BoxsterLS376 introduction - LS3 conversion :)

[BoxsterLS376]

Greetings all,

E-Brake time!! I've had a few questions about this and since I've got the motor out it is the best time to tackle this... probably should have done it with the coolant pipes out too but hind sight is 20/20 right?

So after getting the carpet and random wires out of the way up top I started by drilling some small pilot holes from the bottom to make sure I was where I needed to be and as you can see by the extra hold there I learned that is most certainly is double walled there and if you stray to far off to the side and drill a hole where you don't really want it




So once I sorted out the alignment of the holes I needed to find a guide tube so that the cables don't get cut by the double wall steel. I didn't have a decent size piece of round steel but found a piece of square bar which is about 1/4" and really turned out to be perfect. I made them about 1" long but could be a bit smaller, I also took a drill and bored out the inside just a bit so that the ends of the e-brake lines would fit through them. That left a bit of a jagged edge on the "guide tubes" even after I filed them and although that part of the cable does have a protective rubber coating I figured it best to have an inner sleeve.

Well I decided that some of that awesome fuel line Porsche uses would do the trick to I snipped the tip off the fuel filter I'm about to throw away and used it to make to little inner sleeves! I snipped them up the sides so I could slip them around the cables then into the square guide tubes. I used some ultra grey silicon to hold things in place as well as patch up the small areas around the tubes on the bottom. I'll squirt a bit of grease in the tubes too to try and protect the cables as much as possible once I'm ready for final assembly~

So once all of that was established I gave it a quick test run to find that changing the mounting position of the e-brake holder definitely means you have to shorten the cables or else you just run out of pull! Even adjusting the e-brake all the way down up down only gives you so much space before you run out of clearance and simply can't pull the handle up anymore before it hits the frame of the e-brake handle holder.

I know I can just adjust the emergency brakes themselves but wanted to try and take some slack out of the cable too. Again not having the proper size steel tubing available at the moment, I improvised and decided to take a couple of 6mm nuts and grind them down until they would fit into the e-brake cable holder thingy. Then I simply got the cutting wheel out and made a slot in the side which I opened up just a bit with a flathead screwdriver and was able to slip it around the cable underneath the cable ends. Crimped is back down and voila, another few millimeters accounted for!

So with all that I was able to get the brake to pull hard enough to lock the drivers side wheel pretty good but no dice on the pass. side yet so I'll pull the wheels off next and see how much adjustment I can get back there. Hopefully enough to give me a bit more clearance between the cable holder and the e-brake handle itself.

Well that about wraps up today - spent about 3-4 hours doing this but will have to wrap it up this week as I'm going to Road Atlanta tomorrow to check out some vintage race cars at The Mitty!

So without further adieu here is todays video~

https://youtu.be/gRCE0dcuOfg

[BoxsterLS376]

So while I didn't mention anything in this video I did get a few more things done this week. I got the alternator and a/c compressor bolted to the motor and definitely need to do some figuring on that one once the motor is hanging again. Also got the cylinder head tapped for the Porsche coolant sensor - I'll go over that in the next video I do.

Here are a few more pictures of todays work:




I love my goofy shirts too As if this project isn't enough proof that I refuse to grow up!



Just in case you missed it in the last post - here is a link to todays update:
https://youtu.be/gRCE0dcuOfg

THANKS!!!
J

[BruceH]

That saying has always been one of my favorites! Great work!

[Lcrivers816]

What you could possibly do is cut the cable end out throw it in a vice drill the hole out, open it up a little more on top, fray up the cable when it's through the cable end and solder the ish out of it (fray so it prevents it from ever going through). Maybe drill a hole on the side of the cable end before you run cable through and fill it with solder for a little more bite. I was reading into cable repair because I might have to make a custom throttle cable for my setup...

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by BruceH

That saying has always been one of my favorites! Great work!

Thank you Bruce!

Originally Posted by Lcrivers816

What you could possibly do is cut the cable end out throw it in a vice drill the hole out, open it up a little more on top, fray up the cable when it's through the cable end and solder the ish out of it (fray so it prevents it from ever going through). Maybe drill a hole on the side of the cable end before you run cable through and fill it with solder for a little more bite. I was reading into cable repair because I might have to make a custom throttle cable for my setup...

If it comes down to it I'll actually shorten the cables, I would like to retain the factory ends without cutting the cable just for peace of mind. S far it looks like I should be able to get enough out of this setup if I adjust the rear brakes. I'll try and get that done today while the car is still on a lift and will let you all know how it turns out!

Thanks!
J

[BoxsterLS376]

Greetings everyone,

Been busy as crap lately but got a good bit done on the car this weekend - hopefully this thing will be running soon!

I should be in bed, ugh - here is the latest update - https://youtu.be/lL6UvzDYybk

Thanks!
J

[Lcrivers816]

Oh man you're so close! What did you end up doing for the spacers?

[Ben006]

good job

Ben

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by Lcrivers816

Oh man you're so close! What did you end up doing for the spacers?

Well still a lot of little details but definitely feeling like we are getting closer! Right now the spacers are out of it until I get the cradle bars in place, although the motor does lean forward a bit more then I would like, enough to see the front urethane motor mounts being pushed forward. I need to make sure everything clears but I may just add about a 1/4" of spacing back into the transmission mounts to level things out a bit.

Originally Posted by Ben006

good job

Ben

Thanks Ben!

[Lcrivers816]

You got this man I'm jealous that you got a lift to work with I'll send you a PM to show you where I'm exterior wise on my build!

[JRL]

Good to see you turning the corner JJ - well done.

[BoxsterLS376]

Greetings everyone,

Well sorry to say no video from this weekend I got a good bit done but was slowed down by a few things, only one of which was the car... I forgot to put the aluminum braces back in after I had the front mount out... well as I was pulling it back out to put them in one of the bolts started to seize up halfway out which was no bueno~ especially since the front of the motor was just suspended from the pole jack. So right about that time a customer had problems and had to go rescue him... worked out that it was close to lunch at that point so played hero for a bit them got back to the shop and took about an hour to take my time getting the bolt out without doing too much damage then re-tapping everything.

So after that was sorted out began getting the cooling systems sorted out, getting water outlets and fitting attached, and test fitting hoses to see where I need bends and hard pipes etc. and see what else I need to order... Still need inline thermostat as well as a handful of other things, something like $800 worth if I get the fancy coolant - yikes! I haven't tallied up the cost in a while, started to this weekend but got scared and conveniently forgot about it

Anyhow was going to keep rolling on the bottom until I realized I left my new axles at home which really need to go in before the aluminum braces - DOH! I should be able to loosen them and drop them enough to slide the axles by but note to self, axles won't go in or out with aluminum braces in place. Check.

So with that and waiting for a tow truck to arrive I decided to work more on the top side and get the hand controls working. E-brake being the biggest holdup in the interior but all the hard work is done and think I've got it all sorted out now. I wasn't sure exactly how short I needed the cables to be so I wanted something I could reverse if it didn't work out so cutting the cables or trying to re-crimp with something permanent isn't a good option yet. I basically just expanded my original idea of shortening them with the 6mm nuts and made sleeves to pinch around the cable, turns out it was a good idea! After researching a bit online I found the easiest solution to be getting a multi pack of "Cable Stops" from O-Reilly Auto Parts for about $5 which I initially thought were going to be too small but worked out really well and actually used the second largest size in the pack in stead of the largest.

I'll post some pictures later but the cable stops are brass and about 3/4" long and in order to get it around the cable I just put the cable stop in a vice and cut a groove in it length wise. The size was perfect to crimp around the cable for a tight fit, I did leave the 6mm spacer in place as well so overall probably just an inch or total shortening and a bit of adjusting at the rear wheels and we have good lockup at 3-4 clicks with plenty of room to go without hitting anything below. YAY.
I did end up modifying the cable holder slightly by cutting a new groove for the cable so it can come out at a downward angle and more easily go through the tunnel too.

The shifter went in quickly and appears to be working properly, just need to secure the cables in place after I get to cooling system how I want it. I may also try and weld the factory mount back in to hold the cable in place on the firewall, but on the passenger side of the opening to the engine. That may wait until I decide how to make my firewall engine cover.

So pretty much all the interior modification are done with exception of making the firewall cover and connecting some wires up there! I've still got to put the center console and seats back in etc. but otherwise all is done there

So otherwise wanted to ask if anyone has used "Evans Coolant" before??

Renegade is using in their LS7 car they had displayed... after watching the video it definitely seems impressive and I do like the fact that it doesn't use water, to an extent. Just got to keep some with you or prepare to tow the car if you have a major leak.

The other major setback is cost of course, is it worth the $200-300~ for the 4-5+ gallons i'll need? Cheapest I've found it is Summit for $45/gallon but haven't contacted Evans directly yet.

Thanks!
J

[JRL]

Looks like the rich guys with super expensive cars use it so it must be good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7PykrgzWPQ

[Smallblock454]

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/56278-evans-coolant.html

[BoxsterLS376]

Hey if it's good enough for Jay Leno it's good enough for me right?!?!

Thanks for that link Smallblock454 - lots of good info in there! I guess for the time being I'm not gonna blow the money on that stuff. More then the money is just if there is a problem and dumps it all out, can't limp it home on water without contaminating the system so just seems like more of a hassle then just distilled water and good coolant...

Now the only question is which coolant to run?!?! I don't know any of the technical differences but each company has there own cool colors so whatever looks best in the expansion tank The pink Porsche/Audi stuff is nifty, but I do like the blue from BMW

[Smallblock454]

Hi,

i would go with a coolant fluid that is recommended for your Chevy engine.

I also wouldn't go with the evans fluid, because besides the water problem there are some problems when it comes to cooling high performance engines. That is why Jay doesn't use it in high performance cars. And the Boxster mid engine cooling situation for a LS3 is definitely not that good. Even if Renegade is using that coolant - which i think is just for marketing and not under technical aspects.

Regards Markus

[bramwell]

The video explain well.

[Qmulus]

I don't get why the subject of Evan coolant always comes up in projects like this. In my experience, it doesn't live up to the hype. Maybe if you have an old car with a big radiator and a system that doesn't handle pressure well maybe it makes sense, but I see no reason to run it in a modern cars with cooling systems designed around coolant with specific properties. Does it solve a big problem you have thereby justifying the expense and need to re-engineer the system to use it? I would like to see a case where it did...

From the two guys that I know tried it, one just thought it was a good idea and used it on a car that never gets driven. He could have used anything and been fine. The other had trouble with the conversion, as in running much hotter, fans on all the time, etc. Evans first told him that he had not gotten all the old coolant out of the system (it was filled from new, dry components), or that it had air pockets (it was filled with a vacuum system and very carefully bled), then said that it was normal, and that he should run a high capacity water pump, special thermostat and change the fan control temp to keep the fans from running all the time. Those changes were not possible on that vehicle. After spending a LOT of money, he went back to standard coolant and had no cooling system issues. It was an expensive experiment that just added more issues to an already complicated project. I will say this was years ago, and maybe things have changed, but this guy still talks people out of Evans if they ask about it.

I can't say that I have ever had a cooling system issue with a properly maintained system. The issues that I have had wouldn't have been solved by running a no/low pressure coolant. I LIKE the fact that if I have a leak in the middle of nowhere, I can just add water to get me going. With Evans, you need to have coolant with you as water will contaminate it, eliminating its "benefits".

Do a search on Evans coolant and see what you find. If you are absolutely convinced that you need it for some reason, give it a shot. Maybe it will work great. Me, I wouldn't go there.

Just my $.02.

[BoxsterLS376]

Originally Posted by Smallblock454

Hi,

i would go with a coolant fluid that is recommended for your Chevy engine.

I also wouldn't go with the evans fluid, because besides the water problem there are some problems when it comes to cooling high performance engines. That is why Jay doesn't use it in high performance cars. And the Boxster mid engine cooling situation for a LS3 is definitely not that good. Even if Renegade is using that coolant - which i think is just for marketing and not under technical aspects.

Regards Markus

Yeah I agree, I'm sure Renegade is promoting and selling it, but it does offer some interesting benefits too so I can see why they may use it. After researching I definitely don't see enough benefit to justify the added expense and hassle if there were a problem. Hopefully just by upgrading the radiators that will be enough to keep this thing cool, if not we can always upgrade later!
Thanks!
J

Originally Posted by bramwell

The video explain well.

Yeah their tradeshow video with Renegade is the only reason I looked into it, definitely sounds great and has great benefits for the right project, but this one is not it

Originally Posted by Qmulus

I don't get why the subject of Evan coolant always comes up in projects like this. In my experience, it doesn't live up to the hype. Maybe if you have an old car with a big radiator and a system that doesn't handle pressure well maybe it makes sense, but I see no reason to run it in a modern cars with cooling systems designed around coolant with specific properties. Does it solve a big problem you have thereby justifying the expense and need to re-engineer the system to use it? I would like to see a case where it did...

From the two guys that I know tried it, one just thought it was a good idea and used it on a car that never gets driven. He could have used anything and been fine. The other had trouble with the conversion, as in running much hotter, fans on all the time, etc. Evans first told him that he had not gotten all the old coolant out of the system (it was filled from new, dry components), or that it had air pockets (it was filled with a vacuum system and very carefully bled), then said that it was normal, and that he should run a high capacity water pump, special thermostat and change the fan control temp to keep the fans from running all the time. Those changes were not possible on that vehicle. After spending a LOT of money, he went back to standard coolant and had no cooling system issues. It was an expensive experiment that just added more issues to an already complicated project. I will say this was years ago, and maybe things have changed, but this guy still talks people out of Evans if they ask about it.

I can't say that I have ever had a cooling system issue with a properly maintained system. The issues that I have had wouldn't have been solved by running a no/low pressure coolant. I LIKE the fact that if I have a leak in the middle of nowhere, I can just add water to get me going. With Evans, you need to have coolant with you as water will contaminate it, eliminating its "benefits".

Do a search on Evans coolant and see what you find. If you are absolutely convinced that you need it for some reason, give it a shot. Maybe it will work great. Me, I wouldn't go there.

Just my $.02.

Thanks Qmulus,

I can't speak for other peoples builds and am not sure how long Renegade/Evans have been associated but my guess is they are the reason this question comes up I wouldn't have even thought about it if I hadn't seen that video but as I mentioned, definitely seems to offer some great benefits... do they outweigh the negatives in this situation, not likely but figured it was worth researching.
I appreciate the feedback!
J

[BoxsterLS376]

Greetings everyone,

Looks like this is my 100th post on the 986forum and as much as I want it to be a video of me firing up the ol' LS Boxster we're not quite there yet! However I wanted to take a second to thank everyone for following along on this adventure, it wouldn't be as fun if you all weren't along for the ride!

Well I got a bit more together this week and am starting to get down to the little things. All of the main bits are in place and now it is a matter of making it all work together! The exhaust is the last main component I need to get in place and was able to get most of it sorted out this weekend. After that I need to finalize the cooling system then figure out the wiring and hopefully this bad boy will be rollin'!


*Technical bits - For those who are taking notes*

Transmission spacing - I ended up with about 1/4" spacer or 2 fat washers. Gave me the clearance I needed for the shifter while leveling out the motor in the engine compartment a bit. I'm sure every installation is going to be a bit different so just make sure you have clearance where you need and adjust accordingly.

Porsche Coolant Sensor - I answered some PM's about this but I don't think I went over it here. The GM computer needs the coolant temp sensor on the block to run and tapping into the wires can screw up the signal so If you want your coolant gauge to work in the car the easiest thing to do is add a Porsche sensor to the LS block. Both cylinder heads are already tapped for GM sensors so all you need to do is locate the GM coolant sensor and pull that plug out on the opposite cylinder head. The thread pitch on the Porsche sensor is 14 x 1.5mm which requires a 12.5mm or 1/2" drill, luckily the GM sensor is small enough that there is plenty of meat to drill out the GM threads and tap it with the 14 - bada bing~


So the focus this weekend was on getting the exhaust sorted out which is probably about 75% done, although the hardest part is done! Still need to hang one muffler and sort out the tail pipes, then i'll need to weld in the o2 sensor bungs and finish up all the welds. Hopefully i'll get that done tomorrow - boss is away for a few days

Here are some pictures to help explain things...

Old factory axles vs. FEQ axles - the FEQ actually has a larger axle shaft and looks pretty good! We will see how long they last! Need to look into getting some upgraded ones made...


This is the X-Pipe mount in progress... I took the factory aluminum bar off and found a nice piece of steel to bolt in its place, a bit of hammering and twisting and voila!



So my original intention was to have the x-pipe sit flat up top, but space is at a premium and I had to bend the last inch of my mount which gave me just enough clearance to tuck the x-pipe in up top at an angle and tack it into place.


Once the X-pipe was mounted to the transmission I began connecting the pipes, I made a mistake on this first pipe which caused me quite a bit more time/frustration because I got in a hurry. I should have angled it a bit more out of the V-Band clamp to give better clearance to the outlet of the x-pipe to the muffler. No big deal, just took longer to fabricate the output to that muffler as I had to make a few tight bends happen to make it all work, the other side will be straight out to the muffler!


From this photo it is hard to appreciate the trickery it took to get this freaking muffler into place!!! HEED MY WARNING MY FRIENDS! That V-Band Clamp on the muffler... yeah it could be there forever, we will see when I take it apart! Needless to say clearance is tight there too...


Well this side took a bit more trickery on the cat to x-pipe bit, but as you can see this time we have a straight shot out to the muffler!



So that about sums it up for this week... as always feel free to comment or ask questions!

Here is this weeks quick video:
https://youtu.be/GBc76XCD3fI

THANKS!
J