Deposit sent for 147K white 944 S2. Final inspection and pickup tomorrow. My plan is to strip her down, roll bar, seats, harnesses and track it. I'll have more information once the deal is done.

Overall, it sounds like the PO has taken pretty good care of the car. Spoke to the mechanic and it appears the maintenance has been kept up pretty well. The tranny was recently overhauled, so some of my list has been taken care of.

Planning on overhauling the engine and suspension as well as some typical wear items. Anything else that you guys (particularly the S2 folks), let me know.

I am looking forward to it.

C.

 

sounds cool - so are you going to club race it or just DE events and such? Always nice to see what needs to be done to get into club racing although 944cup would also be alot of fun.

 

awesome
make sure you post some pictures

 

Pretty much DE's for now. Possibly SCCA / NASA TT's.

C.

 

What level of engine overhaul are you planning? This all depends on what has been maintained on the car . But if these haven't been done at a minimum on a 150k car I'd suggest rod bearings and if it will be a track car then I'd think of getting the crank cross drilled to provide better oil flow to the #2 rod bearing (a lot of Spec Racers have this done as there is a tendency for oil starvation to that bearing under high cornering limits which these cars are capable of). Also front seals, belts, water pump. You can also get a Lindsey racing 3 piece lower cross member that is not needed but for track cars it makes doing rod bearings every 2 years very easy (rather than having to suspend the engine from the top and dropping the lower cross member / sub frame each time - basically a 6-7 hour job takes only 2 hours).

The S2 has the baffled oil pan and stronger ring and pinion which are very helpful. Also do the rear main seal. Does yours have an LSD?

As for SCCA or NASA - I prefer the latter as they have the same level of safety for drivers and I feel the same level of talent - plus under NASA they keep the track hot for many yellow situations and workers will go out and retrieve cars (they trust the drivers more). F1 and many other IMSA racing associations do this too. If you race an S2 in SCCA be prepared to race in ITE with Vipers and huge HP cars and you have to spend a ton of money to be competitive. I'd look into the 944 Cup (Super Cup Class) where it is only 951s and 944s of varying weights to even the field and S2s are very successful in that series.

 

Reach out for Z-man...He was my instructor 2 weekends ago for DE and took me out in his S2 as well...his car was glued to the track...what a fun ride!

I suspect he'd have some good tips...

 

Chad!!!

Welcome back to world of 944's, we've missed you....

I am sure you will find the car as much fun (just not as fast) as your old 996. BTW what is the new color combo, same as the 996?

If you need some track tires, buddy has a good set of 16x8's for a good price.

Cheers!

 

Chad, unless the engine is 'hurt', I'd focus your funds and improvements on suspension: ALL solid bushings, adjustable sway bars and top-notch shocks. Other than seat time, that will work to get you around the track faster than any other upgrade. If you are going to race it, obviously safety mods come next - full cage, seat back brace, fire system, etc.

Then, if you're bored and still have money sitting around, have a 2nd engine built while you continue driving, enjoying and learning the car.

If you're looking for resources, find Karl at Racer's Edge - he successfully campaigned an S2 for many years.

 

Absolutley do the rod bearings and think about improving the oiling somehome (crossdrilling, baffle.....accusump <-- $$) while its apart. The labor to do the rod bearings is expensive, but consider the cost of taking the engine out for a rebuild and finding an uber rare 3.0L crank after the fact!

 

Thanks all. Did some hard reading to get my head back around 944's. After owning 3 of them, I am very aware of the rod bearings. And, will likely be the 1st thing done to the car.

I like the idea of buying a second engine. I know where there is a 94K one for sale for around $3000 or so. Not a bad suggestion.

What is the popular suspension setup? Spring rates? I plan on tracking this for awhile at DE's only. But, a moderately aggressive suspension would be my preference. What's the skinny? Things have changed a bit since the last time I was in here. (ten years ago.)

C.

 

Just order a package Firehawk or Bilstein Cup setup - great suspension for the price and you can buy a total kit for $1800 from Paragon (includes new swaybars and front coilovers). Call them and let them know what you need - DE car and not a trailored racecar - they can advise you on a package to work well.

 

I'm surprised no one mentioned this....

If there is no evidence of the chain tensioner pads being replaced recently, change them right away.

Change the pads as a minimum, but at that mileage you may want to change the whole tensioner, the j-tube that supplies it with oil, and the sealing washers for the j-tube.

 

I would do an I-J windage tray and teflon crank scraper while you're in there for the rod bearings - mine works great, oil pressure never gets below 3 bar even after running the car hard, plus you'll free up some hp with the crank scraper.
As far as spring rates, if you don't plan on driving the car on the street I'd start with 500lb springs in front and matching that in the rear with whatever t bar/spring combo you use