I guess this will serve as my introduction to the this forum. Apparently I'll also be one of the only people holding the torch for the
986
boys. That's fine. I think I can manage.
So what do I bring to the table?
I bring mechanical wonder and engineering the likes of which are rightfully feared worldwide.
I bring a Boxster which sounds like it has a bigger mustache than you (post them exhaust notes!).
And I do it without swapping another damned LS engine.
So allow me to introduce a nearly year long project between a good friend and I. This is the ratty as hell, 2001 Squonkwerkz Porsche Boxster, powered by a 4.2l Ferrari V8.
Next is the big reading portion where I explain the reasoning and some of the challenges we've faced.
The ultimate goal is to build this as a time attack car. Though realistically, that is still a very long ways down the road. The M96 from Porsche in these Boxsters is a decent engine, but it simply doesn't produce enough power. While we could have just built the internals and used forced induction to push one to around 400whp, the result would be unsatisfying power delivery, and an engine that's so strung out it'll experience failures almost constantly under the conditions we're planning to subject it to. Not to mention they have a severe issue with oil starvation in high G turns. So upgrading that was not a desirable option. Next we looked into engines from 911s, and while they would check all the necessary boxes, the cost of those engines is simply ridiculous. Sorry, but I'm not paying $15,000 or more for an engine that produces just 3-400hp.
The next obvious choice would be an LS engine. There is simply no way around the fact that they are the single smartest choice when it comes to engine swaps for more reasons than I care to list here. However, that's the problem with them. They're too obvious. They're too logical. They're just plain fucking boring. Why go through the pain of an engine swap, just to have something which no matter how you build it, will be quickly dismissed as "another LS swap." Pride flat out wouldn't let us do it, so LS engines were off the table.
There were many others we considered, from Audi V8s to Volvo straight 5s to rotary setups. But I ended up seeing a YouTube video of Hoovie's Garage where he had bought a cheap Maserati Quattroporte. In that episode, he mentioned that the engine was built by Ferrari, and that the cars were incredibly cheap due to the F1 transmission problems. So that got me curious about the engines.
I read about the common points of failure and even went to our local Ferrari dealership to talk with one of the techs about them (that dealership knows me by name now, they've been incredibly helpful). While I wont argue that these engines are the most reliable thing out there, their primary issues can be addressed before causing major harm. And even if the thing were to grenade completely, full replacements are remarkably cheap to find. This one in particular cost just over $3k shipped to my door. On top of that, it has a dry sump oil system, so no starvation issues. It produces nearly 400hp from factory, so I'm expecting something close to that at the wheels with the way it's being run now. It's actually 30lbs lighter than the Porsche engine its replacing, which is just a lovely detail. And to top it off, dear God the exhaust note this thing produces. I haven't taken it to redline yet and it already gives me goosebumps. Videos simply do not do it justice, as I'm sure anyone who's posted a video of their exhaust is well aware of.
It ticks oh so many boxes, and we even get to say we built a Ferrari V8 powered Porsche. How could anyone say no to that?
As for modifications to the car in order to get the engine in, there's not much that's left untouched. The rear half had to have most of the metal cut out. The trunk, firewall, chassis brace, convertible top. All of it had to go. I would say about 20-30% of the factory metalwork has been removed in the back of the car. I don't think it's entirely necessary, but we wanted to build the car in a way so the engine could be lifted out, rather than the way Porsche makes you drop it down. We did all of this in a one car garage with no lifts. So trying to lift a car on and off an engine over and over again wasn't gonna be fun at all.
In order to mount the transmission, an adapter between the engine and Porsche trans had to be made. This was the one part I couldn't do myself, and all credit goes to Kennedy Engineered Products. They put a manual clutch on an engine which, in the Quattroporte, never came with a normal manual, and got that to work with a Porsche transmission. Another problem was that the trans had to be moved back 2.5 inches due to the length of the engine. This puts the axles at rather harsh angles, and I do expect them to snap at some point. Time will tell.
Besides that, I'd say the most major modification would be in the car's electrical system. I tore out every single factory wire from the car. Even the ones inside the headlight housings were not spared. So engine, lights, cooling, and the fuel system needed to be rewired from the ground up. Still haven't done the speed sensors, but they're on the list. Need them for things like flat shifting and launch control. The engine is running on a Haltech Elite 2500, and figuring out how to wire the engine up to that was easily the biggest roadblock of the build. The amount of research that went into figuring out the pinning of all the sensors was a nightmare. Even the techs at the dealership aren't qualified to tell you things like "what is the 3rd pin on the knock sensor plug?" "Can the engine maintain temperature with the fittings for the heater core welded shut?" Its safe to say that we now know these engines better than they do in some respects lol
There is still a lot I'm omitting, but I think this suffices to get the point across. Hundreds, of hours of work have gone into making this thing. So it's hard to express the feeling of seeing it come alive.
But where is it going from here?
Well, today was the first successful test drive where the car didn't overheat. It was only a little ways down the road to the grocery store, but it was enough to get the thermostat open and watch the car maintain temperature. The car has not been to the dyno yet, it only fired up for the first time less than two weeks ago. So I've been taking it relatively easy on the engine. Even the clip above was only around 60-70% throttle. Right now I'm gonna cruise the car carefully to make sure it's fine moving around. It's scheduled for the dyno in about 2 weeks time, and as I don't have a truck or trailer, it'll be driving itself all the way there (roughly and hour away). After that? I'm honestly not sure yet, There are many things which were done to get the car working that need to be refined and done up in a more permanent way. But We'll worry about that when we get there.
Wow! That is all I can say!
Sent from my
iPhone
using Tapatalk
That's freagin impressive! I wish I had that many time on my hands, lol
What makes me wonder is that this awesome mod/upgrade/downgrade/whatever doesn't get any discussion in this forum.. Not sure what will then.
IMS
issues perhaps, lol?
you get a like for being so brave!
@bongwaterbojack, thanks for this i was starting to wonder if I was the only one doing something similar. I was curious how you remedied the
ECU
situation with the engine.. ive got the same engine and putting it in a lotus esprit and id Love to know how you got through all this. The build is looking great, nice work!
Higgypoo - Bongwater hasn't been here since right after his last post in this thread.. 10/20. I rather doubt if he'll see your message.
