Joined the 944 club
Posted by iadubber@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 23 comments
I recently picked up this 1985 944 NA as my next project. I come from many years of euros and have wanted one of these for a long time.
It has had a bad, BAD Maaco paint job. Paint chipping everywhere along with the wheels which were in rough shape, paint chipping, anodizing failing. I did a quick respray on them for the fall, but I hope to try and restore them this winter. I can't believe how light the Fuchs are.
So far have replaced the timing belt, water pump, rebuilt the entire shifter assembly with Only944 parts, added a dash pad cover, removed the 6 PPF areas, snub nosed the front bumper, put on new tires, replaced the trans/diff fluid, all filters, replaced the missing fog lights with OEMs.
On tap for winter:
Replace motor mounts
Body work hook
Shave front bumper, have holes TIG'd closed
Prepping for wrap in the spring
Install Momo wheel
On tap for Spring:
Control Arms
Any and all bushings I can get replaced
shocks/struts/alignment
Squanchmonster@reddit
I might be weird and/or this might be a bit of a hot take, but I think the 944 is better looking than the 911.
DicemonkeyDrunk@reddit
you are drunk ..go home
Squanchmonster@reddit
The 911 is iconic and not bad looking, but there's just something about this model I really dig.
And I am home. And you stay away from my cider!
DicemonkeyDrunk@reddit
ahh a cider drinker...it all comes together...
Xxx1982xxX@reddit
I like this response and the subsequent downvoting
DicemonkeyDrunk@reddit
I just can't fathom how anyone sober can find a 944 more attractive than an early 911 ...beer goggles are the only plausible option ...possibly acid ... But people buy Cybertruck's and vote for idiots these days so maybe the world has passed me by ...I'm fine as an early onset curmudgeon.
Xxx1982xxX@reddit
Idk. I mean I like both. I would consider both style icons. Hell, I like the 968.
DicemonkeyDrunk@reddit
Well this just proves beauty is in the eye of the beholder as the 968 is like the 944 uglier cousin to me ..but you like what you like and nothing wrong with that
virulentspore@reddit
What about an LS swap?
iadubber@reddit (OP)
I’d be more interested in the 1.8t swap kits.
virulentspore@reddit
I dunno, the chassis seems to fine with an LS. I wonder if the 5 cylinder Audi motor would fit.
SprungMS@reddit
Plenty of people LS swap these and every other car ever built. Sometimes it’s fun to keep it the way the manufacturer designed. In particular I feel that way about the RX-7, but could definitely understand it on the 944/944T. They’re really smooth not-so-little 4 bangers, and an inline 4 FR Porsche is just odd enough to be kind of cool.
virulentspore@reddit
What do you mean by FR in inline 4 FR Porsche ?
SprungMS@reddit
FR is the engine/drivetrain layout designation. Front engine, rear wheel drive.
Most old Porsches people think of like the 911 are RR - Rear engine, rear wheel drive. Not to be confused with MR like a lot of supercars. FF is the layout on a Civic.
virulentspore@reddit
Yeah, I'm familier with the layout. I didn't know what you meant by FR. The thing about 944 is it's 100% a parts bing special from porche/vw. The chassis is very capable but hampered by most of the engines options it came with from the factory (later models are a little better). The 2.5 in 1985 is really slow.
While i'm not a big fan of LS swap the world it's (IRC within +/- 50lbs of the 2.5 engine weight) it would be nice to see another light weight v8 in the chassis.
SprungMS@reddit
Yeah, there are definitely good reasons for the swap. There’s a reason it’s so popular. And in a way, I’m glad. I’ve never done one, but I’m absolutely certain I will one day, and being popular means there are always a ton of options and kits to make things easy.
But it will probably be a Miata, to keep in addition to my 1.8T Miata and maybe even a rotary swapped Miata because why not? Problem is the 13B just got a lot more expensive recently… and it’s kind of a dumb swap as far as they go. No good reason, it’s just neat. And Miata’s are still fairly common, unlike the 944 and RX-7, and plenty of other cars with unique powertrains that work okay on their own.
Shoddy-Head-9873@reddit
Just picked up my next project 944 as well. Needs a ton of work but still have ls plans down the road
SprungMS@reddit
What in the
pilot64d@reddit
I owned an 84 in 1996 while stationed in Germany.
Total money pit.
Loved it.
ursixx@reddit
What is your impression of the car up to this point? Driving, wrenching..?
iadubber@reddit (OP)
Wow does it ever drive good on the curvy back roads! I can't wait to drive it with new motor mounts, trans mount, shocks/struts and control arms. The engine revs to 6500 and loves to stay high in the rev range on spirited drives. Everything I've worked on so far has been fairly easy and straight forward, besides the new shifter linkage on top of the trans. Timing belt and water pump were pretty easy. I am loving the platform so far! I'm surprised that this one with 160k+ miles has such a nice interior, except for the dash.
ursixx@reddit
Cool,thanks for the informative answer . What are the plans for the wrap?
iadubber@reddit (OP)
Either 3M metallic charcoal or just a similar color to the stock Kalahari Beige Metallic, which I haven't found one I like yet in that similar color.