Any ideas on how many Callaway 944's there are?

 

POP~
How many 944's were made, and what do you estimate a good running one is worth now?

Any info you have would be awesome! edevansky (at) gmail.com

 

K, I'll send you some stuff. AFAIK there were 32 conversions performed. I've got one (well, the parts to do one), there's another one owned by Charlie944 on this board, still another in the link posted earlier (I believe that one's been sold though - current whereabouts unknown). There was another set of components available through a PCA member in Edmonton a few months ago (maybe still for sale, dunno) and another car in good mechanical but lousy cosmetic condition in South Carolina. I saw pictures of another one at a dealership in New Hampshire recently too, but I'm not sure if that one was actually sold, collected or what. . . I'm pretty sure that's all the ones I'm aware of. . .

The original conversions were done by Reeves Callaway in the mid 1980s and I believe were only done to early 944s - once Porsche released the factory 951 (1986 in the U.S.) the demand no longer existed and I believe no more were performed. The original conversions entailed removal of the existing engine and sleeving the bores with steel liners to accommodate custom pistons that dropped the compression to 8.0:1 - keep in mind there were no 951 pistons available at this time, so he had to do SOMETHING to lower the compression to an acceptable level.

The system originally incorporated a "fifth injector" controlled by a custom "Callaway microfueler controller" to meter extra fuel and meet the demands produced by boosted conditions. The turbo mounting you can see pretty well on the engine on the earlier link; it's directly off the bottom of the manifold so spool time is extremely fast although there is a price in terms of reduced turbo life. For this reason I will run an after oiler and may convert from the IHI-6 turbo to a different, water-jacketed model (although this comes with a host of other "custom engineering" issues that I'll have to resolve. . .)

Anyway, I'll send you a bunch of stuff tomorrow; I'm kinda tired right now. If you get the car, please let me know. I'd be curious to see a few of the things in the setup - my set of components did not include the original Callaway microfueler controller, instead it uses an MF2 mappable injector controller; I'll probably convert to high-flow Delphi injectors and a 951 DME to eliminate the need for the "fifth injector", freeing up the two ports on the plenum (yes, mine has two ) for something else . . . It also did not include the original "Callaway" pistons so I'm currently weighing the use of 951 pistons or stock n/a pistons and associated issues. I believe with proper metering it might be okay; I've talked with Danno about this and there are now plenty of precedents for people running higher compression than 8.0:1 under high boost levels without problem - with cast internals. I think long-term though I will certainly go with forged construction. Anyway, I'd be curious to see the details of an original Reeves-assembled car; mine just has the main components - the manifold, turbo, lines, intercooler, piping, etc. and will incorporate a lot of new "goodies". I'd LOVE to see an original installation, if that's what this guy found. . .

 

POP if you use a 951 DME maybe you could use the knock sensor from the 951 too which would allow you to use 951 or 944 pistons and still be able to crank the boost.

 

Anyone have any idea what a good Callaway 944 would sell for these days? I'm assuming that if it is in good shape and up to date on maintenance it would be a pretty penny since there were so few made.

 

Agreed. If you could find a GOOD specimen with all the original parts it'd probably be worth as much as a comparable condition 951 - perhaps more to the right person. Personally if I saw a MINT 944 Callaway conversion with all the original stuff on it including the original sleeved block and pistons, microfueler controller, etc. I'd probably sell my 951 and pay $7k or $8k for it - but that's just me. Maybe even more.

I'm curious to know what kinds of offers I'll get on mine when I'm done with it. Granted that's a couple of years off, but I'll bet I get offers in the $10k-$12k range when all is said and done. Still not nearly what I'll have in it, but it'll be gratifying anyway. . .

 

GM parts on a 944! NOOOOOOOO The tyranny, the bastardization, the shame of it all. is nothing sacred. Why not just put a bowtie by the injectors.

 

Never!

It's okay as an add-on. It's still a Porsche engine. That's where I draw the line. Fine I'll get Bosch then.

 

it is a fine line, a very fine line. once you cross it there is a strong, a very strong probablility addiction will set in. tread lightly, very lightly.

I wonder who made those oversize pistons that were nestled in those sleeves? was a bowtie sanded off? still a porsche engine though.