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ALarracuente · 09-12-2010, 02:58 PM

I don't mean to take anything away from Mr. Raby, his reputation precedes him but, I performed a complete rebuild on my base '99 Boxster recently using more or less the parts he uses like LN Engineering's Nickies and JE Pistons (Thanks Charles!). I also got their IMS upgrade as well as the 160 thermostat and other goodies for fair pricing. Blueprinting, P&P, etc. of course is way out of my league.

Living in Puerto Rico, sending the engine to Mr. Raby was not an option and there is a lack of reliable Porsche mechanics here (aside from the dealer which I hate) so I was kind of forced to tackle it myself. I'm happy I did. I was able to perform the upgrade for under $7K and that included a 996 crank to make it a 2.9 and 12:1 compression. So far, I have 8K miles on this engine (the las 4K driven like I stole it) and everything is great! I'm averaging 27-28mpg and 0-60 in the low 5s. Seems to get faster with time...

I only had VW type 1 and 4, and Chevy I-4 rebuild experience in the past and was able to complete this rebuild in around 30 m/hrs so the project is 'doable' by the 'average joe'. After that, I feel there's nothing I can't tackle on this car except maybe ECM reprogramming. The major challenge with this cars still is the special tools required. Even then, they can be made 'in house' fairly easily at a fraction of the cost of new tools.

Idea: Maybe somebody can invest on these tools and rent them online (with a hefty deposit of course) thus, facilitating the job for somebody else.

If anybody is considering tackling a project like this, PM me and I'll be more than happy to chat and hopefully save you some frustrations.

Regards,
Fred

09-12-2010, 02:58 PM	#98
ALarracuente Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Guaynabo, Puerto Rico USA Posts: 21	I don't mean to take anything away from Mr. Raby, his reputation precedes him but, I performed a complete rebuild on my base '99 Boxster recently using more or less the parts he uses like LN Engineering's Nickies and JE Pistons (Thanks Charles!). I also got their IMS upgrade as well as the 160 thermostat and other goodies for fair pricing. Blueprinting, P&P, etc. of course is way out of my league. Living in Puerto Rico, sending the engine to Mr. Raby was not an option and there is a lack of reliable Porsche mechanics here (aside from the dealer which I hate) so I was kind of forced to tackle it myself. I'm happy I did. I was able to perform the upgrade for under $7K and that included a 996 crank to make it a 2.9 and 12:1 compression. So far, I have 8K miles on this engine (the las 4K driven like I stole it) and everything is great! I'm averaging 27-28mpg and 0-60 in the low 5s. Seems to get faster with time... I only had VW type 1 and 4, and Chevy I-4 rebuild experience in the past and was able to complete this rebuild in around 30 m/hrs so the project is 'doable' by the 'average joe'. After that, I feel there's nothing I can't tackle on this car except maybe ECM reprogramming. The major challenge with this cars still is the special tools required. Even then, they can be made 'in house' fairly easily at a fraction of the cost of new tools. Idea: Maybe somebody can invest on these tools and rent them online (with a hefty deposit of course) thus, facilitating the job for somebody else. If anybody is considering tackling a project like this, PM me and I'll be more than happy to chat and hopefully save you some frustrations. Regards, Fred Last edited by ALarracuente; 09-16-2010 at 02:54 PM.