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As the owner of 4 Corner Tire Shop & Auto Repair in Ft Lauderdale, I am always looking for a fun project to help promote the business, build our vendor relationships, and push the capabilities of our techs. Most recently we built a 991.2 Carrera T to be a GT killer on track but completely docile and comfortable on the street. The thread on that one is here, and better yet, it will be featured in a Panorama article this Fall. https://rennlist.com/forums/991/1355...-reviewed.html
For our next trick, we are going off-roading!! We just acquired an absolutely LOADED Gen 2 Cayenne S, with an original sticker of $107K. Full leather interior in Espresso Natural Leather, Pano roof, Sport exhaust, 21” wheels, PTV, PDCC, Air suspension, etc. For perspective, the average 2014 GTS had a sticker of $100K, so the original owner really went crazy on this thing. Our goal will be to give it an a light Overland style build, maintaining its luxury personality that it inherited from the factory but taking advantage of the off road DNA in its bones. Also, we want to make the mods reversible, and limit the cutting and chopping of fenders that we often see on the more aggressive builds.
Expect to see AT tires, a roof rack, steel bumpers front and rear, under body protection, and additional lighting as the key mods. Ride height adjustments will take advantage of the built in air suspension, which already gives a 2” lift over “normal” mode. And because the car has PDDC, the off-road mode will decouple the sway bars, giving greater axle travel than would otherwise be available. These factory features will really go a long way in keep the suspension stock but still give the car real world overland ability.
Will upload pictures shortly as Rennlist is having an issue at the moment. Then stay tuned for changes ….
Excited to see how this goes and possibly further ideas for mine. I see the dreaded leather dash issue. Any plans on repair or replacement ?
You have a very good eye! The interior looks virtually brand new except for the dash on the passenger side from the air bag to the top right corner, which has pulled away. The rest of the dash is good for now, and will treat it often to see if we can prevent further shrinkage.
The problem will need to be addressed, though I don't want to pull the dash quite yet. I'm expecting the cost for full repair or replacement, especially with the upgraded leather package, would be a large percentage of the value of the vehicle. I may explore options to try and glue it back down with the dash in place, and be willing to except a quarter inch gap on the far edge. If that holds, great. If not, yeah, I'll probably have to bite the bullet and get more invasive ($). For now I've begun treating the leather and getting it to relax and stretch out, which is already helping. In a few weeks I'll come back to it and see what improvement can be made from there.
So let’s start with the roof. My car did not come with the factory roof rails, but I want to have the ability to carry stuff up top. There are two approaches I considered:
“Permanent” Integrated Roof Rack – Eurowise, who we are a dealer for, probably has the best one out there. It’s low profile, sturdy, and very large. A few downsides though. Install is complex, the headliner must be dropped and holes drilled through the roof. Also, the low profile design kills the functionality of the sunroof and the nature of a permanent install takes away the functionality of the Pano roof.
Roof Rails and Platform system – Thule (which we are also a dealer for) makes a clamp on roof rail system that can be used standalone, or with the addition of their Caprock roof platform. I like this for many reasons. Often times, around town, you don’t need the big platform. So you can keep the rails on and remove the platform. The sunroof still works (it opens lower than the rails) and the view through the Pano roof is not blocked. Then when it’s time to off road and carry gear, bolt on the platform and head for the mountains. (Wishful thinking, I live in Florida).
I went for the Thule. Thus far, only the rails have been installed. The Caprock will go on in a week or two. Install is straightforward, but I also took the opportunity to add a little PPF film under the metal arms that clamp down. I’m told it’s not needed, but attention to details matter. Keeping with the ethos of the build, this could be removed in 5 minutes if one wanted to go back to the factory look.
So let’s start with the roof. My car did not come with the factory roof rails, but I want to have the ability to carry stuff up top. There are two approaches I considered:
“Permanent” Integrated Roof Rack – Eurowise, who we are a dealer for, probably has the best one out there. It’s low profile, sturdy, and very large. A few downsides though. Install is complex, the headliner must be dropped and holes drilled through the roof. Also, the low profile design kills the functionality of the sunroof and the nature of a permanent install takes away the functionality of the Pano roof.
Roof Rails and Platform system – Thule (which we are also a dealer for) makes a clamp on roof rail system that can be used standalone, or with the addition of their Caprock roof platform. I like this for many reasons. Often times, around town, you don’t need the big platform. So you can keep the rails on and remove the platform. The sunroof still works (it opens lower than the rails) and the view through the Pano roof is not blocked. Then when it’s time to off road and carry gear, bolt on the platform and head for the mountains. (Wishful thinking, I live in Florida).
I went for the Thule. Thus far, only the rails have been installed. The Caprock will go on in a week or two. Install is straightforward, but I also took the opportunity to add a little PPF film under the metal arms that clamp down. I’m told it’s not needed, but attention to details matter. Keeping with the ethos of the build, this could be removed in 5 minutes if one wanted to go back to the factory look.
Good call on putting some ppf there. Excited to see where this build goes.
You have a very good eye! The interior looks virtually brand new except for the dash on the passenger side from the air bag to the top right corner, which has pulled away. The rest of the dash is good for now, and will treat it often to see if we can prevent further shrinkage.
The problem will need to be addressed, though I don't want to pull the dash quite yet. I'm expecting the cost for full repair or replacement, especially with the upgraded leather package, would be a large percentage of the value of the vehicle. I may explore options to try and glue it back down with the dash in place, and be willing to except a quarter inch gap on the far edge. If that holds, great. If not, yeah, I'll probably have to bite the bullet and get more invasive ($). For now I've begun treating the leather and getting it to relax and stretch out, which is already helping. In a few weeks I'll come back to it and see what improvement can be made from there.
Someone once suggested on the Panamera section that they used a medical syringe with glue and stretched the leather that way. It looked pretty good.
Someone once suggested on the Panamera section that they used a medical syringe with glue and stretched the leather that way. It looked pretty good.
This is exactly what I was thinking about trying. Along with a small wooden roller to flatten it out as it adheres. Certainly worth a shot before replacement.
The "vision" for the build is now complete, and all parts are on order. The front bumper, rear bumper, and under body armor are all custom fabricated, so long lead times. But at least things are in motion. Rough timeline:
Complete roof rack and accumulation of recovery gear: 1-2 weeks
New wheels and tires: 3 weeks
Leather repair: after the previous two steps, as there is some dead time before the big work gets done
Front/rear bumpers, underbody armor, auxiliary lighting: 8-10 weeks
I'll probably ceramic coat the vehicle as well during that dead time before the bumpers arrive. Depends on how hot it stays in S. Florida this summer, need to at least get back into the low 80's before tackling this. LOL
Other thing I am also considering is some exterior graphics to jazz things up. Not a full wrap, just some striping or something. I've been collecting pics for ideas and will see if something inspires me. Probably a good idea to get that done before the bumpers are in to make the install easier. If anyone has ideas for this, post some pics, would love to see what everyone likes!
This is the Thule Caprock roof platform that will be mounted up on the rails. The pre-assembly has been done, final fitment happens on the car to get the rails all moved into the right positions. The 4 small pieces on the bottom that run left to right rest on the two roof rails previously installed and clamp into place with a piece that attaches to the bottom.
What's nice about this piece is that the rails and border are all made up of T-tracks, so any place on the assembly can be used as a mounting point. The spare tire, high lift jack, and recovery traction boards will all be mounted up here. Plus, the clamps can be removed and the platform removed in minutes, so you have the option of only carrying the off-road gear when needed. Added bonus, it comes equipped with a wind fairing on the front side.
07-18-2024, 05:58 PM
2014 Cayenne S Overland Build
