Dan951Man

KurtF,
It really isn't that difficult to remove! Put the top in service mode, then a couple bolts on each side takes the frame out all together with the top in one piece. The plastic pushrods ball ends pop off the side of the frame which disconnects the drive. This weighs probably 35-40 lbs.
If you want to drive the car with the hardtop off, you will need to leave the top drive in the car (electric motor, cables, both transmissions) to hold the clamshell down. If you fabricate brackets to hold the clamshell down you can remove these components, which have a couple more pounds in them (10ish?). Example found here...
http://www.precisionchassisworks.com...er-mounts.html Reinstalling is more of a pain in the butt, for another time. Your mechanic would LOVE you for the engine access!
I use the fixed back GT3 seat, because I had it out of another car. If I were to purchase outright I probably would have bought 2 track seats with harnesses for the money. That said, it fits me like a glove, is leather, is VERY comfortable for long drives (8+ hours even), holds me tight without feeling limiting or obnoxious, I can take the bottom cushions out and sit on the hard shell at the track for added helmet clearance and butt/chassis communication, and it looks beautiful.
I do consider the various fixed rear spoilers, but would want to balance with a splitter up front. At the track I find I'm desiring more grip in the front, and the rear is planted. I'm sure aftermarket camber plates in the strut tops, or adjustable arms would help... But I do drive it on the street a lot and don't want the side effects of ballistic camber. I've been looking into making a custom splitter, but the underside is so rounded it will make things tricky. If I'm going to fully fabricate something, I'd like it to be with the 03-04 bumper skin. An easy alternative is running an aftermarket "GT3" skin, and run a nice splitter off that. For now I disabled the rear spoiler in the up position for consistency in the medium speed turns.

Brad, the car is looking great! I like the way the yellow vinyl looks, and cannot tell from the pictures where it is not perfect. I also considered that CS decal you posted, but liked the 90's era decal for the styling of the box. On the red, I agree your decal would look great!
I hear you on the A/C demand... I never used it anyways, and originally was only temporarily removing the condensers for better radiator cooling while preparing for a REALLY hot track day. Removing the trunk linings looks cooler when I pop the lids at the track, but didn't do much for weight! It also heats up everything in the back trunk way more on long drives. On my aging car I do like the instant ability to inspect my coolant bottle when looking in the back.
I will let you know on the half cage... I was going to have my buddy do it for me, and it will bolt in to all the factory mounts (+ strut tops if possible). The only drawback is that although it will fit snug under the hardtop, it will be in the way of soft-top operation. Your original top will have to be deleted.

KurtF

Dan
I appreciate the feedback. 35-40lbs is a worth-while goal. And as you stated extra storage/the access to the engine is greatly improved. My GT3 has the alcantera seats and I agree they are comfortable and more supportive. I need track seats for my Boxster, ultimately I plan on getting a trailer anyway.
I got a small chin spoiler up front, with the car lowered on the PS9's the car is extremely competent in the corners.

Turb-OH Brad

I had to get this little project out of the way on Friday, as we took the car for a long drive (600 miles) on Saturday. My legs are quite long, and I had a hard time driving it with the center console in place.

Rather than use the factory $160 "GT3" solution, I built this one for 15 dollars.



I used the factory plastic carpeted pieces for each side, and then built a middle section out of a piece of coroplast. I used some spray adhesive to put on some black felt, and attached it to the side panels with the original four screws, and four m6 "J" speed nuts.

I sourced the little plastic cover from Porsche for five dollars, but it hasn't showed up yet. For now, I'm using that hole for an impromptu can holder... ha ha.

Works great, looks pretty good, and saved maybe 2 pounds out of the car! I'm mostly happy with it for the added leg room, though. It was much more comfortable to drive for 4 or 5 hours at a time.

By the way, over the course of our trip, we averaged 22.95 miles per gallon, and that includes about 100 miles of twisty bits from Cool, CA, down to Placerville on I-49, then I-50 East to Carson City. Those are some GREAT driving roads!

Parrot356

Total side subject. Are you interested in selling the upper cubby you removed for the GT 3 delete project. It can offset the cost of the project...

Turb-OH Brad

The one used to delete the radio head unit? Yeah, I'm going to use that for an upcoming project.

Parrot356

Cool. Just thought I would ask.

Turb-OH Brad

Doesn't hurt to ask, that's for sure.

I have a custom audio project coming up that should be pretty cool. It'll be super light weight, and I'll have access to hundreds of songs!

Turb-OH Brad

Amp arrived today (it weighs just 0.8 pounds). Just waiting on the speakers and an RCA to AUX cable which should arrive today.

[Banana shown for scale]

Rennzenn

You guys are incorporating a lot of the same ideas that I did, so I thought I'd weigh in. I ditched the radio and went with a Rockford Fosgate amp hooked to the old speaker wiring. The speakers are now Infinity Kappas. I wired the RCA inputs to a headphone jack and use my iPhone as the head unit. I got rid of all the carpet, but wasn't happy with my feet sliding around on the floor, so I made floorboards from foam core covered with 2 layers of fiberglass, then painted with spray on bed liner. The top and everything associated is gone...I have a hardtop. Since the carpet was gone, I needed some thing for the door panels and the GT3 console delete, so I got a carbon fiber kit and covers all of the surfaces in carbon. I got rid of the spoiler and went with a fiberglass trunk lid that I integrated a cayman-style lip into, then topped it with the aero kit II wing. I cut vents into the bumper to help draw heat from the engine/trans. In the front, I also cut RS type vents into the bumper, moved the center radiator forward about 2" and sealed up the holes on the bottom of the bumper. All of the air coming in exits either over the hood or into the wheelwells. I had the car on scales last year, and with 1/4 tank of gas, she was 2700lbs.

Sil40sK

Saw the beginning of this post over on the GRM forums. Looks like there's way more action here. Seeing all these CS/RS builds makes me so happy, I'm glad to know I'm not the only nut with this in mind. Now I just need to stop being lazy and start my own thread. Brad I said it before and I'll say it again, the car looks great! Also I want your front bumper, still trying to find one for a good price for my beast.

Turb-OH Brad

Thanks for the encouragement, guys!

I took the little red beastie out for an autocross last weekend, and had a ton of fun.

I came second in class (out of three) in C-Stock. I was competing against an RX-8 that was much faster, but hit a TON of cones, and a Subie BRZ that was slower than me, but managed to slip one run in that was a tenth quicker.

I was running on 380 treadwear rated Sumitomos (they came on the car), so there is a TON of speed to be found in this car. I was 46th out of 56 on PAX. (womp womp...)

Turb-OH Brad

This week, I've been assembling the "custom audio" project, and finally finished it last night.



New speakers run to a 2-channel motorcycle amp in the center console. RCA to 3.5 aux cable runs from the amp to the rear console compartment.

I also tapped the cigarette lighter and ran a micro USB charger back to the rear console compartment.

Stealth audio plus "GT3-look" console area and "hardcore" radio delete.

And yes, the Becker CDR-210 radio is decidedly 90's.

It probably cost about 100 dollars for the whole project, so less than a cheap aftermarket head unit, for sure...

2mAn

how much weight have you guys lost so far? obviously Brad, you're just getting started, but ultimately is there a goal or just shed it where you can?

Turb-OH Brad

If I'm honest, the weight loss so far has been minimal at best. Effectively I've lost the weight of the door speakers, the head unit, and the factory amp. The dash speakers that I added were probably a little heavier, as they have slightly larger magnets. Maybe 10 pounds thus far.

My goal with the car is to create a car that is a little lighter, a little better handling, and just a little 'more'.

I'm aiming to create a car that Porsche could have built with the "Clubsport" name. It still looks as though it could have left the factory, as I'm using factory components and keeping fit and finish in mind with all of my modifications.

The priority isn't really ultimate weight loss. The priority with this is to build a car that is more capable than a 986 ever was, while still retaining factory levels of (reasonably reduced) comfort and driveability.

If you look at the Clubsports of the 80s and 90s, it was a minimalist approach to a street car with a few sacrifices. Add wider wheels, stickier tires, and a stiffer (but still street live-able) suspension.

2mAn

yea they were basically no frills models, but they usually shaved at least 100 lbs. I figured you being early in the process havent trimmed much yet, I was more curious how much the other two had shaved. I think the biggest places to lose weight in these cars is the seats, a little in the door panels, deleting accessories (though you mentioned keeping a/c) and adding a LSD. Id probably look at what sound deadening material is under the carpet also. Lighter wheels is a big plus. Lots of small things tend to add up.