Martin S.

Pipes will be welded....man the money is going fast....real fast. The seat ordered, ships tomorrow from Griffin. It will accommodate my HANS device.

Thanks to all for great advice.

Rootwitch

VERY fast. I bought an '04 GT3 a few weeks ago. It's at a shop in PA now getting coolant lines pinned, Guard LSD done, and a host of miscellaneous normal items.
Plugs, coils, coolant expansion tank, rear main seal, drive axles seals, differential carrier bearings, filters, hoses as needed.
There's not necessarily anything wrong with these things but at 14 years old the shop says it makes sense to replace some of these things while the engine is out.
I agree that it makes sense but it is not cheap

mistermct

That's a fun bill esp with it all being preventative. Don't forget water pump while you're in there. I refreshed all the coolant hoses too.. surprising how many there are.

177mph

Martin S.

If I lived in SoCal, I'd try to bribe cgfen (above) to help me with a DIY....but that's not going to work. I have two Master Welders in the San Luis Obispo area, one of which will be welding up my pipes. I can't believe the number of people (non-Rennlisters) that have told me it's a "watch and wait" project. That one video of the car dumping it's coolant on the track, and the carnage that followed, that sealed the deal for me.

Rootwitch

I know, it's the slippery slope, thing, there is always something else that could be done.
Plus there are some things I could do myself (like change plugs and ignition coils) and probably save some bucks.
But on the other hand, this way it will get done quickly. My own projects are known to take somewhat longer than the professionals do.

It was interesting that the shop said we might as well replace the coolant expansion tank while it was easy.
He said they've seen those fail and cause coolant disasters.
I guess the plastic tanks with age and heat cycles sometimes crack and let loose.
I never read about that happening, but it's like a $100 part so might as well take care of it.

Martin S.

Coolant tank ordered and it will be replaced. Why not..."while you're in there". The two other luscious mods I lust after:
1. 4.0 Ring and pinion, $2,200 or so from Gert
2. PMS or Guard LSD, $???

I ran a Guard 4 plate LSD on my 993, it lasted for at least 10 years...knew it was still good with the torque test...but I was putting 100 HP less through the drive line.

Rootwitch

I actually have access to a 4.0 ring and pinion set and was thinking about it.
But the shop said it's a pretty big undertaking to get into the transmission like that.
So not sure I want to spend more $K and whether it would be worth it.

Martin S.

"So not sure I want to spend more $K and whether it would be worth it." I am not certain either...."Real World", I am at about 90%+ I won't do it..considering the cost. The performance of the 6GT3 in stock form is awesome, and with a 4.0 R&P it would be better....but I can scare myself with the stock set up...also, with the stock R&P on the street, the 3,000 RPM "sweet spot" is easy to settle into, either in 5th to 6th gear, depending on the presence of local law enforcement whether I cruise in 5th to 6th.

$$$$: The Tranny would need to be dropped and split...R&P installed, reseal the tranny, set the R&P lash etc, it will be some labor and the $2,000 or so for the R&P. I believe this is the Cup Car R&P ratio....and theCup Cars have matching gears to accommodate the 4.0 R&P. So the purist would probably say, match up the gear sets with the R&P (Mo Money, Mo Money)..and while you are in there on your quest to make the car a handful on the street, install a Cup Car LWF, clutch and PP. If you don't match up 4.0 R&P with gears, your 1st gear will be nearly worthless....

On my, since sold 993, I did all but the R&P, did the short gears, LWF, RS clutch and PP, steel synchro, forged shifting forks...great performance mod, but rebuilding a G-50 out of a 993 is about $10,000. So far I have been extremely happy with the GT3 gear box...I am not changing the R&P until I win the lottery. I will upgrade the LSD at the appropriate time, as needed.

Rob S

I know that the 4.0 R&P has been debated for years amongst GT3 owners. Some swear by it. Some say it's not worth it, Some say it's not the best way to go about "changing gears" and that it's better to change individual gears and leave the R&P alone (or perhaps even change both the R&P *and* the individual gears in order to avoid odd gear ratios that are more susceptible to failure). The latter can get quite expensive. My take on it is this: I did it and really liked the change. It wouldn't be the first change I'd make for track use (I'd be all over various suspension mods, safety mods, good tires, LSD upgrades, coolant pipe welding, and so forth first). But I think that the 4.0 R&P can be a worthwhile advantage in certain settings. Yes, changing just the R&P to a 4.0 does make first gear pretty low -- as someone said: "useless." But really, what are you doing in first gear anyway? It's a non-gear on the track either way, and on the street, unless you're drag racing, it's not of critical use either. So I dismiss that as a false concern -- it didn't bother me a bit for street or track use. But the 4.0 does lower the whole gear stack, so you lose a good cruising gear in 6th if you travel long distances on the road. That's something that didn't bother me either, as my car was dedicated to the track. Where the 4.0 really helps was in 2nd gear on the track. Many tracks around here (and everywhere) have at least one turn where the speeds drop to 30-35 mph. For those corners, having the second gear lower than stock (and the subsequent gears lower as well) allows a much better launch out of what would otherwise have been a boggy turn exit. And by lowering the whole stack, on very fast straights, it allowed use of 6th gear, which takes advantage of another gear. So for me, the 4.0 was a great mod -- it was relatively economical and gave me a worthwhile advantage (and more fun) on the track. But whether it's right for you depends on your specific use of the car.

AudiOn19s

The R&P is awesome but I waited for 5 years of ownership before I felt like I was ready to start looking for speed out of the car that didn't come from the nut behind the wheel and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have been as appreciative of the benefits of the mod had i done it sooner. As others have stated when you open up that box to switch the ring and pinion you've got a whole new level of "while you're in there" stuff that will quickly run up a 4-5k bill after you've already purchased the ring and pinion.

mmuller

The R&P is awesome. Other than my 3 way Ohlin coilover's, maybe the best mod I ever did. Transforms the car.

Rootwitch

I've heard that from several people now. But I think I'll pass, the extra cost would surely start to stretch thing budget-wise.
I'm not sure how much I'll end up tracking the car, and who knows if I'll get serious enough that it would matter.
I'll also do some highway driving so cruising RPM is somewhat important.
Finally I've never driven a GT3 - so I wouldn't even have a baseline for comparison!

LuisGT3

Those people don't know ****. I've had a pipe let go on track and while I was able to coast to safety, It ruined that run group and the run group after for a lot of people. Not fun.
I also had a 996 GT3 let one rip in front of me at the track at around 140mph. I immediately knew what happened and coasted to safety but there was a 991 GT3 behind me who wasn't as lucky and totalled his car. It's not a matter of IF but a matter of WHEN one of these will let go.
Glad you're getting it done. These cars are very fun and rewarding when properly set up/maintained.

Martin S.

"Watch and wait"...BS for certain, I am biting the bullet and getting it done.

"I know that the 4.0 R&P has been debated for years amongst GT3 owners." I want to learn to drive the car first....then I'll seriously consider there R&P upgrade.