Robby

Well, that's why I was asking- I knew the upper pillar mounting point would be gone, but I thought they could have relocated the mounting point- plenty of other convertibles do- either way, the 944S2 Cab had a rear seat- that's for sure- BUT, did it have shoulder belts? That is the question... IF the S2 cab DID have rear shoulder belts, then they had to have a new mounting point for it... IF that were the case, then the 968 cab could have used the same point... I mean, not sure if everyone knows this, but earlier 944 coupes did not have rear shoulder belts- I think it was 1987 before they started- I'm almost 100% sure all 1986's, turbos included, only had lap-belts for the rear. I wish mine had been the same- would have been one less hole to cover up when removing it all. Also, not sure if you remember Greg, but when you & I were looking for rear panel / grill options, I called sunset (I think it was) & asked about some of this- I wanted early panels so I could have them w/out that extra hole, since they didn't have the upper shoulder harness, but, unfortunately, the early panels also did not have grills... just holes punched into the panel for the speakers- I think this was through '87 though, b/c your's is an '87, right? Did the '87's get rear shoulder belts? maybe 88...? Anyway, then it dawned on me, that if I wanted to do an aftermarket grill back there, like maybe a standard 6.5" grill, I'd pretty much have to have an early style one anyway, since the later grills are shaped differently- I never took a close look at that- might be that the cut-out behind the later grills is smaller & therefore, possible to cover up w/a round 6.5" grill... In the end, I couldn't make up my mind- or should I say, the cost for a pair of new rear panels, ~$300, made my mind up for me...

gregeast

Mine is an '87 and I only have lap belts. However, I have a plastic plug/screw in the C pillar that I believe is where the top anchor point for a 3-point belt would be. So...the only difference between early and late panels would be that the early ones just had holes in the panel to serve as the grill and the late ones had that section of the panel cut out and then covered by the grill.

Jfrahm

It was Klaus, and yes S2 cabs have rear lap belts only. If I ever have a couple of legless children to drive somewhere, the lap belts will come in handy.

-Joel.

Clint's 944

There isn't a b-pillar on the cab so...no mount. Lap belts only!

There was a small difference in the tops. The 968 has a one piece top bow while the S2 has a 3 piece. Not a big deal unless you need to replace it. I think the last estimate was $900 for the one piece.

I'd still like to find a nice roll bar for the cab. The only ones I've seen are kinda wimpy looking..

Luis de Prat

One major plus for the 944 Cabs is that some of them came from the factory with a 951 engine in them.

AZ968Cab

The research I've done says that pinion bearing failure is almost a given and to plan for it. As Damien said, the backseat conversion is pretty straight forward (Damien, where did you find a low mileage 944 cab for only $10K???).

As far as mods are concerned, I would get them on any car I bought (if the HP/$ and the esthetic return is justified) because that's half the fun of owning these (hense the 993 wheels etc. etc.).

The biggest cosmetic difference aside from the lights is the fact that the rear of the 944 has a cap over the rear quarters to smooth over the after market convertable conversion. I'll take either car personally, they're both great.

Damian in NJ

The cab I looked at was about 20 miles west of me in NJ, and it's been sold. Robby, I do have the cubby in black, and I'll weigh it for you, but it's not for sale. I don't agree with the statement about the pinion bearings; I've probably seen and talked to more 968 owners than anybody (both here and in the UK) and I'd say it's been no more than 1 in 5 at worst have suffered from it.

capndar

actually you all have about sold me on looking for a 944 S2 cab.....80% of 968 performance is fine with me....and at that point, they had most of the 944 bugs worked out....thanks!

AZ968Cab

Damien, how many miles on your 968 when you purchased it? How many miles have you put on since? You haven't had to replace your PG? You're lucky IMHO.

We all enjoy the 9xx series convertables (especially the front engined water cooled versions). The topic was differences between the two right??

Damian in NJ

I had 17K on it at purchase, and I'm around 30K now. I also put on 60K miles on a previouis 968 coupe with no pinion issues, and the person I sold it to hasn't had it either.

Robby

Evidently that R&P issue was only on some of them, from what I understand...

As for which to get, IIWY, I would look for both & find the best deal- there really aren't that many of either out there, really, so looking for both is not difficult- just get the first one you come across that fits the bill & don't worry as much about whether or not it's a 968 or S2... that's my opinion anyway...