Too many Boxsters?

[BFeller]

I like the posts 78F350!

[78F350]

I found a good deal on a sending unit and pump for the Blue Aero car, so I decided to get the engine running normally before I pull it. Installing the pump and sender is a little awkward due to the tight space. I found it best to install the pump, then lower the sender half way to connect the hoses and wires from the pump. The car started up on the second try after fuel primed through the system. I thought it was good, but it quickly stalled. Oops, the supply line wasn't fully seated on the sending unit and popped off. Lots of fuel in the driveway. Glad I wasn't in the garage.




I put the hose on correctly, cleaned the area and it started right up and ran great. Video: https://youtu.be/OtRRR5MqCnI

Here's the mess of about 80 wire splices I did to get the immobilizer box connected. ...good practice for the solder heat shrink connectors. If I eventually build this car back up, I'll probably put a whole new cabin wire harness in.


The engine was filthy. I used a foaming upholstery cleaner on it and sprayed it on low pressure with my pressure washer. I'm now ready to remove the engine and prepare it for the silver 2000 S.

[78F350]

Now I'm ignoring the silver 2000 for a few days. I have a Gambler 500 Rally this weekend and want to give the Xbox a little attention before I spend a weekend driving it on and off-road across southern Oklahoma.

[paulofto]

Originally Posted by 78F350

Now I'm ignoring the silver 2000 for a few days. I have a Gambler 500 Rally this weekend and want to give the Xbox a little attention before I spend a weekend driving it on and off-road across southern Oklahoma.

Gotta love those license plate fender flares!

[78F350]

I like '99 models, but I had to conclude that the black one I bought was not going to be worth the effort to make 'nice'. I don't need more Boxsters or projects, but I figure I can part out the black one into this, then destroy the evidence that the black one ever existed.

[78F350]

The cold heavy rain stopped as I arrived to pick up the car. Aside from the bad engine it's in very nice condition for a 24 year old car. The seller had tried to replace the engine and keep it. After buying two supposedly good engines and finding them both to be in bad shape he became frustrated and found an '03 in need of minor repair and bought it as a replacement. In doing so, he needed a radiator, the front bumper and left fender from the '99, so I bought the car significantly discounted.


The interior looks well cared for and everything I've checked functions correctly. Eventually I'll give the leather seats a good cleaning and probably repair any minor cracking to keep the original interior in good shape.


The engine will come from the terrible '99, but I need to make a decision about what body parts to use to finish the car. The parts will need paint and I am very tempted to take the aero kit parts from the blue '02 instead of the rough bumper and fender from the '99. If I do the aero kit, this car will be a keeper for sure.

Note: Always lock or tape the fuel lid if you are towing a 986 backwards. I learned that with my rallycross car. The air flow can easily open it and rip it off the hinge.

[78F350]

Thanks Bruce.
Before I get to work on the '99 I want to finish up the silver 2000 S. After installing the engine, I found a couple things that need(ed) to be addressed.
There was a smell of coolant inside the car while driving it. I correctly suspected that the heater core was leaking.


Replacing it was not difficult, but the whole windshield wiper mechanism needed to be removed to reach it. While I was in there I put some flue tape on the heat flap door to replace the foam that had disintegrated.


Next I plan to pull the front bumper off and clean the radiators. It's running a little hotter than my other cars, which generally stay centered on the '8' of the '180' in normal driving conditions.


The brake pad warning light comes on occasionally. I found that the pads and rotors look okay, but the sensor is not installed in the pads on the left side. I will replace the sensor, but have not decided if I want to replace the 'still good' pads and rotors.

[986tate]

You think anyone could braze one of those heater cores?

[78F350]

It looks like the failure is at the pressed seal at the top of the heater core. In this case, I don't think brazing is an option. It is constructed with copper tubing where the coolant circulates, so brazing may work if it failed there. Easy enough to buy new though.

[986tate]

Makes sense.
I guess if you’re going to all the trouble of removing the wipers then you don’t want to have to do it again.
Thanks,

[78F350]

Happy Veterans Day (USA).

[78F350]

The silver 2000 S is sold now. I didn't list it for sale, but mentioned that I was getting ready to and got an offer. I met the buyers at the Tulsa airport yesterday and they have a nice adventure planned returning home over a few days.



Today I joined with a group of ADV bike riders overlanders for a Christmas Toy Run. When I walked in the cafe where everyone was meeting, they asked what I was driving.
"A Porsche Boxster."
They looked down the street where I parked and said, "You win."

[78F350]

A brief walk around of the '04 SE today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDYkC7GRCh8

I'm planning to get back to work on some Boxster projects soon.

• I'd like to get the engine installed in the Arena Red '99 and mix it into my line-up of daily drivers.
• The Frog needs to be put together and running for Rallycross season probably by early March.
• Next month the Xbox is going to Dallas for one of the 'Gambler 500 Rally' founders to display.
• My wife's car needs the charcoal canister replaced and the clearcoat is getting bad.

Just to move things along, I'm strongly considering putting my spare 2.7L engine in the Frog instead of the Audi V8. For the V8 swap, everything needs to come back out and a new subframe/engine mounting needs to be fabricated. Since most of the wiring in the Frog is still intact, reverting to the 2.7L with the 996 intake and tune is simple. It ran great with the 2.7L (until it didn't). The blue '02 S can become the V8 project car and even be street legal, which the Frog can't.

So much I want to do, it's hard to decide what's next.

[78F350]

Thanks...
I had the Xbox out today to wash some mud off and figured I might as well do a quick video feature of it too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJnr2iVaE4w

[78F350]

I dropped off the Xbox in Texas last weekend. The founder of the 'Gambler 500 Rally' is flying in from the west coast for a big function in Dallas and needed a car to stand next to and 'represent'. A common friend gave me a call and asked if I'd loan it to him for the show. Hell yeah.



Meanwhile back at home I started work on putting an M96 engine back in the Frog. The engine cradle that I had a local fabricator make a few years ago will not work to do the V8 swap and that stalled my motivation. Now I need the car ready for rallycross in March and the configuration that Woody had with a 2.7L running on a 996 intake and exhaust is more than enough power to run on dirt.

I've got a 2002 engine that was reported as having under 90k miles. It looks a little rough, so I'm not planning to dump a lot of time and money into it unless it makes it through the season. Four holes drilled and tapped to mount the lower intake runners. SAI blocked off. Fresh water pump and AOS, but I'm not replacing the IMS bearing, flywheel and clutch for now.

[78F350]

Meanwhile in Dallas at the O'Reilly Auto Parts convention:



My car is parked next to Matt's Off Road Recovery while celebrities draw on it. Flying Sparks Garage | The Official Website of Aaron and Emily Reeves https://raeripple.com/projects/
Pretty cool for a fully depreciated scrapped-out car, cobbled together with some of the worst parts I had laying around.

[78F350]

I had to focus on a non-Boxster for the last month to have fun with friends at the Texas Carnado (in Oklahoma). Playing with the Prius has been fun.


This weekend, I'll be retrieving the Xbox from Dallas, then it's time to get back to work on the Frog with my first Rallycross event of the year on March 17th.

[78F350]

Then they made me get another red one, this time Orient Red. Not very nice up close, but the price was right.


Runs good after swapping in an immobilizer set. Needs a radiator replaced and probably plenty more.


The Frog is running well on the 2.7L engine with 996 intake and headers. Some small mufflers should arrive from Amazon on Wednesday. Just open 2" ID tubing on it right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgiQ0o0NuH0

It's nice to have it out of the garage after almost a year. Next it needs some cosmetic work and lots of minor improvements. After a drive around the block, I really want to open it up on a rallycross track.

[78F350]

SW Arkansas Gambler 500 today; Basically met up with friends for a drive. Turned out they all had 4WD. ...I was still ready to pull them out if they got stuck.

[78F350]

Ze new Spähwagen: Der Wüsten Boxster

The terrible 1999 black Boxster is gone now. I kept the engine and some other useful parts and gave the rest to a friend to do whatever he wants. He may part it out or put a Honda drivetrain in it.



That gets me down to eight 986s on hand now: Orient Red '01, Arena Red '99, White '01 Tip, '04 SE, Blue '02S parts car, Black '04 Parts car, The Frog, and the Xbox. Long ago I said that six was too many, so I still have some work to do.

I want to turn my attention to the arena red '99 soon. Parts should arrive from Pelican soon to refresh the engine from the Terrible '99: It's getting a Pierburg water pump, fresh bolts for the flywheel, clutch plate and axles, engine mount, AOS, RMS, Spark plug tubes, ...maybe replace the idler pulleys and cam chain pads. The engine ran well when removed, but was very dirty with oil leaking from the spark plugs and possibly elsewhere. I'll probably just pull the outer seal on the IMS bearing and keep it. I plan to take the aerokit parts from the Blue '02S and have them painted an put on the '99.