Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

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sweet victory
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by sweet victory » Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:24 pm

10.08.2020 | 146038
  • Replaced Transmission Fluid (Redline 75W90NS)
  • Removed, Inspected, Cleaned, & Reinstalled Sump Plate
  • Replaced Oil & Oil Filter (Liqui Moly Molygen 5W40)
Trying out Mac's new RBRT hex bit. It's unfortunate Stanley Black & Decker decided to offshore this product line to Taiwan, but oh well. It's available through it's subsidiaries Mac, Proto, and Facom. The fit and finish is great, and while originally designed to removed stripped fasteners, it's also advertised to avoid stripping fasteners. Picture below shows just how tight it fits. You can see my sump is starting to seep oil, and with my cam deviations boardline out of tolerance, I wanted to drop the sump plate and see how much plastic was in there. (Spoiler alert...a decent amount)

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In case anyone wondered...yes. I still love having the Danmar M6.

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First up is the oil filter inspection. This is my first filter cut open since trying out Liqui Moly. All was well...not much to see here.

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Here's what the sump plate looks like after being dropped. I soaked up some oil with a rag to give you guys a better view. If you guys decide to drop the sump plate, I highly recommend removing the oil pick up tube and the baffle. You will find equal amounts hiding in corners and the filter screen.

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Here is everything that was recovered. I had to use tweezers to remove them from the filter screen; they were stuck in there pretty good. Between this and my cam shaft deviation, I'll definitely be planning to drop the motor and replacing the vario cam pads. Will probably tackle a bunch of other things when the motor/trans gets dropped. Timing is up in the air, as I'm expecting to move in the near future.

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The previous owner bottomed out the rear sump plate on something and it's had a slow sweep since I've owned it. It eventually got worse, so decided to see if this is something that could be fixed by resealing it or if it'd need replacement. I inspected the flatness at work on a calibrated surface plate using feeler gauges. I was able to fit a .010" shim. I'm not sure what the flatness tolerance is, but threw it back on to see if it'd hold. If it leaks again, I'll probably spring for the FVD motorsport oil sump/baffle kit. I used Drei Bond1209 to reseal it, and I didn't care for it. Since it's transparent, it's a bit difficult to gauge how thick your film is.


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After that was back together, I moved to the trans. Recently picked up the Assenmacher Specialty Tools trans filler, and it's super handy. Very nice quality and made in the USA. Filling trans fluid with Redline 75W90NS. This has no friction modifiers for LSD's, so I'm eager to see how this feels compared to the Motul I previously had in the transmission.

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sweet victory
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by sweet victory » Tue Feb 02, 2021 10:40 pm

01.15.2021 | 146360
Replaced OEM oil sump plate and baffle with FVD Motorsport Oil Pan + X51 Baffle
Installed GT3 Brake Ducts
Installed Tarrett Front & Rear GT Series Sway Bar Kits
Installed Tarrett Front & Rear Adjustable Drop Links
Replace tires with Michelin Pilot Sport 2's
Replaced Front & Rear Thrust Arms
Replaced Front & Rear Strut Mounts
Replaced Front Strut Bearings
Replace Front Coffin Arm w/ GT3 Adjustable Arm + Tarrett LCA Rubber End
Replaced Inner & Outer Tie Rods
Replaced Rear Toe Arm
Replaced Rear Dog Bones
Replaced Rear Litronics Height Sensor Linkage


My previous attempt at resealing the sump plate still resulted in a leaky plate. I've since replaced it with an FVD unit that has the X51 baffle. I don't track this car, and I figured a new sump and baffle at this price point was reasonable. I replaced this sometime last year and just included it in this post. It's been a few months and not a drop of oil, so I can't complain. I had started getting a vibration in my steering wheel around 75mph which prompted me to start looking at tie rod ends. Given the age and mileage of the vehicle, I said F it and just replaced everything that keep the car to the road. While the car was on the lift and I was waiting for parts, I took the wheels to America's Tire for new rubber. I went with 245/35/18 in the front and 315/30/18 in the rear. I did have a small amount of rubber at full lock out with 245/40/18 so I decided to go one side smaller this time.

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While researching this project, a lot of people had issues with getting their sockets to fit in the lower coffin arm to torque the two studs there. I had zero issues using Snap On 1/4" Drive Swivel sockets. Given the amount of "tight" spots you run into while working on common issues, I highly recommend investing in the Snap On 1/4" swivel socket set. Another thing to note is I followed Tarrett's recommendation with swapping the driver and passenger side coffin arms if using 16mm worth of spacers. If you have a litronics equipped car, make sure you get the sensor bracket for one side and a 1mm spacer for the other.

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Ignore any of the eccentric bolts in this photo - this was before any an alignment was done.

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I have some feedback on the Tarrett Kit. I think the sway bars were okay, but feel the drop link kits left more to be desired. They used good quality rod ends, but my first annoyance was paying $30 worth of rubber boots that did not fit. $60 gets you enough boots for the front and rear, but they only fit the rears; they do not fit the font rod ends. I was able to get larger boots for the front from McMaster Carr.

EDIT: Tarrett’s site actually offers both correct size boots! I ordered my kit from Rennline and that’s where I noticed they do not offer the correct sizes!

My second issue was with the inserts for the front link kit; some of the spacers were a nice slip fit with the rod ends and fasteners, but one side was a press fit. I had to use a mallet on one side to get the bolt out. As someone who has a good amount of machine tool experience, I would probably guess an insert on their turning tool was worn, so the bore of the spacer was on the low side of the tolerance. It made something that should've taken a few seconds take about 20 minutes. My last issue is with the supplied bolts. If you have Bilstein PSS10's the bolts for the rear upper mount are too long; your bolt will hit the bottom of the shock tube before it actually clamps down on the rod end. I got all new hardware for the rod ends.

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After getting my hardware issues sorted out, I installed the boots. I'm a bit of a belt and suspenders type of guy. I cleaned a surprising amount of metal swarf and chips off the rod ends, then protected them with silicone grease and installed the boot. I then crimped the boot, so that water will not drip down the link and collect in the boot.

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For people thinking about the boots, save yourself a lot of swearing and grief and just but the installation tool. It allows you to open the boot and slip the rod end in. You will likely rip the boot trying to stretch it open without the correct tool.

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Here is a good shot of everything fully buttoned up. I also got yellow zinc plated bolts that were 5mm shorter than the ones supplied. The supplied hardware had quite a bit of excessive threads sticking out.

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After the suspension work was finished, I took the car to Darin at West End Alignment. We did a corner balance and alignment. For anyone in the LA area looking for a solid alignment shop, Darin in your guy. We spent the first 20 minutes of my appointment talking about what my expectations were and how I use/drive the car. I went with -2.5deg camber in the front, and -2.3 deg camber in the rear. Total front toe is about 1/16" and rear total toe is 3/32". My only regret in this entire process is not doing this sooner. It has completely transformed the car. Everything feels tight, responsive, and firm. I had never driven a 996 prior to owning mine, nor have I ever driven someone else's 996. If you own a 996 and the suspension looks original, refreshing the suspension is worth every penny.



I have new sebro slotted rotors for the front and rear, along with new textar pads. I held off on installing them since I had to do a bit of traveling for work, and I'm toying with the idea of refinishing the calipers and rebuilding them. FCP has OEM rebuilt kits for around $45 per caliper. Debating if I have time to try and refinish myself with something like VHT or taking it to a professional. I also have an UAOS with aluminum accumulator on order. Lots of projects to keep me busy, and the 996 running well.

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sweet victory
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by sweet victory » Tue Feb 02, 2021 10:42 pm

Here are results from corner balancing. I found it interesting that with the rears adjusted as high as possible, the front's still had a lot more adjustment to increase the ride height. I wanted to maintain roughly a "2 finger" wheel gap. This essentially maxed out the max ride height on the rear PSS10 coil overs.

Anyways, 3296 with a half tank of gas and my 175lb sack of flesh. This vehicle has had no weight reduction other than fabspeed maxflo mufflers, which saves 11lbs. All interior pieces are intact. I cannot stress how much more enjoyable driving the car is with the suspension refresh and proper alignment! I've been daily driving more modern cars with thick steering wheels, so every time I take the 996 out, the steering wheel always feels like a noodle. I think a steering wheel and a nice seat are in store for future mods...

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sweet victory
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by sweet victory » Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:15 pm

04.02.2021 | 147253
  • All door dings and dents removed! Woo hoooo!
  • Replaced windshield cowl & gasket
  • Replaced frunk lid gas struts
  • Replaced cabin air filter
Gave the girl some cosmetic love. Had all the little door dings and dents taken care of at Beach Cities PDR. They really did a great job and provided an excellent experience. Highly recommend to anyone in OC/LA seeking PDR services.

I ordered my cowl from @FCP Euro - free shipping on a such a large item was a very welcomed surprise! Cowl gasket came from Sunset. First time I've ever had an issue with them (wrong part sent), but Brian took care of me and had the correct part out in no time.

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These Stabilus struts are an OEM supplier. Amazon had the best prices on these. (And came with prime shipping) The frunk lid flies open now..hope they clam down a bit.

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Most of the time was spent cleaning all the crud under the cowl. Everything went back together better than I found it and the new plastic really helps keep the car looking "young".

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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by sweet victory » Mon May 17, 2021 9:01 am

05.16.2021 | 147489
  • Oil & Oil Filter Changed
  • Replaced brake pads (Sebro Slotted)
  • Replaced brake pads (Textar)
  • Replaced brake hardware & wear sensors
  • Brake fluid flush
Today's (and for the foreseeable future) flavor of kool aid is DT40. The price difference between LiquiMoly and DT40 was negligible, so why not.

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Customary oil filter photo. 

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Brake part goodies. I have been using @FCP Euro quite a bit lately, and haven't had any complaints. The one time I did need to contact customer service, they were very prompt and helpful. I guess I have brake parts for life now in this photo? Hah. My calipers could certainly use some TLC. I would like to have them refinished in Speed Yellow, and replace all the seals. I will replace the bleed nipples and caliper bolts at that time. Also, I ditched the caliper anti squeel pad things. The ones up front add a considerable amount of unsprung weight. 

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Photo of the front brakes. Before installing new rotors, be sure to clean the wheel hub and apply a thin layer of high temperature ant seize. This will make the next guy's life easier! (Probably me...) I also apply a thing coat between the rotor and wheel to keep down any corrosion. 


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Here is photo in back. If you look closely, you'll see that the rotor retaining screw has been replaced with one that has a torx head. I far prefer torx heads over phillips; I think they're far less likely to strip out. A dab of high temp anti seize should hopefully make this a non issue in the future. 

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Permatex ceramic extreme brake lube is my preferred lubricant. A moderate layer on the back of the brake pad will achieve the same result as the anti squeal pads that were removed. 

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Lastly, the brake flush. I use ATE Racing Blue. In my previous brake flush, I used the last of my blue fluid. The new yellow makes it easy to see when the fluid has been replaced, but I'm bummed that the blue stuff doesn't appear to be available any longer. I use the "dry method" Motiv bleeder in conjunction with a catch can that has a check valve. 

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I modified my bleeder to use quick disconnect fittings in conjunction with Assenmacher's adapters. The adapters are very nicely machined pieces and made in the USA. I have a long hose (for whatever reason I ordered yellow tubing) that attaches to a short whipline on the motive bleeder. This allows me to pressurize the bleeder on the ground with the vehicle on my lift. 

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theprf
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by theprf » Mon May 17, 2021 1:17 pm

I can't help but admire the neatness of your workspace and the quality of your pictures. Nice work.

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sweet victory
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by sweet victory » Tue May 18, 2021 8:55 am

Appreciate the comment. Clean work space, tinker on the 996, have a pod cast playing, and I'll be happy as a clam.

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32wildbilly
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by 32wildbilly » Tue May 18, 2021 3:55 pm

I gotta ask...your car is the cleanest car underneath I have ever seen in my life and I been around for a while! How do you do that???
sweet victory wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 8:55 am Appreciate the comment. Clean work space, tinker on the 996, have a pod cast playing, and I'll be happy as a clam.
Never gonna make you cry...

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sweet victory
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by sweet victory » Tue May 18, 2021 11:25 pm

32wildbilly wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 3:55 pm I gotta ask...your car is the cleanest car underneath I have ever seen in my life and I been around for a while! How do you do that???
sweet victory wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 8:55 am Appreciate the comment. Clean work space, tinker on the 996, have a pod cast playing, and I'll be happy as a clam.
Taking some time to clean the area you're working on goes a long way. Having a 2 post lift also makes this a lot easier. If you approach it incrementally while you perform PM&C, it doesn't become a daunting chore you try to do all one time.

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32wildbilly
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Re: Sweet Victory's 2001 C2 Aero

Post by 32wildbilly » Wed May 19, 2021 4:25 am

Great Job! The underneath looks showroom new.
sweet victory wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 11:25 pm
32wildbilly wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 3:55 pm I gotta ask...your car is the cleanest car underneath I have ever seen in my life and I been around for a while! How do you do that???
Taking some time to clean the area you're working on goes a long way. Having a 2 post lift also makes this a lot easier. If you approach it incrementally while you perform PM&C, it doesn't become a daunting chore you try to do all one time.
Never gonna make you cry...

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