Devia

I purchased my '83 944 Black/Black on May 6, 2003. As many of you know, I have been hunting for several months. I had lost my '85 Sapphire Blue Metallic due to an evil ex-bf who traded it in on a lease, to cover the hot check he had written the dealership. That was in 1998, and though he promised to replace it, well a liar and thief never changes their way, and I left the relationship along with all my investments, and a few years of my life down the drain.

From 1999 to 2001 I was homeless and living on the streets in a beat-up '86 Celica, then eventually in a horrible transient hotel. Needless to say I had a hard time finding a normal job to pay the bills, after being a Freelance Artist for most of my life and pretty depressed during that time.

But time passed and I began to get my life back on track, though it felt thoroughly uphill for the most part. Crazy roommates and such. The one before the one I have now claimed there were demons living in my bedroom, and just completely weirded out on us.

Today my life is back on track, and I have my own comic book series 'Anunnaki', in the new Diamond Catalog this month, and life is good. It will be out later this summer, and of course the heroine drives a 944! It's important to me because after working over a decade on others' books since I was a Runaway from home, I finally have what I have wanted my whole life, my own project being published!

I never could have acquired another 944 if it had not been for Rennlist, and the support of the people I have met online. She's needed a lot of work and TLC, but I've been taking a day or two a week, dedicating time fixing her. I need her repainted and fixed up to park in front of the comic book stores that I sign at, to help promote the book. But that idea came after I purchased her, and just gives me more reasons to fix her up.

I named her Kijo, after one of the characters that pals around with Dharia (no, came out before the cartoon, different spelling; that was the name of my other 944). She's a Vampiric Schoolgirl, and sassy to boot. I will be putting decals of Kijo in the small windows after I repaint her black.

Kijo was at an auction, after being passed around the auction circuit a few times (I checked her carfax printout). She had been vandalized on her paint, like someone threw and squirted brake fluid on her. But what caught my eye about her was that she has a straight unibody and no rust. Those are two of the big things that concern me about any car, and she's fine.

To date the electrical system is debugged; all external lights are working correctly now. We had a bad hardwire to the positive terminal on the battery, and had to hack out 3 inches of it. The wire to the pop-up light motor was fried at the switch, and was causing a short. We had to cut that off, and tape it up. There were also 3 alarm horns in her, and the Clifford alarm was a bad hack job. I will have to run another wire and replace the light motor, so I'm leaving them up for now. More than likely these are the problems that her previous owners' couldn't fix, and made them think there was something seriously wrong with her.

Windows still don't roll down, due to a bad motor. That will be replaced soon. She needs some further diagnostics and possibly some more gaskets replaced. But she runs, and much cooler with a low temp switch. I love seeing the temp gauge at only 1/4!

We have also replaced the Timing, balance and alt/air cond. belts have all been replaced. There are lots of little niggly things that have had to be replaced.

She will still need front strut inserts a new set of tires soon.

I am pleased very much with the car, and I must thank Legoland for his help in not only selling me the car, but for his help in teaching me how to work on the car while we fixed things on it.

So due to popular requests, here are the pictures of Kijo, a diamond in the rough. I have more pics coming, including some weird things we found in the car.

<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoRR3Q72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoFrt72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoLt3Q72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoDrvSide72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoPasSide72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />

hitbyastick

<img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" />

awesome. and what a story to go with it.you deserve that one!

Devia

Um, the images won't load...any suggestions? More technical problems!

I did make my own Rennlist webpage, but I forgot what it was, heh. did end in Devia though, something like

<a href="https://rennlist.com/members/devia[/URL" target="_blank">]www.rennlist.com/members/devia</a>[/URL]

Any help with either would be appreciated.

Yes, I don't know that much about that part of the web.

- Julie

Devia

Thanks, hitbyastick! I just thought I'd let everyone know how much I appreciate being able to acquire another 944, and the fact that I couldn't have done it without Rennlist. Until I solved the problems of the overcooling on my boyfriend's car, I couldn't spend a dime on buying one. So it happened that fast: fixed his car on May 8th, bought Kijo on May 9th!

It's been a long time since I've had a car I enjoy working on, too. Working on his car has been such a pain, no joy in that, except he appreciates it.

- Julie

Rich Sandor

Julie, you have to get rid of the spaces after the jpg. That car has character!!!

<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoRR3Q72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoFrt72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoLt3Q72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoDrvSide72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />
<img src="http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/KijoPasSide72dpi.jpg" alt=" - " />

-Rich

Predator

Definitely a diamond in the rough, and not necessarily the car!

Toolmaster

Julie -

You're all set - the pics are there. You need to insure that you don't have a trailing space after the URL for the pic...

Glad to help!

Chris_924s

Julie- great choice. What a great ending to a tough story !
As you may know I attend a lot of swap meets.. drop me an e-mail with the remainder of your "parts wish list" and I'll see if I can locate them for you.
I'll be looking for early 944 interior parts at Tweeks- specifically, the console switch blanks -if I find them I'll buy them and donate them to your cause. Your interior is identical to mine- except I have the porsche logo cloth seats.

Diamond in the rough. so true about Kijo, and of course you as well. Post the info for comic book sales and I'm sure you will find a few buyers here.. I know I want a few copies..

Best of luck! she has a new friend.. that works both ways! <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

Devia

Thanks, Sandoval, Jay, at least it was something simple!

One kewl thing about the pics is that I took those at sundown, the same light they use to shoot some movies. You also have it at sunrise, about a 20 minute window, which makes everything look so good! I like the little crooked grin on the spoiler, looks like she's doing that evil schoolgirl grin!

Thanks Chris! Later this week I'll have more on the comicbook, just really digging into it now...I need to have a certain amount done by the end of the month.

FYI, the electrical is all pretty much fixed! That is the switch for the headlights hanging down in the driver's side, because if you turned off the headlights it would kill the engine! After cutting the wire to the pop-up mechanism, that fixed that short. That wire was so melted it wasn't funny.

Now the alarm was funny! As soon as I get the pics from Legoland, I'll post that, it was so rediculous! Who ever heard of 3 horns for an alarm? It's where they hid the third one that was the kicker, plus the size of the main alarm. It was probably a thousand or two, back then, and was state of the art.

And yes, that is the Clifford pushbutton pad hanging out on the passenger side. Now I just need something to plop in there...eng. temp gauge or passenger eject button! Michell_JD has already voted on the ejection button.

Mirror is glued back on (yes, using the right glue). I already have the headlight pop-up motor replacement, just have to run another wire, and it should be good to go. The alarm was incorrectly installed and probably led to the electrical problems in the panel.

Carfax had shown she was owned until turned over to the insurance company due to the vandalism on the paint. I think more likely the electrical gremlins caused by an aftermarket alarm system were driving them nuts and it was just an excuse to get rid of a headache.

I've also decided to not repair any of the tiny dings in the paint caused by other people's doors, nor the front spoiler. If I had another spoiler that would be different, but I don't like using bondo on such small imperfections. I will just have her repainted with the small flaws.

- Julie

SidViscous

Hey Dev, what does the dash look like under that cover? Might look better without.

As to the keypad. Put a cell phone holder there, perfect placement for the widget I'm sending you.

And don't be bitching about the seats. Looks 10X better than mine.

Good luck.

944HakSeng

You're brave...Congratulations on the car. Trust me, your car will be the crowning jewel in no time. I'm still a homeless, poor student- hahaha! But I'm actually going to work for Revolution Studios in Hollywood this summer- if I'm paid well enough I might even ditch school. I know how you must've felt- life's a #@$%^ ain't it? Great story- people like you are the ones who will be millionaires and laugh away your troubles in the end. Then maybe you can get a GT2?!

Devia

Life's a beach, so I learned to swim.

I did drive Kijo by the local comic book store and everyone ran out and oooed and ahhhhd over her already. I think she likes it! I think this bumps me back up to the only gal comic book professional with a Porsche again!

Hakseng, maybe I should make a movie out of my life! But then life is stranger than fiction. Keep in touch, you won't be that far from my boyfriend and I. Some of my single girlfriends live up in Hollywood!

I do believe that I will be a millionaire again; done it twice, three times a charm, and I shall keep it this time! Hmmm...I'd have to take the GT2 home and test drive it over a weekend, before deciding if I want one or not. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

- Julie

Devia

I replaced the dash cover with a black one, don't worry.

You know what I find is odd? People keep coming up to me and asking me about the car nearly everywhere I go, and she's getting compliments, even with needing a paint job.

Of course, maybe the guys are hitting on me, but that just occured to me. I don't get that initially, heh. But I don't think the girls are, they just seem to like the car shape, heh.

I still need parts for her, like the visors, especially on the passenger side, but I've acquired the majority now.

- Julie

SidViscous

Dev

People do the same with mine even with the myriad of stone chips, rust on the nose, crinkled hood, crappy stone gaurds passenger side fender smoosh et al.

It's our color combo. Best there is, and with the tinted windows makes it looks like Darth Vaders weekend car <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Devia

Ohhh, Sid, careful what you say...I grew up calling the black 928s "Vader Butts" since all we could think of was Space ***** when we saw their rear ends, lol!

Yeah, I think it's the color combo...alot more attention than I ever had in my Sapphire Blue 944. Been a little odd, but fun!

Looks like tomorrow we're at least replacing the oil cooler and seals at the very least; at the worst, toss in the head gasket.

I would like suggestions in putting together an emergency tool kit for my car, like the most often needed tools to get her safely home.

What I've thought of so far:
1) 2 litre bottle of water
2) Duct tape
3) Assorted hose clamps
4) 944 manual (after I find it)
5) rachet set (want to upgrade to Craftsman or something)
6) Open end wrench set
7) Screwdrivers of various sizes
8) Pliers
9) Wire; bare and coated
10) Fuses
11) Mini torch
12) Bag of latex gloves
13) Paper towels

Can you think of anything else? Thanks!

- Julie