colnagoG60

It's all in here: https://rennlist.com/forums/gt4-spyd...otorsport.html

95spiderman

thanks for link but after scrolling through 5 pages still cant figure out if non gt4 6 cyl 981 can be converted

Rick DeMan

Totally possible with a donor 3.8L engine

daaa nope

Looks like Tim's place?

I am dying not driving mine. I took it for a very short drive yesterday, it was sunny out - and I had to drop it off at a buddy's place for a K40 install. Planned to take the "long way" and enjoy myself but traffic was a freak at 3:00 in the afternoon... said F it, turned around, and went straight to the shop.

Oh well. Maybe I'll get lucky and when I get back here in 2 weeks to pick it up (house shopping in ATL next week then Barber race weekend) the weather will have turned.

I really need to try out your shifter.

JAhmed

Hahahaa close…detail shop in the same complex (Detail City…they are great)

I’ve been fortunate lately to have another Spyder available to drive on dry/warmer days like we had yesterday

Ksdaoski

Well that's a bold statement....

James88

Heard a similar story with one in Sydney Australia, Rick came to the party and fixed the issue, GT4 owner could not be happier with heaps of track miles since fix..

FAhmed

Pretty sure everyone stops and thinks about it. Whether or not it's a good idea is entirely subjective and up to the owner (is it a good idea to even buy a six figure car?). It sounds like you're basing this opinion entirely on this one person you know who's had multiple problems with his 4.5. While that's unfortunate, there are plenty of guys tracking these cars without issues. The cost of the upgrade is around ~50k (not 100k) and some people prefer the looks of the GT4 and dynamics of a mid engine car over the GT3. At the end of the day, its a good idea if you want it and can afford it. I love my GT4 the way it is, but I plan on going with the 4.5 in the future because it enhances the car in every way (sound, speed, etc). To each their own, its all just for the sake of a hobby...

Reedy

Sounds like the very car I am talking about, it is currently parked up with another failure in the workshop that I take my GT4 to.

James88

Oh that's not good, hope it gets sorted quickly.
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Reedy

I don't know what actually failed, all I know is it left my last track day on a flatbed and has been at the shop ever since.

daaa nope

Depends on who builds it.

I had a 4.0 built for my old 987 by, well, lets say someone with a big reputation among the Cars and Coffee crowd (and a sh*t reputation among the racing crowd, I later learned) that blew up on the warmup lap of its first track day. That was to replace a 3.6 that the shop built and blew up while road testing it before delivering to me. Which was to replace a 4.2 that had blown up, that they built for the previous owner of my car.

So shop reputation is key. And DeMan has built racing motors that go in racing cars and get abused on track and survive just fine.

Rick, and BGB, are the only two I would ever consider. Their stuff is track tested. Anybody else? Especially those with big attitudes and arrogance? RUN.

JCviggen

It does seem that most of the 4.5 builds that are reported on RL don't see the track much, if at all. Would be good to see some more long terms reviews of upgraded cars that live a hard life chasing lap times.I'm confident that they're generally reliable, but the average buyer just doesn't seem to use them that way.

Rick DeMan

Mate!

"One of the guys who has a 981 GT4 that I do a lot of track days with has a 4.5L engine conversion and his head gaskets can barely last a single track day"

Why do you make statements like this? The GT4 in question can be viewed right here on his YouTube channel with 20+ full track day videos of this car being RACED, not tracked, RACED and he is NOT easy on these cars.

https://www.youtube.com/user/iamcharliekay/videos

Take a look at Bathurst in particular

JCviggen

Would it be fair to say that taking these engines to the maximum possible capacity and power does have some impact on longevity when raced hard?

The 718CS we have in the team has passed 30K track miles now and still got stock power on the dyno. We have a 3.4 rental that's nearing 50K track miles (and the poor thing rarely sees a proper warmup before getting raped) would a 4.5 be good for (much) less than that when all is said and done?