Hey guys! Im looking into 996 to 997 conversion; my 2000 C4 has OEM xenon headlights but I want to retain the xenons. Can I still use the current bulbs and balast and plug it into the OEM 997 Xenon headlights or will I need to cut or repinned the wires and use the the OEM 997 bulbs and balast?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated thanks!

 

I would think that the 997 headlight assemblies that you acquire for the conversion will come with bulbs and ballasts. Is this not the case?

 

even if they dont, HID KIT!

the projectors would already be made for HID cut off so it should be fine

 

Are your 996 Xenons damaged or something?

My car is going through the same conversion, actually it's ready to be painted right now.

Trust me, buy the 997 halogen lights, and then buy a reasonable HID kit for it. Experience has taught me that the absolute cheapest kits should probably be avoided, but there are decent quality HID kits out there for very very reasonable prices. Read around for reviews. Not everything you buy for a Porsche has to be ultra expensive for it to work properly.

Don't take apart or otherwise molest your OEM Xenon 996 headlights. They are worth money. Right now there are several on ebay floating around. Even the damaged or cracked ones are listed at a few hundred dollars a piece. Porsche charges over $2300 for EACH side when they are new.

If you take the ballasts or any other component off of your OEM 996 Xenons, you are basically taking something that you could re-sell, and turning it into scrap.

Save your OEM Xenon lights, and throw them up for sale on ebay or elsewhere when you don't see many others for sale. You should be able to get a few hundred dollars each for them if they are in good shape. Just checking ebay right now, I see a smashed xenon headlight for $300, and one missing the ballast (transformer) for $499.

 

I am in the process of doing a conversion as well on my 04. It is my understanding that you will need to splice in a 997 headlight plug/harness.

 

Thanks guys for the info. I was planning to buy the OEM xenons headlights and bulbs anyways but I wasnt sure what to do with the 996 setup. Getting the halogen headlights then purchasing the HIDseems like the best way easist way.

Most 997 kits just come with the halogen headlights and the xenon headlights are way over priced.

Hey thankswww, I image you had to splice your head lights plugs as well?

 

I'm not sure how they wired my lights, as I haven't actually seen my car yet. Some shops use the original 997 plugs and connect from there. When I saw the 997 headlight and opened up the back, I saw that behind the plug, there are just more wires running to the light sockets, so one could bypass the plug entirely and just connect to those wires.

In my case I bought an aftermarket HID kit, so I'd imagine it took them some time to get it all wired up. I'm so happy I paid someone else to do it =)

 

Any best practices for the conversion aside from the headlights?

 

This is really open ended question but here it is broken down to 3 options:

1. Go all OEM steel but lots of cutting and welding involved(mainly 997 top and 996 bottom fenders, reshape door area for proper fit/alignment, remove stock 996 fender mounting plate at the top). This is the highest cost if you are having someone else do it.

2. 996-997 Conversion fenders that uses your stock existing 996 hood but you have to use their own 997 style front bumper. This is probably the cheapest route but not the most accurate repro and least flexible.

3. 996-997 Conversion fenders that uses 997 hood and bumper. You can use OEM Hood if you notch out the sides for hinge clearance instead of their FRP hood. You can also bolt on any OEM 997 front bumper. This is in the middle cost wise but should provide you with a good amount of aftermarket 997 hood/bumper combos.

All will need 997 gas filler door and associated hardware, Headlight, Headlight mount plates, Headlight wiring, front turn/fog lights, side marker lights, and misc parts that could nickle and dime you to death in the end.

In the end, you're looking between $3k-$7k depending on what option you go with and does not include labor.

Of course this only solves the front end and doesn't account for the sides or back.

 

alpine, you mention that "...notch out the sides for hinge clearance...".
What is notched, the hood or fenders, clearance issue on hinge sides or ?

I have the OEM 997 Aluminum hood and hinges. Noticed that the hinges do not bolt flush, and the pattern between the hinges is shorter. Do you know the solution for this issue?

Thanks for the assistance!

 

Sorry, I meant notched on the hood side.

Look below for a pic:

 

Noticed that the 997 hood was wider as the tub narrowed. Still waiting for the fenders, one week delivery turned into two plus.
Thanks for the reply and great picture!

 

Which fenders did you end up getting?

 

FRP-DuraFlex-fiberglass.

 

Please keep us updated on your findings. I haven't seen anyone personally that have shared their experiences with these.