speedshifter

Hey guys,

Heres the car I picked up:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=6434

My dad and I purchased this car to fix up and drive for the summer. If I like it enough, I'm gonna buy it off him at the end of the summer. He's a certified master tech at cadillac/hummer. I work there when I'm not in school as a tech as well. Okay, so I got some questions.

Is the motor in the '85.5-'87 cars the same as the one in the '83-'85 cars?

I heard that the coolant sensors are different. What I'm getting at is can I use a short block out of the older model cars if I need to? If so, are there any diffrerences? Will a new head bolt onto the older block?

Is there anything that prevents me from putting the older motor in the newer car? Is there a power difference or any advantages to using the newer motor?

Anybody know where to get a motor for relatively cheap? I've been looking on eBay, but not finding much.

What is involved in putting the 951 turbo motor in the NA chassis? Wiring issues, fitment, etc?

Another question is what is the difficulty to installing the 3.0L S2 motor in the '86 944? I hate asking these questions. I enjoy finding the answers myself by searching and stuff, but its getting frustrating because I search for hours and can't find any info about putting a Turbo or S2 engine in a NA '86.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

P.S.: I already know all the complaints and blah, blah about upgrading the suspension and how all of you think that buying a Turbo car is cheaper yadda yadda. Whatever. If you feel this way, please keep your comments to yourself, they aren't wanted here. I'm just asking about motor swaps. Let me worry about the rest.

Friendan

Hi Matt,
Welcome to Rennlist. I think you made a good choice for a project car (although I'm kinda biased - see signature at bottom...)
I know you don't want to hear about buying a 951 is better than swapping an engine; it is more economical to do that, but you want to work with what you got, so I say go for it. There are plenty of old threads on people with the same questions you have. There is someone on here (can't remember his name) who is swapping an S2 engine into an older NA, calling it the S3 (is that right guys?). Some people have supercharged NA's as well...my advice is to spend a little time and do some searches of these older threads...
But right away, I can tell you that the engines just got more powerful every year. My previous car was an 83, it's horsepower was 147 stock, and the 86 is 165hp...all the way to the 1990 S2 for example, which almost has as much hp as an 86 turbo, about 217hp... (figures might be a little off)
I hope the sale goes through if it already hasn't, I see the ebayer had 0 feedback and didn't give much info...
Look forward to seeing some pics!!!
Good luck,
Brendan

HY M8NC

Nothing like a nice abrasive comment at the end of a post directed toward people you are asking for help. Well played.

The long and short of it is the N/A 944 will never be a rocketship-it is designed to out handle other cars.

I believe the motors physically change out, the question becomes one of wiring, and the DME box. You will need to swap all of that out of the donor car as well. Cheapest thing would be to buy a used 944 motor for around $1000, and worry about the suspension. As stated in the earlier post, these motors can be supercharged, with good results. I believe Derek Huntley at Huntley Racing has those. www.huntleyracing.com

I think the investment to buy a good S2 or turbo motor will be more than your purchase price of the car. If your father (and you) are more GM knowledgable, and you obviously don't care about bastardizing the Porsche, go look at Renegade Hybrids www.renegadehybrids.com Stuff a small block chevy into that thing.

GOBOGIE

Didn't Matt Olde just put an S2 into his '89 n/a??? I could be wrong though!

Jonas Goldsmith

www.autobahnparts.com

Call the number on the website, and ask to speak with Shaun or John... I know for a fact that they just got 2 944's with solid motors in...

tifosiman

First..........Welcome!

Second..............use the search key a bit as previously recommended. I don't know where you searched for several hours, but there has been a lot of discussion/debate regarding most of your questions, here on Rennlist.

Third................Not gonna do the ole "sell it and buy a 951" comment to ya, as I am on the downward spiral of spending loads on money on my n/a. But I can suggest:

Fourth..................drop a standard n/a motor in there (easier and cheaper) and then spend your cash on upgrading the suspension, brakes, etc. N/A's are not fast in a straight line, but they are a lot of fun in the twisties. Embrace it for what it is! Then, after all of that, you decide that you have maxed out the ability of the car, you'll have the perfect base for a 951 motor swap..

Fifth............um, I'm going to the fridge to get a beer after a long weekend!

Best of luck!

Tifo

gleamingred944

The pre-85-1/2 944na engine was vastly inferior to the 85-1/2+. Like, the later engine is real Porsche. I agree with other comments - a 944na is no rocket ship, but it's a dream on curves. I once held off a 1/2-million dollar Ferrari with R's, nitro, even a muffler cutout, on a small chicane-loaded track. I gained so much on him through the chicanes that he never managed once to catch up on the straights. Porsche design their cars as an integral unit, where everything matches. I recommend against mix&match - love what you have!

tifosiman

.

Dave

speedshifter

Okay guys, sorry about the ignorance.

I was caught up in the whole 951 drop in not to listen to reason. I feel like a jackass.

Now I'm just gonna either rebuild the motor thats in the car, or replace it with a rebuilt one. Anybody know where a good source for short blocks would be?

Dave951M

Once you get your suspension squared away, try spending $$ on DE instead of HP. A fair number of folks make the power and can't use it properly.

Dave951M

One other comment, before going down the 951 "conversion" trail, try lightening the car too. Colin Chapman- for speed, add lightness. It's about power to weight ratio. If you look at a number of racing classes, that is the general division used.