Overheating Porsche 911 was deemed unfixable by two shops so US man got it for cheap and fully fixed it for free in 3 hours
- US content creator purchased an LS-swapped widebody Porsche 911
- It was ‘dirt cheap’ but ‘broken’
- Thankfully he was able to fix it with minimal time and money
Published on Mar 05, 2025 at 3:46 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Mar 05, 2025 at 3:46 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A Chicago-based content creator purchased an LS-swapped widebody Porsche 911 for ‘dirt cheap’.
The six-speed manual was built for the SEMA event and even placed in the top 10 in a build competition.
However, it sadly had overheating issues that no one could fix.
And while he had expected a heavy investment of both time and cash – the Chicagoan was able to fix it for free in a mere three hours.
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Cheap S-swapped widebody Porsche 911
Alex Palmeri of LegitStreetCars purchased the unique project car – a widebody 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera with an LS1 V8 swap, a six-speed manual, and a SEMA show car history.
“How bad could it really be?” he asked.
At first glance, the car was unfinished, with missing swap components, overheating problems, and an improperly installed cooling system with aftermarket push fans instead of factory fans.
Turns out it was overheating thanks to an aftermarket fan’s incorrect wiring, and a failed resistor limiting fan speeds.
In addition, only one fan worked – in fact, the auto’s factory cooling system controls were still intact.
Next, the car was washed and taken for a short drive, revealing a rough tune and no power steering.
Thankfully, the car came with multiple spare parts, including a throttle body, water pump, mass air sensor, and fan relay kit.
The suspension also featured expensive coilovers and large brakes.
The even cheaper fix
In order to fix the cooling system, the LegitStreetCars content creator rewired the fan relays, and bypassed the faulty resistor.
He also restored the original Porsche cooling system operation.
The sum total of these pretty quick jobs allowed the fans to function properly.
After repairs, the car went on a second – and far more successful – test run.
The Porsche 911 Carrera was able to maintain a steady 180°F temperature.
“Problem solved!” he said.
The total cost was $27,000, which is seriously cheap for a fully repainted, widebody, LS-swapped 911 with high-end parts.
“This thing is an absolute steal,” he said.
Next on Palmeri’s agenda? Fine-tuning and additional upgrades to make it a ‘monster’.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
