DCLee

It's coming along... ordered wheels today. Installed carbon mirrors, got the front bumper vents cut. For once, I may be finished a project by Spring.

Lee in D.C.

CWay27

How nice is it to see a guy modifying is Cayman with taste. There you go PCNA, here is something you should look into!!

GT3 Nut

Lee,
Looks really nice. What else do you plan on doing to it? I am seriously thinking about selling my GT3 and doing the 3.8 motor in my Cayman. I was going to sell the Cayman when my 997 GT3 came in, but now I think I want to start having fun modding my Cayman. Please give me some ideas on what you might suggest.

500

Nice, tasteful and very purposeful looking. I really like it. The second picture is especially good. The side skirts and new wing give the car a really nice stance.

DCLee

Matt-- Since you and I did the exact same thing to our GT3s, I'd say mod the Cayman for yucks-- but don't expect miracles. It'll never drive like a GT3 unless it comes back reincarnated with a dry-sump case and Ti conn rods, trick heads and crank, etc.

Stage I-- GT3 Clubsport seats, Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs, good wheels/tires like Profil 13s and RA1s, track alignment, good exhaust and flash (I'm using Milltek/Revo but am modding the Milltek to make it sportier). Aero bits from TechArt and F-L. Radiator screens to keep the rocks out. BMC foam air filter.

Stage II-- new JRZ doubles with attached NO2 cannnisters (no drilling in the cabin), adj. swaybars and links, bolt-in rollbar (custom-- no more welded cage for me), oil-sump extension and RS pulley, etc. Definitely needs a LSD, several options here... Skip the center radiator, do an auxilliary oil cooler instead-- I'm going to try my old 7-row 993 Turbo-S cooler.

Stage III (You Are Approaching... the Zone of Madness)-- RS clutch/flywheel (for sure), short gears (maybe), ERP adj. links all around, bolt-out track exhaust (custom).

Stage IV-- Did someone say "twin turbos?'' (I'd do this before I did a 3.8 N.A. conversion).

PM me for more detail...

Hope to see you at the track this spring, bring ALL your cars...

Lee in D.C.
'06 Cayman RS project

mdw48009

Did you install the mirrors yourself?

I just bought some carbon mirrors. I am going to install myself.

Any tricks or pitfalls.

Did you find any install instructions?

Thanks
Mike

DCLee

Mike:

Me, "install" something? That would be a recipe for disaster. My body shop did the carbon mirrors. Do a search, I think there is a DIY tutorial on the Web somewhere-- I recall seeing something about dealing with the Torx heads...

Rgds,

Lee in D.C.
'06 Cayman RS project

Rich.

Very nice, Keep us updated with pictures. I am very interested in The Cayman S for myself. I havent seen what these cars are capable of yet.

Jon70

Lee,
As always, great job on the car.

nkhalidi

How about rear-wiper delete? No true RS would have one of those pesky things.

DCLee

Thanks guys! NKHALIDI, you are absolutely right about the rear wiper, it's going to go and a grommet will plug the hole. (Of course, accepting the dorky rear wiper on a Cayman RS-clone isn't nearly as objectionable as accepting a sunroof on a 997 GT3 RS... )

Lee in D.C.
'06 Cayman RS clone

Analog Theory

Send us your current Cayman and we'll put in a factory 997 Carrera S 3.8 X-51 engine with custom headers, twin center exit exhaust, PSS9's, sway's, GT3 Cup center radiator, GT3 Cup nose and a host of other performance option possibilities (LSD, close ratio gear box, RS Clutch/LWF etc...).

Exactly as we've done with our current shop car.....the look on unwitting late model 996/997 owners fooled to think it's all show and no go is absolutely priceless! Incredible performance and the sound is just mean. We're likely going to add the new Techart GT Rear Wing (possibly the whole widebody kit) as well as custom BBS race wheels.

Analog Theory

great stance DC Lee!...very aggressive rake. No issues with wandering or bump steer? Are you corner balanced as well?

DCLee

The car was corner balanced and track aligned when Eibach lowering springs went on, and now the rear end moves around a bit under hard cornering -- obviously, it settled some and that threw the alignment off. It's all going to be fixed next week when Motons and Eibach ERS springs are installed (along with Clubsport seats and a TCDesign rollbar). I ordered Fikse Profil 3-pc. rather than BBS Motorsport wheels, both are first-rate.

I like the ride height on your silver car, and really like that Cupcar F nose. But swapping the fenders and headlights per the Farnbacher Loles GTR conversion to get that nose to fit is a pricey mod, and it makes the car seem less Cayman-like. Eventually, I suspect that a similar bumper will be designed to fit directly on the Cayman front.

The rear exhaust plate I can live without. I like TechArt stuff a lot, but I prefer a larger R wing. The dinky wings for the Cayman sit way too low in the airstream. Someone needs to design two longer telescoping rods to lift a bigger wing higher up. Just dreaming, of course...

Re the X51 engine swap-- this strikes me as an expensive thing to do to get from my car's current 325 h.p. to a 997 S's 380+ h.p. I think two little turbos spinning their brains out would make this car sooo much more fun, and it would cost a shade less or about the same-- turbos, IC (where would you put that?), plumbing, lower compression pistons, engine management, exhaust, and an LSD to help with traction. Someone is going to do it, for sure.

However you slice it, the Cayman is a very rewarding car to mod. I'm having a ball with mine.

Rgds,

Lee in D.C.
'06 Cayman RS project

wombat7

Lee,

your car looks amazing. Everything you have done is so tasteful and actually serves a purpose!