circuit.heart

Yeah, I really don't like the factory .2 cupholder design. A few Redditors suggested just making a more robust one in the typically-unused ashtray location, which makes sense from a usability standpoint as you just plop your cup/can in the hole and don't fiddle with any sliding or hinged plastics. With the horseshoe cupholder basically being dead weight, I could see value in using that space for something else. A translucent/backlit-at-night PORSCHE logo would be a great decoration there, as long as I don't receive a C&D.

Working on more mundane stuff at the moment, here's a vanilla center console delete sized for 3D printing by your average home hobbyist, and keyed for easy assembly (you shouldn't even have to lift up the rear center console). As soon as I have a website I'll put this STL file up for download, or I can print and carpet it for you as well. Economical replacement for the OEM GT3 piece.



And then for myself and @40th steve there's this version of it with both HVAC enclosure and the "batwing" integrated (hopefully, need to test).

TexSquirrel

If you post it, it won‘t take long to receive a letter.

circuit.heart

Pretty good progress! I'm going to send these out to my buddy at Swedit for carpeting to match the OEM material. Getting so very close to production-ready.



The batwing (seat heater switch panel) fits almost perfect in the slot I've cut, and thanks to the contours of the part, the "teeth" tuck right under the console delete so we just have a tidy little trapezoid under the HVAC controls. Couldn't have asked for better. A little nub I added to the HVAC enclosure keeps everything positioned. With that said, it's not the strongest system in the world (no console delete actually has any rigid mounting to the dashboard) so I think anyone wanting to do this mod with me will have to commit to 1-2 small screw holes in the underside of the dashboard. Safety first!



Now then, something that I'm not making on my own for once My one-off set of Titan7 T-S7 have arrived!



I guessed right on the specs: 19x9 +48 and 19x11 +63 fit perfect with my OEM+ suspension and alignment setup. No rubbing! Forgot to put the center caps in in my excitement lol, but a proper photoshoot has to wait till the rain stops anyways.



Tires are Yokohama Advan Apex V601's in 245/35/19 and 295/30/19. Compared to stock 225/40/18 and 285/30/18 tire sizing, the sidewalls are 1/8" shorter in front and 1/8" taller in the rear - so this is a TALL wheel package since we're rolling 19's now. Acceleration penalty is minimal (granted, I don't race this car anyways) and the ride quality is actually better than my stock 18's on DWS06+.



Somehow I don't notice the taller ride height, maybe because those fender gaps look so much better than before

GC996

@circuit.heart

Appreciate the work you are doing with developing new ideas and parts for the 996. It gets long time 996 owners pretty fired up to see the innovation.

On another note, while I am a fan of the 18 inch wheel on the 996, I like the look of what you did with the Titan 19s. From the two pictures you posted, your 996 looks like a brand new model. Love to see more pictures especially a few side shots if you have them.

Keep innovating!

circuit.heart

Yep, had to wait for weather but I needed to shoot these for Titan7 anyways - hope my photography chops haven't degraded too far





















Last one at a longer focal length:

circuit.heart

I finally had some time to improve the horseshoe trim prototype I made. Giving up on making a "shell" to glue to the OEM piece; instead, reverse-engineered all the original tabs, locators and clips and spent two prototypes getting the fitment right.

My first proto was definitely too bulky looking, so for Round 2 I narrowed the face and softened the edges to reduce the frontal area of the horseshoe.


Redid the pockets that hold the wiper switch and cigarette lighter - no reason why they have to be such long tubes that obstruct your access to the spring tabs.


Test fit - all of my OEM switches clip in real nice. Aesthetically could use some work, the printer's use of support materials causes some cosmetic faces to get marred in these pieces so I can't print like this in production.


The shape totally works. I'm very happy with this.



Fitment by the A/C vent.


Fitment by the dash trim strip. This was weird, the first proto I made had the correct design, but the printer somehow warped the tooth feature 2mm down. So I mistakenly compensated for it and the 2nd proto had the tooth feature 2mm too high up, confusing as hell. Put it back to where it was and the 3rd proto is perfect in this area.


Next steps, I think I need to split this print into 2-3 pieces so we can change the orientation of the support material to improve overall face quality. Once the aesthetics are up to scratch, I'll send these out for leather wrapping like my center console deletes are currently being carpeted. The fit is so good already (and I tested that it survives install/remove cycles) I'm confident I can make these for others if interested.

996C438

Nice work and should look great wrapped in leather . Do you think you will have to adjust dimensions to accommodate the thickness of the leather ?

wdb

This! I'm contemplating a leather wrap on a few pieces in my car and have been wondering about the openings. I know they shave the back side of the leather to thin it in places but it still will have some thickness.

plpete84

I think the leather wrap will look great and will be more durable. A while back I purchased some alcantara fabric and have been meaning to try wrapping a few plastic pieces to see how that looks. Awesome job!

circuit.heart

I actually did already - the space around the buttons looks like it might need to be relaxed just a bit more (0.5mm?) but otherwise this piece is intended for ~1mm worth of leather thickness. I just hope that that 1mm doesn't ruin the shape. It looked fine in CAD but I haven't printed something so frivolous yet with our limited machine time.

Gotta chat with Swedit about details, but I expect the leather to be shaved like you said to get around tight corners. I've designed it such that the leather gets sandwiched when you click in the wiper switch, oval buttons, and cigarette lighter; and of course, the outer edge gets sandwiched when you install the whole horseshoe into the dash. For longevity reasons I would like to not be relying on glue to hold the leather in place.

More progress on my end, my scanner decided it would not scan the shift boot filler piece, so I got the calipers out and just reverse-engineered it manually.



This piece is rife with opportunity to add features (USB ports, Airtag clips, gauges, cup holder, phone mount, ejecto seato cuz!) so let me know if you want an upgrade to the plain stock part!

yaz996

Look up Renndition on Etsy. He's got a gauge pod version of that piece. If you're doing anything supporting addition weight (i.e. cup holder), you'll need to re-engineer the attachment from the base on up.

circuit.heart

Yeah, I actually got a few Renndition pieces to check out before deciding to roll my own. On the bright side, getting a secure attachment in the center console area is trivial because there are those studs in the tunnel that we bolt the console delete to.

Printers are gonna be sufferin' for the next few weeks, I got invited to display the car/debut the brand at a local C&C so I need to get a bunch of pieces finished! Trying out a new front lip concept - I want to make the Carrera front end more beefy, but like the rear spoiler, the styling should be very subtle and elegant to contrast with the common GT3/Aerokit look. With a little inspiration from the 993 Carrera RS and E36 M3 GT/LTW, I think I like the way this looks without the "dive plane" crease of the GT3 bumper. At the same time, the height of the lip should roughly match the OEM Aerokit side skirts, of which I'm about to order a pair.



Engineering-wise the air dam design should reduce lift and improve extraction from the side radiators; not sure what kind of drag penalty we're looking at as I've kept the height shorter than the OEM tire spats (see side view). Will test.

Atgani

I think Techart pretty much nailed it with their splitters. I asked them if they still had the tooling to remanufacture them about 18 months ago. Long since destroyed apparently :

junior23

Oh man! Please sign me up for when these are ready! Either the part itself or the 3D file. Thank you for developing these items.

circuit.heart

Actually, thank you for reminding me about this. I think it's the lack of concavity in the front surface, but that's too bland. Dive plane crease it is.




The non-upholstered parts are ready to go! I'm just dawdling because I haven't set up a website or branding yet, and ideally I would like to confirm that the pieces don't need to be redesigned to accept carpeting. They look good with just a coat of black paint, but in color-matched carpet with the HVAC console floating out of it is the level of quality I want to offer if people ask for it.