I've read up a bunch, and I know that in order to swap from 996 to 997 rear quarter panels, you have to cut out the old rear quarter panels and weld in new ones, no problem.

I found a 996 down where I'm at, rear quarter panel damage, salvage. The price is only $4k so, why not?

Do you guys know if a 997 cab quarter panel is the same "shape" as a 996 cab? I see the 996 to 997 conversions all day, seems like the rear quarters match up well, but I have not seen any cabs.... I figure it I get this, instead of putting in a 996 rear 1/4, I'd just throw on a 997. I realize the task it not as easy as it sounds, I've got nothing but time, plus I already have a 996 - so I can keep myself excited while I build this one!!

Thanks in advance!

 

I don't know if it will fit however, I would be extremely careful buying a salvaged Porsche. sometimes the damage looks superficial but when you actually get into it there's much more, suspension comes to mind for a quarter panel hit.


Good luck

 

I don't know from personal experience, so I'm just guessing - but I don't think it willl look right even if you get it to fit. The 996 is considered a "slab side" design. The transition from the front fenders, through the doors and into the rear quarter panels is very uniform and "flat". With the 997, Porsche tried to restore a little bit of the curvy look of the 993. The airbags were removed from the doors and placed into the seats. The result is "thinner" doors, with a more pronounced flare in the rear quarter panel as the body gets wider.

Again - all this is speculation on my part based on what I know about the design of the two cars - but I would be really surprised if your idea would give you the desired results.

 

I believe this to be correct.

 

This sounds like fun. You can also look into some aftermarket wide body kits etc. If the powertrain is good, you could always pull that out and recover your $4,000. I wonder if you can bring a mechanic and/or body guy to do their best look and guess what may damage exists underneath.

If it were me, I'd pull the engine/trans and sell it to cover my initial investment. Get the body sorted out and then have Renegade Hybrids drop an LSX in it.

 

My father did a 997 gt3 conversion to a salvaged 996 gt3. There were a lot of headaches involved in the process from what I remember. Best thing to do is tear the entire car down to its shell and make the decision there if its worth rebuilding. Heres a link to his old thread:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...onversion.html