lowpue

Can't wait to see the completed project...thoroughly enjoyed the post. Thanks for sharing

fpena944

I like what you're doing too but what surprises me the most is the lack of posts here screaming that it's blasphemous to put a 997 front end on a 996.

If I could mimic the 997.1 GT3 look on my car I would be pretty darn happy!

alpine003

Seems like the guy is having a body shop do it although his posts seems a bit confusing like he's doing it or have done it. Also seems like t his is the guy that was in Korea.

I dunno if I smell a CarlylesPics wannabe here....

Here was the original post:
http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...acelift-2.html

offshoreMM

Who cares about the fitment? Its fiberglass. Even if it's an inch short, you can MAKE it fit. It's like play-dough. You cut, you add, you sand, you remove. What you guys should REALLY be concerned about is the THICKNESS and DURABILITY of the parts. But anyway, if the fitment is an issue for anyone, I'd suggest spending your money elsewhere and just leaving your car how it is. If you are already getting nervous about fitment before you even start on the conversion process, I can predict that you are going to go insane with any of the other countless issues that will arise during the project.

As a basic financial rule, no aftermarket cosmetic part you buy for your car can be justified, ever. It's a foolish way to spend money, financially speaking. Total loss. Money flushed down the toilet. I'm not even a big fan of conversions really, because most of them are sloppy. You can see gaps in the fender wells, wavy parts that should have been sanded flat, panels that don't line up, etc. Not to mention the fact that a lot of conversions are designed to pass the vehicle off as something that it isn't. If I were trying to "build" a 997, I'd have done the rear tail lights too, and the seats, and the interior, and the airbox and all of the other junk. Really, I just like the headlights. Could care less for the rest of the 997. Engine isn't any better than mine. If I had a 997, I'd probably just use it for spare parts. People here (where I live) don't even know the difference because BOTH the 996 and 997 are so exceedingly rare that you can go months in a city of 10 million without ever seeing one.

I'm not trying to turn my car into a 997, I'm simply updating one aspect of it, similar to performing a little bit of cosmetic surgery. I loved my car from every angle but the front, and now I've fixed it to my liking. Blasphemous? Who cares.

No, I did not do all of the work myself. The car is in a shop now. It's too labor intensive for one person. But yes, I have installed this same kit before, and have also installed kits similar on a variety of vehicles. No longer as my profession, but as a hobby.

alpine003

As long as you're happy then that's all that matters and based upon the pics, it's looking like it's gonna turn out great.

The point isn't really about fitment and being able to make it fit as it is more of the cost for most. Logically for most 996 owners, if the conversion just for the front is gonna cost close to $10k when it's all said and done and if they could sell their car for mid 20's at least, it might make more sense for them to sell their car and invest the $10k into getting a real 997 as you can find quite a bit of low mileage version around mid 30's these days.

You being in Korea might be more advantageous when it comes to shop labor rates over there(dunno). But I can definitely tell you the man hours needed to pull that off in terms of labor for correcting all those issues here at a high end shop is going to cost and arm and leg.

Please keep us updated as not too many have tackled this option and posted their experiences before.

roadsession

What? I've read both this thread and the one on 6speedonline and I don't ready into anything remotely fishy or 'calyclespics' about it. You really need to find a different hobby than picking apart people's post. and WTF does him being in Korea have to do with anything?

I for one really appreciate and thank this guy for documenting his hobby - and it does appear he's really obsessive about quality of fit/finish.

Offshore - congrats on the excellent progress. I for one like to keep my 996 looking like a 996, but kudos to you for taking on such an ambitious project.

alpine003

I think you misunderstood my thinking in that he is simply using a different screen name from one forum to another, that's all. Nothing wrong with it and people do it all the time. I was just using it as a very loose analogy. Lol take a chill pill.

Being in Korea has a lot of things to do with this. One being that labor costs can be different over there. Second, it is very expensive to import foreign cars or be able to obtain imports over there for a reasonable cost making the conversion to 997 more logically sane than having to spend quite a bit more to just buy a 997 over there. Over here might be a different story as we have more options and don't have to deal with steep import taxation rates.

For the people thinking this guy could've just bought a 997 have to take this aspect into consideration. Here is the US, I'm sure most would think of just upgrading to 997 but it's not as easy over there.

offshoreMM

Those of you guys living in the USA are basically living in the land where exotics and other cars go to die. Porsche values are rock bottom in the USA. It's sad really. I can't even bare to look at the Autotrader online to see what they go for. Ever seen what a 996 costs in Thailand, Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong, or China? Still up in the $40k to $60k range for a narrow body. Sometimes more. 996 turbo? You'd need $80k in your pocket just to get a test drive. Any Australian members want to chime in and let us know how much you paid for your car?

I suppose living in the USA is a blessing and a curse when it comes to Porsche ownership. You can buy it cheaply, but you're also going to sell it cheaply, and they are EVERYWHERE, which brings the value down further.

Yes, labor in this country is cheap, but HIGH END, skilled, specialist labor is not cheap. There's a difference between banging out a fender and making an entire front end fit flawlessly. The people with the skills charge accordingly, no matter where you are in the world. I'm American, and I lived in America for 24 years. Truly the only place on earth where a used Porsche 911 costs less than a new Honda Civic.

KrazyK

Well actually he never claimed it was a DIY but its still a great project and turned out nice. Congrats!

perfectlap

someone from one of the aftermarket wheel companies did this a few year ago for a Mobil 1 advertisement. The work was excellent. The only thing that tipped you off in the ad that the car was originally a 996 were the door handles. The car was green.

alpine003

I remember that. But for that amount of money spent, it would've been probably more financially logical to start with a 997 considering they also reshaped the rear quarter panels to fit the 997 taillights as well.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...onversion.html

perfectlap

upgrading cars is never financially logical.

But the thing I like about that car is that it doesn't come with a 997 interior.

I might be in the minority, but in quality materials like CF, the old interior has a minimalist style that is absent in all the newer Carreras. I prefer something that reminds me of a classic 911 instead of the interior of a Cayenne.

p.s.
it may have been expensive but that bodywork was first rate. Excllent color.

Edgy01

No pictures??

csubtil

In Portugal, a 2004 911 996 Carrera 4S Cabriolet with 70.000 miles like mine, price starts at 60.000 USD at the current EUR to USD rate. Lower mileage of this model still goes for +70.000 USD.

Turbo's are even harder to find and of course a lot more expensive to buy.

Cheapest 911 996 on sale in Portugal right now is a 1998 C2 with 170.000 miles on the clock, being sold for 26.650 USD (20.000€).

So if a replacement engine is needed, it's still reasonable to do it for 20.000 USD at the OPC, as the car's value is at least 3x the cost of the engine.

CS.

herman maire

im not seeing any pictures either