My 996 3.4 Carrera 4 Retro build diary

[Lightweight996]

So I can document the process I've started a build diary of my 996, it may be of interest to some too.

This is my second 911, my first being a 996.2 C2 Tiptronic back in 2014 which I had only for 6months of so before I had to sell to fund some projects.

I bought this 1999 Carrera 4 privately at the end of last month without doing a PPI as it was some distance away and I didn't have much time to spare. I went for a local test drive and everything seemed alright so I took the risk, made an offer and drove her home.

The first thing I noticed on higher speeds was a gearbox whine which is almost certainly the pinion bearing so that's something that will need to be done at some stage but it can wait for now.

The other thing I noticed was that the car was running hotter than expected. This was a combination of leaves in front of the radiator and two blown fan resistors (meaning the fans only came on at speed 2 after the engine was really hot). A simple and very inexpensive fix using some suitable aftermarket resistors and all is running nicely again.

My plans for this car are to make it as much as a drivers car as possible whilst still being family friendly.

 

[Lightweight996]

This is how she looked when I brought her home.

Non sunroof with black leather and sports seats.

 

[Lightweight996]

This first upgrade was to change the sloppy gear selector.

I read that fitting the 997 selector is a bolt in upgrade has 10% less throw than the 996 item.

All in all £200 well spent as the gear feel is fantastic now!

 

[Lightweight996]

Next was the almost essential Gundo hack.

I went DIY on this one (except for the welding) and the cost came in around £60 including materials.

The sound is outstanding.

Apologies for the photo order - rookie error.

 

[Lightweight996]

Now to start shedding some weight.

When I bought the car it has a Double Din Car-Play stereo, all very clever but not really what I want so that had to go, I was also keen to remove the lower console too.

I relocated the climate control panel and cubby to a replacement upper console so I now have no radio (and have saved around 10kg to boot) however I LOVE the cleaner lines.

I bought the lower console delete from my local OPC for a lot less than some of the online retailers. Still a lot of money for a carpet, but needs must! They also delivered it for free on the parts van. Excellent service!

 

[Lightweight996]

Hmmm, that gear knob looks a bit modern...

A snooker ball, craft knife, some cable ties and 15 mins with a Dremel to cut a slot in the snooker ball can solve that.

Feels nice to use, has a good weight to it and the total cost was £5








Hmm, but now that steering wheel looks too modern.....

 

[MisterCorn]

Good work, you are off to a cracking start there.

MC

 

[Lightweight996]

When I was originally looking to buy an 996 I was looking for an early 3.4 C2 and had all but discounted the C4's

That was up until I discovered that the C4 has a stiffer bodyshell (used in the GT3 apparently) and that the AWD system can be removed in about 1hr.

This of course means a significant weight reduction up front which in turn means the front of the car will sit much higher. So coil overs are also needed to bring this height down again.

After much deliberation I opted for Yellow Speed Coilovers as they were very well priced and spare parts are available, these are also used in some of the BMW race series.

The removal of the AWD system is well documented in many places so I wont repeat it here however suffice to say it was dead easy. I had already bought a secondhand set of front driveshafts to sacrifice for the front stub axles.

Fitting of the coil overs was time consuming but not at all complicated and I was impressed with the accurate fit of the yellowspeeds.

This was only done a few days ago and I still need to get the geometry setup, the difference in feel without the weight up front and additional transmission loss was instantly noticable.

 

[jonttt]

I love a good journal :thumb:

....you won't be knocking in a 147 now though :grin:

 

[Lightweight996]

Good work, you are off to a cracking start there.

MC

Thanks

....you won't be knocking in a 147 now though :grin:

Chears jonttt but /wooshparrot here I'm afraid.

What's knocking in a 147? All I know is the Alfa 147?

 

[Lightweight996]

A little bit of Italian style has just been delivered!

 

[Creationblue]

Nice write-up, looking forward to your progress :thumb:

 

[The return of Marty Wild]

Love a good 9x6 project. Tis true about the 996 GT3 being built on the AWD chassis.

I've lost 60kg out of my 986. Toying with losing the non-functioning A/C next, should see me well on the way to 100kg that would.

 

[Lightweight996]

I've lost 60kg out of my 986. Toying with losing the non-functioning A/C next, should see me well on the way to 100kg that would.

Now you're talking!

My A/C is useless too, let me know how you get on with removing it. Although I have a black coupe, it will only be an oven for the 3 days of summer we get.

 

[The return of Marty Wild]

There in lies the bind, I'm in a black one despite vowing to never have a black car ever gain after I experienced a white Cayman from a black R32.

I've lost the soft top too. DO have the 'Speedster' option on special days.

Pretty sure I will lose the A/C though, I'll keep you in the loop! My ownership thread in the Cayman/Boxster section has a break down of all my weight savings thus far.

Going to lose the OEM PSE too, which by all accounts is excessively lardy.