We recently installed a GT2 bumper on our Camo 996tt Project. This conversion appears to be fairly straight forward, however as others have experienced there are a few hiccups here and there that may give you headaches. I spent many hours trying to find the best solution for these particular headaches and decided it was time to do a proper write-up on a functional GT2 Nose conversion. I skipped the details on how to remove and re-install the bumper cover itself as these have been covered previously and is pretty much straight forward.

It is always a good idea to test fit everything prior to painting the cover itself. Once you have the bumper painted use the 25 Speed clips to secure the black trim pieces on the center, right and left side. This is pretty straight forward, just mount the trim panels to the inside of the bumper and slide the speed clips on the plastic tabs to tightly hold these in place. These interior trim panels will line up with the newly added radiator shrouds on all 3 radiators when you go to install the bumper cover onto the car. The center grille attaches using 6 Allen screws and bolts which I ordered from Porsche. The lower lip clips into place and is secured on each side by a screw and clip. Once you’ve completed these steps the bumper itself should be ready to be re-installed onto the car, you just need to prepare the car for the bumper.

The biggest problem with this conversion lies with the center radiator. The GT2 features a tilted center radiator allowing the airflow to enter in the center and evacuate up through the grille which is added in front of the hood. It sounds straight forward, however do to the difference in cooling systems between the GT2 and 996 there is some custom modifications require. Be prepared to spill coolant all over the floor and yourself, but it’s all part of the gain (it’s a good idea to drain the coolant system as much as possible prior but you’re still going to spill quite a bit with the removal of the radiator).

Start off by removing the 996tt lower radiator brackets and replacing them with the GT2 counterparts. You will want to loosen then up, pop the clips off the radiators and press hard against one side to get the radiator out of the original bracket. It’s a bit tricky and will take you a bit of time, but it’s just the start of what’s to come. Holding the brackets up side by side you will notice that the GT2 units are nearly identical except for the angle on the lower mount, this gives you the pitch you need to make the radiator functional). While you have the brackets out, it’s a good idea to move the horns as well, we removed the front horn and bent the bracket to allow enough room for our re-routed hoses to fit nicely in their place).

The new shroud for the GT2 requires the radiator to be flipped. Flip the radiator over and install both the new interior ducting and front air duct as well (this is pretty straight forward as just 2 metal strips hold the front duct on, and 2 clips and 3 plastic tabs hold the air duct in place).

There will be 2 metal spacers needed behind the shroud to properly space the mounting brackets out, this will space the 996tt upper and lower surround brackets out enough to make them work with a bit of tweaking). Using M8x16x80mm bolts (check Ace hardware for these cheap) attach the upper radiator bracket through the frame, through the spacer (which is inserted inside the interior shroud) and into the mounting point on the car). This should line up the radiator just as you need but will leave quite a gap between your hoses and the radiator

As a result of the different cooling systems, we needed to make modified coolant hoses to make this work. The factory hoses where pretty cheap (under $15 each I believe) so we ordered 2 new ones from Porsche. Our plan was to cut the factory ends off the original hoses, use a 1.0″ hose connector and some worm clamps to attach the new hose pieces we bought to the exposed hoses on the car. This takes a bit of patience and mocking up on the car, but after a few tries and cuts to each hose you will end up with a path that works. Clamp the new hose onto the extensions, the extensions to the existing hose coming from the car, and the connectors should bridge the cap to the now flipped radiator.

Once you have the center radiators fabricated up and the hoses connect, it should be pretty straight forward from here as far installing the GT2 bumper just as the original one came off. Using OEM parts it should make for a very easy conversion, I’d expect 7-8 hours for the install if you have all the parts lined up and ready to go (which we didn’t as a complete parts list wasn’t something readily available previously). I also want to thank Stevem Russell @ Suncoast Porsche for helping me throughout the process with multiple parts shipments. They’ve got the best prices on OEM parts if you’re looking to do this conversion I’d suggest giving Steven and the gang at Suncoast a call.

Parts Needed
—– AESTHETIC ——

Front Bumper Cover 996 505 311 30
Air Inlet Trim for Bumper (left) 996 505 563 30
Air Inlet Trim for Bumper (right) 996 505 564 30
Air Inlet Trim for Bumper (center) 996 505 561 30
(25) Speed Nuts (secures trim) 999 507 258 02
Headlight Trim Bracket (left) 996 505 539 03
Headlight Trim Bracket (right) 996 505 540 03
Headlight Trim Gasket (left) 996 505 741 30
Headlight Trim Gasket (right) 996 505 742 30

Center Top Grille 996 575 326 31
(6) Allen Screw (secures grille) 900 623 012 07
(6) Hexagon Nut (secures grille) 999 084 120 02

Lower Bumper Lip 996 505 555 30
(2) Tapping Screw 900 144 101 02
(2) Speed Nut 999 507 072 02

Front Wheel Well Liner (left) 996 504 123 90
Front Wheel Well Liner (right) 996 504 124 90

——- FUNCTIONAL ——-

Left Air Duct 996 575 321 30
Right Air Duct 996 575 322 30
Center Air Duct 996 575 325 30
Center Air Duct to Grille 996 575 141 30
(2) Spacer Sleeve 996 504 679 31

Lower Radiator Bracket (left) 996 106 131 72
Lower Radiator Bracket (right) 996 106 132 70

Coolant Hose 996 106 638 75
Coolant Hose 996 106 639 75

(2) 1.0″ ID Hose Joiners
(4) Worm style hoses clamps
(2) M8x16 x 80mm headbolts

We received our KW Clubsport suspension which will be installed tomorrow before going for a nice alignment courtesy of master tech Jim at Porsche Orlando. KW is a leader in coilover suspensions and is the OEM unit found on the Viper ACR. KW was out of stock in the US but overnighted these in from Germany to make sure we’d have them in time for our busy next few weeks of events. I can’t wait to get some time out on the track to get these dialed in and really put the car to work.

We also received our OMP Velocita Steering Wheel and Lifeline quick release hub. We’ll be installing a GMG rollbar in the car, as well as a set of Status racing new 5 point harnesses and racing setas in the coming weeks. We don’t plan on daily driving the car, so by installing the wheel we where able shed some weight and get rid of the airbag (which won’t do us much good once fastened securely in our harnesses).

You may also notice that the radio is torn appart, gone is the OEM Navigation which hasn’t received updates since 01, and in it’s place will go Sony’s newest single Din player the CDX-GT930UI. This radio has everything we need all in one compact unit, allowing us to enjoy our tunes and save weight. A rear USB Port allows for easy iPod adaptivity so we will always have some much needed tunes on our way to the local race track. I’ll post some pictures of the unit once we get done installing it later this week. In place of the factory navigation screen we will be mounting 2 Titan Wideband gauges to monitor each bank as well as a Greddy Profec B boost controller to keep a close eye on our boost levels.

Our Project 996tt is still under the knife getting it’s power plant upgrades and new clutch installed. We thought we had everything we needed, but a $10.00 fuel fitting has put us a few days behind, the new fitting should be here tomorrow so that we can finish the installation and fire the car up in the next 1-2 days. A big thanks to Tony @ EPL for helping us with the fuel system and working on a prototype tune for the big injectors we’ll be running.

In the meantime we received a truck shipment from MA Shaw today that included our new wing and carbon fiber hood. The factory 996TT rear wing has a hydraulic system that raises and lowers the wing to provide down force at higher speeds. While the system works great, it does so at a cost of weight. We’ve been looking for ways to save weight in every portion of our building, so we opted for a new wing. We called MA Shaw in California to build us one of their track wings and lightweight hoods. Their wing is very similar to what you would see on a factory cup car, however it’s slightly smaller in size, and incorporates ducting for the air intake. We opted for GT3RS carbon fiber end plates to give the wing a bit more of a street look as well. We estimate a weight savings of 25-30lbs with the hood, and another 25-30 in the rear as well while improving down force. We also go the last of the parts needed for our GT2 front upgrade, I hope to tackle that tomorrow. Once the latest round of upgrades are complete we will re-weight the car and see where we’re at, more horsepower and less weight is never a bad thing.

Tim Switzer of Switzer Performance Innovations has been building some of the worlds quickest and fastest Porsches for the past few years. His Project Sledgehammer 997TT has been an inspiration and performance target for our own project car. In his quest to build some of the baddest Porsche’s in the land out of his Ohio workshop, SPI also builds some incredible products that they offer to the public. I’ve had the SPI Exhaust on my yellow car for over a year and absolutely loved it, the section welded tips are a work of art. The car sounds unbelievable and drone is non-existent at cruising RPMs unlike many other exhausts for the Porsche.

This week we received a set of SPI headers to go on our Camouflage project car, these headers are designed to fit cars still utilizing stock Borg Warner turbos (both K16 and K24). They offer a more free flowing design than the factory manifolds and feature beautiful laser cut flanges and welds. Like the SPI exhaust, these headers are a work of art and I can’t wait to see the anticipated increase in spool and flow our K24/18Gs will experience.

BUY ONLINE : Switzer Performance Headers

K24/18G with Upgraded Wastegates
Standard Issue Intercooler Hoses
Standard Issue Diverter Valves
Tilton Clutch Kit by Titan Motorsports
1,000 CC High Impedence Injectors
Secondary Bosch 044 Fuel Pump
Denso PK20PR-P8 Spark Plugs
Custom tuning by Tony @ EPL

If all goes as planned we should also begin initial testing of our Motec PNP kit as well. We’re still waiting on some body panels and suspension, but our goal is to have everything done and the car at Daytona running next week for Rolex 24 Hours.

This weekend I had a curious passenger in my yellow Porsche. After having a nice brunch at Dexters in Winter Park with my Fiancé, sister and the bosses, we walked outside to the cars and I caught a glimpse of something on my wheel. After a closer I realized it was a nice 3-4 foot black snake hanging out around my nice Brembo Brakes and HRE P40 wheel. We tried to scare him off with a stick, but he kept moving around the wheel. I figured the best way to get him off would be a spirited drive, so we headed off to Lolicup for the 370z Tour stop and headed inside for some Bobba Tea.

After a while we came back out to the cars, to my surprise the snake was not only still hanging around the car, but he had managed to find his way to the front of the car now and was poking out the radiator grille of the GT2 nose. We tried for a bit to wrangle him out of the car unsuccessfully, so it was off for a spirited drive home, hopefully he would find his way off the car along the way. I got home to find the damn snake still poking his head out the front grill. In an effort to keep my fiancé and dogs from having a nice black snake in the garage or sneaking his way into the house I parked the car out front and tried to get him to come out of his hiding spots, again to no avail. Frustrated I went inside and watched some football for an hour and came back out to have round 2 with Mr. Snake. I caught a glimpse of his tail poking out the hood release area, used my remote to pop the hood as I used a prong style “nuts and bolt retrieval took” to snatch his tail and yank him out of the car and into the yard. The battle was over, the car made its way back into the garage, and my fiancé could now sleep easy with no worries of a snake in the house. For me it was just another fun Sunday adventure driving my Porsche.

We just got finished installing our StopTech Big Brake kit on our project Porsche. We like going fast just as much as anyone, but when you’re adding hundreds of horsepower to a vehicle, it’s always good to plan on upgrading your brakes. Our car had over 60k miles when we purchased it, so the brakes needed some added attention right off the bat. We went with Stoptechs 380mm/6piston kit on the front and their 332mm/4 piston in the rear. We will be using the car for DE events and the Texas Mile so I wanted to make sure that the brakes where properly bedded and will be up the heavy braking the car will experience.

Just as important as upgrading the brakes themselves, is carefully following the bed-in procedure for the pads and rotors. This is a very important step and it should be preformed right after installation to ensure a consistent friction surface and prevent warping of rotors from pad deposits. Before you begin the process you want to make sure the rotors are clean and free of and oil or debris. For non-plated rotors a bath in soap and water, then brake clean should do the trick. For our application we had the rotors zinc coated to prevent rusting of the fins. If you opt to have the rotors zinc plated, drive a few miles with light braking until the plating is worn off. Do not use the brakes aggressively or begin bed-in procedure until this has been completed.

To begin the bedding procedure find a long stretch of level roadway or a skid pad. It is best to perform the exercise at a time when traffic is at its lightest to make sure you can complete the procedure without compromising safety. I was fortunate to have a long 4-5 mile access road for the airport near our new location to perform the bed-in. To properly seat the pads and rotors evenly you will perform 2 series of 10 consecutive decelerations from 60mph to 10pmh. You want to be sure that accelerate back up to 60 after reaching the 10mph decelerating point. You should be using consistent 80-90% braking force and expect some smoke and brake smell from the brakes. Be sure that you do not come to a complete stop during the series of 10.

For this procedure in the 996tt I found 2nd gear to work quite well as it allowed me to reach the designed RPM and still be able to accelerate from the lower RPMS. Complete the first 10 series in sequence, when you are finished be sure not to come to a stop as you want to let the rotors cool completely without leaving hot deposit. Once the brakes have cooled to a near ambient temperature (usually after 10-15 miles of driving at 50MPH or more without using the brakes) repeat the series of 10 stops and let the system cool again to ambient temperature. For higher performance track pads, Stoptech recommends you add 4 80-10mph decelerations to the end of each series. Full race pads should always be bed-in on the track.

Once you have completed the 2 series the rotor faces should have a faint blue appearance covered by a polished, light gray film. The blue tint indicates the proper brake in temperature has been reached and the pad material is evenly transferring onto the rotor face. Perform this procedure at your own risk, don’t necessarily be concerned that you are reaching the speeds exactly, but you want to make sure you are using consistent brake force throughout. Check out the Gallery Below to see before and after pictures of the rotors for comparison.

While we were at PRI, our Stoptech Big Brake kit arrived for Project
996TT. The factory brakes on the car felt very tired and needed an overhaul
and some new pads, so we opted for an upgrade. We’ve used Stoptech kits on many
project cars in the past as well as other brake manufactures and they offer a great
overall product. The Kits include 2 piece floating rotors,ST-60 and ST-40 calipers,
stainless brake lines, mounting brackets, and street performance pads. The front rotors
are 380mm, the rears 332mm. They should look great behind the HRE monoblocks, and offer
great braking when we shake down the project soon at the road course.

We also will have the pleasure of testing Tiltons newly released brake fluid, TSR-1 Supreme. This race tested and proven fluid has an extremely high boiling point of 622 degrees Fahrenheit, meets all DOT4 specifications, and maintains very low compressibility at high temperatures. This fluid should be released to the public in February of 2009 at which point we will receive our first shipment as well. Tilton will also be Offering TBR-1 Brake fluid and an all new TCR-1 clutch specific fluid.

It’s finally time to begin installing parts on the camouflage Porsche. Our original plan was to install the complete K24/18G kit this week along with the clutch, however scheduling conflicts made us decide to hold off another week. Instead we sent the factory ECU off to Tony @ EPL to reflash with his modified K16 Map which includes both a brake boost feature and 2 Step. We expect to have the ECU back on Friday in time for another trip to Bithlo for some additional passes down the 1320.

Since we had to wait on the ECU to be flashed (in the coming months we will have in house programing available for all EPL products), we decided to remove some more weight. We removed the factory tank of an exhaust which weighed 57lbs. We opted for AWE straight pipes weighing in around 7lbs for the pair, an overall savings of 50lbs off the back of the car!!!

While we where at it we removed the factory battery (stock is 52lbs, the one removed was aftermarket and weighed 41lbs). In place of the factory battery we installed a Deka / East Penn ETX-30 battery and made a custom bracket out of aluminum to hold it in place. The new battery was 21lbs total, saving us another 20lbs off the front of the car. We will be using a trickle charger when the car will be without use for an extended time period, however we opted for the ETX-30 rather than the ETX-14. The 30 is about 10lbs heavier, but should offer a bit of security should the car not get driven for an extended period of time.

Total savings for the day was 70lbs. We’ll be off to the track on Friday with less weight, extra power, and hopes to get kicked out for going 11.5X without a cage. After that it’s more power, less weight, the perfect combination for a better overall car.

After a few crazy weeks of traveling, we finally got the Porsche paintjob completed.   4-5 hours in the paintbooth behind our shop, probably 15-20 cans of Krylon camouflage and enough fumes going to my brain that I’ll be high for weeks.  Overall I am very happy with the end results, and the opinions of those who have seen the car have been 50/50.  It’s a love hate relationship but that’s exactly what I wanted to achieve and either way it draws 100 times more attention than the factory silver.