Woody's build thread

[paulofto]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

I'm dialing in the ride height of the motor. Even after notching the engine bay, I still have to lower the motor 1 inch. The flapper valve can't tilt forward anymore because of the AC lines.

Shoehorned!

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by paulofto

Shoehorned!

There's about a 1/2 inch gap between the flapper valve and the sheet metal after finding the right spacer to bring the motor down. I used a discarded engine mount brace for my spacers.

This thing barely fits in there. Even the headers are about 1/2 inch from hitting the aluminum bracing. It' good that I bought a semi-solid engine mount, because there's no room for it to wiggle around(Thanks Steve!).I had to notch the back sheet metal close to the intake tube for the tube to clear. I combined an intake tube from a 996 and a 1/3 of a 986. You also will notice I changed the brake vacuum attachment. The previous design wouldn't clear the 987 engine cover. I used the 986 attachment but extended it a few inches.

[Porsche9]

Wow that's tight. You have enough room up top for the intake tub when the engine moves?

How does the ride height of the whole car look with the engine in. Does the bigger motor weigh much more?

[Smallblock454]

Did you use the stock transmission mounts or did you user lower mounts? Some years ago FVD Brombacher (German Porsche tuner) had a 3.4 conversion kit for the 986. They used a different front mount - kind of subframe and other transmission mounts. I think the transmission mounts where from a 993. They hadn't clearance problems like you - nothing had to be cut out. I think the 3.4 engine was dropped about 1 inch or so compared to the 3.2 engine. Also you should check if the engine has enough clearance if it moves. This looks very tight.

Regards, Markus

[cbadbox]

The spacers used in my conversion measure 3/4" and at some point a custom 3" intake was fashioned for it. I'm still pretty new to the car and the forum but did take some pics. Its tight but things seem to be working ok and the motor has bee in the car almost 70K miles. Not sure how to tell what type of rear mounts I have?

[itsnotanova]

When looking to do this swap, I only found two sources for step by step procedures on swapping the 3.4 into a boxster. Both had the flapper valve towards the front and top. I just assumed that's how it had to be. Going that direction does not leave you much room at all and that's why I decided to notch the area around it. I really have to thank cbadbox for the pic. I tried it like yours, and there's soo much more room flipping it over like yours. I didn't need to notch that area but I'm glad I notched the area by the intake runner and intake horn. I like having the extra space if need be. My Chinese headers hit the aluminum brace a little, so I'll notch that a little too.

Another bad idea was trying to bring the shifter cables under the intake. I thought I read somewhere that was better than going over everything. It's not! I had to take everything apart and bring them back over the intake. Another great tip. Make sure you connect all your electrical connectors correctly and securely. I had the cam position sensor and the crank position sensor switched. I also didn't have 4 & 6 injectors fully connected.
It's alive!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OiUb9IOMj4

My oil pressure gauge works but I had it disconnected at the time I was taping. My water temp does not work though and I'm betting that's because the 996 I pulled the motor and DME had the 4 post temp gauge and my 3.2 engine wiring harness used the 2 post water temp gauge sender.

I'm using the factory trans mounts because the one's I had were good and I was too cheap to buy new mounts.

[cbadbox]

Woody I am glad the pic help out, more dumb luck versus technical knowledge on my part.

Mario

[cbadbox]

Woody I am glad the pic help out, more dumb luck versus technical knowledge on my part.

Mario

Oops double post, looks like I need some technical work on posting as well!

[911monty]

Must feel great resurrecting one from the dead. Congrats

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by Porsche9

How does the ride height of the whole car look with the engine in. Does the bigger motor weigh much more?

I don't think the motor weighs anymore than a 2.5 or 3.2. The intake sits higher and the headers I'm using are also much larger than the factory boxster motor. I had to notch the lower brace a little. Another thing I wanted to share was the elbow I'm using for the radiator hose. The 996 coolant exit elbow needs to be replaced with one for the 986. I used one from a tiptronic for three reasons. Mostly I didn't have one from a manual, but I think that extra access tube might come in handy for draining coolant and a future trans cooler. That's what it's used for in the tiptronic. That is where the coolant returns after being used to cool the transmission fluid on the tip. I'm thinking maybe in the future I can rig something up for a manual cooler too. In the pic I'm draining the system after checking to make sure everything was good before putting in the expensive stuff.

I also had to remove this from the fuel rail because the threaded part was rubbing against the 987 air box.That piece is used for the return fuel line on the 996, but it's bypassed on the swap.



I've spent the last few days working out some bugs. I had to replace the number 6 fuel injector. I also got the temp gauge to work. Turns out I have a 2001 3.2 engine harness, and that was the first year Porsche switched to just two wires for the temperature gauge. 97-2000 986 and 99-01 996 used four wires. Two went to the DME and two went to the cluster. The 2001 boxster only has two going to the DME. Easy fix once you figure out all you need to do is run two wires from the sensor to the black plug in the trunk.

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by 911monty

Must feel great resurrecting one from the dead. Congrats

It feels great, but it's a lot of work!

[itsnotanova]

The box is on the Doc's table getting an alignment. He's one of the best alignment guy in all of Texas. People from all over the state bring him their cars for suspension work. My box is nothing compared to what is normally in his shop. If you don't believe me, just check out his Facebook page. Soulspeed performance. Highly recommend him! He has a spec boxster and lots of the race guys bring him their boxster to work on.

[itsnotanova]

Today was a wonderful day because I'm finally part of the family. I'm officially driving a Porsche Boxster and I'm not a poser anymore. The box is street legal!! No more driving up and down my street. I took it for it's maiden voyage and it was mostly amazing. I think it feels a little down on power compared to the 996 ,but I still have some things to look into. Exhaust being the biggest. Otherwise it performed exactly how I expected. I do have some comments on things I've done to it and how they performed.

First off is the engine. This is how it should have came from the factory. It's a sports car and now it feels like one. The 3.4 has just enough power to bring it to the right level. It took a lot of money and time, but I think it was worth it. I am a little greedy and wish for more though. It still feels like the right mini van could give you a run for your money in the quarter.

The interior is not really that loud with all the insulation removed. It is however really hot. It feels like the heater is blowing on you from behind. I started off down the road with the windows down and no AC. After about five miles I put the top down and it was tolerable. I was running with the AC pump bypassed at first to lesson the amount of things that could give me trouble. I've worked out most of the bugs associated with how it runs so I'll be installing a complete accessory belt tomorrow. Another issue I'm having is my fans are not working at all and that might contribute to the heat. They were working at first but it seems like ever since I got the cluster temp working, the fans stopped working. Might be coincidence. I don't think my air pump is working either but the engine fan is. Some more stuff to look into. The box runs at about 185 and climbs to around 200 if I stop.

I'm so glad I removed the top mechanisms and built that latch so everything can be manual. It really only takes a few seconds to raise or lower the top. It may not be for everyone but it simplifies that whole contraption greatly.

I love the coilovers! Thanks Randall! They are very stiff and it feels like a go kart. They are definitely not for someone who wants a Cadillac ride. You won't like them if you live in a state with bad roads either. This part of Texas has great roads and the solidness they give are much appreciated. It's a bummer I don't have any roads close by that are curvy enough to put them through a test.

As stated earlier, the exhaust needs some work. I have the Chinese headers followed by secondary pipes from a 97-99, and then a Dansk sausage muffler. Those secondary pipes are tiny and I'm thinking about fabricating my own using the exhaust/cat from a 996. I'm hoping that will help with flow and sound. I'm not sure what to do about the muffler yet. It's only 3 lbs lighter and not that much louder than the factory muffler. It does sound good after 4000rpm though. I'm thinking I might cut it open and see about removing weight and restrictions. Besides working the bugs out, the exhaust is last on my list and then this thread will be done.

Almost forgot to add. I have come to love arena red and everyone seems to comment about the color. At some point I'll need to repaint the whole car because you can tell which parts I painted. It matches perfectly at some angles and light, but other angles there's a difference in color.

[oneshot]

Well done mr patience. Love when people take the time to do things the right way

[Porsche9]

Congratulations Woody!

[cbadbox]

Woody congratulations!

I have been following along and wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share. This thread has increased my understanding about my 3.4 conversion. I'll continue to follow, look forward to your quest on optimizing the performance.

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by cbadbox

Woody congratulations!

I have been following along and wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share. This thread has increased my understanding about my 3.4 conversion. I'll continue to follow, look forward to your quest on optimizing the performance.

Thanks Guys! I'm still learning myself. I wish we had our own section for engine swaps like they do on Pelican. It would probably make life easier for those of us doing one. I got the fans working but the car likes to run at 190-205 temp. That's about when all the fans kick on. I'm not sure if I should worry or what? Does anyone know if you can change what temperature they kick on? ( I researches and the answer is no. Thinking about adding a manual switch for the fans) ( edit number two, I watched a video I had of the 996 the motor came out of and it looks like the engine is only running 5-10 degrees hotter in the boxster than the 996.)

[Smallblock454]

Hello itsnotanova,

fans threshold: I don't know if the fan relais gets an analog or a digital bus signal in your car. If it's analog voltage signal you can use a voltage divider to modifiy the signal. If it's an digital bus signal you can use a port sniffer to detect the signal and manipulate the input of the relais via a bus controller. The other option would be to reprogram the DME. But i don't know if there is an option in PIWIS developer mode to do this on your DME model.

Arenared: these dark metallic colors are really difficult to paint. Best is to blend in the new color in old color and do an overall new clearcoat.

Regards
Markus

[kjc2050]

Congrats, Woody. It looks great!!

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

Hello itsnotanova,

fans threshold: I don't know if the fan relais gets an analog or a digital bus signal in your car. If it's analog voltage signal you can use a voltage divider to modifiy the signal. If it's an digital bus signal you can use a port sniffer to detect the signal and manipulate the input of the relais via a bus controller. The other option would be to reprogram the DME. But i don't know if there is an option in PIWIS developer mode to do this on your DME model.

Arenared: these dark metallic colors are really difficult to paint. Best is to blend in the new color in old color and do an overall new clearcoat.

Regards
Markus

From what I researched, there's not much you can do to make them come on at a lower temperature. Some guys are talking about having them hotwired and with a toggle switch so they can manually activate them. I'll probably just run my AC even when I don't need to for now. I would like having the option of running my heater and the fans on high when I want too though.

As for the paint. It's not too bad of a contrast and totally ok for most people. I'm a little picky when it comes to things like that. The rest of the car could use another coat of paint anyway. Especially the hood and front fenders because they have lots of rock chips on them