Help! Looking for used/refurbed 996 mk2 rear GT3 Damper

[jackwood]

Hi,

Took my car in for some new tyres today and while the wheels were off we spotted this:





This wouldn't normally be a problem as a full refurb was on the cards for the dampers this year anyway. But it's the RS day next Friday and I'd really like to try and get this thing back together for then. I've been looking forward to it for months.

So the question is, is there a generous soul out there that would happen to have a functioning 996 mk2 GT3 rear damper lying around that would like to lend it to me for next week. I'd return either the same damper or my damper after it has had a full factory refurb at Bilstein UK.

Thanks in advance,

Jack

Edited by jackwood on Friday 1st March 19:30

[sanjay123]

Hi,

I have one knocking around that you are welcome to borrow, it has been off my car for seven years ish so I can't vouch for its condition. Let me know if thats of use

Regards.

Sanjay

[jackwood]

sanjay123 said:

Hi,

I have one knocking around that you are welcome to borrow, it has been off my car for seven years ish so I can't vouch for its condition. Let me know if thats of use

Regards.

Sanjay

Thanks very much Sanjay. I don't suppose you ever noticed if they were leaking when you took them of, did you? Or if the spring perches were siezed?

[sanjay123]

Hi Jack,

They were off the car when I bought it in 2006 ( the car had done circa 11 K miles) and have been in a box ever since, i'm working tomorrow but can drag them out Sunday to have a look if you wish. I'm based in Birmingham btw.

Regards


Sanjay

[nxi20]

I've got a pair that were refurbed by Bilstein & taken off the car about 10K miles later. Spring perches should be free as they were covered in Alusil. You'll need to be quick though as I'm off to Faro at 5:00 on Sunday.

I'm in South Bucks

[jackwood]

Thanks. Going to be a stretch so sort something by 5 Sunday. In Manchester, but thanks a lot for the offer. They would have been perfect.
Jack

[jackwood]

nxi20 said:

I've got a pair that were refurbed by Bilstein & taken off the car about 10K miles later. Spring perches should be free as they were covered in Alusil. You'll need to be quick though as I'm off to Faro at 5:00 on Sunday.

I'm in South Bucks

Nick,
I know you are probably mega busy today, but would you be able to get those dampers to a post office? I can transfer funds for shipping etc straight away if you could. Obviously understand if your day is full already.
Jack

[Slippydiff]

Nick/Jackwood, if Nick can get them up to Fearnsport, I can get them up to Telford/Shrewsbury in the next couple of days.

[jackwood]

Update:

Finally managed to get something worked out so I can make it to the RS day on Friday.

I spoke to Dave Masters at Bilstein UK and he was very helpful. He said it was obviously not advisable to drive on a severely leaking damper (see new pic below). The damper still functions, but the stroke reduces, so that the distance the rod moves until it hits the bumpstop is reduced. This means if the car is fully loaded, and you hit something that then requires more damper travel, it can buck the car. With it being the rear this could kick it into oversteer.

So with zero options on getting a set of reconditioned or even used mk2 dampers in time, we explored the option of using a set of mk1 rear dampers. He said yes, the internal settings are slightly different between the mk1 and mk2 damper, but it would be perfectly fine to use them, and definitely better than trying to use one leaky one.

Luckily our good friend Keep It Lit had a set sitting in his workshop that had only done 17,000 miles. He dropped them at my work yesterday (what a gent) and I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic yesterday afternoon.

After getting it on the ramp it looked even worse than first thought:



Of course with everything that is time sensitive, it wasn't as simple as switching out the dampers. Mikes new Hunter imaging geo machine was being installed today, meaning things are going to be even tighter. One small upside for me is that Mike is doing a mega bargain £99+vat geo price for the first 10 customers to book on his new machine and mine will be the first! Yay,

Although these dampers are still a temporary solution, I'm taking the opportunity to fit some pornographic RSS toe links.



Big decision now is whether to upgrade to KW Clubsports or just recondition the OEM dampers. Tough one.

But for now, the damper install should be finished today and the car can be geo'd on the spangly new Hunter in the morning and I can pick it up tomorrow. Just in time for the best trackday of the year on Friday. Cutting it fine, I'd call that.

(None of this would be possible without the generosity of Ade (Keep It Lit) and the skill and willingness of Mike to squeeze the job in for me. Huge Thanks, guys)