Windows are next to useless the minute you go to the lightweight roof. There will be a 1" gap all round. I simply made up a couple of hooks of strap aluminum that are glued to the glass and allow me drop the windows in place for shipping and parking but whip them out come race time.

Also suspect you are about to find out that there is no market for the used roll bar. It looks like it should have a value but I literally couldn't give mine away and ended up throwing it in the garbage.

Definitely a lot easier to de-wire before the cage goes in. Simply find all the wires that now go nowhere and start unwrapping and trimming until you find your way back to the source. It's a lot easier than it sounds. In the end you'll find you only need about 6 - 10 (depending on your choices) of the fuses and only 1 relay up front (fuel pump) and 2 at rear (ECU and something else that escapes me right now). Even if you leave the immobilizer in place you'll discover that there is only about 8 of the fifty something wires currently running to it that you actually need. In my case I chose to leave the complete engine harness in place all the way to the ECU but forward of the ECU everything that went nowhere (including to a fuse that then went nowhere) was taken out. I ended up with a full domestic garbage bin filled with almost 40lbs of wire/blocks/fuse box etc. I built my car on the basis that all it needed was a motor, wipers and brake lights from the original wiring. Everything else is gone.

Hi joe.
i will be interested in the door panels if in good shape and a good price ;)

as a guy who hopes to do such a build (un-build? de-build?) in the near future, how do you deal with:

- immobiliser?
- cels - deleting charcoal canister, etc., will chuck a cel - I presume you ignore it? must make for a cluttered fault read when you run diagnostics.
- door levers - do you get rid of them with the door panels and replace with ...?

RK,

Re immobilizer: in my case I had the ECU doctors in Florida remove the immobilizer function from the Box that contains the ECU and therefore dont need an immobilizer or key etc. Eric (from this forum) subsequently got into all sorts of **************** for doing the same thing (At POC the rules were interpreted to outlaw such a move). This however has not been the case with PCA. I exclusively race with PCA and nobody has mentioned it YET. Most people simply remount the immobilizer in a waterproof place and live with it.

Without cats most (but not all) cars simply show a CEL constantly (some do not) and you learn to ignore it UNTIL IT STARTS FLASHING. No big deal when doing diagnostics simply one fault code that needs to be extinguished. In my case it's one of about six "normal" fault codes.

The door levers actually pull on a cable which you can easily fix to the door (after everything else is gone) and then have a pull cable door opener.

Thanks lots. So the immobilizer won't lose the plot with the locks and windows, etc., removed? Thanks and sorry for the hijack!

Immobilizer relies on a signal from the ignition key. Having accepted the signal it sends a OK signal to the ECU. All the other stuff may set the alarm off but won't cause an immobilization.

The above relationship between key, immobilizer and ECU why they need to either reprogrammed or replaced as a set but also why the ECU can be modified to not need the signal and allow the elimination of the immobilizer unit and the key and switch.

no worries TRK. not hijacking at all. great questions. i was wondering myself. :)
i have durametric so can probably clear some of the codes that stripping trips.

Jittsl, thanks for answering questions. very informative! i will leave the immobilizer alone it sounds like the ECU needs tweaking in order to bypass it.

Meir, i'll pm you on the door panels.

Joe, firstly call me Laurence or Laurie.

Thought of one more thing regards windows. On the driver side you would be crazy not to use what they call NASCAR bars (I think). These bars extend into the door cavity (where the window currently resides) and almost reach the outer skin of the door. Such an arrangement requires both the window removal and the gutting of the door but may well save you from serious injury. At a recent club race at COTA we had an incident where one SPB T- boned another. Despite the fact the metal work was demolished the NASCAR cage arrangement managed to keep the offending car completely clear of the driver who suffered not so much as a bruise. Having seen the result I wouldn't do it any other way.

I also tow with a open trailer and with my temporary windows in place I do get some water in the car but there is very little left to soak it. Other than sometimes racing with a damp seat I don't have an issue.

Laurie, thanks again. :)

my GT racing hardtop should be coming in at my cage builder's shop this friday and i'll be there to discuss bar 'options' with him. i haven't talk to him about the door windows yet but chances are he's going to have me remove them as he is very meticulous about safety (as a cage builder should be). will see...

car is back from cage builder (TC Design) :dance:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2...o/IMAG0771.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-K...o/IMAG0780.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-A...o/IMAG0779.jpg

next step. paint cage and top.

oh how i miss the OE top... but this is much much lighter.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4...o/IMAG0759.jpg

Wait 'till the first time your racing in the rain and water is pouring over the top of your screen and is simultaneously leaving a puddle at your crutch and obscuring your vision.:)

sounds like fun :o

Nice looking build.
Are you going to part ways with your seats?
I'd like to be on the list if you do end up selling them and getting new racing seats.

yes the stock seats will be for sale. they are quite heavy though ~48 lbs each!
so best if local pickup.

update
 

turned my garage into a paintbooth over the weekend. i'm pretty happy with the results. :)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3...o/IMAG0785.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X...o/IMAG0806.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u...o/IMAG0815.jpg

next up: paint hardtop

took the car for a shakedown at Thunderhill couple weeks ago w/o 3rd radiator, stock oil cooler, stock oil sump/baffle, stock suspension, and street tires.
it was a grueling +106 deg heat but nonetheless, car and driver survived. :D
the engine temp stayed around 190-200 mark.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9...o/IMAG0834.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4...o/IMAG0836.jpg

just recently installed new baffles and deep sump kit.
http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-racing-forum/47090-x51-type-baffle-works-deep-sump-spacer-kit.html
so we'll be switching out to RA1s.
can't wait to try it out next month!

more incoming track goodies til then. :)

Good looking car!!

The stock gauge LIES.. and it lies BIG time. Just at Thill this past weekend the gauge red (200'ish) PIWIS said 237!! :barf:

I wish TC had welded in the FIA bars like he *just* did on this Boxster:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...02198499_n.jpg

Need to ask TC why he keeps selling that piece of **************** from GT racing. It weighs a LOT more than the Sheridan top that comes from Paso Robles!!

thanks. i think i know who's boxster that is! yeah TC mentioned that bar option but i opted out.

the GT racing top is relatively light enough that i could put it on by myself. what i'm not really happy about is its fitment. but i can live with it. it's a race car anyhow. :D see pics below.
i have not seen a Sheridan top. i'll see it when that blue boxster is done. ;)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X...o/IMAG0990.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h...o/IMAG0991.jpg