I'm interested in the black 'smile' air vent more than the whole front bumper. I don't need the lower ground clearance and resulting scrape-age that will happen from my driveway etc. The cosmetic effect of the black grin is what I'm after. Who has installed that vent in their normal 997 front bumpers? I assume its a matter of tracing a template outline and then cutting the hole with a hot knife.

 

was thinking the same thing, doesn't look overly hard to do- anyone?

One concern I have is the vent hole will allow air to flow into the bumper, not sure if that is a good idea. On my 996 I cut the RS top vents on my RS bumper, put mesh screen behind it with a fiberglass block off plate. -work was done by AfterHours Automotive and it came out quite slick.

 

with the oem gt3 bumper, the opening is folded over to allow for the smiley face. but if you cut your oem 997 bumper, you'll have the hole but.. not sure about the support. the fold on the gt3 bumper (rather then just a cut out) support the upper part of the bumpre as it aligns with the hood. perhaps as p0rsch3 stated, find a method to support that area.

 

^ true, recalling now- that was also the reason for the fiberglass backside piece on my 996 bumper. The intake that is supposed to go under the RS top openings provides support, else the top of bumper starts to cave in when it gets hot from sun etc.
I imagine extra support would be neccessary on the 997 bumper as well.

 

so if you put the 3rd radiator I wonder what they put there to support it as they remove that cover to allow air in...

 

^^ I think there's probably a support assembly that goes in with it- I'll have to bug the guys at Sunset Porsche for a PET parts breakout.

BTW- nice meeting you the other day at RSS, how's your cab treating you? Have you found the gas pedal yet??? LOL

 

To be honest I haven't driven it since that day. I've been driving the Tahoe this week as I needed to carry some stuff around. I'll drive it tomorrow I do miss driving it..

 

^ Cool- Remember, time to get on that engine

 

here's a few pictures where the top of the bumper meets the hood. the bumper actually is supported by the chasis. i'll look for a picture of the buttom of the inside of the bumper. i know i have one somewhere

 

kurt, did you see my car's bumper, i had my shop do a custom install, they made a bracket to install just like factory but i shoulda probably put a mesh behind it. no problems yet, it looks great

 

^ Raffi- yeah I did take a look at it, looks great! They did a nice job. If you want really good tight weave mesh and have it put on right, talk to Brian. He carries the good stuff and did my 996 GT3 bumper cutouts. The stuff he uses does not dent or rust, it is stainless square weave, 1/8" squares.

So you have the vent open and air just flows into the bumper space? I'm still not sure how this would look on a cab.

 

appears this is a popular Cayman mod..

http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-mod...installed.html
http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-mod...ig-sucess.html
http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-mod...nt-grille.html

*thought* there was a long thread with detailed pics that show using a dremel tool to cut the bumper, etc. but couldn't find it - an exercise best left to ...you

 

As I'm going for the cosmetic and not performance effect of venting air, I'd seal the backside of the 'smile' vent to prevent air transfer through the vent. From the pictures, it appears there is some support structure on the front bumper to sit under the front bumper section. Such support could easily be built - beauty isn't critical here as it will be covered.

If you wish to fold over the bumper cover, that can be done, just don't cut out the entire hole but leave some material back and fold it in if needed, for rigidity.

If its possible to purchase the internal support parts from Porsche to add to the chassis to provide support, that would be great, but manufacturing things out of tubular aluminum from Home Depot and pop rivits, mesh panels and fibre glass isn't that difficult for a DYI person.. and, as it will all be under the cover, fit is more critical than appearance.

I'd love to see a picture of the GT bumper with the black smile removed, but the bumper still on, just to see what the edges of the 'hole' look like and whats under there for support. Supporting the center of the bumper cover is critical.

The Cayman threads and how-to seem to fill the niche. Does anyone have pictures of the inside of the GT bumpers to show the frame and how the vent is attached to the inside of the GT bumpers? A required (in my mind) addition is mesh backing, as from the Cayman thead:

 

^ yeah, but I wouldn't use that ugly stamped diamond mesh. Stainless square weave mesh looks much better.

i'd love to see some inside bumper pics as well!

IIRC the easiest and cleanest method to cut the bumper is with a construction razor knife. At least that is how the top vents were cut into my 996 after the pattern was drawn on, and it was cake.
4 or 5 passes were made on each line until it cut through.
Dremels tend to melt the poly vs. cut and it makes a mess. lines will also not be as straight.

 

I'd like to see a source for good quality mesh - where do folks get the stuff?


Whats a construction razor knife? Is this just a solid, strong box-cutter, or some specialty tool? If its a specialty tool, a link to a site sample would be cool. I'm already looking for the laser line projector (that could be handy for so many projects)