My 3.6 transplant was performed by Autometrics of Charleston SC. they are a race shop that specializes in preparing Cup cars, Grand Am and ALMS (Now TUDOR). It was done by the previous owner but I did see the final invoice. To put it plainly the shop owner still refers to the job as "the car from hell".
That being said the finished product is pretty amazing. It is faster than almost any non turbo standard 986, 996, 987, 997 out there. It sounds fantastic in the top end of the rev range and DE instructors riding shotgun all comment on how much torque it has and how strong it is. I have a zeintop on my car as well so it is like the 986 Cayman prototype that would have preceded the 987 but was never seen by the public. To this end I now refer to my car as a 986 RS in a half joking-half serious manner. It really is the RS that Porsche should have built but didn't.
The conversion is not without its issues but they are very minor. One... the radio will come on when the car is not running but when you start it the radio will not come on for the first five minutes or so of it running. There was some serious wiring loom voodoo that went on and I am not inclined to dig into it just to listen to the radio, the engine plays too nice a song anyway.
The car was set up to be a track day car with a single mass flywheel, when I got the car the front motor mount was failing and so I put a Wevo SS motor mount in its place. The car ran like a banshee but the NVH was considerable. It was exciting to drive but not enjoyable for more than 30 minutes. Long trips were taxing.
When I replaced my IMSB recently I replaced the single mass flywheel with a dual mass flywheel and the front motor mount with stock. The car is far smoother and much more of a pleasure to drive now. It feels almost exactly like a 3.8 4S 997 I drove recently, but more nimble and better balanced. I call it the velvet hammer now because it is smooth and powerful, much closer to what Porsche would have built if they did not protect the 911 at the top of the food chain.
In terms of cost, the conversion was exorbitant in price and the PO lost out as I paid less for the car than he paid to get the conversion done. I bought it early in my Porsche experience and I have realized that while I love the concept of a track missle, I do not want to drive one on the street so in reality I should have bought a 3.4 Cayman S instead of what I did but I have been able to turn my car into what it is and I will continue to enjoy it every time I drive it.
