Boxster Subaru conversion interest?

[jmatta]

Really like the project, but you lost me on the dorsal fin. Must you go that extreme?

[DANMKII]

HOLY COW!!! HOW AM I JUST SEEING THIS NOW?!

Amazing project. I too would be interested to see a full kit +harness (minus the powertrain)!

Keep up the good work, and please keep us posted. What size turbo are you running? I'm curious how tuning will be achieved- will you be using the stock ECU?


FWIW: I am doing a GC8 STI swap

[02box]

I like the concept but would rather it be more stealth. the freaky mowhawk thing doesn't work for me. but I'll watch with interest...

[kcpaz]

Guys, this roof scoop configuration is designed for race cars only where I will be needing a large amount of fresh, cool air to feed to an air-air intercooler that will be mounted in the trunk. This need for air trumps the need to be aesthetically pleasing in every way. For street cars or more mild builds with different goals, an air-water intercooler will be mounted in front of the engine and a heat exchanger will be used to keep it cool. Whether you like the look of the roof scoop or not doesn't really matter because to me, it's more important to cool the charged air going into the engine, and for this specific car and it's application, an air-air intercooler is the best way to do this.

For engine management, I'm using the stock Subaru ECU and modified wiring harness, and will be doing an open source tune.

[DANMKII]

I like the roofscoop--It is made to function. Is it possble to install a 12x12 submarine type window in the back of that thing?


Are you going with EL headers? I would be super curious to hear an UEL header on that beast! it sure would surprise the hell out of me with its intoxicating rumble.

[kcpaz]

Originally Posted by DANMKII

I like the roofscoop--It is made to function. Is it possble to install a 12x12 submarine type window in the back of that thing?


Are you going with EL headers? I would be super curious to hear an UEL header on that beast! it sure would surprise the hell out of me with its intoxicating rumble.

The headers aren't perfectly equal length so there will still be some "runble" to the exhaust.... and when the wastegates open, the thing will sound like hell

[Perfectlap]

how did you determine the minium size of the intake and what were your goals as far as optimum output? Seems like a very technical exercise to get it in the sweet spot.

[VRsyncro]

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

The Boxster/ Suby conversion makes lots of sense to me... Even though I am no fan of the German car with a Japanses engine, the suby engine is a real powerhouse.

Done right this conversion could be the key for those who want big power and aren't worried about keeping the car Porsche powered.

I agree, it's always fun to have options out there! I love my Boxster, and having the potential for both a Suby engine or Corvette LS engine is great!

Heck in my old VW days I still remember one of the coolest swaps I'd ever seen was a Cadillac 32v Northstar V8 shoe horned into an early 90's MKII Golf. Nowadays the diesel TDI engine is finding it's way into many applications, including Jeep YJ's.

Excitement through experimentation leading to application!

[kcpaz]

Quick update...

The plan was to finish the intercooler plumbing before doing the cage to make things easier... but I couldn't help myself. The cage isn't done yet (still have harness bars to add and final welding) but it's pretty close. I'll throw up some better cage pictures once everything is completely finished...

[kcpaz]

I made a custom intercooler for the trunk and started the "duct-work" to direct the hot air out the rear bumper. The last shot shows the bottom of the duct open. This will be closed off to force the air out behind the car rather than randomly under the car. I'm just waiting to pull the engine/tranny to finish everything off. You can see the turbo dumps directly into the intercooler on the driver's side, then shoots off into the engine bay on the passenger side. The plumbing will be VERY short and direct. I was going to use Wiggins clamps, but then reminded myself that this is supposed to be a "budget build" The intercooler core measures 18" x 12" x 4.5" with 2.75" inlet/outlets

[Stroked & Blown]

nice jungle gym!

[RandallNeighbour]

Man, I wish I had your resources and knowledge. That looks like more fun than a man should be legally allowed to enjoy!

[JTP]

Nice work! Definitely one of the coolest Boxster projects I've seen to date.

[kcpaz]

Intercooler plumbing finished. That's it. Only one short section of tube on the cold side. The hot side is just a 2"-2.75" coupler from the turbo to the intercooler so no plumbing there. The engine and transmission are now out so I can do all of the engine service work (TGV delete, gaskets, injectors, fuel rails, leak-down test blah... blah...) and install the flywheel. The next time the engine goes in the chassis will be to try and start it. Time to finish the cage, do the body work, and paint the thing...

[kcpaz]

Air-Jacks added...

[944boy]

sooooo jealous!! I want air jacks in my 944. I just can't justify them when they are worth as much as the rest of the car.

Oh... and that cage is beautiful!!

[bpg_austin]

I've been waiting for a kit like this to become available for a couple years now. Subscribing to this thread. Wonderful fabrication work.

[kcpaz]

So one of the things I have been dreading ever since I decided to run the wide body GT2 front end is the radiator duct situation. There are two ways to go about it, the expensive way, and the time consuming way. I chose the latter for two reasons. The first reason is the cost of converting the radiators and related duct work to the Turbo/GT2 spec. Basically, that would mean all three turbo 996 radiators, GT2 air ducts for all 3 radiators, radiator mounting brackets for all 3 radiators, and matching cooling lines along with other misc. hardware. Yeah, it's expensive... like a few thousand dollars. Not in the budget for this car. The other reason I decided to stick with the stock Boxster radiators is I want to be able to test the cooling capabilities of the stock Boxster cooling system with the extra horsepower and potential heat that the turbo motor might create. So here is what I came up with...








The side radiators are in the stock location using the stock mounting brackets. The center radiator mounts upside down using a slightly modified stock mounting bracket and the stock plastic duct. In stock configuration, the Boxster S and 996 radiator would vent down below the car through holes in the bottom of the bumper cover. Aerodynamically this is less than ideal which is why the GT3, RSR and GT2's vent up through a hole on the top of the bumper cover. What this means is I had to move the center radiator forward and angle it up to make room for some duct work that would direct the air up instead of down.

[Pat]

Great stuff, kcpaz. Keep it coming!

[kcpaz]

Plumbed the air-jacks and started on the electronic power steering conversion. Both are almost finished, just need to get a few more fittings.