Shutemup

It oughta be...

I'm one of those been playin with cars their whole life but never had a porsche before types...

I'm thinkin pipe and a mig......$400 tops okay maybe $500

I proally dun wanna know why...lol

icat

Hate to take things out of context, but...

Reading between the lines I don't think this is a good idea for Kuma. An engine swap for a first time Porsche owner is not an easy task. It will take many, many, weeks of effort and cost - even if you do all the work yourself. All of this on a car that isn't even paid for. Not trying to bum your project Kuma. Matter of fact I'll be happy to offer help when I can. Just pointing out some things you may not have thought of.

Shutemup

I may have done many misinformed not knowing what the hell I was doing things when I bought my first porsche (my 84 na 944) but at least the damn thing is paid for and a second vehicle

BruceWard

Matt, congrats on a very cost effective conversion.

How much do you expect the conversion to weigh when completed?

Is a 89 an easier conversion? Seems like a 968 and 89 944 would be more similar than a early 944.

I had thought that the conversion would require, but a lot of this depends on how far you want to go with the 968 conversion.

968 Engine $4 - $5K
968 Calipers and Rotots <$1K
16" or larger wheels and tires <$1K
S2 or 968 Flywheel
S2 or 968 Transaxle
S2 or 968 Torque tube
968 hubs, sways, suspension, etc
968 DME
968 or custom airbox
968 or custom radiator
968 oil cooler
968 engine mounts
Custom exhaust

Each of these parts would add cost and labor. But if all the labor is your own then the $ value of that goes down unless you have other profitable work that is being ignored to work on the car (or am I the only one that does that?).

josephsc

Wow Matt -- that must have been one fantastic deal on the engine! Did you have to kill anyone or sleep with someone to get a deal like that?

BTW, another factor of that with the cost is if you've just blown an engine -- goes under the heading of if you're gonna drop in a new part anyways, might as well upgrade. In my case, I never intended to do a swap -- it sort of revealed itself when I killed my old motor....

Definitely not a good investment -- I saw a 968 conversion sell earlier this year for only $9K.

joseph mitro

I posted a similar thread about two weeks ago when i was considering installing a 968 engine in my 944S with a spun rod bearing. Dal Heger convinced me just to rebuild the stock engine and that's what I'm going to do - enough of a job for an amateur mechanic.

However, in my shopping around, Oklahoma Foreign offered me a 968 engine with 82K miles for $4500, including the accessories and DME and harness. They had a similar low-ish mileage S2 engine for $4000. Sounds like Matt got an even better deal than that. If I had decided to swap engines, this would have been a decent deal (trade in value on my engine would be at least $1000), because my suspension is already upgraded above turbo specs.

Kuma - just find a trustworthy mechanic in Houston who knows how to diagnose your car. There are many - talk to the Houston rennlisters. Stay away from Eurocar-Werk on Gulfton; they stole - er, charged - over $10,000 worth of work in the 3 years I owned a Porsche in Houston. Stay away from the dealership, also. Good luck.

Kuma

The car has been paid off for years. I must have mis spoke earlier. i also have another vehical that i have no problems with. The 944 is just sitting there, and If i don't do the work on the car, it might sit there for another few years. It's not costing me anything letting it sit.

it's NOT holding up money. So i can afford to put in the time to do the work myself. I have found a few engines with DME and Harness for around 3K. Like someone said earlier, "Shop around" Some even lower. but good deals aren't always there. I'm planning on saving enough cash for parts and grab a deal when it comes around. Someone mentioned Upgraded Brakes and Trans. If i was going replace them, would aftermarket be most cost efficent performance/cost?

Kuma

I was thinking i should clarify that my post Title should not have been 944/968 Conversion, perhaps just 944/968 Engine swap or maybe Hybrid. I don't care if it's "exactly" like a 968 or not, i thought it would just be a nice engine, and still be all Porsche. Not interested in a Chevy swap. I'm not interested in selling my car at any point in the future, so resale value has no bearing on my actions. though i can underdtand how some might suggest that this would just be a waste of my time and money, but i'm planning on doing this all slowly. and i waste money on things if i don't find something constructive to do with it. It's been sitting there for years, it's not going anywhere. all the car has, is time.

jaibeiber

sounds like you have your mind made up! go for it. it would be fun. and the things you will learn, will be priceless.

icat

Well, that's a horse of a different color. Your first post indicated you were paying $200 a month for the car - or at least that's how I read it. If she's paid off and just sitting there then why not. I'd kinda like to drop a big block into one and then swap in a Ford 9" rear end just for grins. Nothing quite like a wheel standing 944 at the drags!

Matt O.

Kuma,

If you have the cash, the mindset, and the time, I say go for it.

Frankly, I don't know which of the three above is more important though. You can't do it without one of those three.

As someone correctly stated, the 89 944 2.7L engine has the same block as the 3.0L engine so the swap was very easy. However, I can't imagine it being that much more difficult on a pre 89 car -- not that much changed.

Also, when you get started, I'll give you my cell number and feel free to call me anytime throughout the process.