BoxsterLS376 introduction - LS3 conversion :)

[bramwell]

The video explain well.

[Qmulus]

I don't get why the subject of Evan coolant always comes up in projects like this. In my experience, it doesn't live up to the hype. Maybe if you have an old car with a big radiator and a system that doesn't handle pressure well maybe it makes sense, but I see no reason to run it in a modern cars with cooling systems designed around coolant with specific properties. Does it solve a big problem you have thereby justifying the expense and need to re-engineer the system to use it? I would like to see a case where it did...

From the two guys that I know tried it, one just thought it was a good idea and used it on a car that never gets driven. He could have used anything and been fine. The other had trouble with the conversion, as in running much hotter, fans on all the time, etc. Evans first told him that he had not gotten all the old coolant out of the system (it was filled from new, dry components), or that it had air pockets (it was filled with a vacuum system and very carefully bled), then said that it was normal, and that he should run a high capacity water pump, special thermostat and change the fan control temp to keep the fans from running all the time. Those changes were not possible on that vehicle. After spending a LOT of money, he went back to standard coolant and had no cooling system issues. It was an expensive experiment that just added more issues to an already complicated project. I will say this was years ago, and maybe things have changed, but this guy still talks people out of Evans if they ask about it.

I can't say that I have ever had a cooling system issue with a properly maintained system. The issues that I have had wouldn't have been solved by running a no/low pressure coolant. I LIKE the fact that if I have a leak in the middle of nowhere, I can just add water to get me going. With Evans, you need to have coolant with you as water will contaminate it, eliminating its "benefits".

Do a search on Evans coolant and see what you find. If you are absolutely convinced that you need it for some reason, give it a shot. Maybe it will work great. Me, I wouldn't go there.

Just my $.02.

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

Hi,

i would go with a coolant fluid that is recommended for your Chevy engine.

I also wouldn't go with the evans fluid, because besides the water problem there are some problems when it comes to cooling high performance engines. That is why Jay doesn't use it in high performance cars. And the Boxster mid engine cooling situation for a LS3 is definitely not that good. Even if Renegade is using that coolant - which i think is just for marketing and not under technical aspects.

Regards Markus

Yeah I agree, I'm sure Renegade is promoting and selling it, but it does offer some interesting benefits too so I can see why they may use it. After researching I definitely don't see enough benefit to justify the added expense and hassle if there were a problem. Hopefully just by upgrading the radiators that will be enough to keep this thing cool, if not we can always upgrade later!
Thanks!
J

Originally Posted by bramwell

The video explain well.

Yeah their tradeshow video with Renegade is the only reason I looked into it, definitely sounds great and has great benefits for the right project, but this one is not it

Originally Posted by Qmulus

I don't get why the subject of Evan coolant always comes up in projects like this. In my experience, it doesn't live up to the hype. Maybe if you have an old car with a big radiator and a system that doesn't handle pressure well maybe it makes sense, but I see no reason to run it in a modern cars with cooling systems designed around coolant with specific properties. Does it solve a big problem you have thereby justifying the expense and need to re-engineer the system to use it? I would like to see a case where it did...

From the two guys that I know tried it, one just thought it was a good idea and used it on a car that never gets driven. He could have used anything and been fine. The other had trouble with the conversion, as in running much hotter, fans on all the time, etc. Evans first told him that he had not gotten all the old coolant out of the system (it was filled from new, dry components), or that it had air pockets (it was filled with a vacuum system and very carefully bled), then said that it was normal, and that he should run a high capacity water pump, special thermostat and change the fan control temp to keep the fans from running all the time. Those changes were not possible on that vehicle. After spending a LOT of money, he went back to standard coolant and had no cooling system issues. It was an expensive experiment that just added more issues to an already complicated project. I will say this was years ago, and maybe things have changed, but this guy still talks people out of Evans if they ask about it.

I can't say that I have ever had a cooling system issue with a properly maintained system. The issues that I have had wouldn't have been solved by running a no/low pressure coolant. I LIKE the fact that if I have a leak in the middle of nowhere, I can just add water to get me going. With Evans, you need to have coolant with you as water will contaminate it, eliminating its "benefits".

Do a search on Evans coolant and see what you find. If you are absolutely convinced that you need it for some reason, give it a shot. Maybe it will work great. Me, I wouldn't go there.

Just my $.02.

Thanks Qmulus,

I can't speak for other peoples builds and am not sure how long Renegade/Evans have been associated but my guess is they are the reason this question comes up I wouldn't have even thought about it if I hadn't seen that video but as I mentioned, definitely seems to offer some great benefits... do they outweigh the negatives in this situation, not likely but figured it was worth researching.
I appreciate the feedback!
J

[BoxsterLS376]

Greetings everyone,

Looks like this is my 100th post on the 986forum and as much as I want it to be a video of me firing up the ol' LS Boxster we're not quite there yet! However I wanted to take a second to thank everyone for following along on this adventure, it wouldn't be as fun if you all weren't along for the ride!

Well I got a bit more together this week and am starting to get down to the little things. All of the main bits are in place and now it is a matter of making it all work together! The exhaust is the last main component I need to get in place and was able to get most of it sorted out this weekend. After that I need to finalize the cooling system then figure out the wiring and hopefully this bad boy will be rollin'!


*Technical bits - For those who are taking notes*

Transmission spacing - I ended up with about 1/4" spacer or 2 fat washers. Gave me the clearance I needed for the shifter while leveling out the motor in the engine compartment a bit. I'm sure every installation is going to be a bit different so just make sure you have clearance where you need and adjust accordingly.

Porsche Coolant Sensor - I answered some PM's about this but I don't think I went over it here. The GM computer needs the coolant temp sensor on the block to run and tapping into the wires can screw up the signal so If you want your coolant gauge to work in the car the easiest thing to do is add a Porsche sensor to the LS block. Both cylinder heads are already tapped for GM sensors so all you need to do is locate the GM coolant sensor and pull that plug out on the opposite cylinder head. The thread pitch on the Porsche sensor is 14 x 1.5mm which requires a 12.5mm or 1/2" drill, luckily the GM sensor is small enough that there is plenty of meat to drill out the GM threads and tap it with the 14 - bada bing~


So the focus this weekend was on getting the exhaust sorted out which is probably about 75% done, although the hardest part is done! Still need to hang one muffler and sort out the tail pipes, then i'll need to weld in the o2 sensor bungs and finish up all the welds. Hopefully i'll get that done tomorrow - boss is away for a few days

Here are some pictures to help explain things...

Old factory axles vs. FEQ axles - the FEQ actually has a larger axle shaft and looks pretty good! We will see how long they last! Need to look into getting some upgraded ones made...


This is the X-Pipe mount in progress... I took the factory aluminum bar off and found a nice piece of steel to bolt in its place, a bit of hammering and twisting and voila!



So my original intention was to have the x-pipe sit flat up top, but space is at a premium and I had to bend the last inch of my mount which gave me just enough clearance to tuck the x-pipe in up top at an angle and tack it into place.


Once the X-pipe was mounted to the transmission I began connecting the pipes, I made a mistake on this first pipe which caused me quite a bit more time/frustration because I got in a hurry. I should have angled it a bit more out of the V-Band clamp to give better clearance to the outlet of the x-pipe to the muffler. No big deal, just took longer to fabricate the output to that muffler as I had to make a few tight bends happen to make it all work, the other side will be straight out to the muffler!


From this photo it is hard to appreciate the trickery it took to get this freaking muffler into place!!! HEED MY WARNING MY FRIENDS! That V-Band Clamp on the muffler... yeah it could be there forever, we will see when I take it apart! Needless to say clearance is tight there too...


Well this side took a bit more trickery on the cat to x-pipe bit, but as you can see this time we have a straight shot out to the muffler!



So that about sums it up for this week... as always feel free to comment or ask questions!

Here is this weeks quick video:
https://youtu.be/GBc76XCD3fI

THANKS!
J

[Reebuck1]

Great work J...we are all following this closely!!! I was looking at the clearance on your piping from the motor to just before the CAT. It is really close to the axle c/v boot. I have a 996 motor in my Boxster and had the same problem ( close fit).
The heat from the exhaust pipe caused my c/v boot to melt. I had to wrap my pipes to help contain the added heat. Not sure if it will be an issue for you. Just a thought ! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by Reebuck1

Great work J...we are all following this closely!!! I was looking at the clearance on your piping from the motor to just before the CAT. It is really close to the axle c/v boot. I have a 996 motor in my Boxster and had the same problem ( close fit).
The heat from the exhaust pipe caused my c/v boot to melt. I had to wrap my pipes to help contain the added heat. Not sure if it will be an issue for you. Just a thought ! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.

Thanks Reebuck1!,

Yeah it is definitely tight there but I'm going coat the exhaust with VHT high temp ceramic paint and will also use header wrap in the area there near the axle boots to help prevent damage to the CV's~ Definitely don't wanna melt anything!

Also just got a few bits back from powdercoat this morning... needless to say I'm not really going conservative on this one
Thanks!
J

[BoxsterLS376]

Exhaust is almost done - whaddaya think?
Thanks
J

[Lcrivers816]

Wow that figment is pure sex. looks awesome!

[BruceH]

Outstanding work! Down the home stretch

[shockandawe]

Nice Work love the exhaust !

[BoxsterLS376]

Thank everyone!

I'm afraid I may have to remake the downpipe on the drivers side, even with the car on the ground it is really close to the CV boot but otherwise I'm pretty happy with it. The exhaust is all done and on the car now, i'll get some more pictures up later today. Also bolted up the intake last night, looks good in green
Thanks!
J

[Townhome]

After reading all your posts, I take my hat off to you.
I was contemplating an LS swap into my 2005 Boxster S that is sitting with an IMS failure. Done an LS - six speed conversion on a 69 Camaro and a 5.7 Vortec conversion on a TJ jeep. I think taking on an LS conversion to my Boxster S with the limited information available from renegade is more than I want to tackle. I applaud you for taking the time to share your information with others. I did the same with my two year 69 Camaro conversion and I know the time it takes to document everything.
Can't wait to see your finished product. Keep up the great work and Thx for sharing.

[BoxsterLS376]

Thanks Townhome, I appreciate it.

Few more pictures of the finished exhaust on and the intake - So far so good

[shockandawe]

Whats the diameter of the exhaust pipes? The mufflers are magnaflow Right?

[Reebuck1]

Love that green intake !! Thanks for sharing everything with us ......very much appreciated by all of us !!!!

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by shockandawe

Whats the diameter of the exhaust pipes? The mufflers are magnaflow Right?

The whole system is 2.5". Mufflers are Magnaflow, catalytic converters are from Verocious Motorsports - Vibrant brand. X-pipe is from Summit racing although Magnaflow makes one that is about the same but not polished.

Originally Posted by Reebuck1

Love that green intake !! Thanks for sharing everything with us ......very much appreciated by all of us !!!!

Me too
Thanks!
J

[martsink]

Hey John,
Looks like you are just about ready to go. That's awesome!
I'm just starting my wiring and I was hoping you could point me in the right direction. What did you do about the vehicle speed sensor (VSS), I just read that the engine needs this input to run properly. I was going to PM you, but I figured others might have the same question.

Vlad

[BoxsterLS376]

Greetings all,

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, been taking care of little things which are not really update worthy but that also means we are getting very close... dangerously close even

I wasn't happy about how close the exhaust was on the drivers side so remade the downpipe and have plenty of room now, plus with a bit of titanium carbon exhaust wrap they should be good to go~

spent a bunch of time figuring out the cooling system this week and have it pretty well wrapped up also. I made a few custom pipes which I think turned out pretty good, bought some 90* and 45* bends then used a few factory pipes and cut em up. Several trips to Pep Boys later and we have most of a cooling system

Only 2 major hurdles left, finish up the fuel system and connecting the wires...

Anywho, here is a quickie... i'll go over things with more detail later this week, maybe even try and fire it up although I make no promises

https://youtu.be/V_v9QbPcfpk

[Pdwight]

I live next door in Alabama, I must make a pilgrimage one day and see this fire breathing beast

[Bayley]

I would greatly appreciate any pictures you have of the serpentine belt routing.