Going on 2 weeks with the car, and loving it so far. The car looked lowered in the pictures (bought it site unseen) and was hoping it had some stuff done. Turns out it has GMG springs and ARBs on it, protective grills for the radiators and a heel-toe throttle pedal. Obviously the previous owner enjoyed the car, and I plan to also. The first time I drove it I was surprised how the chassis felt, other stock cars I had driven were not as stiff.. now I know why!

I have extensive experience building race cars, modifying street cars etc. I built a 1000rwhp turbo Camaro in the early 2000s when 1000hp was a lot

I know virtually nothing about Porsche's so I this forum has already helped a ton, and expect more questions.. especially when I start taking the motor apart

The car has some t/o bearing noise so I am hoping it already has an aftermarket clutch in it.. we will see how long it lasts.


I am planning 3 major phases of mods.... and at some point a stereo upgrade (probably when the car is down building the short block)

.5) Tint, Springs, new front spoiler/lip, AG Mesh 20x11/20x8.5 in gloss black, green calipers. - NOW
1) proEFI install (basic install) - Few weeks
2) 5558 Precision turbos (latest billet/bearing) along with support mods. ETS intercoolers, Underground Header, injectors and I am building my own turbo-back exhaust. - few months
3) Short block, FlexFuel, turn up the boost. Hope to make ~1000fwhp on 100% E85 - Next winter

So stage .5 has commenced. Tint is done, Lip is on, wheels will be here today. I did a dry-run of epoxy based caliper paint but wasn't happy.. so calipers are being shipped to be powder coated.



Pics up until now, more pics coming.


(BTW, this was the first car on the new lift.. scary until the safety locks were engaged!)

Porsche along with my roommate's Daily+Weekend car. on NYE

 

Congrats - love the color! GMG springs are great on the 997s. What wheels did you end up getting? Enjoy her and thats a great stable you got there!!!

 

2 of those 3 are not mine, my roommates

I had a Yellow Gallardo prior to the Turbo.

http://www.avantgardewheels.com/ruger-mesh.php

in 20's, gloss black. heavy but should look nice. Might upgrade to a lighter, wider 3 piece down the road but $$!

 

Great choice Had those on my last 997 (19s).

If you ever got a minute Id love to talk to you about your gallardo to 997 switch as Im strongly contemplating on going the other way and just wanted some of your input. Thanks!

 

Would be happy to.

Highlight reel:
Porsche turbo is better in every way to the Gallardo (handling, comfort, "niceness", quality, power, ease of modding, etc).
The Gallardo sounds WAY better (I had no cats and only bullet mufflers). The sound of that thing at 8K rpm was just unbelievable. It truly made the driving experience.. I miss it, BIG TIME.

Also if you dont like attention, dont get a Gallardo. People will nearly crash (or crash) taking pictures.. every ******* at the gas station wants to know "how fast it will go" or "how much did it cost" or my favorite "how much do you make?".

Take it out to a bar? expect half the time to walk out and some girl is sitting on the hood taking a picture. Look up what a hood costs...

I loved it, I really did. But at my budget (~100K) I couldnt afford to modify it much (HREs+ exhaust), and I was always paranoid about breaking something big. I make ok money, but still probably in the bottom 1% of G owners.

A friend of mine bought one that doesnt like attention.. He hated it. Sold it in <2 weeks. It didnt drive as well as his other cars (new viper, CTSV etc).. pretty much "junk" in every way in comparison.. except sound and attention. And he hates attention.

 

I like your plans for the car. I am planning on doing very similar things with mine this year from an intercooler, shortblock, and turbo perspective. Given your experience I'm assuming you're planning on doing the shortblock assembly yourself?

 

Yup, that is the game plan. Take it apart carefully, put it together twice as carefully.

I have access to 2 very good machinist. One has done racing engines for me (one of which powered me to a win in World Challenge) and the other does 2000hp Gallardo motors.

 

Probably not as bad as a Yellow Gallardo but I get the same thing in my red 997 Turbo pretty often .

 

Yea.. my turbo HAS been stock so to the average person its "just a porsche", I expect more attention with 20" wheels and bright green calipers

 

Yeah porsches are a dime a dozen here so no one ever turns a head at one (although Ive gotten a compliment or two here and there).

Was the gallardo your only car? My biggest concerns with it is where to take it and leaving it in various parking lots it as Im not a fan of valets either, esp handling something $100K+. Given that it would only be a weekend driver, I guess its more on 'you' to decide when you want the attention or be 'bothered'?

In the end are you happy that you experienced the gallardo prior to the 997 and advise others to give one a shot? Would you consider ever going back ?

The way I look at it is even if I have it for a year until It gets to be annoying or get tired of it, I can check of my dream of the plate.

I rented a LP550 spyder in miami a few months back (auto tranny, for 24 hours), and I still have the sound of the exhaust running through my sleep nightly. I feel like that car is worth experiencing for a bit just for that

 

Not my only car.. cant even fathom having to drive that thing everyday. beats you up pretty bad.. and I have driven some pretty aggressive street cars.

Yes, paranoia definitely sucked. You just have to remember its "just a car". Also, because of the fact its a lambo... its gets parked up front, as in.. usually the first car next to the valet stand so you know it doesnt go far.

I loved the car, and very glad I had it. I also didnt break it, and sold it after driving it for a year for more than I paid.

had I broken a gear box, or anything else major (hell. the mirrors are $1700!) my ownership experience would probably not have been as favorable.

If I could have a G again, with 0% change of breaking something.. I would do it in a heart beat. I just got a bit tired of driving a bone stock car I was afraid to break. If I had turbo'd it, I would have been scared everytime I touched the pedal.

 

Yes - I am accounting for a bit of a reserve in case something goes bad / maintenance / repairs. I usually have that 'afraid to break' feeling with BMWs for some reason lol. Usually dump them right after warranty ends. Do you not have the same worries with the turbo of something going 'bad' or need fixing? Ohh I think you mean if both were 'modded' in that regard (where as you are already staring of with a turbo porsche instead of adding a turbo on).

Repair is not cheap either on the porsches - but I found both my turbo and base carrera highly reliable.

Gallardos though in general usually have very good feedback in terms of reliability. Did you have the e-gear or 6 speed? What year was yours? Id be looking at the updated egear 06-08 years. Id love to get an LP model but they are still relatively new and that depreciation and initial cost will hurt bad

 

Even doing 100% myself (only thing I dont do much of us paint and body) the G can still be pricey.

The Porsche stuff I have priced seems to be quite a bit cheaper, as long as you are a DIY guy. Compared to my Z06 and the Gallardo, I would say it is right in the middle somewhere overall.

The early egear cars were junk, and compared to current porsche PDK.. even the newer Egears G's are junk.

I had a 6spd car, which I prefer either way. But you are correct.. if you want an egear, get a 06+

To be clear. it wasnt that I would not be able to pay my mortgage if the G broke, but the way I looked at it the cost vs my net worth was too high

 

****ing , I love it man!


"Take it out to a bar? expect half the time to walk out and some girl is sitting on the hood taking a picture. Look up what a hood costs..."

 

Great project! Welcome and best of luck.