Anyone have a Raby rebuild yet?

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I have one of Jake's rebuilt engines. I have put about 2000 miles on it so far and not only am I not complaining, I have been raving about it to everyone I know. I opted to keep the stock exhaust, only because I don't like the drone of the after market systems. I have the lightweight flywheel which contributes greatly to the throttle response and torque perceived in street driving. I chose every other available performance option at the time.

I did not have a blown engine at the time I decided to go for the 3.6 upgrade. This 2001 986S is the third M96 car I've had, and while I never had an engine failure, it was always in the back of my mind. My first Boxster was a 97 and I loved the way it drove and handled but just didn't have the uumpf I was used to. I decided to get one of Jake's engines the first time I read about the work being done in conjunction with L&N. Going for the full blown performance upgrade can be an expensive proposition for a car that is depreciating in value, but I can't think of a better car to spend the money on than a Boxster. The chassis and brakes are up to the task of the additional power already, and while I have not heard Jake say so, I would imagine the upgraded internals would make it feasible to go to the next level of performance with a single turbo.

I don't have any specific performance numbers right now, but I can attest that the car is much quicker and easier to drive fast than my E46 M3 or the 996 I sold while Jake was building my motor. In fact, I believe it is faster than the 930 I had back in the 90s but that was a long time ago and my memory isn't as good as it once was. I know for sure it is easier to drive hard. On the highway it is phenomenal. I can cruise at 70 in 6th gear and pass easily and quickly without a downshift. It is of course a lot more fun to drive in 4th gear at 70 and blow past traffic but in 6th I can get close to 30 MPG. As I said previously I kept the stock exhaust at least for now, but the sound of the intake is so intoxicating, along with the additional displacement, that I have a very hard time keeping my foot out of the accelerator just driving around town. Driven hard the sound reminds me of cars worth 10 times the money.

Reading here that Jake is concentrating on helping DIYers get going with these upgrades is great news. There are thousands of these cars out there that can be bought for not very much money. If you can build an engine yourself and get it back in the car you could have one very nice and highly reliable machine for the cost of a Camry or less. If I could get away with it and stay married I would pick up a 996 and do the same thing, but I need to sell a few cars and a motorcycle before I can even think about it.
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