Bristol

I've only seen one and it seems to be made of unobtainium. It's made by Weltmeister and I've attached a small photo. I've never been able to find this for sale in the US or listed by any Weltmeister distributors. It doesn't exactly have the Cayman kind of lip, but it does retain the solid spoiler setup. Kirk

So did you vacuum bag it when you did the overlay? How did you get a nice, smooth surface on the outside when you were done, did you have to clear coat paint or use additional epoxy layers on the outer surface to get it smooth? Kirk

I've seen the GT3 front bumper in person on a Boxster. I think it looks great in photos, but in person I didn't like it. It seemed too much and really stuck out from the car. I've seen the TechArt front bumper on a 996 and it was just stunning. It's a bit radical though, so the rest of your car/body kit should match that style for a complete look. Just my opinion... I'd get the TechArt for looks. But you really should consider whether the bumper is polyurethane or fiberglass. With as low as my car is, a fiberglass front would not last very long before getting cracked. That's why I put a polyurethane MK1 GT3 bumper on my car (not the same as the 997 GT3 bumper you're looking at). It gets scratched up underneath when I bottom out, but still looks good from the top and hasn't cracked/broken. Kirk

I'll try to be there. I can't say that I have any work to do on my car though. I'm super busy with the car, but most of what I'm doing requires a significant amount of time, so I'm doing it at home. Loren turned on my OBC computer though and I bought the Porsche foot well light switch for it, but I haven't wired it yet. Maybe we can work on that as Tom may be doing the same mod. If anyone has the special VW wires that just plug in to the OBC wiring harness, let me know. That's one thing I don't have and can't get too easily living a rural area. Kirk

Dude, welcome to the communist state of California!!! You cannot buy 93 octane gas here, anywhere in the state. :angry: I know, it sucks. But your car will survive just fine. As for octane additives - I personally do NOT trust them to do anything. I'm a scientist. I analyze anything like this that I don't understand or want to understand better. I've looked at a lot of bottles of octane boost and ALL that I have seen basically look like fuel injector cleaner (kerosene). They don't tell you actually how much they will boost octane. In reality it looks more like they help combustion through cleaning the fuel system and injectors - thus giving the same "kind" of effect that you would get from a higher octane fuel (assuming your fuel system is VERY dirty). In reality you're probably better off just running a full tank of Shell V-Power 91 octane or other high quality gas through your car from time to time. If anyone feels otherwise, PLEASE provide some real evidence to prove me wrong. I would be tickled to find out that this stuff really does something... Kirk

Pics.... here are some pictures of my solution to the dash speakers. Now I'm not much of a custom stereo fabricator. The last time I built a box and amp rack was 1996 and I've NEVER done vinyl work before. So consider this a work in process. I'm not sure I like it this way, so I'm open to constructive feedback. My SO says it looks messy where I cut the mounting tabs off the 4" speaker. I need to do something (some kind of trim) around the edge of the 4" speaker to clean it up a bit. Here are the speakers I installed. The stock OEM speakers are on top and the new speakers are on the bottom. You can readily see why I needed a baffle to give me more clearance under the speakers. The magnet on the 4" speaker is HUGE compared to OEM and I needed a lot more space to make it fit. It fits fine with a 1/2" lift from the baffle and top mounting. Here are the speakers installed. The Polk tweeter has a base where you can aim it a bit. I built a "pod" for it to sit on so that I could aim it directly into the cabin rather than up at the windshield. I think this looks a little funny, so I may not keep it. I'm trying to go for the best sound though. Please note that this will NOT work for most setups. The driver's side speaker will be too "bright" with it so close to your ear compared to the passenger side speaker. In my system I will be using time delay on the driver's side speaker to compensate and to put it in phase alignment with the passenger side speaker, so I'll be able to get away with this. Kirk

:D Thanks man... we'll see. I've got one of the baffles done and bought the vinyl today to cover it. I haven't done vinyl work like this before, so we'll see how it comes out. I'll post some pictures if it's decent. I had to do a custom baffle for what I'm attempting. I've got a much larger 4" driver in there and the tweeter is actually mounted up on a "pod" of sorts that aims it into the cabin rather than up at the windshield. Still you're absolutely right. You could just cut an MDF ring to lift the dummy bracket up 1/2" to give more space underneath if more mounting depth is required. That would allow you to keep more of a stock look. Better yet though is probably to get a speaker with a smaller (but more powerful) neo magnet so that mounting depth is not even an issue. Kirk

I'm working on making my own brackets. Mostly finished one last night and will work on the other this weekend. I'm using MDF to make a baffle that will fit in the stock speaker location. I'll then cover it in black vinyl to get a nice aesthetic match. I had to go this route because the 4" speaker I'm using has a MUCH larger magnet than stock and it would NOT fit with a modified stock bracket or modified dummy bracket. I'm top mounting it on the MDF baffle just to give it enough mounting clearance underneath. I'm also top mounting the tweeter as it can be aimed directionally, so having it top mounted will help me to aim it where I want. I would take one of your dash speaker pods out first and just drop in the new speaker that you have to see how the mounting depth is. You'd hate to start modifying the stock bracket or buy one of these dummy brackets just to find out the speaker won't fit, like mine! Geoff's look pretty big too, I don't know how he got those to fit! :P Kirk

Still no interest in a WOCD? I've got TONS of projects for my car now, but unfortunately I don't know if any would be good for a WOCD or if I can wait to save anything until we get one organized!!! :D I'm going to study a little this holiday weekend (working on my MBA), but otherwise I'll be working on the car. Current Projects, August 2008: Speaker/Stereo System I'm making dash pods for larger speakers in the dash. Almost finished one last night and need to make another. Then I've got to figure out how to wrap them in vinyl (never done that before). I've got amps and 10" subs that I need to install. I've got an EQ, parametric EQ and time delay device, head unit, and surround sound processor I need to install. Various power and speaker wiring needs to be done. Body I should have some carbon fiber mirror housings in the mail very shortly. Hopefully I can install those this weekend. Suspension I'll have new JRZ coilovers and springs next Wednesday. I'm missing some parts though. I need to figure out what I'm missing, get it ordered, get those on, then get the car aligned and corner weighted. I'm going to buy the tools myself to do the alignment. I need to get those and test my skills first with the current/known alignment. Anyone here (Sacramento area) have scales for the corner weighting? I may have to buy my own, ~$1,000. I'll be getting a GT3 front sway bar at the end of September. Sooner or later I'll need to get a Tarett rear bar to match it. :P I'm busy!!! Kirk

I just took the throttle body off my car, so I can help with that job. It's not too hard. What year Boxster do you have, a standard or S? Would you need to change the whole oil filler tube or is there just an o-ring that can be changed out? I'm kind of curious about that job because it looks like I might get some oil seeping from my oil filler tube or dip stick tube too. I get a couple drops of oil on the garage floor once in a while. I'm not worried about it, but I may want to fix mine too eventually. Kirk

Something to think about - when replacing the city lights just double check what you've actually got first. Most Boxsters seem to have 5W5 or 194 bulbs - same as the side markers. But my litronics use an H6 city light bulb for some reason.... I'm not sure when or why Porsche changed that, but there are some differences out there. Kirk

I haven't been on this site in a while and specifically came on here tonight to see about a Sacramento WOCD. What luck! I'm definitely up for a WOCD and was thinking we should try to squeeze one in this September before the rain starts falling. Renaud, I agree with Blink that the AOS on a Boxster would not be much of an issue. Are you talking about a Boxster or a Cab 911? As for the new top... well I don't know about the 911, but I know on the Boxster it's not really recommended as a DIY project. There was just some discussion about this on the 986forum. Evidently fitting it yourself and getting it perfect can be quite difficult. The one guy who did it himself still had to take it to a shop to get the final bugs worked out, but at least he saved a ton in labor costs. I don't want to discourage you. I thoroughly believe that most jobs like this can be handled as a DIY project, but you just might not want to tackle this one so far from home. It might be better to do the top at home and have a nearby shop as a back up in case you need some finishing help or even a total install. I'd just make sure you find a shop that's done tops like this before. Kirk

I'm not sure that instructions will really help you much. I think that once you have them in hand the installation will be pretty intuitive. To make them stick - I would get some high quality double sided tape.

I concur... I worked for Harman International for a decade and was their speaker cone expert. I can attest that the Porsche OEM speakers are pretty weak. Some old Mark Levinson Lexus speakers I have are MUCH more impressive than the Porsche units. I would change speakers first and then later look at the amp and other components as Cassiebox recommends. I've got the OEM DSP system and quite honestly I think this is pretty good. I was working at the Harman automotive OEM headquarters when they acquired Becker. There was a lot of excitement about obtaining their time delay/phase alignment technology that's present in the Porsche DSP system (the "Position" selection). This may not seem like a big deal, but I thoroughly believe that time delay DSP can make a HUGE difference in sound quality. I competed in IASCA and USAC sound quality competitions in '96 and '99. I did okay in '96 but only won one show. In '99 I won six shows, including the Indiana state championships. The difference - an Alpine unit I added to do time delay control. It's pretty sweet that the Porsche DSP system has the same kind of technology already pre-tuned for three positions in the car. I think I'm going to add another amp and some subs to my car and I'm upgrading the OEM speakers, but I'm very hesitant to pull any of the other electronics. If I do it will only be to replace them with my own EQ, time delay, and surround sound processors.

Wow, that sure ain't cheap!!! You may just want to look into a bolt-on wing like "Heyjae". I'm sure that would be like 20% of the price of the Kokeln pieces.

The silver Boxster you posted a picture of has a Kokeln rear deck lid and spoiler installed. Attached are a couple more pictures of this setup - including a couple other shots of the specific car you posted - a Boxster GT3 RS :rolleyes: .... whatever that is. I've got the Kokeln ram air ducts and can attest that their quality is top notch, but then you'll pay for it too. I've never seen this rear deck/wing though, so your mileage may vary.... Deck lid: http://www.kokeln.com/boxster_deck_lid.php Race wing: http://www.kokeln.com/boxster_race_wing_kit.php Distributed by Stable Engergies: http://www.stable-energies.com/

Again a BIG thanks to Dave and Mary for putting this WOCD on for us!!! Lunch AND dinner were great guys and thanks again so much for being patient while we continued to trouble shoot problems after the planned close of the day's activities. Sorry I couldn't get around more to check out other's cars, show Robert step by step what I was doing with his suspension, or just BS in general. With Alex and I showing up late we really had to put our noses to the grind stone to get the suspension swap done. Dave, your air tools really helped and Robert thanks a bunch for working with Alex to get the springs off - that really helped to make the job go faster. Guys, I can't begin to tell you what a great day Alex and I had together at the WOCD. My son lives in Indiana and I only get to see him at the big school breaks - Christmas, Easter, and summer. He had a GREAT time getting his hands dirty with Dad and Robert. Definitely a good father-son time. The ride home was fun too. I had a REALLY hot chick checking me out, but Alex says she was looking at the car! :rolleyes: We got quite a few reactions from other drivers on the highway too because of the Gemballa body kit. It made Alex pretty proud, which really made me feel good then. It's nice to enjoy your Porsche, to enjoy driving it, and to enjoy wrenching on it, but it's 100 times better to share that enjoyment with the ones you love. :)

Crazy ain't it? I wish they had explained this in the owner's manual, but like you I spent a lot of time buying new bulbs and trying to diagnose the problem with my passenger side fog light. I finally just gave up on it, only to discover later that they're actually made to function this way. Now I've switched to LED tail lights and don't even have a rear fog light anymore... oh well, it won't be missed.

They come with the LEDs. Backup and turn signal bulbs are still standard bulbs.

That's a good question and I believe the answer would be unquestionably YES. First, if you do an engine swap like this in California you technically should take it to a referee after the swap. They'll check everything out and make sure it's acceptable. You are required to swap in an engine from a car from the same year or newer, no older engines than what you already have. HOWEVER, as has been mentioned here, you can't visually tell that it's a 996 engine vs a 986 engine, at least the normal joe can't tell. If you don't take it to a referee, who is going to know or even be able to tell? Technically they're supposed to check the engine at smog, but I've never had anyone ask me to open her up before. It's a PITA to get to the engine any way. As for emissions - think of it this way - you swap in a 996 engine, reflash the DME to the OEM tune for a 996, keep cats and O2 sensors.... basically what you've got is a 996 engine, complete, in a 986 body. If the 996 passes smog in California, then a 996 setup with OEM tune in a 986 body should also pass smog.

They were just discussing this exhaust on 986forum. Yes, it looks like it's exactly the same exhaust as Maxspeed, Che, and the cheap eBay offerings. If they're all the same I'd just shop by lowest price. Yes, they do appear to have resonance from what many others have said. For less resonance you're limited in your options - Porsche Sport Exhaust, Gemballa, and I believe Dansk. Basically if the exhaust is huge and quiet, then it probably won't have resonance because of the design with resonance chambers. If the exhaust is light weight, small, loud, and more of a pass-through design, then yes you'll probably also have a loud resonance.

Ah... okay, thanks Chuck! I'm going to have to look into this Delvac stuff. I see we have some here at work that we use specifically in gear boxes. Don't worry about me for the work on cars day though. I didn't plan on changing my transmission oil (yes it's a manual) that day. I'm going to do it at home some other time. I thought you were picking up some oil for others, but now I see that you're getting it in 5 gallon containers!!! I don't need that much. :P

I don't know... one hour may be more than enough time to swap out a front bumper. I already had my front bumper off my Boxster last night and installed a 996 MK1 GT3 bumper. It literally took me maybe 15 minutes to get it on, aligned, and bolted down. :P If I had someone helping me and an electric screw driver (can't &%$#@ find mine right now) I bet we could get it done. I think you'll love this bumper, I know I do. It looks great on Loren's car! I've got my car lowered on Gemballa springs and with this bumper (same as the 996 aerokit) I've got about 3.5" of ground clearance in the front. It's LOW. I'm not sure how I'll get the lower spoiler on. :o Only problem is that my wife came out to look at it and said it looked like the car was smiling and it looked much more "cute" now. <_<

I will be there. Loren, I've got a 2000 Boxster S. My air bag light has come on since the car was sitting at a body shop for two weeks and they had the battery disconnected. I assume the air bags are okay, just the system is frazzled. I'd like you to scan it with your PST2 though and reset it. Chuck, do you know if the Mobil Delvac is the right type of oil for a Boxster transmission? I assume it is, I'm just not familiar with "Delvac". I thought my Boxster is supposed to take Mobil One 75-90 gear oil. I'll do some checking, and if that's the right oil for my car I would definitely be interested in getting some. I changed mine at 40K miles to Castrol full synthetic. I bought the Castrol because none of the local shops had enough Mobil 75-90. That was a bit of a mistake though. I have a minor issue with difficulty going into 4th now. I'd like to swap it again to the Porsche recommended transmission oil for my car. I really just need the oil though. I'll change it at home rather than the work on cars day. ebcarrera, I'm actually swapping out my front bumper for an MK1 aerokit bumper tonight (just got it painted). It's a one hour job at most, if you take your time. I don't know how you'll get your bumper there, but bring it along and we'll get it swapped on, no problem. Bring an old blanket too to lay on the ground just to be sure we don't scratch the paint if it's accidentally dropped. Loren's right about the side skirts. I've got a body shop doing mine next week and it's more of an ordeal than we'd want to do at a work on cars day. blinkwatt, definitely bring your new springs! We'll get those swapped out. You don't really need a lift to do that job, although it's nice. You just need the wheels off the ground and jack stands will work fine for that and it sounds like we've got plenty of space to get your car up on jack stands. I'd just plan on coming early for that job though. Do you have a jack and jack stands or do you want me to bring some? Also do you want me to bring my spring compressors? Kirk