Woody's build thread
 

I don't see too many build threads on here and I thought you guys might enjoy seeing one. For those who don't know me, I have a small salvage yard specializing in the 986 Boxster. I stumbled into them after buying a flood damaged S at auction. I had bought it for the calipers to put on my 911sc. That one boxster turned into two, and two turned into four, and so on and so on. The problem was I don't even have my own boxster. Here I am, the self proclaimed "King of the Boxsters", and I don't even "own" one. It's not that I didn't want one. It's that I couldn't afford one. Any money I made went back into the business. I was hooked on the boxster by the second one and knew I wanted one for myself. I would have to wait for the right one to come along.

As I waited, I started collecting parts that interested me. I've been able to collect quite a collection these last three years. Most of the boxsters I get don't come in with anything special or aftermarket. The biggest source of "cool stuff" has come from trading with people or shops. I'm not sure if I'll ever be done collecting anything 986 related. I have double of some things so I can compare. Like mufflers for instance. I have a Dansk sausage and a Chinese knock off. I plan on trying both and keeping the one I like best. I have a feeling i'll be disappointed with both though.

Back to the search for my own 986. The right car would have to have a good title. that means a clear title or a salvage title that I could later get turned into a rebuilt title. It can't have a nonrepairable title. Nonrepairable title means the car can never see the road again. Surprisingly a lot of very clean cars get branded with a nonrepairable title by the insurance companies. I bought a beautiful 99 with only 43k with a nonrepairable title and it didn't have a speck of damage to it. It happens often. The right vehicle couldn't have any major body damage either. I don't mind replacing a body part that unbolts, but I don't want to do any welding or body pulling. I thought I had found my car. It was a 97 that had been ran into something and also vandalized. Someone shot the cluster?! I started to prepare that vehicle when a 2003 with water damage came in. The 2003 was in better condition and only had a bad immobilizer. It had it's own wear problems too, but otherwise was a great candidate. Both the 97 & 03 were base models. I had all the parts to convert either over to an S. That was all fine and dandy until I got this 2000 S. It only had 52,000 with full leather interior! Sorry 97 & 03, you've been replaced. Arena red isn't my favorite color, but I can live with it. The car as a whole was light years in better shape than the other two and already has the S upgrades. The only thing wrong with it was a wet immobilizer. I threw another ECU/immobilizer in it and it started right up. I can't imagine a better 986 coming along, so here I go.

I had a buyer for the 3.2 motor before I even bought the 2000 S. I decided to sell the motor for two reasons. One, I needed to keep the money ball rolling. The 2000 S was the most I ever spent on a boxster. I didn't want to take that kind of hit $$. And Two, the 2.5, 2.7 and 3.2 don't have enough power for my taste. I want a 3.4, 3.6 or even better a 3.8. The 3.4 will be the easiest and cheapest motor to swap. Until I find a donor motor, I'm going to progress with the build. So follow along if you like.

Sorry about the picture quality on these three pics. They're the only pics of the car I have before I started messing with it.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...pslradrnak.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psvuyk0uew.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps2trctt5u.jpg

Well I certainly enjoyed the top swap story with RandallNeighbor, so I'm in! :cheers:

Nice Boxster. It's even got a glass rear window.

subscribed

Me too, I want to see how it turns out!

Glad you are making a thread for it. I'm excited to watch. That arena red might grow on you. Now get some better pictures for us!

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psqv71bmv9.jpg
To bring the car and story up to date. Since getting it, I've sold or traded some parts that I didn't want or need. As some of you have alluded to, I no longer have the glass window top. I traded RandellNeighbor for a set of coilovers he took off his car. The top was like new, but I hate trying to work on a glass window top. I have a feeling I'm in the minority when it comes to preferring the plastic window. I also sold the radio, wheels, front bumper cover, taillights and headlights.

Today was it's first day on the operating table. I've had the car for a few months, but it's been so hot or I've been too busy to start working on it. I got a few hours of free time to work on it today and it's a great feeling when you get to work on your own car! I decided to start at the front. I bought brand new radiator hoses when I had plans to convert the 97 or 03. This boxster might only have 52k on it, but it's still 16 years old. The factory hoses were still pretty good, but I had brand new hoses so I went ahead and replaced them while I'm was there. It's not real hard and worth the piece of mind.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps6vj1vpit.jpg
Taking the radiator and most of the hoses off are pretty self-explanatory once you start digging into it. The only real tricky part, are the second set of rubber hoses right before the long coolant tubes that lead to the back.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psl2cwo13n.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psqchphw9u.jpg
They have a tube clamp that can be a real PIA to get off in such a confined area. I hate that type of hose clamp and will be replacing them with the normal screw type hose clamps.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psbkpegpbx.jpg
Three of the four clamps I was able to get off with this type of plier.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps1bfxyiah.jpg
The forth clamp was a little harder because I didn't have a good set of pliers to reach it and had to get creative.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...pszfdo8zkf.jpg
Here's a good pic with everything removed. I also removed the suspension so I could replace the factory struts with coilovers.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psj8grilfr.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psygfkniva.jpg

Woody you are the man! Looking forward to build updates. Something tells me this will be a pretty special car when finished.
I can't thank you enough for helping me out w my own project. I really don't think I'd be able to afford it without you.

Hey Woody. I'm proud I'm able to partly finance your build lol. You should have one of the most sorted Boxsters when you are all done. :cheers:

I recognize those coilovers and adjustable arms! And I sure do love my glass window top! Great talking to you this morning Woody. Keep posting pics of the build. I learn a lot from these kinds of threads. Subscribed!!!!

Thanks guys. Vlad I look forward to your build thread updates too. I'm half tempted to go the LS route after reading you and John's build. I'm going crazy on the 911sc and plan on keeping this one a little tamer.

Had a WTF moment while trying to loosen the nuts on these arms.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psj05a4b5m.jpg
I'm glad it happen now instead of going down the road. There was hardly any penetration on the weld. Fired up the mig and layed down two beads. I rewelded the other one too.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps5n56ld4g.jpg
All better now

Yikes! Never saw that when I installed or removed them. Sorry buddy!

No need to be sorry. You might need to say an extra thank you to the man upstairs though. I had the fork part in a vice with a wrench on the nut and another wrench on the tube. I put less effort on it than you would for a lug bolt and it snapped right off.:eek:

I mostly have the suspension and brakes done. I forgot to order two hoses, but that's all that's keeping me from finishing the radiators too. I don't like red calipers on an arena red car. I think I would prefer silver and will rebuild/powder coat some old calipers later on.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psykjilpqy.jpg
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps5nuulurh.jpg

I hope the color grows on you, subscribed

Clearly this is going to be a wealth of information, from the pics alone!

Subscribed.

Silver would look good, but why not powder coat the calipers in Arena Red? I think that would look great and be unuiqe at the same time:cheers:

Go man Go
 

As an occasional customer and admirer of your Boxster knowledge, I'm looking forward to your advances in this thread. You buy Boxsters to dismantle, I buy Boxsters to recondition and get back on the road. Once you get your Arena Red back on the road, you may come to appreciate the satisfaction I get when another one goes out the door to a happy customer.

Enjoy,
Joe

I might if I can find it in that color. My wheels are silver but they need some attention too. I bought a powder coating kit a few months back and hope to start experimenting with it soon.

It's not easy taking some of these cars permanently off the road like I do and it does feel good being able to save one.

Hopefully you won't consider it rude to try and leech off your knowledge in your build thread?
If it turns out that I have a dead immobiliser module under the seat (it looked fine to me but I did notice the carpet is wet on the underside), I was under the impression that you needed to change the ignition, immobiliser and DMU as a set. Is that right?

I ask as it sounds like you didn't change the ignition?

Also, mine is a Tiptronic S, but it has a %]#{¥ 2.7 in it - so if I'm buying a set, to avoid costly reprogramming by Porsche I'd buy a set for a matching model year 2.7 Tiptronic, is that right?

Technically you only need to switch out the transponder inside the key, immobilizer under the seat and the DME in the trunk. For test purposes, I switch out the ignition cylinder because it only takes a few seconds. I've never had a chance to see if a tip DME will run in a manual car or vice versa. A 3.2 manual DME/im/key will work in a 2.7 manual for 2000-02. A 3.4 DME/im/key in a 3.2 car will only run for a few seconds and then die. I believe 2003-07 use the same DME, but they switched immobilizers in 05. I've only learned by taking these things apart and reading up on threads. I tell people all the time, "I'm an expert at taking them apart but not working on them". That's one of the reasons I started this thread. There will be points on this build where I'm over my head and will need some help from you guys. Mostly when it comes to the stereo and what engine I end up getting for it.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...pspgdwvfda.jpg
I had one last thing to save off this before I put it over in the "buzzard yard". I thought it had the S M030 suspension. I don't have the hood anymore to confirm what I think I remember. It measures 24.0mm but so does every other S sway bar I measure. Even the sway bar on my S measures 24mm. My car didn't come with the M030 package from the factory. Does anyone know how to tell the difference between a S sway bar and a S M030 sway bar besides measuring the diameter? The one I think is a S M030 has no part numbers and only has a green paint dot on it.

Got my radiators cleaned out and back on. Decided to throw a GT3 bumper and skirt on it to see how much prep work I would have to do to them. Surprisingly they fit pretty good and won't need much work before painting. They're duraflex brand or something like that. They're fiberglass ,but flex better than other fiberglass products I've had before. I'll use them if I don't come across a factory polyurethane kit before I paint.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...pshzbemx2c.jpg

That's gonna be a nice looking ride with all the added goodies! :cheers:

Concerning the sway bar -

I bought a 2002 Boxster S M030 front sway, which also has a green dot. I was hoping the mounting hardware would be different and lead to some clues, but it appears to be the same for non-M030.

I did find this on renntech, courtesy of Topless a few years ago:
(996-343-701-23 vs -21)
21= Base M030 (*and S non-M030 per Pelican parts*) 23.6mm 3.5mm
23= Box S M030 24.0mm 3.8mm

So it should be very slightly thicker, or maybe you'll see a slight weight difference if you have a very accurate scale...

Great project! I love Arena Red!

Woody, your car looks great even with no headlights and black bumper. That thing is gonna look bad ass when you get done :cheers:

DAMN! The car is looking amazing with the bumper/skirts and those rims.

Thanks guys:cheers:

I plan on starting a thread one of these days about springs and sway bars. What I'm finding on these cars isn't coordinating with what books/internet is telling me should be on these cars.

Started on the interior today and first up was the easy stuff. I swapped the stock speakers with the Bose speakers. I really liked the Bose system and it's more than enough for me. Those days of 15 inch subs are long gone along with some of my hearing. Here's a pic of the stock HAES speakers next to the Bose. Some HAES speakers come with tweeters and some don't, but you cant tell the difference between any of them from the top side.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psxasxql7h.jpg
The door speakers interchange with no problems, but the sound insulation is different.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psmeqdsuw0.jpg
While I was there I also decided to switch out the window for some darker tint. The sun down here is brutal on interior.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psrnirtth7.jpg
I've been saving the 996 leather door panels for awhile now and I really prefer them over the 986 door panels. Both 996 door panels need to be reupholstered, so i'm going to keep the 986 panels on it for now.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...pspoozwgo7.jpg

This shifter was a great surprise to find on a car. There's no markings on it to track down what manufacture made it.
http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psg2zsywfb.jpg

Adustable track arms Pros/Cons? experiences?
 

Any thoughts on those adjustable arms? I am planning on rebuilding my suspension one of these days and have seen them. What are the Pros/Cons? I have no intention of racing or tracking the car. Also, I have my alignements done by a shop.

???

It's funny you ask. A friend called me up after reading this thread warning me about those arms. He said his broke at the same place and suggested I drill and weld on the backside too. I can't remember if he said he switched them out or still uses them. They're on his SCCA Boxster S and get a workout being on his car. From what I could find out searching the interenet. They're made in china and sold by a few companies. I'm confident in my welding and the welds on the other end, but I wouldn't buy them new. I was told you need them if you lower your car and run coilovers.

Adding to what Woody, commented above as the previous owner of his adjustable control arms, they're heavy compared to factory parts or performance versions from more reputable shops... but the price of the performance shops on these arms is pricey!

Dang - who made these control arms? I'll be buying some (hopefully) soon, and would rather pony up to avoid a potential wreck...

Here's a link to GOOD QUALITY suspension parts...
986/987/981 Control Arms

The part that broke on Woody's bench was the thrust arm. Tarrett sells them for $350 each.

thanks for the info but pricey. I think I will stick to stock parts. I plan on putting bilstein HD and lowering springs on the car.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps2jykavn3.jpg
Installed some 03-04 side vents on today. I wasn't sure how I would like the color difference before I did it, but I'm really digging the black vents now. I need to restore the wheels at some point and was thinking about powder coating them gloss black. I think going with gloss black wheels and vents will tie into the dark tinted windows and light tinted tail/side lights. I plan on going with projector headlights at some point. I can't decide if I should go body color, gloss black, or flat black for the headlights. Particlewave had a thread where he painted the insides of his. I need to go search up that thread again.

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/x...psqgvvlhe0.jpg
Vents can be finicky sometimes. Sometimes they slide right out and other times they can be a major PIA. The ones on my 00 were the hardest ones to ever get out. I destroyed the black plastic slats on the left side. I tried for 20 minutes to get it out without breaking it, but I got impatient. When you get impatient you break one of two things. Either the attaching fingers on the black plastic or the corner retainer on the painted part. Look at the bottom right corner of each vent. That holds the vent onto the body on the leading edge of the vent

so what is the difference between the 1st gen and 03-04 side vents? they look like they sit more flush with the body?

I think I forgot to say thank you for the reply - so thanks! :cheers:

The slats are molded into the vent on the 03-04 and stick about 3-4 inches farther out. The 97-02 slats are part of the black plastic part that holds the vent to the body.

Thanks! I checked and saw pics. I have a set on order already. Cannot believe that is one mod I overlooked!

That nose looks quite a bit like the one we picked up. Haven't tried to paint it yet, Too damn cold already here in NY, 20 this morning....