V8 Conversion

[Lcrivers816]

Can you show me a picture of the pressure fitting on the rack? I thought that it was removable (the porsche one AND the fitting to the rack) and you can fit a -6 fitting in its place.

[martsink]

Originally Posted by Lcrivers816

Can you show me a picture of the pressure fitting on the rack? I thought that it was removable (the porsche one AND the fitting to the rack) and you can fit a -6 fitting in its place.

Hey,
This is the only picture that I have of the power steering fitting.

You can replace it with a -6 AN, but the only option is to buy a set from GSR for $120 plus shipping. I'll try taking the stock fittings to a local hydraulic shop, and see if they can maybe convert it.

[martsink]

I can't thank the guys at SPEC enough for rebuilding my clutch disc. The store where I had bought it from miss advertised it as a sprung hub, when in reality it was a rigid design. Took only about a week to get my disc back. Shipping it back to the store for a refund would have sucked. Here's a picture of the old and new clutch disc.

Instead of flexing, the plastic clip on the release bearing just sheared off when I put it in the clutch fork. Not sure if this was a defect, but the plastic seemed much more brittle than on the old one. I didn't want to take any chances on such a cheap part, so I called Downtown Porsche to pick up a replacement. The guy on the phone told me it would be $260 PLUS TAX! WTF?!?! The whole clutch kit cost me $620... At this point I decided that I'd rather keep my money. The old bearing was in pretty good condition, so I swapped out the plastic sleeve from that one. Not an ideal solution, but hopefully it will do. I did check the sleeve ID for wear and it was the same as the new one.

The tolerance on the SPEC splines seem to be much tighter than the OEM disc. Putting the transmission on was nearly impossible this time; we struggled for a couple of hours to get it on by hand. At first I thought we weren't getting it into the pilot bearing, but then I realised it was just the friction of the clutch disc splines (yes we did lube everything prior). Once we got some spline engagement, we put a few transmission bolts on and slowly tightened them diagonally. Each time I checked the gap using a vernier caliper to make sure the transmission was going in level.

[martsink]

Wiring was definitely the most intimidating part of the build for me when I was doing the initial research, but it's really not that difficult once you have it all in front of you. For this build, I'm using a 2002 LS1 harness and LS1 PCM. There's tons of useful information and guides on this online, so don't be put off by the electrical work.

Here are some good links:

LS1 Harness diagram and Vacuum Diagram - MX-5 Miata Forum

LS1 harness: Start to finish - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards

Since the intake manifold is flipped 180 degrees, the original harness layout will no longer work.

[martsink]

Today I finished on the chassis reinforcement plate that should be welded in to replace all the cut sheet metal. Renegade offers this plate for $135USD, but I suggest you just make it yourself. I picked up a 3/16" plate from a local metal market for around $15 CAD. There's really nothing to it. I also bought a can of weld thru primer, Spray Max 2k primer, and a seam sealer to protect it from the elements. I have a whole lot more info and pics on my blog.

[martsink]

I've heard some bad stories regarding the stock rocker arm needle bearings, so I picked up a Comp Cams kit from Summit. The installation is pretty straightforward. The kit comes with two spacer washer so you don't crush the new bearings when pressing them in.

[martsink]

I came across some red vinyl on eBay, so I thought I'd give it a try on the amber portion of the tail lights. I'm actually really happy with how good this looks for $10.

[martsink]

Last week I made another trip to the border to pick up more parts. I really hope that this is the last one, because I'm going broke way too quick. I gotta give special thanks to Rennline and Corbeau Seats for hooking me up with amazing deals on their products.

[martsink]

Hey guys! I haven't really had time to make detailed updates recently. We spent the last couple of weekends working on my friends 2005 E46 320. Dropped in a 330 engine and also changed one of his wheel bearings and an axle boot. In the process, we noticed that his rear subframe mounts are cracked, so this weekend we will be welding up the cracks and reinforcing the body. He also got a set of poly bushings to replace his old ones while we are at it.

The work on the Boxster is progressing nicely. The fuel lines and fuel regulator are installed, the brake vacuum line is hooked up, the stock throttle cable (from early Boxsters) is hooked up and working perfectly with no modifications, the harness is 90% finished, the alternator bracket is finished, the starter motor has been modified to fit. Next week I will be getting some parts to get the PCV valve installed, and hopefully the necessary parts to finish the intake and cooling systems.

[martsink]

I got my hands on a nice AD244 145 Amp alternator at a local scrap yard which I was planning to use for this build. This is an alternator that came on some GM trucks in the early 2000s, and it's a very popular upgrade for the LS1 guys. I made a bracket for it to match the new harmonic balancer, but once I put the engine in, I realised that it wasn't going to work. The mounting bracket on this alternator is just not ideal for this build. It would take a lot of modification to the alternator body in order to make it work, which I wasn't really too keen on doing.

The original Porsche alternator on the other hand is a pretty easy fit. Renegade sells a bracket for around $140, but I think you can make one yourself in an afternoon with some scrap metal. The front bracket mates directly to the block and requires a spacer to align the pulley with the harmonic balancer (you will also need to file down the block in one spot where there is interference). The rear and the top brackets require a custom mount. Save yourself some trouble, and make the bracket while the engine is still out. Below are some pictures of what I made. These are not the finished product, I still need to buy proper bolts and give it a coat of paint.

[martsink]

Renegade recommends using the Meziere water pump with their kit, but I decided to go with a local manufacturer called CVR. Their pumps are a little cheaper, but the build quality is still there. I've seen this pump used on other 911 swaps as well. The inlet/outlet orientation of this pump is not ideal for the Boxster, and given another chance, I'd probably go with the Meziere setup. I got an extra engine mount bracket with my Renegade kit (no surprises there...), which works out great as a pump mount. Below are some pictures of the bracket. Once I have the complete cooling system figured out, I will post more pictures of the pump location and hose routing.

[martsink]

Many people will tell you that the stock throttle pedal/cable will not work for the V8 swap, but what most of these people don't know is that the early Boxsters came with a full cable setup (no drive by wire). I purchased mine from a 986Forum member with a pedal for $50. The cable length is great and the TB travel is spot on. Today I made a custom bracket to hold the cable in place. The clamp that comes with the wire can be attached to one of the intake manifold bolts to hold it in place. The end of the cable has a metal sleeve that flares out at the end towards the TB. I used small metal plate to wedge the flare to the bracket (you can see it below held by two stainless machine screws).

[shockandawe]

The cable setup is real nice man.

[BoxsterLS376]

Some really nice work you are doing there! Where are you mounting the water pump, on the crossbar?
What are you planning to run for your exhaust? Mine is pretty good at full romp but could be a bit louder just putting around. I've made a few videos but I'm pretty sure i'll get arrested if I post them Need to get to a private course or track of some kind~

Keep up the good work!
J

[jaykay]

Where are you guys in TO...wouldn't mind dropping by the monster garage to witness the transformation!

[martsink]

Originally Posted by BoxsterLS376

Some really nice work you are doing there! Where are you mounting the water pump, on the crossbar?
What are you planning to run for your exhaust? Mine is pretty good at full romp but could be a bit louder just putting around. I've made a few videos but I'm pretty sure i'll get arrested if I post them Need to get to a private course or track of some kind~

Keep up the good work!
J

Hey John, I appreciate the support. Yes the pump will go on the crossbar, on the opposite side of the engine mount bracket using longer bolts. Exhaust wise I got stainless eBay truck headers, magnaflow mufflers and magnaflow cats. I will probably take it to an exhaust shop and get them to weld it up. Maybe they will have some ideas

[martsink]

Originally Posted by jaykay

Where are you guys in TO...wouldn't mind dropping by the monster garage to witness the transformation!

By Pearson airport. Pm me if you want to drop by

[Bayley]

Originally Posted by martsink

By Pearson airport. Pm me if you want to drop by

We should have a Midwest V8 Boxster meetup once we're both done.

I've always enjoyed Pinery Park and that seems like a good half way point.

[martsink]

Today I started the engine for the first time. Ran into a couple of issues with the ignition and fuel pump. I had to jump the starter cable relay in order for it to crank. At this point I'm not really sure what the problem is, but I'm guessing it has to do with the immobilizer. The car came with no DME, so I had to purchase a matching key, immobilizer and DME.

The fuel relay also didn't switch, so I had to jump it. I'm thinking about just running it from another relay that is triggered by ignition-on wire, unless someone has a simple solution for the existing relay.

Heres a short instagram video. Sorry about the quality, we really weren't expecting it to start the first try.
https://instagram.com/p/6YWIQsASWc/?taken-by=porschelsx

[shockandawe]

Is your 2005 boxster wiring harder to work than a 2000 boxster?