn't bother as I can't even see marginal gains. Only possible positive may be if in doing so you fit NACA ducts and route some cool air around the engine

I was only asking about Ali under trays is because I need some and just thought about making them rather than buying. I'll maybe look more into this when I get that far :thumb:

Hi richard. Another question for you. What belt did you use to drive the water pump? I currently am sorting electric power steering in the frunk so I can do away with the power steering pump at the rear. I also have ripped out the aircon as it didn't work anyway. The pumps are still in place but I'll be dropping the engine so it'll be easier to whip them off then. I remember you cut off the bracket for ps pump. Did you keep the aircon or ditch it? Did you have an under drive pulley and what belt did you use?

Ned it was actually a little complicated, I redesigned pulleys, removed idler pulleys, reversed belt run in places... Here is my solution to the belt run. From memory I used a PK1445 belt, but that would only work for you if you did the exact same. It is easy to measure the belt you need just use a piece of string, any slight miscalculation (+/- 10mm) will be taken up by the tensioner pulley. I have removed both PAS and AC pumps

Thanks for the reply. I didn't realise belts could simply be measured and bought like that. I'll leave it until I drop the engine. I might see about getting an under drive pully made at that stage. All depends on cost I suppose compared to buying one. Haven't given much thought to that side of things yet, also still unsure about the rs fan delete on one of the rads. I have whipped my battery out, a bigger than standard fit for some reason weighing in at 21.5kgs according to google so a good saving to be had there.

What has happened about selling parts or conversions? I'd like a set of your extended seat runners to allow rear seat access with buckets

Possibly would need a set of these myself

Sorry guys recent new toy has been keeping me busy: As much as I'd love to be involved in car building and manufacture full time, I'm just very busy with my real job so the cars will just have to be for fun :thumb: Ned your battery sounds like a monster, possibly a TT battery as they are heavier than Carrera ones.

Yeah the battery is a big one alright. Nice we bit to be shaved off there. I must look more at the bike battery you recommended. Hard to believe something that small would do.

I found this thread last Friday... First, I could not believe what I found. It's like founding something I was looking for ages. How did I found it? Well, I was in contact with various people and companies for about two years now, to get the details on weight saving potential. I work on my priority list on what to work next, etc. Most of the time the documentation of weight is not precise, or pictures, etc. are missing. So I was in contact with Cargraphic to get some details on their lightweight carpet, as usual, I got at least the number, without some real details. I used google to search for it, and the thread of your GT3RS appeared. Which was already a revelation! But then I found this, a very detailed documented and logically thought through project. I spend the last weekend reading this thread and I have to say, that it needs to be documented as a PDF for future generations! This information shouldn't get lost. After I sorted out my ideal suspension setting the last two years(I wanted a 997 to handle like a 996), a similar project to this here is on my list for the next two years! Starting this March. Most of the parts have been collected over the last year. It's time to start. Especially the carbon roof top is a must for me, as it's the highest point of the car and I have a sunroof fitted on mine Thank you Richie!!! :worship:

:welcome: Rob :bye:

Sincere apologies for causing you to lose a weekend Rob :grin: Glad to hear you have found some of the information here useful for your own project. I'm getting pretty close to a stage in the Alfa development now where I can get back into other projects. The 996 will be going to Manthey Racing soon for final development testing on circuit with pro test driver including geo set-up and hardware review. The car will probably be with them for some time and I'm looking forward to see what the results will be once they've waved their magic wand over it. The reason for this is I have hand built the car so I just want to make absolutely certain that all my changes are approved and thoroughly checked by the best in the business. Especially the effects of things like the hub positioning, no front ARB and Ohlins settings all working in perfect harmony. I just feel Manthey have so much experience in this field it takes out all the guess work and endless testing and adjustment to try and find the correct cohesive balance. Keep me informed on how you get on with your car

Richard ,I was watching this video and it made me think of you . have you done or considered doing this to lose more weight or are there more cons than pros in doing it. https://www.facebook.com/kkclassicporsche/videos/177373823362897/ also are you doing Dinslaken this year mate :thumb: :thumb:

Hi Phil, I've done a few areas on my latest Alfa project regarding some thick aluminum rotating parts but to be honest in that video you are dealing with secondary structural areas probably only 0.9-1.1mm thick, so in total my guess is 3-5kg saved. It is a lot of work for very little gain but the main benefit of lightening holes such as this, would be for improved structural rigidity. I would like to try and make it to Dinslaken but my main focus just now is getting the Alfa finished. Hopefully within a month I'll have a clearer picture as it would be good to do a Moselle/NBR tour with some of you guys that may be interested :wink:

Sounds good mate , hope to catch up with you in Dinslaken :thumb:

That looks very pretty but you'd have to be careful you weren't compromising the structure of the part quite badly by doing this. On non-structural parts it's great but it could end up seriously reducing the torsional rigidity or crash resistance - as I'm sure it has done so in this case.

yes Richard said the same , I was also what I was thinking which was why I asked and agree with what Richard said about it not actually losing much wieght as the metal is light anyway. :thumb: :thumb:

Everybody likes 'Speed holes". :grin: https://youtu.be/G3ja6Hn8ps4 My mates early race cars were always full of holes, but nothing structural, just inner door skins etc. No worries if there's a full cage but you wouldn't want to do it without a cage. Same as carbon fibre doors etc. You'd want door bars as a second defence.

Hi Richard, Well, I got rid of my Alfa, to have less headache, to be able to focus on my Porsches. You're making it the other way round. I like your approach to hand over the car to Manthey Racing. Those guys are benchmark! My issue was that everyone is focused on performance only. Not about the feel of driving and interaction with the car on reasonable speeds. Therefore you have to be careful with Manthey here. They are making a weapon out of your car and will reduce the playfulness and driver interaction. You can't just hand over the car to them and expect a result as per your expectation. You have to be involved in this project yourself. I struggled to find a company that understood my needs. They are obsessed with more grip, more performance, more everything. That's why it took me a lot of research, fine tuning and a step by step approach to come closer to my target. At the end I spend a day to figure out a geo setup with a geo expert that I like and worked with different spring rates from à–hlins(springs are reasonably priced at à–hlins), against different opinions of experts. You know, Porsche designed the car with intention to generate maximum grip at the rear, I really struggled to reduce some camber at the back to make the limits of the car more approachable. I wanted to have good handing, without any weight savings. So if I have weight savings applied, it will get even better. But this is all in all a long and maybe boring story... This spring is the aim to get rid of 103kg, with still remaining focus on overall driveability and fun. - Relocation of the Li-Ion Battery further forward and down, where the tool box was located - Driver and Passenger seat - Removal of the Audio stuff - Getting rid of the carpet foaming - 18" wheels with narrower tires - Removal of Front-Rear Bumper Support, etc. Can't wait to feel, how the car is going to improve further. I just received adjustable semi-solid engine mounts today, can't wait to try them out. Just a question regarding the gearbox mount. Which one do you recommend, a stock version or a PU version? Do you have the tool to press it out? Should be an easy job with the right tool. No one is able to help me here, seems like the German guys in the German forum don't care a bout driver involvement Will be fun in combination with an adjustable sway bar. I have difficulties to get my FIA seats and steering wheel extension TUV approved. Do you have a TUV on hand who is willing to help here? Next step will be, selling my boring 997 Turbo to get some liquidity and to be able to focus on this project. Then moving on with interesting stuff like a carbon roof and ducktail end of the year, need your advice when moving on with this stuff. Should be my absolute dream car by 2021 uh: