2003 Porsche 911 Turb-OOOOH

Doc has a nice garage for sure. I wish I had his 3rd bay. 

Thanks guys.  I'm debating putting a vice on the workbench.  I can clearly use one but the maple top of this workbench is so nice I'm having a tough time with drilling holes in it for a vice. 

bmw88rider, technically I have 4 bays!  Just two are vertically stacked. 

So on the local PCA Facebook page someone posted a set of black leather 997 front seats.  For free!  My car currently has the factory sports seats, which are incredibly uncomfortable.  They seem to be made for a 100lb stick like person.  I literally can't fit in between the bolsters on the seat back.  I'm not fat, nor am I a huge weight lifter, so I end up sitting ON the seat vs IN it.

I'd heard the 997 seats were more comfortable, so let's go get em.  Kicker is they were in north Ft Collins, 1.5 hours away from me.  The "seller" was kind enough to hang onto them for a week or so until I had time to go get them.  Left early this morning with my 5 year old son, in somewhat inclement weather.  Passed a bunch of accidents but got up there and got the seats.

They're in pretty good shape, have the embossed crests on them even.  I'll need to figure out the wiring, as they're full power and the seats in my car now aren't.  Hopefully I can find a DIY on rennlist for that.  I gave them a test fit on my garage floor and sure enough, I fit in them well.  The seat back bolsters are further apart than on my seats, so I sit IN them.  Woot!

I also was kindly sent a 997 GT3 shifter from another GRM'er, which you see in the above pic sitting on my workbench.  Gotta find some time to get that installed too.

OK, so some googling has shown me that to wire up the full power seats in my car, which doesn't have full power seats currently is going to take quite a bit of work.

Pretty sure I don't feel like doing that.  So I'm currently trying to see if anyone wants to trade me their sorta power 997 seats for my full power ones, as I suspect these will plop right into a 997 and plug right in.

If not, I'll just pass them onto the next enthusiast.

So one of my friends in an auto broker and has a client with a 911 that needs new seats in order to sell.  He picked up my 997 seats yesterday and hopefully his client will be buying them.

On other news, I bought a used set of Bilstein PSS9 coilovers.  I usually don't buy used suspension stuff, it's more likely to be blown out/wasted than in good shape.  However these are low mileage and for what I paid, if I need to I can send them off to Bilstein in San Diego for a full rebuild and still have gotten them for a good price.

So I'll evaluate them when they arrive and decide whether or not I want to have them rebuilt immediately or not.  Unfortunately the seller is not including the Tarret upper hats, so I'll just put my stock top hats on them.

It's surprisingly affordable to get Bilstein UK to rebuild shocks - as in, I was amazed how little it was.

If it's similar on your side of the pond I'd be tempted to get it done simply for peace of mind - you'd be starting from (effectively) new.

Of course if it's a fortune then YOLO, roll the dice and fit 'em.

In reply to Dammit :

Last time I had it done, it was something like $275 to rebuild an entire set of coilovers and that included the shipping charge back to me.  So it's quite a bargain when you think about it.

If these have good compression on them and no visible leaks I'm inclined to just throw them in the car and roll the dice.  From what the seller told me, they've got very little mileage on them...

Got the 997 GT3 shifter installed this morning.  I followed the B&M Short Shifter instructions and they were pretty damn good.  Everything went back together well and it's hitting all the gears properly.  Throws are shorter than stock but not insanely so, which is good because I hate the typical super short shifters as they're notchy.

Did an oil change too.  Many things to drain as there are oil drains for the turbos, the crank case and the oil tank.  The oil comes out of the oil tank like a freaking geyser!  Then put the car down, take the filter off, suck the remaining oil out of the filter housing, new filter in.  Filling the oil is sort of a PITA as the oil filler pipe is narrow and I couldn't get my usual funnel in it plus the deck lid got in the way.  I pulled out a funnel I used to use on my dirt bikes that has a hose on the bottom of it.  It worked fine but took forever to fill.

Then the motor doesn't have a dipstick, so you have to run the motor, wait for it to come up to temp, which takes forever, then let it measure.  Then shut the motor off, add as necessary and recheck.

Done tho! 

Coilovers are supposed to show up Tuesday.  I'll clean them up but won't have a chance to install them until early May.  Going skiing next Friday, then we're out of town for Spring Break...

Unpacked and gave the coilovers a quick clean up and discovered some missing parts and parts that need to be replaced.  I'll need to hit the coilovers with some aluminum polish and maybe a wire wheel to really clean them up.  I'm quite skeptical of the sellers claims that these were on a garage queen/fair weather car only.

Despite me asking him if everything was included/complete for plug n play and his affirmative response I found that they didn't come with the front swaybar endlinks.  These are supplied by Bilstein, you don't reuse the stock ones.  He did give me a set of stock endlinks for the rear though. 

I called Bilstein today to see if I could order the parts and they want me to give them the part #'s off the shocks/struts.  Apparently they made several revisions and want to make sure I get the proper part numbers, which I'll then use to order the parts from ECS Tuning or Pelican (aka ECS Tuning!).  So its a good thing I don't have time to install these for 3-4 weeks because I don't have all the parts I need anyways!

There are these rubber isolator rings that also need to be replaced and I'm not sure if I'm missing these little spacers that need to be on the front struts.  I have some spacers that the seller gave me but I'm not sure if they're the correct ones.  I also need the pin style Bilstein coilover wrenches.  I have 4 sets of coilover wrenches at home but none of them are a pin style, of course!

On the good front none of the shocks/struts are leaking and they all have excellent gas charge/rebound.  So I'll have to make a small order of the wear items and I should be good to go.

Got the part numbers and called Bilstein back.  They’re totally awesome btw!  They found all the parts I need and will be shipping them to me.

In the never ending quest for more storage, I added another shelf to the garage.

Then I promptly filled it with stuff that was either stacked on top of other things or on the floor.

I need a bigger garage!

Since I was pressure washing the salt/dirt off both my GX and the wife's Cayenne Diesel, I hit the coilovers with the pressure washer too.  Didn't really help, so I took some fine metal sand paper and cleaned most the crap off of them.  They still don't look brand new but they look a whole lot better.

I also removed the stock swaybar end links from the rear coilovers, since I have adjustable ones on the car now with the H&R rear swaybar I plan on reusing.  I was a little worried they'd be frozen in place but surprisingly they came out easily with an 18mm wrench.  Then I took off a swaybar ball from one of the front coilovers.

I tried to see if the perches were free but only one was.  So I hit the other three with penetrant and I'll wait for my coilover wrenches to show up from Bilstein.  Hopefully all of them break free easily.  Then I'll lube up all the threads and get ready for installation!

Got back from some R&R to discover a box from Bilstein.  Inside were my front swaybar endlinks and coilover wrenches.  I need to go to RM Euro tomorrow and pick up my axle nuts, then I'll have everything I need to install the PSS9's.

Tonight I'll see if I can free up the other 3 ride height adjusters on them.

Sunday is my first auto-x of the season, I'll see if I can hook up my Traqmate and GoPro this time.

Was able to free up all the coilover spring height adjusters easily.  Woot!  Install had to wait tho, my son had a half day at school on Friday and my daughter was still on break.  Plus I had an auto-x on Sunday, today and I didn't want to run the car without having an alignment done.

So today's auto-x was on stock suspension and the H&R big rear swaybar, set on medium.  I did hook up my GoPro and Traqmate, I need to plug those in and review the footage and remember how to stich the data and video feeds together.  Pretty sure I have the software on my work laptop, so I'll try and do it tomorrow over lunch.  I did figure out how to flip the video feed on the GoPro, so at least everything will be right side up, score!

Onto the auto-x, it was a fast course with lots of sweepers and 180's.  I initially ran the course with my traction control on and could feel it intervening several times.  I worked on being smooth and trying to drive underneath the threshold of it.  Then it was time to pull up my big boy pants and turn it off and send it!

Send it I did, easily 2 seconds faster and there was still plenty of time left on the course.  Surprisingly the car didn't feel unstable, I never felt the rear end get loose or try and come around on me.  I did have some nice drifts and was able to put down the power unimpeded tho, so that was nice.

I was looking forward to the afternoon runs but the event was running around 1 hour behind and I was in the last run group.  My son has a makeup soccer game this afternoon and if I stayed there's no way I would've made it back in time, since the site is 45 minutes from my house and probably close to 1 hour from the soccer field.

So I decided to bail on the afternoon runs.  I had a great time and the car ran strong!  No issues with the PSM off and now I'm comfortable running without it on.  Next auto-x is May 18, can't wait! 

I'll try and post the Traqmate data/video tomorrow

“Sorry, PAY-lay, but Daddy had to race!”

Ha!  I would've loved to have gotten in my afternoon runs but it just wasn't to be.  My dad missed pretty much all of my games/meets growing up and I'm not doing that with my son.

On the drive home the stock head unit, single din CD with 6 disc changer started acting weird.  The CD changer cassette was full with 6 discs but was only reading 4, then it wouldn't let me swap over to the single CD in the headunit. 

I was planning on going to a double din Apple car play unit at some point but was hoping to not do it right away. 

Looking forward to the video!  My next autocross is this coming Sunday, May 5th, on the kart track at Daytona (the site of my FTD in the rain last year).  I'll try to post video when I get home from the event.

In reply to docwyte :

I was going to attend that Auto-X with my Focus ST, but my daughter had her annual violin recital at noon yesterday.  So that wouldn't have worked out!  I've not yet done any autocrosses, so I'm excited to get Event # 1 under my belt.

What's your next event?  I was hoping to go the event at PPIR on May 19, but I've since had a business trip come up.

In reply to TVR Scott :

I'm doing the next PCA auto-x on May 18th.

In reply to docwyte :

Cool.  Do the PCA guys only let in Porsches or is it open to everyone?  Informational only at the moment - I'm doing a running race that day so I couldn't make it regardless.

More generally, any recommendations for a local newbie?  Who do you like to run with?  Anyone who can be super serious and less welcome to beginners?

In reply to TVR Scott :

PCA could care less.  There were a bunch of SCCA guys there in miata's, mr2 spyders etc.  PCA is super chill and runs a very good event.  Tons of runs with fun runs at the end too.

SCCA are very, very serious about auto-x.  A good group of guys but not the place for me, I just wanna have fun and goof off.  I like NASA for real track day stuff, as well as PCA.  Both run a safe, well run event.

I managed to figure out Traq Studio again!  LOL, been awhile since I've used it but I managed to not only import my video but also the data.  Then marry the two and make a video! 

Disclaimer:  I left a ton of time on the course, this was my first run with PSM (traction control) off and I was feeling out how the car would react.  I was planning on running the afternoon sessions and really start leaning on the car but the event ran too far behind for me to make them. 

Oh yeah, my actual run time was something like 3-4 seconds faster as I had to manually start/stop the Traqmate.  Think this run was a 62.5, which was only 4 tenths behind my buddies 996 GT3 that's fully prepped with $$$ JRZ triple adjustable coilovers!

When you get them cleaned up you can hit the threads with marine grease.  It will keep the aluminum nuts from seizing on the steel threads.

OK, time to get on installing the Bilstein PSS9 coilovers I have.  I made an appointment for May 17th for corner balance/alignment, so my plan is to do the rears today and the fronts next Friday.

First off, I need to remove the Bose subwoofer that's behind the front seats.  Sharkwerks has a very good DIY on their website but here's the jist of it.

Squash yourself into the back seats.  Fold down the seat backs.  Using a 6mm allen, remove the rear seat posts on either side.

Use your fingers to pull off the plastic surrounds that say "Bose" on them.  That reveals a T30 torx on either side.  Remove it.  Pull the subwoofer forward and unclip the wiring harness on the drivers side by pinching the plug together and pulling it towards the passenger side.

Pull the carpet up and out from either side that covers the rear shock tops.  Remove the large piece of carpet in the middle.  Remove the silver brackets that hold the subwoofer into place with a 10mm rachet.  Now you should be looking at this...

Here's the subwoofer and carpet out of the car...

OK, time to get underneath the car.  Remove the wheel.  I bought this super cool plastic lined deep well socket, which I've used once and now it seems to be plugged up?  WTF!  Anyways....

Remove the swaybar endlink.  I have a larger H&R bar, it was an 8mm allen.

Now remove the bolt that holds the bottom of the shock in.  You'll want to get a jack underneath it, as the whole assembly will droop and you can't drive the bolt out.

Now remove the three 15mm nuts from the top of the shocks.  Using a prybar, pop the rear shock eyelet out and carefully remove the entire assembly out of the car.

OK, now use some spring compressors and take the stock rear shock mount off.  It's an 18mm nut and you need to hold the top of the shock shaft to keep it from turning.

Here's where the Bilstein instructions really suck.  They don't really show you what to reuse from the stock stuff, or how to put together the rear adjustment knob.  Which rather oddly, is on the top, where it's covered by carpet and the subwoofer.  Awesome.

Anyways, you want to use the entirety of the rear shock top mount with the exception of the rubber stock spring seat.  Go ahead and put them on and run down the one nut from bilstein.  Now put on the washer/spacer Bilstein gave you, then run down the silver shoulder nut.  On top of the shoulder nut goes the black washer with the dowel in it.  Have the dowel facing up and line it up with the notch in the top of the shock, after you turned the top of the shock counter clockwise.  This is important!  You need to start out with the shock set on full soft.

It should look like this...

Now index the adjuster knob.  Since these are PSS9's, that means 9 distinct clicks clockwise.  Tighten the set screw.  Time to install!  Research on Rennlist showed that I want to set these at "5", so I did.  Bilstein has very specific ride heights for these, they call for 205-210mm from the center of the bottom eyelet to the bottom of the top spring seat. 

So not a whole lot of adjustment.  I set them at 210mm, once I get the car on the ground I'll see what the ride height is.  Stock was basically 26.5" ground to fender lip all the way around.  I want to set it at 25.75", so lower the car 3/4".  Hopefully it'll be ok.

So I put the tops in and the nuts finger tight.  I then pushed down on the rear hub and popped the rear shock eyelet in.  Here's where a friend is really helpful.  I lined up the hub to the coilover eyelet and he pushed the bolt through.  Once that got done I torqued it to 81ft lbs.  Then I torqued the upper nuts to 34ft lbs. 

I attached the swaybar endlink to both the swaybar and the coilover body and torqued to the coilover body 31 ft lbs.  I did not torque the other end as that needs to be done when the car is on its wheels with weight on it.

I left the carpet etc out from inside the cabin until I drive the car some and figure out if I want to leave them set at "5" or not.  Access to the rear adjusters looks like removing the rear subwoofer and carpet every time, unless I can sneak out just the carpet over the rear shocks.  I'll have to look at that.

Next up is installing the Elephant Racing rear toe locking plates, then installing the front PSS9's.

OK, let's get the rest of this done.  I first tried to install the Elephant Racing rear toe locking plates but those bolts were on there so damn tight I gave up.  I'll let the shop install them when I take the car in next Friday for the alignment and corner balance.

Ok, wheels off, this is what you start with.

Let's go through the things you need to unbolt.  First take off the stock swaybar endlinks, you need to use the ones from Bilstein, as they mount to the strut itself and not the spring seat like stock.

Ok, now you have to take off the 10mm bolt that holds the spring seat in place.

Now take off the one pinch bolt holding the strut into the housing.  It's a 16mm head and a 18mm nut.

Now take off the two 10mm allen bolts holding the front caliper in place and hang it out of the way.

Now take off the two harnesses that attach to the top of the front knuckle.  Mark one of them so you know where both go.

Now undo the three 15mm nuts holding the top of the strut in place, after you've taken off the beauty covers.  The side ones are held in with 1 T25 Torx.

Tape up the sides of your fender, be generous with the tape!  You're going to swing the strut housing/knuckle out through here and you don't want chip the paint.

Ok, now here's what I did and what I SHOULD'VE DONE.  I tried to get the axle nut off front of the axle but I couldn't break it free.  Neither my electric impact or my air impact could do it.  I had a choice, I could take off the 6 6mm allen heads that hold the axle in place, after putting the wheels back on and dropping the car back onto the lift deck, or I'd heard that the stub axle will pop right out of the diff when you lower the knuckle and the you just line it back up and it reseats.

So that's what I did.  DO NOT DO THAT!  It's basically impossible to get the stub axle to seat back into the diff, especially with the axle nut in place as you can't use the axle itself to slide the stub axle in.  Just break free the axle nut before you take the wheels off/raise the car off the deck, or have a butch enough impact to spin the nut off, which is torqued to 340 ft lbs.  It's on there like a mother F'er.

Initially I took the 6 6mm allen head bolts that hold the axle to the stub axle out, thinking I could lever the stub axle in place.  That doesn't work.  So then my friend came over and stood on the brakes and I used a 4 foot breaker bar to get the axle nut off.  I then hit the end of the axle with my dead blow hammer to seat the stub axle into the diff.  We put the 6mm bolts back in and did the same thing on the other side.

Here's where stuff went sideways.  Those bolts should be torqued to 60ft lbs and my friend was doing it.  Unfortunately my torque wrench doesn't give an audible "click" you have to "feel" it.  Since my friend didn't know that, he broke the bolt going into the stub axle.  Much angst!  Luckily since the head of the bolt was broken off, it wasn't under tension and we were able to turn it out completely, then run to the hardware store and replace it.  It's an M8x1.50x50mm.

One neat trick is that once you've popped off the 10mm bolt holding the spring seat in place you rotate it around until you see the detent.  Now use a large screwdriver or prybar and pop the spring out of the seat and wind it down.  It's not under tension anymore and no need for spring compressors.

OK, now it's time to remove the strut.  Grab the strut hat from underneath and compress the strut.  Now pull out on the strut housing and maneuver it outside of the fender.  This is why you put all the tape onto the fender lip.  I used a dead blow hammer to pound the strut out of the housing.

Once out, use a 7mm allen key and a 22mm wrench to separate the stock upper hat.  You need the torrington bearing the rubber bushing, both cup washers and the upper hat.  Reassemble on the Bilstein, using a 6mm allen and a 21mm wrench.  Research on Rennlist showed to set the compression/rebound on "4".

Now you get to put it back into the knuckle.  I used some antiseize to help lube it and my dead blow hammer to get it into place.  The strut hats are marked right and left and there's an arrow stamped on them that needs to point to the front of the car.  Mark the underside of that bolt because you can't see it from the top. 

Now compress the entire housing (much harder than stock!) and get it into place.  I used a bottle jack underneath the knuckle to push the top of the housing up.  Note that the upper holes are slotted for camber adjustment.  I did mark them before I started and saw that they were basically in the middle.  Since this is a track/street car I maxed out my negative camber when I reassembled.

Ok, top nuts torqued to 24 ft lbs.  Strut pinch bolt torqued to 100ft lbs.  Tighten the new bilstein swaybar endlink onto the strut housing.  Leave the other end loose, torque it when the wheels are on and the suspension is under load.

Put it all together.  Bilstein specifies a certain range to set everything height wise, I have it at the top right now.  It lowered the front 3/4"-1" and the back around 1/2".  I'll let the shop play with the ride height a bit when they corner balance the car but I'm close to where I want to be.  I could mess with it now but without it being on the scales it'd take me awhile to dial it in.  Looks good tho!

Ride quality is very supple, better than stock!  Handling is immediate and sharp, I'm very pleased with the way it's turned out!