Mamooguy

Last summer I took a glorious trip in my '87 NA automatic, Toronto-Los Angeles-Vancouver-Toronto (photos and tales on my blog here). There were some technical issues. One very irritating thing was the absence of insulating foam between the torque tube and shifter, which allowed hot air to blow into the cabin. Worse was the fact that the transmission got totally shredded at the end of it, requiring me to ride the rest of the way in a tow truck.

Still it was a wonderful trip, and after swapping the tranny, I was good to go.

Unfortunately I screwed up the tranny again a few months ago. I took apart the centre console to replace the insulating foam, and in doing so bent the shift cable housing just enough so that, on startup, the tranny made a horrible ratcheting sound. This went on for some time before I could figure out what the damn problem was. And it was all downhill from there, tranny-wise. It still drives, but obviously needs a lot of work.

I've hardly driven this winter, but on one drive the cabin heater conked out for no reason and the driver's side lock broke. Dammit!

That was it, I decided to sell it. Enough already. Get something newer, something with lower odds of things going wrong.

In preparation for selling it, I cleaned it out, fixed the lock (turned out to be super simple to fix), installed new speakers I'd had sitting around for ages, and took it to a car wash. Once it was clean I suddenly remembered: I frigging love this car.

People still stare at it, even though it's in dire need of a paint job; the naturally-aspirated engine sets off car alarms; it handles like a dream, fits like a glove.

Replacing the tranny sucks because I did it just recently, but I know how to go about it, and doing it doesn't cost much. I won't worry about the heater at the moment, and look into getting a repaint (or at least a fresh clear coat).

Sorry for the babbling ... I just felt like sharing!

sbyrne

I hear you! I lost my company car last month when I got laid off, which forced the 944 into semi-DD duties (when I can't get away with taking the wife's car). It's noisy, harsh, shifts poorly, and with the winter weather, perpetually filthy. But, got a break in the weather Sunday afternoon. Cleaned it up, and started putting some new trim items on that I got for Christmas - new badge, "944" on the rear, and a hatch lock gasket. I, too, am in love again. Clean makes such a difference (and I'm NOT a car show guy). Hopefully I'll find a new job soon and she'll be back to "nice days (and autocross days) only".

500

Hey, good to hear things are looking up car-wise. I know you were considering selling and seemed to be a little fed-up with it. But I am glad that you have the changed perspective. These are 20+ year old cars. Although they are of good quality, things do get old and break, and that sometimes is a drag and it always seems nicer to have something newer in those moments!

Anyway, your paint looked original to me when I saw your car, which is good – the factory paint when properly sanded makes a very good base for new paint.

Do not just re-clear, the results will be very questionable at best. Find a good shop and spend more than you’ll likely want to and make sure they use a high-quality paint system and you will be much happier. Depending on how into it you want to be, you can do prep such as disassembly of the trim , sanding, ding repair etc. to mitigate the bodyshop cost. You can even be a little crazy like me and do the whole job yourself, although it was a HUGE amount of work and I completely understand now why good paint can cost many thousands! But again, a lot of the time is in the prep.

Finally, it is often best to stay with the original color so the engine bay etc. won’t clash.

Just some of my own opinions!

alordofchaos

Man, you had me worried until I got to this part:...Once I read that, I knew this story would have a happy ending

cuz once you see it again... the rest is history!

You car is trying to tell you something.... "convert me to a 5 speed, you know you want to... all the other 944s have manuall trannies..."

Mamooguy

I've thought about it, but the cost ... the cost ...!

Mamooguy

I'm willing to disassemble as much as is practical prior to painting, and I'm also willing to sand it (though intentionally marring a car's paint job would take a lot of guts for me). But how big a job is it to sand, would you say? Presumably I'm not trying to take it down to the metal ...?

A big problem with the sanding, however, is the fact that I live in an apartment building, and park my car in an underground parking lot. I can't imagine the mess it would make in a very public place if I were to do it there.

DarkGrey

I could spend the rest of the night listing the problems I've encountered and the ones I'm currently tackling with my 944. Its not a reliable car (at this point!!), its not feasible to pour my hard earned money into it knowing full well I'll never get it back. Its smelly, the belt noises irritate me almost as much as the work hanging over my head I know I'll have to do to her soon, everyday brings a new electrical problem to marvel at...and to top it off, I've got friends and family on both sides of me telling me to throw a 'for sale' sign in the window because of the seemingly nonstop work they've seen me put into this car...

when she went into the shop for some very minor maintenance (i was fed up at this point) all I could think about was what I would do with the money i would get as soon as she was sold. But my God...when that flatbed pulled up and i caught a glimpse of her through the living room window, time stood still and I fell in love all over again..

- Matt.

Pcar944

Glad you're keeping the faith.

If its any consolation my 86 has been the most reliable car i've ever owned (and i've had mazdas, hondas etc). When it came time to buy another $3500 car, what else could I do but buy another 944?

Once you've got them sorted they'll serve you well!

shadowknight

I have a similar story, I purchased my 87NA from a friend and after two years of ownership I decided I wanted to get something a little more punchy. So after several months of searching I decided on a 928S4. Now the original plan was to get rid of the 944, as I allready have a truck as the daily driver, and why would one guy need three vechicles, but when push came to shove I could not bring myself to do it. I just love how it handles.... The maintance to this point has been relatively low cost considering it's age. This however cannot be said for the 928, which I have dubbed the "younger sister" this year alone I have vested 8K on a 10K car. IMHO the 944 is a great car no matter if it's a turbo (951) or not.

Mamooguy

Ack, I've heard the 928s are monsters for repairs. Hard for me to feel bad in comparison with some of those stories!

Now if only I can get me a transmission ...

WizPorsche944

I hear you Mamooguy I want to switch to 5 speed but the cost of the parts is ok its the darn labor cost.

500

Sanding is not difficult in terms of technique, but it is very labor intensive and there is some knowledge/skill required. It is easy to develop that knowledge/skill, but it is important.

The main items I would put out there to consider would be going in are:

1) Workspace – this might be the tough one for you… it will make a mess so that the concerns you mention are very valid.

2) Equipment – nothing too expensive required. GOOD quality sandpaper makes a difference. You will need the proper sanding blocks (you must use these) and you will need to understand how to cross-block. Very simple, but neglecting to do so will result in panels that have waves or other shape-imperfections. If you have minor dings to correct, some Evercoat metal glaze (available at any body shop) will hold you in good stead.

3) Grit: You need to know the requirements for the primer or sealer that will be sprayed on first. In my case, the Glasurit primer I sprayed first required the surface to be sanded with P320 grit. The data sheets for the specific products that will be sprayed will indicate this.

4) Prep for sanding. Yeah, even sanding has prep! The best way to do this is to thoroughly scrub all the old paintwork with something like Comet or Ajax. Obviously once you start this, you are committed! However, this step is good because any contaminants (e.g. tar, silicone etc.) will be removed. If you forgo this step, then the sanding will “grind” this stuff into the substrate – not good.

5) Amount of sanding. EVERYTHING has to be thoroughly scuffed. You do not need, or want, to go to bare metal with OEM paint, unless perhaps you are going for a 1+ show finish. It is normal to expose some of the factory primer on the high spots/edges, but you do not need to sand through to the primer specifically. Wear good breathing protection at all times. The amount of time to do this is surprisingly large, especially if you are working in tight areas. I spent over eight hours on my engine compartment alone:



6) Disassembly: The more you can take apart, the better. In my case I stripped the car right down… no engine, suspension windows, seals etc. Obviously that is a bit extreme for just a re-paint, but definitely getting rid of all the trim, door handles, mirrors, emblems etc. would make a big difference. Also, take off all the removable body parts such as the bumpers, valence etc. and do those separately.

7) Products: There are two key determinants in a paint job’s quality and longevity. The first is the amount and quality of prep. Remember, everything you choose to do, and everything you choose not to do will have a discernible effect on the final result. The second major determinant is the quality of the product system. Almost any paint can look good when new, but the really good stuff will last much better, have much better hardness and UV stability and a lot of other stuff. There are a wide range of good choices. Sticking to a reputable name brand such as PPG, BASF, DuPont, Sikkens etc. is a good place to start. Most of these brands have products ranging from pretty good to truly outstanding. I used Glasurit, a BASF system and found it to be great (and expen$ive).

That is a start, and it may seem overwhelming. However, even if you choose to out-source all the work, doing research to learn about the processes and materials etc. will make talking to prospective shops much easier. Painting is actually not hard, just takes extreme attention to detail to get the truly good results.

Drewsifer

I hear ya brother! When I got back from my deployment I was dead set on selling my 88 N/A 944. I liked it, but I was ready to move up. Then I got it out of storage and the second honey moon started. Despite being filthy, it was beautiful! Driving it reminded me of why it's such a great car. Then when I got the clutch replaced, it was a whole new world. Now I can't imagine selling it. So cheers to cars that make us lose our minds!

fpena944

I think of selling mine quite often as I want to move up to a 911. But when I wash it or do any work on it I get sucked back in to loving the car. Now I think when I do go with a 911 I may have to keep the 944 because I don't know if I could ever get rid of it.

I lusted after this car for 10 years before I finally got one - I even have a magazine from 1990 with an article about it! Cool vehicles these are...

RobHeinl

I wrecked my DD 3 weeks ago (00 Saab Viggen) and was forced to get my 87 944 n/a back on the road for a couple weeks. I was fighting electrical issues (jumping the car every other time I shut it off), dealing with idiosyncrasies of a 20 year old car and half the horsepower. I got my Viggen back 2 weeks later and drove it to work and back... parked it back in the garage and it's stayed in the garage for the rest of the week.

There's something about nursing an old car with character thats so appealing. Unexplainable.