BoxsterLS376 introduction - LS3 conversion :)

[BoxsterLS376]

THANKS EVERYONE!!

I really appreciate it! Was able to get the tach working today although I don't think it is reading correctly. Turns out the biggest problem was with the tap I was using on the wire, doh! This is why I usually solder everything, oh well at least it is working now.

I am hoping to have it buttoned up a bit more and trying to get it ready to go to the Caffeine and Octane car show next weekend. I'll double check with good ol' Pep Boys and see if their invitation still stands to set the car up in their little tent cause it's freaking hot out there!

Anyone in the Atlanta area planning on going to C&O? If so let me know and you can come by and check out the new beast!

Thanks
J

[JRL]

Is it this one? If not then when and where?

Caffeine & Octane | Automotive Lifestyle & Events

[BoxsterLS376]

Yup that's the one!

[JRL]

If you haven't been be forewarned - get there early - it fills up fast - really fast.

[ReallyDirtyThirty]

Looks and sounds great! Awesome job man.

Now we need a burn-out video, haha!

[JRL]

Speaking of videos when are you going to do one that gives the car justice

I have a couple of Porsche buddies that will pee their pants

[BoxsterLS376]

Hey everyone,

Went out to the show this morning but not sure if I caught up to any of you there or not. One thing I can say for sure is that it is a sleeper... NO ONE expects to find a V8 in this car. I had a small group of people who heard me pull in who chased me across the parking lot as I pulled in, those with keen ears I guess

One thing for sure is that the car doesn't display well, way too much stuff in the way with the top on etc. but those who saw it all seemed pretty impressed.

I have put about 200 miles on the car so far and have figured out a few other things which need to be addressed, but overall I'm very happy with it. I need to wire the low speed fans on, right now the Chevy ECU is just hooked up to the high speed so unless you are moving the temp gauge starts to climb to about 205* or so. Once you start moving it goes back down in the 180ish range... Keep in mind right now I also have a gutted thermostat in it so the system is constantly flowing through the radiators, need to get a lower temp t-stat like 165 or something. The biggest problem seems to be that once it does heat up a bit I think the reservoir fills up with steam and pushes the coolant into the system emptying the reservoir so all of a sudden you have a light flashing on the dash for low coolant. Stop the car for a minute and the reservoir fills back up like nothing happened... weird.

The only other major outstanding issue is the firewall which really does need to be better then the cardboard I have in there now Actually in the morning it was quite nice to have the extra heat from the engine compartment blowing in on you... but by the time it is 80*+ out you wish it wasn't! Oh well little things. Oh like the tach too, only working at half mast, but at least it is working!



The other thing I've realized over the past few weeks of having this car together is that I'm a crackhead when it comes to playing with cars, and unfortunately since my career change from computers to cars I don't have car/crackhead money anymore Looks like i'll have to build and sell a few of these things before I can actually afford one myself! On that note if anyone out there is looking for a unique 1 off sleeper Boxster with 480 horsepower on tap, let me know.

To be honest I've been pretty bad about adding everything up lately, but all told I have spent about $28,000 on the car and parts, and have easily put 150+ hours of work into the car. There are some things which need to be addressed still but the more I take care of the higher the price goes The car is not perfect, after all it is 15 years old, but it is probably the only one with a V8 available for sale out there so don't be too picky Asking $42,500 as is or 400 Benjamins, 4,000 Hamiltons or 40,000 Washingtons if you happen to own a strip club

On a side note as soon as I sell this one i'll build another. I'm a glutton for punishment I guess

Thanks~
J

[JRL]

I decided at the last minute to stay home and work on my major deck / outdoor kitchen remodel. I figured with the crappy weather not many folks would show - guess I was wrong.

I'm going to get by the shop next week for sure - need to put eyes on this beast.

[BoxsterLS376]

Let me know when you are going to come by as after today i'll be keeping the car at home as we are low on inside space at the shop.

[JRL]

Any particular day that works best? I'm retired and flexible.

[BoxsterLS376]

If you can come by today that would be great as I have the car here now, otherwise i'll just have to keep an eye on the weather later this week. i'll be back at the shop by 1:30-2pm if you want to come by.

[Lcrivers816]

Did you use LS1 flywheel bolts?

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by Lcrivers816

Did you use LS1 flywheel bolts?

Sorry not sure off hand if they were Chevy or Porsche as they came with the Adapter plate/clutch setup, but I would figure they are Chevy LS bolts to bolt to the Chevy crank.

How's yours coming along?

[Lcrivers816]

Slowly but surely

[shockandawe]

Which alternator and ac compressor Porsche or Chevy?

[Lcrivers816]

Originally Posted by shockandawe

Which alternator and ac compressor Porsche or Chevy?

Porsche, GM starter though.

[Crono0001]

Selling already?

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by Crono0001

Selling already?

I guess selling is a strong word as I'm not putting it on craigslist or posting it to Ebay just yet. More like making it available here to someone else to see if I can make converting these a viable business, or just a side hobby to make myself a weekend hot rod.

It is awesome to drive and very fast, if I can start building these for people and make a living doing it then I'd be willing to sell it. But not everyone wants to drop $30K on a $10K car. If no one else wants it then I have no problem keeping it If someone else wants it then i'll gladly build another one and so on. I think everyone needs a V8 Boxster!!!

Reality is that anyone wanting to build one of these on a strict budget can certainly do it, but there will always be more to do. You can't double the HP of a car and expect everything to be hunky dory. I could very easily spend another $10K on this car right now on mechanical upgrades that I think would benefit it but I don't have it.

2 biggest things I would upgrade would both be in the transmission. I would put in a Guard LSD and a taller ring & pinion. I think the stock ratio is something like 3.444 and could probably benefit from something closer to 3.0 as first gear is too short and the rest are ok but you can easily spend most of your time in 5th and 6th and not worry about downshifting. I'm sure there are R&P's for racing out there to shorten everything up but not sure if anyone makes a taller one or not.

While the suspension on the car is good, it could always be better... I figure any 15 year old car would feel better with all new bushings, shocks or coil overs etc. but you better be in for a bit of a bumpy ride as upgrading to the basically solid mounts you already definitely feel the road!

Brakes are also very good but probably also a good idea to upgrade them, if not a full caliper/rotor upgrade, at the very least upgrade to some Hawk racing pads to help slow this animal down as it always wants to go fast!!

From there you could easily spend another 10K on cosmetic upgrades such as that sweet ass widebody kit and 997 conversion Lcrivers816 is doing!

But in the end it is all about what you are really looking for... If you are not a DIY guy spending $60K+ for a well sorted out Boxster with a V8 is a lot but you have something very unique and fun to play with that you can't just walk into a dealership and buy. You can daily drive it, track it take it to Porsche meetings, hot rod shows, exotic shows or to the drag strip and have a great time wherever you go.

Sorry I feel like I'm starting to ramble - What can I say it's hot and I'm bored at work

Have a good one~
J

[Lcrivers816]

How is it going? Still waiting on the clutch on mine =(

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by Lcrivers816

How is it going? Still waiting on the clutch on mine =(

Going well thanks. The car is living mostly at home now as pretty much everything is complete and working. I would like to give a quick shout out to Steve @ Renegade. Always friendly and willing to answer calls and questions~

The biggest issues are all sorted... ish! A tach adapter got my tach working properly so that is good. The only other issue still remains with the cooling system although I've got that worked out on a temporary basis at least for now with a toggle switch for the fans. I haven't let it get too warm lately so it hasn't done it but seems like once it would reach about 210* or so the coolant would all rush out of the reservoir (causing PIA light on dash to flash) everything was still cooling fine but won't refill the coolant tank until you shut off the motor for a few minutes, then it fills back up and all is good. Weird. Could have just been more air in the system but for now flicking on the fans keeps everything under control.

I still have the t-stat gutted right now although that needs to be sorted. The GM computer isn't set to turn the fans on until 207*F which is probably fine but I've found that flicking them on around 180* keep everything pretty cool, even driving it around here in Georgia showing 96* on the dash the car runs about 195*~ Last night on my way home it was chilling at around 175*

Oh and I'm getting a check engine light for "Idle higher then expected" which kinda sucks but I believe that can be programmed down unless there is a leak that my smoke test didn't show.

Otherwise been driving the car pretty regularly and have logged about 350 miles on it so far. It is a completely different animal and I think the biggest problem so far is that I drive it way to fast. Luckily I'm not a complete idiot anymore when it comes to speeding but I'm bound to get into trouble eventually

I actually made a new video on the way home last night although I didn't post it for fear of self incrimination. Maybe i'll post it as a private video like the last one. It is a short cruising video with a quick 6th gear run from about 55mph to 90 mph... takes about 6 seconds and the MPH climb 4 MPH per tick on the digital speedo so it. Also dropped it into 4th for a quick blast and it didn't take long at all

I tried to sign up for the "wanna go fast" event here in Georgia in September but it is already sold out Maybe a trip to the drapstrip is in order - daddy needs some official times!!!

Thanks
J