CyCloNe!

Been on here for a while now, roughly 10yrs, as some know I sold my modified 951 which I really miss it but I always had an itch to do a 944 V8. Well in my search, I have a couple 951 shells in mind, I came across this 944 S, the mileage read just under 10k on the clock and the title history only shows 9,500 with no odometer rollback. So given what I saw and the price I couldn’t resist getting it for at least a fun toy. I am confident the mileage isn’t right but since the title shows its correct it’s kinda nice. Not sure if it will get the V8, but definitely will be enjoying it and bringing it up to par. Runs great and looks like butt lol.

Jay Wellwood

I'm thinking that the state accepted a less than truthful statement on the mileage. I could be wrong.....

CyCloNe!

Lol I agree... it was registered in flordia and made its way north. Flordia after 10yrs is mileage exempt, first recorded mileage is in 1998 and is some ridiculiously low number. So i think since it was exempt someone swapped the cluster and when they registered it the mileage stuck since it was previously exempt. Either that or the odomoter broke early on and was fixed later. Any way got it for almost nothing and runs well, needs cosmetic love mostly and will check the timing chain pad and timing belt. Looks like the PO installed plugs, wires, lift supports, clutch slave, clutch master, clutch lines and possibly a few other items. Pretty peppy little car, seems to scoot faster than my 951 did below the 3k rpm mark.

exduluthian

The wear on the driver's seat is entirely consistent with the claimed mileage--provided the PO was a 450 pound gorilla.

CyCloNe!

ya, my understanding from the PO was he got the car non-running and interior was stripped out as well. Which I didn’t know this when I made a several hour trip to see it. So not even sure how much of the interior is the original. Last time it was on the road really was 2003 based off the history and inspection sticker. It has also been repainted at some point and the underline paint looks better than the fresher lol.

968to986

That’s okay. It’s a cool, relatively rare model and the predecessor of the S2 and 968. Do a nice reburb and either enjoy it or pass it on to someone else. As has been said here before, these kinds of cars will never be made again...

CyCloNe!

Very true, the great things are it is a less common model as you mentioned. It runs very well and feels great. It also has zero rust or hardly any from what I see so all in all it’s a great car to start with. Honestly fresh paint, steam clean carpets, SEM paint a few spots and new seat upholstery and it would be a very nice car.

jhowell371

Sweet, glad to see it would up in good hands and not some idiot kid to destroy. Now you can read up on everything "S" related. The "S" ECM has a conservative return to normal timing after knock sensors send retard signal. Always use the best grade of gas you can get to help prevent knock. This was rectified with the S2 ECM. I know some "S" folks upgrade to the S2 intake manifold, the ECM I'm not sure if it will interchange or not. I'm a only state away and have a spare S2 ECM if want to borrow it and try. I know pretty is probably first on your list but an upgrade or two is probably already in your mind. Don't know if you do your own paint work but one guy here got a great Maaco job for $1800 near DC. YMMV

V2Rocket

if you're going to keep that engine...get VEMS, convert to MAP and take the parachute off the back of the car, it'll wake the hell up

CyCloNe!

Thanks for the insight I didn’t know that about the knock system. First goals are checking the crucial maintenance and making it look a little better. I’ll start with the simple stuff. I generally paint my cars but may let someone else do it so I appreciate the shop reference. Some Maacos do great, especially if you bring them food or slip some extra tips lol.

CyCloNe!

Amazing what a little 10min love can do. It will still need a repaint but at least I can make it look a little better from a cut and buff. I did this by hand so tomorrow I may get a buffer to do a better job. I’ll start a new build thread later.

exduluthian

Huge improvement. Now find some color-matching duck tape for the driver's seat and voila! Restoration complete!
Seriously, it's amazing how much better the paint looks; it's like one of those junkyard before-and-after infomercials for paint restoration.

Wisconsin Joe

Ever notice that they always use a red car?

Red is one of the most 'responsive' colors to a quick polish.

It fades the worst and comes back the best.

CyCloNe!

Lol very true, funny thing is I don't like red and some how I ended up with one

Christopher Zach

Paint looks fine: As long as the clearcoat is not peeling just clean it up and see how it looks.

For the rest, the 944S is an excellent car, much better than the stock 944, and I dare say better than the Turbo as it has almost the same power and a lot less stress on the engine/drivetrain. Wind it up to 6k RPM and see how it works.

Replace the belt, the camshaft tensioner pads, and you should be in good shape. Yes, replace the camshaft tensioner pads now.