Project Renegade

[ike84]

I think at this point I've done enough modifications to classify this as an official "build thread". The inspiration started simply - more power and more style, but in a very individualized way (hence the renegade moniker). What I find really crazy about all this is the fact that before I owned this car I had never even done an oil change. I've got to give a huge shout out to everyone on this forum because I have learned an incredible amount here and the inspiration for these projects has driven me to discover my love of turning wrenches.

So, without further ado, let's start with a list of what has already been done...

Engine/Intake/Exhaust
82mm TB, 82mm MAF housing, and custom cold air short ram intake
996 ROW fuel mapping
Catless headers into 2.5" dual exhaust with high flow cats and shorty mufflers
SAI delete
UD pulley
986.2 injectors

This setup runs with a LTFT of around -17% so if the correlation is linear, that should produce 240ish HP (no, I've never Dyno tested it)

Running Gear
Godsport coilovers lowered to minimum ROW height and set at max factory spec camber (will change height soon when 18" wheels go on)
987 engine mount

Aero
CF rear spoiler (inspired by gt3 rs)
Rear diffuser (this is more cosmetic than anything)

Interior
NRG racing seats on factory sliders
GT style flat bottom wheel wheel on quick release hub
Ultra short shifter raised nearly 8 cm
Factory HU delete with Boss Bluetooth amp, new front and rear speakers with amp mounted between the seats

Misc
Headlight mods

Most of these mods I have detailed in DIY threads or have already been beat to death so I'm not gonna go back through all that...

Ongoing projects (these I'm SUPER psyched for...)
Transmission cooler system (early stages, I've got all the bits together though)
True push button start (nearing completion)
Gauge mods including red lights and white faces (done)
Clutch boost spring delete and sensor bypass (will do in the next few days)
Center console delete (nearing completion), which will include the following
-Warning system for oil pressure and temp (engine and transmission) and fuel pressure (gonna take a bit to wire out but all the bits are ready)
-Master kill switch
-Dual VDO gauges for engine and trans cooler pressure (same as warning system)




Let me know if there is any interest in detailing a particular mod or part of the process. The interior is in a million parts but I did start the car today for the first time without a key! I will hopefully finish that by the end of the week and then the rest of the interior will start going back together. Then the pictures will start rolling in.

Here's a pic of all the sensors. It's a bit ridiculous what I had to do to scrounge these parts together but will be worth it. The temp switches trigger at/above 280F and the pressure switches trigger at/below 30 psi. Two 5 bar vdo pressure senders are going in too. One for the engine and the other for the trans cooler (eventually the trans cooler system will pull double duty but I'm gonna hold on to that surprise for the very end!)


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[ike84]

How bout that for a custom gauge pod lol. Just needed a few mm off the edges to make it more circular.

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[ike84]

Btw, in case anyone has wondered about how to remove the clutch boost spring aka assist spring, here's how it goes.


1000x easier with steering wheel out and gauge cluster out. You can see everything you're doing.

The yellow cannister in that first pic houses a massive spring that aids in clutch depression and minimizes recoil when releasing. There's a hole in the piston that is to lock the spring in a semi compressed length, do this with a nail or cotter pin. Don't puss around, find the sturdiest thing you can shove in that hole. After that's done, depress the clutch ALL THE way down to the floor and you will see the canister slide forward in it's track. At that point, use a flathead screwdriver to pry the brass bar away from the groove on the clutch pedal. This released the other end of the assembly and now you just rotate it out of the tracks.

Seriously though, don't screw around with that spring in the half compressed state. You'll shoot your eye out

For bonus points, yank out the clutch switch while you're there. There are 2 in there - one for the ignition sequence on US cars, and another that is a signal for the ecu to know when the clutch is depressed while driving. This is important because the ecu pulls timing while shifting to protect the clutch, aid in smoother shifts, yada yada. It also hurts acceleration while shifting and is a reason why you have to dig so deep to blip the throttle on this car when heel toe shifting.

To remove this is stupid easy - disconnect the wiring harness, twist 1/4 turn, and pull out (that's what she said). I actually did this before removing the assist spring housing just to free up a bit of space in there. Once the switch is out you can open it up and you find a series of contacts, a spring, and a ratcheted plunger. Remove the spring and reassemble. Then push the plunger all the way down and put it back where it belongs. Bingo Bango, the ecu will now always think your clutch is not engaged while driving and will not subsequently do all the aforementioned silliness. Remember though, shift responsibly or else...

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[Outkasted]

Do you have pictures of the rear diffuser up on here anywhere. Very curious to see what you did as I am thinking of making one to add to my project once the exhaust is done. Will you be detailing how you made the push button start work?

[ike84]

Here's a pic of the diffuser. It's a generic diffuser off Amazon. I did it mainly because my new exhaust melted the bumper but I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Happy little accident lol. It was pretty straightforward - 30 min with a Dremel to get the sides to match the contour of the bumper, then wrapped all the way around in rubber U channel to give it a bit more of a finished look. I had some mounting clips left over from another project that are designed to hold screws in thin plastic, and just made sure that everything was concealed under the u channel.

I saw a video of a guy selling a $3500 "custom" rear bumper that was essentially two of these, one on either side of the center exhaust. It looked nice. Not $3500 nice though (the part cost me $25!)

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[ike84]

The push button start actually isn't too challenging if you understand how the ignition switch works. Here's a breakdown of it.

There are 2 12v supply wires coming into the ignition switch(aka "line" in electrical speak) The switch itself is a wiper switch, meaning that as you turn the key out makes contacts with progressively more outputs (aka "loads")

The first and second positions send voltage to the ignition controlled circuits.

The third position sends voltage to the starter solenoid, but only while you have the key all the way over.

Let go of the key, the starter kicks off, but the ignition controlled circuits stay on.

Turning the key all the way to the left and removing it then kills the voltage throughput and shuts everything off (mostly, but that's a different discussion)

So, to mimick this, you need two switches.

The first is a locking switch (push button#1) to control a relay powering the ignition controlled circuits.

The second is a momentary switch (push button #2) to control a relay powering the starter solenoid.

To actually do this you need to completely disassemble the steering lock, removing the ignition switch, key cylinder with inductor ring, and the transponder receiver. Leave the ignition switch connected to the wiring harness and turn it to the 2nd position (all circuits on). Splice in your latching switch relay to the two 12v supply lines (fat red eyes going to terminals marked 30 on the ignition switch). This way, when the latching switch (#1) is open, everything is off. When the switch is closed, everything turns on. Run a wire from the load on that relay to the line on the second relay, and from there to the ignition wire (the fat yellow one). This second relay is then controlled by a momentary switch (push button#2). This way, you have power coming into the relay when the first button is pushed, and then you send voltage to the starter by holding down the second push button.

But wait! What about the transponder?! Easy... Put your key in the lock cylinder. Then tuck it up and out of the way in the dash. Or you can locate it somewhere so that you can easily remove the key. Or, if you're slick (which you obviously are since you've made it this far!) splice a locking microswitch in line with the induction ring wiring and then hide the switch somewhere in the car. Have you seen back to the future? Biff's car had the same thing! (Ish).

You must realize something here. What I've just described bypasses nearly every anti theft feature of the car. No steering column lock, no key, no transponder. Just push push go. BUT, I'm not worried about it. First, no one steals Porsches. Or even tries. Because any good car thief knows that they can't. But what about the idiots? They break my window and then what? Start pushing buttons, hoping they can figure out the ignition sequence, only to find out that the fuel pump won't work if the inductor ring is disconnected by the microswitch, all the while the damn alarm is going off? Whatever idiot finds himself in that position will then get to see what a KelTec KSG looks like...

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[Outkasted]

Wow, thank you for the explanation. I dig your diffuser also. May try to do something similar just larger. I like the one joe toth made just not sure it’s worth what he wants for it.

[ike84]

Originally Posted by Outkasted

Wow, thank you for the explanation. I dig your diffuser also. May try to do something similar just larger. I like the one joe toth made just not sure it’s worth what he wants for it.

Thanks man. I've tweaked the exhaust position and replaced the turndowns with a bit more modern tip. I'll grab a pic and post it when I get a chance.

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[ike84]

Finished writing up the switches tonight. Power for the switches and the relays will come directly off the master kill switch (center). The locking switch, which will control ignition-powered circuits, is on the right. This will feed power to its relay, along with the momentary switch for the relay controlling power to the starter solenoid (left) as well as a spare wire to supply power to additional gauges.

I still need to figure out where to draw power for the master kill switch line. All together it needs to feed 3 relays (one is the master kill switch relay itself) and two gauges. The cigar lighter is an option but the factory fuse is 15 amps, which should be plenty. I like to go overboard with this though and wanted to wire a 30 amp circuit. My headlight mods rendered the fog lights out of commission but I'm not sure if that circuit is always hot or ignition controlled. About option would be the power seat circuits but again I don't remember off they are always hot. I've got the fuse contacts ordered and in the mail so I should be able to figure it out by the time they get here and finish the install at that point.

The second pic is a rough sketch of the whole wiring diagram.

Also, I think I found the original connectors to do the OBC addition (so that we don't pay $35 per pair for some silly vw wire). I'm gonna make sure they fit and then I'll post the part numbers.

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[ike84]

I got the switches mounted tonight, hopefully will get the relays wired tomorrow. Also tonight I made my switches for the OBC - spdt momentary toggle switches. If the terminals for the dash side fit I will post the part numbers. That's the last part that needed to be completed before that dash his back together so hopefully I will have her running again in the next few days.

On a side note, I have got to get better at soldering. I have noticed with my relays and these toggle switches that the posts heat up enough to liquify the plastic housing just enough to allow a faction of a mm movement. It's a small amount, but enough to cause continuity issues when working with precision electronics. I don't know if it's my technique, my solder melt point is too high for this type of work(97sn3cu), or if Chinese plastic is just that ****************ty. Any suggestions?

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[ike84]

Good news everyone!

Don't spend $60 on the terminals for the OBC hack.

The terminals listed below require minor modification but otherwise fit like a glove.

The part number is in the pic below. They're made by TE (formerly AMP) and I ordered mine from arrow.com for around 20cents a piece. When you get them you'll notice a vertical ridge extending upward along the side with the locking tab. You must cut this ridge flat with the locking tab surface. A good time snip will make short work of it. Otherwise, just crimp your wires, slide em in, and connect to switches of your choice.

If anyone wants, I can make a harness for you and mail it to you. I used spare cat5e cable which has 8 24awg wires running through it. Smaller than OEM but plenty big for the application. I ordered 4 sets and have 2 left (it took me a bit to figure out the ridge thing lol). So, first come first served!

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[ike84]

Dash is back together. The red filters worked perfectly. I clearly have more work to do because the dash lights and turn indicators won't come on. Hopefully I haven't buggered it up too bad.
The push start now works perfectly. That may be my favorite interior mod so far.

I've got to take a bit of a hiatus for a big move coming up but but I'm not done yet...

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[Outkasted]

I like the two added buttons. I assume that is for your push start.

[ike84]

Originally Posted by Outkasted

I like the two added buttons. I assume that is for your push start.

Thanks man! Yes it is. I tried posting a video of it but I was unsuccessful.

I don't know why but I find the buttons to be super satisfying to use. One bend per to the car, the other starts it.

Maybe tomorrow night I can finish up the center panel - 2 oil pressure gauges, a master kill switch, and two small lever switches for the OBC.

Here's another pic of the dash sheet I fixed the lights issue.

Fwiw what i said in a different thread was incorrect. There are now small (t5) LEDs and twist lock bases to fit them, which fit perfectly to replace all the small bulbs in the cluster. You can get them on Amazon if anyone is inclined to do so. No more needing to solder LEDs across the contract points, just plug and play.

Lastly, I got the top back on. Not super happy with the new window but it's a hell of a lot better than the old one and if it doesn't leak then it's good enough!

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[Outkasted]

Good to know about the gauge cluster lights. Might be a project for later on.

[ike84]

Originally Posted by Outkasted

Good to know about the gauge cluster lights. Might be a project for later on.

The beauty of it is that you can get the LEDs in any color. Combine that with color filters for the lcds and you can completely customize it.

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