I've finally realized my dream. I got divorced and bought my first Porsche. It's a 84 944. A little underpowered but that can be fixed.Otherwise, I love this car. MY big question is, can this alloy block be welded. I understand it has a high silicone content but that shouldn't be much of a prolem.Not having a spare lying about I was curious if anyone has tried. Thanks,
Patrick

 

congrats on the happy day... and on getting a 944. First off, it can't be fixed, they are a slug and that's it. LOL. Only thing to do is either upgrade the car to a S, S2, or a Turbo. As for fixing the block, forget it. Highly not worth it. By the time you fix the block, then machine it, you've spent waaaay more than it's worth. You can replace the whole motor cheaper. Keep watch in the For Sale section as Xboost and Lart951 regularly rip these things to pieces and part them out.
Next, check out http://www.clarks-garage.com/ Almost everything you need/want to know is there.

Now, get out there, wash 'er up and post some pics. We all like resurrections. lol.

BTW: As your restoration gets moving, use the "search"... chances are many, if not all, of us have done it already.

 

if your looking for power in an n/a your best bet is a v8 swap

theres a couple ppl on the list who have done these like this one

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ghlight=camaro

but porschehybrids.com has more ppl

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/indexx.html#

im pretty sure these guys are the only place that makes conversion kits. i know im gonna do a swap in my n/a soon enough

 

Yeah, its sounds like a perfect conversion candidate. There are 2 new vendors besides renegade hybrids that are making/selling kits. One is in partnership with RH selling RH's discontinued LT1 based kits and the other is selling a "Bare-Bones" kit which by that I mean they sell whatever you cant make or fab yourself or they can sell the entire kit. However, they are new and arent up and running yet...actually they may be. Im not sure. What this new vendor is doing is trying to make a universal kit for LSx AND LTx chevy engines so that you can swap between the two at random without having to buy different mounts, bellhousings, etc. Pretty exciting stuff.

Then theres one more option. You can fab the kit entirely yourself as some guys on the board have. Ive determined that you can buy a BH from a C5 Corvette from a GM dealership for about 135 bucks. With that, you can have a small aluminum "puck" machined by your local machinest to accept the vette BH and the 944 torque tube. When this is bolted to your torque tube, you can bolt up an LS OR LT OR any GM V8 engine from 1958 to 2007! Then just fab up some motor mounts for the V8 and the rest if off the shelf goodies as you see fit.

You can check us out at www.Porschehybrids.com if this route suits you. Otherwise, I hope you find a good block. Im sure you will.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I guess it's go big or go home.Can a 500 cube Caddy fit in there without a stick of dynamite?

 

 

I've never looked too closely but is the 944 X-member used for the new motor mounts? If so is a custom oil pan needed or is it easier to dry sump? Also has anyone used the newer Corvette transaxle as part of their swap?

 

500ci is a big block and will be a tight fit if at all. Think strong small block, LSx. they have a huge array of bolt on parts that can make a lot of power and turn your new toy into a rocket.

 

Hey Steve,
yeah, the OE xmember is retained in stock position and you had three choices of uprights. 1st was the tubular saddle mount that bolted up to the underside of the frame rails. This was OK for most but as you know, no two 944s are exactly alike and so many guys had fitment issues. Then theres the adjustable uprights. These bolted to the top of the OE xmember and are adjustable in some fashion (what I just ordered to replace my saddle mount) to bring the engine down/up/etc. Then theres the DIY.... there has been many designs and all seem good. But, you can buy these plates that adapt the LT and Gen1 engines to the LS engines pretty cheap.

In any event, yes, you need a pan that clears the OE xmember. I dont know the dimensions off hand but theres a pan sold by milodon? that works. Pretty much, all that is really not off-the-shelf is the BH/adapter and the mounts. If you visit porschehybrids.com theres a few threads on the pans that work along with pretty much everything including part numbers. Fun stuff.

 

This is my next project. LSx in a 968.

 

Oh, and congrats on the car. I did the same thing as you. I got divorced and bought my first 951. It is the start of a sickness, just make sure that the future ladies are okay with your new lady. My wife now is mad that I am selling my 944. I must be a lucky man!

 

Please be the first to drop in the LS7.....Ive been waiting.....patiently.

 

I measured the 500 and the strut towers. Seems like I can center the engine with a couple of match sticks between the towers and engine. I guess that wasn't a good idea.