Spec Boxster Build Part 2

Well, this is kind of part 2 and 3 since we have already done some work, tested the car at Hallett, and moved on to the next stage:

First thing we had to do was to catch up on some maintenance and get the car trackable in order to test what we had.

First thing to do was to flush all the coolant out, change the waterpump and switch to a low temp thermostat.

Next we needed to replace the worn out brakes, along with a bad wheel bearing, so that was tackled with new Hawk brake pads, rotors, and bearings. Nice thing about removing carriers is that I get to clean everything up nicely in the bead blaster before reassembly. After that, we took the car to Hallett to do some testing on the race track. The car performed flawlessly under double duty and really hot weather.

Part 2 consists of race seats/harnesses, more weight reduction, SPEC suspension (PSS9’s, swift springs, sway bars, drop links, control arms, etc for a good track setup.

We went with Hans compatible harnesses for both sides. Right now we have the driver side on sliders, with the passenger side bolted to the floor. Once we install the cage, the driver side will likely have to go to the floor as well for all the headroom we can get.

And of course a Rothsport quick release with momo steering wheel installed.

Then it was time to remove the dash so I could get the heater core and evaporator assembly out.

Once the dash is out, the heater box assembly is designed to come out very easily.

Leaving us a lot of room! We will reinstall a black dash next week to make things a little cleaner and since there isn’t a lot of weight to the dash assembly. This will allow us to sell the Boxster red interior complete.

Up front, a few things are discarded along the way.

And a heater core bypass hose installed back by the engine, with the rest of the lines removed.

Then it was time to pull the front bumper to install the center radiator to help keep temps down. On the early 986 this is not a direct plug and play like the later cars, rather you need to gather some parts from the 986S/996, along with making a few custom hose adapters.

With the bumpers off, I evacuated the AC system and removed all the AC components, including the condensors which cover the radiators, and the lines back to the motor. I will remove the AC compressor soon. Notice how much dirt and crap were jammed in the condensors. Not good airflow considering the radiators sit behind them.

Even with the condensors in front, crap still gets behind and clogs the radiators. This will all be power washed out before going back together.

And the new center radiator installed. Now to modify the front bumper cover for the air inlet.

While I have the PSS9’s in hand, I am waiting for the rest of the stuff to show up from Tarrett Engineering, so next week I should be able to get the suspension installed and the car aligned! VROOOOOOM!