Project 986 S: From insurance write off to road worthy

[Blloyd29]

Well this project is a long time coming. I started out with an '03 986 S that had been crashed and I bought an '02 Base model sight unseen for parts. When the '02 showed up it was way too nice to cut up so I fixed it and drove it around for 2 years. Now that car is gone and it's time to move back to my original project: the S model.

Parts Car:


Parts Car After:



Now it's time to get started on my S Model:
Here she is now:






DONOR CAR:

I have a new donor car that is a '99 Base model that I will use the sheet metal and suspension from. Is there anything that I should be worried about when converting my S to the '99 BASE?

As you can see, it will be the entire front left clip. I plan on removing the clip at the firewall and doing all new from the donor car.


Because I have to replace so many parts, it's time to UPGRADE the looks of this dated car. I did so with the help of Xtreme Motorcars. I'm going with the 2nd gen 997.2 GT3 Bumper with LED inserts:


Also going with Techart Side skirts:

[stelan]

nice project, I'm not sure but I think the suspension is different however if you swap it complete it might fit and be ok?

[Timco]

First one looks great.

The sway bars are heavier on the S, not sure about springs. Pretty sure it's all upgraded on the S. The brakes are definitely better on an S.

[Blloyd29]

Originally Posted by Timco

First one looks great.

The sway bars are heavier on the S, not sure about springs. Pretty sure it's all upgraded on the S. The brakes are definitely better on an S.

The brakes are not damaged so I will stay with the S. Sway bar is being downgraded for now but I'll be doing aftermarket soon. I also hope to move to fully adjustable coil overs all the way around.

The spring is undamaged so I can swap that onto the base strut if that Is the same? Any other issues that people are aware of? I appreciate the feedback.

My goal is to get this on the road first, work out the kinks due to the damage and then focus on further upgrades.

[Blloyd29]

I also have these headlights on back order:
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/181325188938-0-1/s-l1000.jpg

I think these alone make the car look 5 years newer and more aggressive.

[Blloyd29]

Look what showed up today! A big box from Xtreme Motorcars!

Alright, so just to clarify the only differences between the '99 BASE model and my '03 S model are:
1- Spring rates: I will remove the spring from the S model and transfer it onto the BASE strut.

2- Front sway bar: Short term fix is using the smaller BASE sway bar. Upgrades coming soon

3- Brakes: These are undamaged.

What about radiator/condensers? I'm assuming there will be some modifications needed to convert to the 997.2 front end already so the Base vs. S alterations will be the same there.

Thanks for all the help!

[Blloyd29]

bump, hoping to answer these questions still.

Alright, so just to clarify the only differences between the '99 BASE model and my '03 S model are:
1- Spring rates: I will remove the spring from the S model and transfer it onto the BASE strut.

2- Front sway bar: Short term fix is using the smaller BASE sway bar. Upgrades coming soon

3- Brakes: These are undamaged.

What about radiator/condensers? I'm assuming there will be some modifications needed to convert to the 997.2 front end already so the Base vs. S alterations will be the same there.

Thanks for all the help!

[Smallblock454]

The S has
- a complete different suspension incl. sway bars; spring rates are different, because of the weight dif
- an additional oil cooler in the front incl. lines

Further differences
- water and ac condensers are the same
- wiring harness might be different because of a different ecu

For more details, just take a look in the parts catalogue and compare yourself: http://www.porsche.com/all/media/pdf/originalparts/usa/986_USA_KATALOG.pdf

Regards, Markus