convert c4s into a genuine turbo

this is my first thread - so if i sound like an idiot please be sympathetic. i own a c4s manual/ hardtop - and have done for over two years now. ive recently spent a lot of money on the car - servicing/ brakes/tyres/ suspension everything that needed doing basically, including new exhaust. i like the 996 turbo with its extra 100bhp and insane top end potential but the only ones i can realistically afford to buy are very bad examples with intergalatic mileage - suspect service history - and in tiptronic which im not keen on at all. the question is - is it mechanically possible to convert a c4s into a turbo - aside of the aesthetic of purchasing a new dash because the engine revs lower than the c4s, salvage front and rear spoilers and a salvaged engine - will the gearbox take the extra bhp, ive read that the suspension on the rear is stiffened also because of additional weight but could i get away with leaving it as it is? and finally does the engine require the extra air ducts cut into the rear quarters or could i get away without buying salvaged rear quarter panels and then doing a cut and weld job. on paper with a part ex on a salvaged engine to do the conversion appears thousands of pounds cheaper than buying a good example 996 turbo - all feedback is welcome

Its a completely different engine, which i think retails at £20,000 from OPC's. Surely it would be cheaper just to part ex your c4s against a turbo, there must only be 5 grand difference surely?

It would make no sense at all chopping up a good C4S to make a turbo as whatever you do, it will not actually be classed as a turbo. Also; as chriscoates81 has correctly stated, the C4S and Turbo have totally different engines. I am pretty sure that you can find a very decent Turbo around and the cost of moving to one to another will be less than you may think.

Your thought is that buying the salvaged parts (and assuming salvaged engine and all ancillaries ok - plus you will need that gearbox me thinks), paying for the extra substantial work to fit it, plus the work to change the external bodywork aesthetics and essentially creating what is really only a poorly balanced cobble without the other Turbo features of suspension etc will be a viable alternative to a trade in/part exchange for a real Turbo sounds madness. Resale difference of such a vehicle and a real Turbo would be colossal too, important if the reason you are doing it all is for financial reasons. As an exercise in 'can it be done and for how much' (if money was no object) it might have merit but not as a means of acquiring a cheaper 'Turbo', is my opinion.

Once you have factored in the cost of labour and time - even if it was all your own - I think you may find that it may not be a worthwhile exercise. And when it comes to resale... you may encounter further issues ...

I did ask myself whether I should respond to this as I don't think you'd get very far before deciding for yourself that it is a false economy if not totally unfeasible. As others have said, the engine and transmission are completely different, so you'd soon find out that no-one can mate your current transmission to the turbo engine. These cars are not blunt tools, they are engineered from the ground up for each model variant. Even shared parts will often be calibrated differently. It's not just a difference in engine power but a massive difference in torque. Is the AWD system be calibrated differently when used on the turbo model, will every component on the engine and transmission have the same mounting points and slot straight in with no other change than changing the engine cover and cutting holes in the sides for the intercoolers, the car's software will be programmed to expect communication from the systems it was set up to interface with (if you bodge half and half C4 and turbo parts it will not be happy) etc etc etc. If you saved any money, that would be because you bodged it by not changing all the affected parts and you'd probably enjoy more doing up and refreshing a leggy example of the real car than doing a DIY special that will not drive as well as the worst example of the real thing.

Seen this? Turbocharged C4S on eBay. Price of the conversion wasn't cheap though... http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=171437864187

LOL, Looking at the Pic of the engine bay you can dip the oil but not top it up. Doing anything it that bay looks like a chore.

OMG... !

I used to be into modding cars big time, but I wouldn't dream of anything more than fundamental tweak on a Porsche - to be honest I find your average performance specialists struggle to get much more out the standard setup because its well sorted in the first place - remember you are already starting in super car territory, not trying to get there in the first place. OK there's a bit of tweaking to the air intake and maybe an exhaust upgrade with a bit of remapping possible - but they are on the whole reluctant to do much to the engine. A whole world of pain I think if you go for it, and other than an interesting story to tell, I think you'd have the devil's own job to do it - and as others have oft pointed out, it will probably be a liability when you come to sell it. Personally I wouldn't. All that said, if you want to look at modding the engine consider getting it bored out and rebuilt - might find you an extra 50 BHP - one company I might suggest is Autofarm who have a great reputation rebuilding the M series engines - check this article out here http://www.autofarm.co.uk/pdf/911PW_Apr06.pdf Good luck. J

If I had a C4s I would be over the MOON! be happy with what you've got. [ ]

^^^^ This.

Won't be a genuine turbo, but others have suggested this works quite well for a power boost..... http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996/259452-ima-twin-turbo-kit-installed.html Best