Scootin159

Trust me, I've been here long enough to read 100 posts saying "just sell it & buy a 951". Problem is, that's not as logical a solution for me, read on:

Here's the specifics of my case:
I have a MINT 944 w/ a stock engine.
- 10/10 Body w/ no rust & a fresh coat of paint.
- 10/10 Interior w/ PERFECT dash (ok, seats are a 8/10, but unless you start pulling on the seams you can't tell)

Suspension - I'm planning on upgrading to full koni coilover setup soon enough (with 968 M030 sways front & rear), so having a stock 951 suspension to give away is no better a case than having a stock 944 suspension to give away.

Brakes - Once again I plan on upgrading these as well, probably within a year, so the same logic applies. I plan on upgrading to 17" wheels at the same time. About the only catch here is I won't have 951 hubs/spindles, but their cost hardly warrants buying a complete car.

Also...My N/A's been in two (minor) crashes, but has been repaired to better-than-new condition both times. These crashes I'm sure will kill my resale value (probably only $4k, or an N/A worth about $6k otherwise), but they make no difference to me as I'm familiar with the quality of the repairs.

Plus, this is my first car (ever), so there's a bit of sentimental value to warrant not selling it.

That said, what's it take to convert an NA to a 951?

Here's what I will soon have (thanks Ian for the great help & the great prices): (all stock as far as we know, with ~130k miles)
951 longblock (block, head, etc.)
turbo (stock k26/6#)
intercooler
951 complete exhaust (headers, downpipe, wastegate, catback, etc.)
951 transmission
951 torque tube
wiring harness & DME & KLR units
all underhood pipes/hoses/etc.
951 radiator
some turbo-specific heatshielding
plus a few other things I'm probably forgetting

With all the above mentioned parts...how hard a swap will this be? I'm pretty confident everything will bolt right in, with really my only question being how does a 951 intercooler fit under a 944 N/A header panel? I'm sure I'll need to get a vented header panel to make it effective, but will I have any clearance issues? I have the fiberwerks front end if that makes a difference.

Also, I'm planning on rebuilding the engine (new bearings, seals, gaskets, etc.) as long as it's out of the car), as well as painting/powdercoating as much of it as I can while I'm at it, so this should end up being pretty sweet.

Scootin159

Oh, probably also worth mentioning.

I'll be transplanting an '86 engine into my '87 944

Steve PH

Sounds like you've got most of the bases covered, just don't forget to fit 968 castor mounts (the brackets on the rear of the front wishbones) in place of the standard ones if your going for 17" wheels.

Scootin159

Yeah, these are on the list along with the suspension upgrades (which will be done ~ 1 year before the brake/wheel upgrade)

tifosiman

<confused> When you upgrade the brakes, are you saying you won't use the proper hubs/spindles?

As far as intercooler fittiment, it is highly doubtfull you will be able to mount it behind the header panel in the intended location as on a factory 951. That is why 951's have a different front end and header panel (well, besides aesthetics and all).

You will probably need to re-locate the intercooler somewhere down lower in the big guppy-mouth opening of that fiberworks nose treatment.

Scootin159

As for the brakes....no I probably will upgrade the hubs/spindles (especially if they're required, but as it stands now, this is the only part I would have to buy that I would get with a 951 already)

As for the intercooler in the 'non-stock' location. I was thinking about this (it would no doubt give more room for a larger unit & would probably look pretty sweet), but my biggest concern would be overheating. I've read before that using this mounting location can cause overheating problems.

What about the Lindsey Racing stage 5 header panel? I imagine that would give more than adequate room (plus the proper airflow), but it's obviously intended for a 951. What would be involved in converting this to fit an 944? Would a factory 951 header panel fit if I changed the headlight covers as well (i.e. will it line up with the fenders?).

tifosiman

The Lindsey panel would fit, but would be more curved in the front than the fiberworks nose and overlap it a bit.

Scootin159

That would probably be my course of action then (as it allows for an upgrade to their stage 5 intercooler long down the road when I get this thing near the 300-350hp hopes I have).

When you say it will be more curved, I'm assuming you mean it will look like someone hammered it out from the inside (i.e. more 'bubble' to it). This may not be too much an issue as the lindsey one is already 'bubbled' pretty good.
If it sticks out too far over the nose panel, I may have to trim it back some (either the bumper or the header panel), but this shouldn't be too much a big deal, plus it may fit anyways.
Will I have any large gaps around the headlight buckets though? If I 'upgrade' the headlight buckets will I have large gaps along the fenders?

tifosiman

To make the headlight area look perfect, you would want to get 951 headlight covers. There is some extra material on the inside and front of them to match the curvature of the header panel. The side of the headlight covers near the fenders are exactly the same.

Scootin159

OK, thanks

Legoland951

I know someone had 951 header panel and headlight covers on a 944 n/a. It curves out in the middle of the bumper but its acceptable looking. The instrument cluster has a boost gauge but you can probably do without it. Your radiator fan shroud is also a little shorter than the 951 shroud but the fans are the same 6 blade fans. Actually your n/a block is identical to the 951 one other than the pistons so if one is bad, you can use the other one as long as the pistons are ok. The 87 also has a oil level sensor at the pan the pre 87 cars do not have so you will get a warning light in the instrument cluster unless you disable it by ground it permanently or switching the pan if your turbo motor is earlier than a 87. Make sure the longblock comes with the motor support brackets on the driver side because its where the turbo mounts. Its best to have someone else with a 951 to have side by side for comparison unless you are very familiar with the 951. Good luck.

Scootin159

From the sounds of it Ian is basically giving me everything inside the engine bay + the torque tube & transmission (along with the DME & KLR). Basically because of this the only non-951 parts I would have would be the suspension, brakes, hubs, spindles, and bodywork.

The oil level sender is along the lines of what I was looking for. I think I'd probably just permanently ground it though, since the oil pressure gague on the dash would let me know of a complete oil loss (and I would just have to be responsible to maintain a decent oil level).

As for the boost gauge, I will probably mount an aftermarket one below the radio or something (along with an a/f meter and fuel pressure gauge)

Legoland951

You can use your 87 oil pan in the 86 951 block to get the same reading. Other than the casting number, your 87 block is the same as the 951 block. You will need everything from under the hood of the 951 because there are hoses and coolant crossover pipes along with cycling valve and vacuum hoses that are turbo specific. Brake master heatshield in the 951 will help keep the turbo from causing brake failure. The electric water pump for the turbo will probably need the electrical connector from the body so you will probably need to figure how that works. Make sure you get ALL of the brackets or it will take much more fabrication time or it will nickle and dime you to death.

NZ951

The fitment on those LR header panels is often commented to be very poor... Ok if its a race application though...

ian

I'm in complete support of this project, and not only because you are using the motor out of the wreck in my garage.

A projects reward is not just in the finished result, but the process along the way. This sounds like a great learning experience and it is something that the rest of the board can learn from as well. I will be giving you everything in the engine bay to make this transition as easy as possible.