Knackered old Porsche with loads of ground clearance...
Discussion
Or the second over the top Porsche build, although this one is a lot simpler than the 911 in concept and build. 
There is still some styling work to do but mechanically it is complete and tested.
So... the story. I needed a tow car that could deal with a muddy field and if it came to it had the ability to drag a digger off a muddy building site. Having had several L322 Range Rovers in the past then that was the obvious choice, but being very much a Porsche chap at heart with an obvious affection for anything old and well used it could only be a Cayenne.
Following some research it became pretty obvious that I should find a steel sprung Cayenne in 957 form, given I already had a very fast Porsche this wasn't a problem as the steel sprung cars are way more common in the lower engine specs. I had originally planned to buy a V8 one in S trim but the majority of cars were dog rough and the V8 has its own issues around bore scoring, plastic coolant lines etc. The sweet spot turned out to be a 3.6 V6 - which is essentially the VW R36 motor, with a few 958 tweeks to up the power a touch. These are bomb proof, suffer no significant issues and are ever so slightly better of fuel, but if that's a consideration it might be best to stick to the Diesels!
I wanted an Arctic Silver car to match the 911 but when the one above came up it was a no brainer to accept grey is the new silver. Low owners, sensible mileage and well looked after. It had spent a lot of its time in Spain so was showing a touch of sunburn in a couple of areas but for the most part was extremely tidy. It was a pleasure to work on as it had rarely seen salt so the various bits of suspension came off without a fight. It's also very well optioned with all the bits you would actually want (parking sensors front and rear, heated wheel/seats, roof rails, Bose etc. etc.)
I collect it via a trip to the detailers who did a great job on bringing it up shiny and for an old bus it presents very well!
After some basic cocking around (and getting it stuck in a field) and a sporadic engine warning light I found a few days to get stuck into it properly,
Starting with a bloody good service comprising of:
- All fluids plus the usual filters etc.
- Coil Packs and Plugs
- FEAD belt and tensioner
- Multiple vacuum hoses/brake vacuum feed
- Gearbox filter
- Discs, Pads, Sensors etc. etc.
- Caliper refurb
- Handbrake shoes and springs.
- Drains cleared
- Replacement battery
- Alternator refurb
And probably some other bits I've forgotten!
Being an absolute super baller with branded fluids
Calipers came up well, although seals aren't available from Porsche so thanks to Mode Performance for sorting those!
This is a properly messy job with the worlds worst filler setup. I had to 3D print some bits to reduce how much ruinously expensive transmission fluid ended up on the floor!
I also did the centre prop bearing at the same time. The JXB kit is lovely with lots of Xylan coated billet bits and a way, way better setup than the bits of tube and bolts that most of the aftermarket kits offer. It's not even that expensive and comes with a lovely billet bracket to match. I like very much!
Once back on the deck I detailed the engine bay, the little V6 doesn't look too lost in there.
That lot resolved any outstanding issues with it bar the very out of date stereo and lighting so I converted the PSM2 to an Android based head unit which supported Android Auto and Car Play. Some cocking around with CAN resulted in it all working pretty seamlessly although I did have to resort to an expensive motorsport only CAN gateway to translate some stuff over.
Reverse cam too! Spot the other knackered Porsche
Looks so much more modern with LED lighting!
With that lot done we could get on with the exciting bits!
Braid did a cracking job on the wheels, as did MacG importing them. These were a special to get the offsets required and maintain compatibility with the standard Porsche wheel fastener geometry. Can't not do K02s on these as they are such a good AT tyre with some proper off road performance but good road manners too.
Well proven PRG lift kit that ends up resolving the weak area at the bottom of the front damper by adding a shed load of steel to the area along with a vertical brace!
Rear damper modified and ready to go back on, it's all actually very tidy under the dirt and grime. Given this cars use it seemed rude to contaminate the wash tank with it...
Wheel studs in place of bolts makes fitting heavy wheels far easier and provides some opportunity for additional track in the future. No Ti this time, unlike on the 996
Underbody protection on, 3mm Steel engine/front underbody and transmission/transfer box guards. It should be able to slide on those pretty well if required. This car already has the fuel tank protectors in place. I may add a rear diff guard and rear wishbone guards in the future....
No exciting engine mod pics I'm afraid as it's all bolt on (air filter, DI HPF) and software. The 958 based engine calibration makes a big difference to things though so I'd highly recommend that with supporting mods and I don't expect any difference in engine reliability as the same physical bits passed validation in the R36 and later 958.
All done the basic spec is:
- 300bhp / 400NM - 958 bits on a 957 3.6 V6 with a map to match basically.
- 2" Lift via modified front dampers and rear suspension platform insert.
- 18" Braid Beadlock "Dakar" wheels.
- 265/65/18 BF Goodrich K02 tyres.
- Wheel stud conversion.
- 3mm Steel sump guard/lower engine guard.
- 3mm Steel transmission and transfer box guard.
- JXB Performance centre prop bearing assembly
I think it looks pretty good on the deck!
Front recovery points use the standard front cross member / tow eye threaded section. Simple mod to the standard covers to support.
Definitely the right choice of wheel for this project!
The combination of lift kit and wheel/tyre combo gives an overall increase in ride height of around 90mm whilst the addition of some recovery points etc. means it's easier to recover if I do get it stuck! It should wade 700mm now too which will give those double door seals a good test and will still cruise at 100mph if required. The beadlocks also allow some low, low off road pressures if required.
It drives very well, no bad noises, no clicking on full lock, no scrubbing etc. etc. so this lift amount works extremely well with the standard suspension components and geometry. Stability is very good with the K02s at sensible road pressures.
Still to do is some basic styling tweaks to tie things together and I need to plumb the air system in and make some wheel centre caps but I'm waiting for time on the RP machine at the moment so I can make the bits! I also need Royal to trim a steering wheel up but I've not finished converting it to paddle shift yet.
For such a basic project I'm very happy with how it worked out, it's a massive increase in capability in one area with very small sacrifices elsewhere to do it. Absolutely no issue daily'ing it in this setup if required!
Now I'm off to bury it to the diffs in a muddy field.
"It's sorted, It's gripped...... Let's off-road!"
There is still some styling work to do but mechanically it is complete and tested.
So... the story. I needed a tow car that could deal with a muddy field and if it came to it had the ability to drag a digger off a muddy building site. Having had several L322 Range Rovers in the past then that was the obvious choice, but being very much a Porsche chap at heart with an obvious affection for anything old and well used it could only be a Cayenne.
Following some research it became pretty obvious that I should find a steel sprung Cayenne in 957 form, given I already had a very fast Porsche this wasn't a problem as the steel sprung cars are way more common in the lower engine specs. I had originally planned to buy a V8 one in S trim but the majority of cars were dog rough and the V8 has its own issues around bore scoring, plastic coolant lines etc. The sweet spot turned out to be a 3.6 V6 - which is essentially the VW R36 motor, with a few 958 tweeks to up the power a touch. These are bomb proof, suffer no significant issues and are ever so slightly better of fuel, but if that's a consideration it might be best to stick to the Diesels!
I wanted an Arctic Silver car to match the 911 but when the one above came up it was a no brainer to accept grey is the new silver. Low owners, sensible mileage and well looked after. It had spent a lot of its time in Spain so was showing a touch of sunburn in a couple of areas but for the most part was extremely tidy. It was a pleasure to work on as it had rarely seen salt so the various bits of suspension came off without a fight. It's also very well optioned with all the bits you would actually want (parking sensors front and rear, heated wheel/seats, roof rails, Bose etc. etc.)
I collect it via a trip to the detailers who did a great job on bringing it up shiny and for an old bus it presents very well!
After some basic cocking around (and getting it stuck in a field) and a sporadic engine warning light I found a few days to get stuck into it properly,
Starting with a bloody good service comprising of:
- All fluids plus the usual filters etc.
- Coil Packs and Plugs
- FEAD belt and tensioner
- Multiple vacuum hoses/brake vacuum feed
- Gearbox filter
- Discs, Pads, Sensors etc. etc.
- Caliper refurb
- Handbrake shoes and springs.
- Drains cleared
- Replacement battery
- Alternator refurb
And probably some other bits I've forgotten!
Being an absolute super baller with branded fluids
Calipers came up well, although seals aren't available from Porsche so thanks to Mode Performance for sorting those!
This is a properly messy job with the worlds worst filler setup. I had to 3D print some bits to reduce how much ruinously expensive transmission fluid ended up on the floor!
I also did the centre prop bearing at the same time. The JXB kit is lovely with lots of Xylan coated billet bits and a way, way better setup than the bits of tube and bolts that most of the aftermarket kits offer. It's not even that expensive and comes with a lovely billet bracket to match. I like very much!
Once back on the deck I detailed the engine bay, the little V6 doesn't look too lost in there.
That lot resolved any outstanding issues with it bar the very out of date stereo and lighting so I converted the PSM2 to an Android based head unit which supported Android Auto and Car Play. Some cocking around with CAN resulted in it all working pretty seamlessly although I did have to resort to an expensive motorsport only CAN gateway to translate some stuff over.
Reverse cam too! Spot the other knackered Porsche
Looks so much more modern with LED lighting!
With that lot done we could get on with the exciting bits!
Braid did a cracking job on the wheels, as did MacG importing them. These were a special to get the offsets required and maintain compatibility with the standard Porsche wheel fastener geometry. Can't not do K02s on these as they are such a good AT tyre with some proper off road performance but good road manners too.
Well proven PRG lift kit that ends up resolving the weak area at the bottom of the front damper by adding a shed load of steel to the area along with a vertical brace!
Rear damper modified and ready to go back on, it's all actually very tidy under the dirt and grime. Given this cars use it seemed rude to contaminate the wash tank with it...
Wheel studs in place of bolts makes fitting heavy wheels far easier and provides some opportunity for additional track in the future. No Ti this time, unlike on the 996
Underbody protection on, 3mm Steel engine/front underbody and transmission/transfer box guards. It should be able to slide on those pretty well if required. This car already has the fuel tank protectors in place. I may add a rear diff guard and rear wishbone guards in the future....
No exciting engine mod pics I'm afraid as it's all bolt on (air filter, DI HPF) and software. The 958 based engine calibration makes a big difference to things though so I'd highly recommend that with supporting mods and I don't expect any difference in engine reliability as the same physical bits passed validation in the R36 and later 958.
All done the basic spec is:
- 300bhp / 400NM - 958 bits on a 957 3.6 V6 with a map to match basically.
- 2" Lift via modified front dampers and rear suspension platform insert.
- 18" Braid Beadlock "Dakar" wheels.
- 265/65/18 BF Goodrich K02 tyres.
- Wheel stud conversion.
- 3mm Steel sump guard/lower engine guard.
- 3mm Steel transmission and transfer box guard.
- JXB Performance centre prop bearing assembly
I think it looks pretty good on the deck!
Front recovery points use the standard front cross member / tow eye threaded section. Simple mod to the standard covers to support.
Definitely the right choice of wheel for this project!
The combination of lift kit and wheel/tyre combo gives an overall increase in ride height of around 90mm whilst the addition of some recovery points etc. means it's easier to recover if I do get it stuck! It should wade 700mm now too which will give those double door seals a good test and will still cruise at 100mph if required. The beadlocks also allow some low, low off road pressures if required.
It drives very well, no bad noises, no clicking on full lock, no scrubbing etc. etc. so this lift amount works extremely well with the standard suspension components and geometry. Stability is very good with the K02s at sensible road pressures.
Still to do is some basic styling tweaks to tie things together and I need to plumb the air system in and make some wheel centre caps but I'm waiting for time on the RP machine at the moment so I can make the bits! I also need Royal to trim a steering wheel up but I've not finished converting it to paddle shift yet.
For such a basic project I'm very happy with how it worked out, it's a massive increase in capability in one area with very small sacrifices elsewhere to do it. Absolutely no issue daily'ing it in this setup if required!
Now I'm off to bury it to the diffs in a muddy field.
"It's sorted, It's gripped...... Let's off-road!"
Carlososos said:
.... and the wheels are awesome!
The beadlock system on these is properly clever, it uses a 90 degree element on the interior of the wheel barrel into which the bead of the tyre is clamped by specially machined bolts that run through the wheel rim. Gives 99% of the advantage of a traditional bead lock system with a huge amount less component count, weight and general faffing about!Love this! I quite often see these and VW Touaregs modded like this around here in Vancouver. I think it looks awesome, very purposeful and much closer to how I think these cars should have come out of the factory. (I'm also one of those miserable gits that thinks it's pointless owning an SUV if you don't take it off road).
Very interesting thread for me, I have a 7L Touareg that I use a lot for off-roading.
I have gone through many tires but I settled on 265/70r18 Geolander GO15, tallest tire I managed to fit without any rubbing under full twist. I’ve also had success with like yours, 265/65 as well as 285/60.
My car has been treated pretty mercilessly, the undercarriage has been banged (oo er) and scrapped full length many a time with only the jacking point covers being the main culprits. It’s been dining and many times jumped.
So far so good, the water cooled Alternator sprung a leak.. pin hole appeared in the back emptying its contents but was an easy fix.. 20 minutes at most to remove (3.2 V6)
I look forward to seeing the upgrades, I have one quy. The lift kit, I assume there essentially no downward articulation remaining?
I have gone through many tires but I settled on 265/70r18 Geolander GO15, tallest tire I managed to fit without any rubbing under full twist. I’ve also had success with like yours, 265/65 as well as 285/60.
My car has been treated pretty mercilessly, the undercarriage has been banged (oo er) and scrapped full length many a time with only the jacking point covers being the main culprits. It’s been dining and many times jumped.
So far so good, the water cooled Alternator sprung a leak.. pin hole appeared in the back emptying its contents but was an easy fix.. 20 minutes at most to remove (3.2 V6)
I look forward to seeing the upgrades, I have one quy. The lift kit, I assume there essentially no downward articulation remaining?
I have no interest in the SUV world, but I find your process to make something suit your needs remarkable - so following regardless!
The only thing I can add is that many moons ago I had a few R32 golfs, and the only issue I seem to remember were timing chains stretching. So keep an eye / ear out for that
The only thing I can add is that many moons ago I had a few R32 golfs, and the only issue I seem to remember were timing chains stretching. So keep an eye / ear out for that
FlatToTheMat said:
I look forward to seeing the upgrades, I have one quy. The lift kit, I assume there essentially no downward articulation remaining?
Nice T'Reg and clearly being used properly! There is still some amount of droop in the suspension as it is a 2" lift vs the more common 2.5" which does take up the vast majority of it. Alternative method is to space the subframes but I'm less keen on that for a modest lift and also because 2" on the damper/struts is within the design spec of the existing suspension and doesn't hurt the geometry significantly (as it was originally designed around air suspension with a significant lift amount).
ConnectionError said:
So,
The Porsche Cayenne as recommended by PPBB, who we have high regard of his Porsche knowledge and engineering prowess, is in fact powered by a VW engine?
Useful to know as I keep wanting to scratch this itch. Thanks for the heads up!
But only the V6's - there is a lot of VW in a Cayenne! Or maybe a lot of Porsche in a Touareg... depends which way you look at it The Porsche Cayenne as recommended by PPBB, who we have high regard of his Porsche knowledge and engineering prowess, is in fact powered by a VW engine?
Useful to know as I keep wanting to scratch this itch. Thanks for the heads up!
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