Well, some of you may recall my "gamble" on buying a heavily-tracked and previously-wrecked GT3 last year for $39k. Most applauded the "good buy" LOL, and I've slowly been addressing all its little faults and warts (which were many, but also very rewarding to tackle as with each repair/improvement/mod, the car endears itself to me that much more). In short, I've had a blast transforming it into something very fun, presentable, and dare I say special! Perlon euro seats, full 997 center exhaust with cup bypass pipes, rs motor mounts, lots of suspension bits, re-valved shocks, a ton of weight reduction, ccw wheels, and lots of cosmetic improvements like a full three-stage compounding, some new carbon bits, and not to mention lots of other little repairs and maintenance (clockspring, plugs, fluids, bmc filter, etc..), all of which was starting to add up to a very, very fun little car that I would be able to toss around guilt-free on the track and the street! It was perfect.

However, I felt like the 2nd gear sychro issue was getting worse, and so despite the fact that the rest of the gearbox felt pretty healthy with no detectable problems, and in order to continue my plan of improving the car where possible, I pulled the gearbox (not that bad actually), bought a new oem 996 gt3rs lwfw, clutch and pulley, sprung for a brand new oem 997.2 RS ring and pinion (since I was going to be "in there" anyway), and drove the transmission down to California Motorsports for a tear down and diagnosis.

Well, I can now safely report that my "gamble" did not pay off (at least from a monetary perspective!) The gearbox is a total disaster. The seller disclosed that the transmission had been "re-built," but claimed to have lost the invoice and indicated that the shop had "gone out of business." What we found is that this so-called "shop" removed nuts with a chisel, installed multiple sliders backward, used brass synchros where they should have been steel, and committed a host of other grievous sins against humanity that should disqualify any of the culpable techs from ever touching another Porsche for the rest of their, miserable, incompetent, god-forsaken lives. The only good news was that a Guards LSD was already in there and it is still in pretty good shape, so I will not have to immediately upgrade the LSD. Other than that, its a basket case. Need new 1-3 gear sets, new ring and pinion (which I was going to replace anyway), new steel synchros to replace the brass ones, new oil pump (old one was chewed up after some prior catastrophe and not replaced), all the roller bearings are worn out (yup, all of them). And the list goes on. The damage? Just a tick under $15,000. Given that I just dropped 5k on the new clutch/lwfw and r&p, well, the gearbox work alone is going to run just north of $20,000.

This is obviously not welcome news. Especially during this time of uncertainty (both economically and socially), but I'm trying to have the right perspective. I am beyond fortunate that unlike many others, I am at least able to shoulder this expense without risking financial ruin. I am fortunate that my wife has not decided to require me to sleep on the couch (although this could change!). And I am fortunate that I still LOVE this car and already planned to keep if for a very, very long time. This just means that I' now going to keep it forever LOL! I knew the car was a gamble. I knew the tranny would need attention (albeit not this much attention), but I also knew that I loved the car and its potential. And that's still how I feel. The gearbox is going to be as good (if not better with the new r&p) than new. I'm gentle on my drivetrain so I know it will last me a long time. I know the work will be done right and that I am not skimping anywhere. As I type this, a leather shop is re-finishing a bunch of the bruised up interior parts, my rear wing and cup bumper are being re-sprayed, I just completed re-finishing some of the hammered "soft touch" interior pieces, and I just replaced by vinyl dash with the correct leather one (that was a big job, but 100% required as I hated that some parts, like the dash pod, airbags, and everything else, were full leather yet the repair shop replaced the dash with a shiny, textured vinyl unit!). The car is going to be fantastic very soon. And I will love it even more. These cars are special.

Anyway...I guess the moral of the story is that you probably are better off finding a good example of these cars with documented provenance, a conscientious owner, and lots of maintenance records rather than trying to find the bargain of the century! Then again, if a car speaks to you and you can see its potential, and you are willing to get your hands dirty (and I love guards red), then it may be worth the risk. Can't wait to get it back (many parts are coming from Germany, so we are looking at 4 weeks at least, but it will be a joyous reunion when she is back together!). Stay tuned...will update this thread as the journey progresses!

(Also, I want to give a shout out to CMS in Lake Havasu. Roger is a top notch guy and his gearbox builder Sean is great as well. Their rates are more than fair given their expertise, they took lots of time to walk me through various options and discuss my predicament, and I can't say enough good things about them. When I dropped off my gearbox they showed me no less than three GT transmissions that they were rebuilding from all over the U.S. Can't recommend them enough). Below are some representative carnage pics (there are many more!). I should have known I would be in for a surprise given that the shop apparently thought that painting half of the transmission red would be a nice touch!

 

Some pics of some of the other recent work, and one "beauty shot"! Since the dash was out I detailed the heck out of the interior and conditioned every single interior plastic or leather part! I've also been detailing the undercarriage, which is super time consuming but makes me feel good! (see before and after pic...didn't detail the springs as I'm getting new ones). She'll be back!

 

Much love and effort given will reward with a lifetime of smiles. Priceless!
Here is her twin!

 

Wow, lots of damage in the gearbox Are you also shortening the final drive? I think this will make the car lots more fun.

 

I still don’t reckon you’ve done poorly. In the end you’ll end up with a car that you’ve put your own touch on with the peace of mind that it’s been done right. 59K 996 GT3s are a thing of the past. Plus guards red is right up there with speed yellow and Carrera white as the best three colours for the 996 GT3 (imo).

I was shocked to hear the work is only going to be 15K. I had the gearbox on my old road 996 GT3 in 2015 (30K miles) after breaking the 2nd gear slider. At the time I opted to change the synchros for the Motorsport items. Since everything was in great condition, it was only the slider and the synchros that were done. That build cost me $11,600. Yes, I got ripped off!

 

I agree with others. In the long run you have a better car than what $60K would buy and it's exactly what you want.

Look forward to seeing it all come together!

Stay safe.

 

They are all $100K cars. You either spend that up front or eventually to get it there. Glad to see you are taking care of her right!

 

A buddy of mine bought a 996GT3 engine, trans, axles, DME and harness + gauge binnacle for around $35,000. Low mileage total loss via Ricky thinks he's a Racer".

 

Andy, congratulations on the karting championship. I remember you had mentioned that you were coaching (nephew?) and had gotten into the sport in a big way. I also recall that you were big into detailing at one time. Sounds like you have a twin in Arizona...Stay well. When this CV mess clears hope to see you at MidOhio.

 

yup! 3.89 unit from a 997.2 gt3rs. Not as short as the cup 4.0 but shorter than stock. Perfect street ratio imho! Thanks for kind words guys...definitely making me feel better!

 

Wow,

Have rebuilt my tranny 2x now, you can't / shouldn't get out of there without spending > $10k excluding labor.

You may want to look into some cup-car gear sets as well as if need to replace the mainshaft - use the TT variant...

At the end of the day, your $65k car will have a new transmission, and a lot of other new parts - all in all a good deal!

Ray

 

Also, take a good look at the bearings - they tend to be $500-$800 each, but having one fail is really annoying.

I also have OEM 4,5,6 gear sets if you need to replace any of yours...

 

Thanks Larry,

Scott, sorry to hear you had THAT much damage when it all came apart. When I sent mine to Copans for the ring and pinion we didn't find anything inherently wrong with it but still spend $7500 in parts just to make sure it was as fresh as it could be when it all went back together.

 

Thanks all. Ray, all the bearings are bad and will need to be replaced. Appreciate the offer on 4-6...those are actually ok on mine (i'm told those hold up well...its 1-3 that get hammered). Andy, you are correct...on the brightside this gearbox is going to be in great shape when done and at least I'll know its provenance. Really looking forward to the shorter final drive. I know you did the 4.0 but I was hesitant to go that short for a car that I enjoy on the street a great deal, and therefore thought that keeping the stock gears with just a somewhat shorter R&P would be perfect!

 

Hi Andy,

Gongrats!!!

Hi Scott,

This is really good time to look at gear ratios AND final drive... It also depends on how you will use the car.

If you are replacing 1st & 2nd look at the TT main shaft.

Also Speak with Guard and use the Steel synchros - 1st & 2nd - very pricey, but will last longer,

I put up some gearbox info here: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-gt2-...-question.html