987 Cayman LS Conversion

I've decided to do an engine conversion on my 2006 Cayman S . An LS conversion. When I started researching for information & pics I quickly found out there wasn't much around with any real detail. Sure there were pictures of finished cars but none with any of the juicy stuff, like what to do with the firewall.. Anyway I know there will be haters out there however, it's important to point out that a dressed 3.4 is 40 lbs heavier than a dressed LS. Now I know I could have gone the 3.9 stroker route but in Australia that would set me back around 50k once you did the dollar exchange, factored in the freight + duties, tax, etc all for an engine with only around 380-400 hp & I just can't justify 50k for such a little gain. Now that I've covered all of the above I'll try to add & show what I've done & why.

I think it will be interesting to see lots of pictures and how you achieve the conversion. Certainly no hate from me .

I don't have any pictures of the engine removal so I'm going to get right into. I decided to use the kit from Renegade Hybrids in Las Vegas, using the engine cradle, C6 corvette engine mount brackets, Pro Efi engine management, Kennedy engineering adapter & clutch, etc. Renegade Hybrids have been fantastic, keeping me informed of progress on how it was all coming together. I'd mentioned I wanted to use the Boxster S transmission as it would take the extra power & torque. After a few chats I also mentioned about changing the ratio of 6th gear, making it more like an overdrive. Great idea said Travis but why don't we change the ring & pinion ratio instead aking them all a little taller. Given the flat 6 only had around 250 foot pounds of torque & the LS will have around 500 made it a no brainer. Throw in a Wavetrac lsd , some new sinchros etc and voila, we're done.

Renegade hybrids has been in the game for a while so I can see the logic of reaching out to them. The only thought I have regarding a conversion like this is the following: it has to be done for the pleasure of the owner of the vehicle and for the vehicle to be kept. To go through this process and then try to sell the car I think would be where it becomes a fool’s errand.

As you can see in the pics the engine is right up against the fire wall so it will need clearancing. You can also see how the engine mounts to the cradle & how the gearbox is mounted.

It looks well resolved. I guess my only question would be this, wouldn’t it just be easier to get a used Corvette? I have to believe that the cost structure would be very similar if not cheaper

I'm a Porsche guy. Hard to believe I know. Corvettes are not cheap in Australia and a Cayman doesn't have the prestige or resale that a 911 has + the the Porsche provides an excellent platform to modify

The hardest point on any project is crossing the point of no return. I knew I had to clearance the area for the front of the engine however, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. After much procrastination I gear up, grinder in hand & make a cut. Now my gut started to churn & I thought, we can still weld that up. LOL. No, just keep going. The more I did the easier it became.

Now I know it looks a bit rugged but this is where it starts to take shape. I took the car to a local shop Iron Knuckles Street & Custom to have the firewall tidied up.

That's a really good point. Im an older guy now & I've had 2 x 911 's. Yes I like working on my cars as much as driving them. This one will be my last. My keeper. At 60 years old there's now only so much more the body will accept. If I can have a solid 15 years with this car I think it will be worth it.

I’m older than you, and to borrow a line that had nothing to do with cars: they will have to pry the key to my Spyder out of my cold dead hand unless the day comes that I just can’t drive it anymore first.

Here's a view from the underside with the engine in.

Awesome project, thanks for sharing! Make sure you join the Facebook group, <Swapped Porsche >. A ton of 911 swap guys, plus a few Boxters, Caymans ,and others, all very valuable resources. A couple Audi swaps into Porsches also. Tyler Chavis is on there, his shop has done a ton of 911 LS conversions and at least one Cayman . Jordan Musser with that green LSA twin turbo drag Cayman is a member. Looking forward to seeing your progress and pics. Good luck!

Interesting guy...

From post # 14 "Here's a view from the underside with the engine in" The thing that got my attention is the extreme angle of the CV joints, not sure how long would these last..

I've checked out his YouTube vids. An awesome build.

I've not heard of any failures with the cv's. That's not to say they don't, I guess we'll find out.

My previous builds were done with the car on stands & me on my back. I was determined to have a hoist for this one. I've had the engine in & out that many times now I can't images doing the project with a jack. If you have the room in your garage I can't recommend it enough.

Having the hoist meant every time i worked on the car it was always from underneath. In fact i never really looked at it from the top for some weeks.

With the engine clearancing done for the most part the next step was the exhaust . I didn't want to use an iron manifold, being a porsche i believed it deserved better than that. I'd looked around & initially i thought I could use pipes out of a C6 corvette. They're not cheap once landed in Australia with no guarantee that they would work. I checked out Jeff Pound's LS7 build over & over for inspiration. I must include a big shout out to Jeff at Pound Design Auto. He has a quality car & offers everything you would need + heaps of advice to get you over the line. In the end it was decided to get the boys at Iron Knuckles to do the exhaust . CNC machined flanges. Merge collectors. 32" primary tubes all into 3" exhaust , 400 cell cats (pollution requirement in Australia), a small 9" muffler into custom mufflers exiting through 3D printed stainless steel tips (modelled after the tips on W1 McLaren).

A sneek preview of the prototype exhaust tips in plastic before the real thing.

It's your Cayman don't sweat what anyone else thinks enjoy your car.

It's your Cayman don't sweat what anyone else thinks enjoy your car.

Wow, that is not a garage.. it is a repair shop with one lift! Congratulations! PS: There has been several documented engine swaps into the 986 /987 chassis but most of them using the Audi V6/V8 engines, here is one: 3.0 30v swap in a tip - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

LOL, I was determined this time around. My wife always sees space as somewhere to put something. Grrrrr. Cheers for the link.

I really got carried away with the exhaust .

I was undecided on the exhaust tips. Eventually settling on a copy of the tips on the latest McLaren W1. the 1st prototype was a little too big so we trimmed them down a little to what we have now. The pics below show the 1st prototype positioned in the car.

Here is the view with the correct 3D printed prototype.

Some more pics of the exhaust coming together.

EPIC build! Very cool - I think you have a friendly audience here!

More progress with the exhaust . We had to make a hanger for the exhaust as the oem would no longer fit. We scanned rear end & the boys designed it in house.