JimV8

Color-plus are able to get an exact match if you supply a swatch. They have the OEM colors but can mix and match to get it right. It doesn't fix dash cracks though but you can ask them about that. Joanne runs the place and is very nice to deal with. http://www.colorplus.com/frameset_contact.html

As far as the car. I figure that the engine torque is going to put stress on the chassis so I put a brace across the castor blocks up front and will put a strut brace in too. I went with Sparco Torino seats , as they have deep bolsters for the hip and back. Together they are almost 50 lbs lighter than the stock recaros. Because I built this thing specifically to murder 911's on Mosport I wanted to be sure I stayed planted and got a custom harness bar/roll bar in chromoly tube. I figure it will also add to the chassis rigidity. I'm building my own headers and going nuts with 180 deg configuration, two pipes through SLP hi flow cats to a magnaflow tru dual muffler and out a single 4" stainless steel outlet at the stock location. I think it's going to scream.

xschop

A set of Hooker 2312 headers (driver's side not hard to modify) and the booster delete has long been solved. I'm running a Tilton Dual set-up delete, but the Wilwood Tandem is a 2nd choice to the problem. Moroso 20140 with a driver's side notch and you are in business.

CPR

odurandina,

Not to get to technical, but if your mechanic was recommending a SBC in 1991 would that have been wise? The L98 output was only 230hp and 330tq, just marginally better than early 51's and worse than the later 51's. Coupled with the obvious fact that L98's were expensive at that time.

Also, I thought Renegade did not explore the 944 market until 1994-95? IIRC they had an article in HR in August or November of 95....I could not find it on the web. Although I did find an article from 1993 but that was in "Kit Car" for the 914.

Not "busting your *****" just making sure I have my history correct....or if I need to correct my history

odurandina

headers ? the problem is power assisted braking... and even that's not extremely hard to solve.

Jim, why not just go with the bolt-on ceramic sanderson headers ? $1,100, so you can get on to other matters ?

cpr, yes, i did not understand that it was a going to be a serious track car until Jim posted the photo...

my mechanic was extremely knowledgable, but there were plenty of small block chevy engines for the street with 340-370 hp, [numbers like that]. i had a very potent small block putting out about 325 horsepower in a '78 turbo buick. [precurser to the grand national] it was a very heavy car but, i was still able to get 130 mph running 225-70-15s with the stock, 2.56 rear end. at that time, we were engaged in a basic conversation about a good set-up for making the 944 go fast for cross country driving from boston to san diego... once i started looking into all that was involved, lsd, changing gears, and all the rest, i recoiled back to planning parties and fixing wet teeshirt contests in s.d.

the conversation was for sure, in 1991, 1992 time frame, i think i read the ad in 1993, but i could be off by a year, lol.

CPR

Yeah but weren't the 350hp+ SBC's were all pre-74 emission motors? You couldn't have put that in the 968...

I thought the 78 turbo buicks were 3.8l V6's?

odurandina

there are creative ways around that stuff... but it takes a village... when i had that car, the 3.8 engine was running in a track car with intercoolers, big turbos, etc in my mechanic's shop... the thing that was really good about that old regal was that it was killer in the snow, as long as you drove sensibly and had the right tires. you could put a huge bag of sand in the trunk and take it snowboarding to nh and maine.


i had a chevy malibu with a chrysler 440 in it and long, 2:29 highway gears. i used to run 125-130 mph using cb radios and highway patrol car chips detector. zero tickets and sometimes, in small isolated cases i made some good times out west... that stuff worked well back in those days, but i was very careful... that was the cross country car... my mother drove and maintained the regal... but we set it up for her... and i took it a lot on the weekends or when the malibu was getting something done...

then came the 944... it was a real coup for me in 1990. got it at auction as a recovered theft vehicle with 17 k miles. greatest car ever... i miss that car so much.

CPR

Gotcha,

But I thought you said you had this car in San Diego?....lol...you're making my head hurt....

JimV8

It's not so much the money, but to explore the idea of exhaust gas velocity and that and I wanted a special sound. it helps that I have a metal fabricating shop. I'm going to explore sandbending to get the compound bends, and I have a guy to ceramic coat the pipes.

V2Rocket

i like the kit price, but what do you do for a clutch?

xschop

I'm using a Fidanza lightweight LS1 flywheel....$215
Brand New stock '01 Camaro Pressure Plate....$ 75
and a 1" x 23 spline clutch disc from Dodge truck...Autozone # CP-4018...$40
There are many different clutch set-ups, twin disk etc, but this IMO is the best bang for the buck....When doing the swap I compared the Dodge disc to the C5 Vette and structurally the $40 Dodge Truck disc is just as well built as the $225 Vette disc!
It's a no brainer..... the Vette disc splines don't match the 944 TT shaft, but the Dodge 1"x23 is a match.

V2Rocket

how well does the clutch mate to the chevy PP/FW? is it like identical? also what truck, the only dodge i can think of with a manual is the dakota, unless theres a manual ram.

xschop

CP4018
IIRC a 74-81 dodge truck v8....All the older Mopar disc's with 1"x23 spline will work, this one just had a large 11.5" diameter that is perfect for the 12" LS1 flywheel....Also it has even more spline length out the front for the shaft. In the past the clutch disks found from other sources had shorter splines....not this one, you don't even have to gring the back side near the pilot either.....



More Eye Candy...



LS1 Fidanza Installed on a 5.3l LM7....

odurandina

a lightbulb just went on. is the renegade stuff CRAP - or just damn expensive ?

am i to understand that where we car going with all this is that we can do a swap for much less $$$ ? can we start a new thread called "Lsx swaps on a budget" and list sources ?

Reimu

A 5.3 swap completed for $3000 is too tempting... It would be nice to pick parts up from autozone rather than ordering from various websites. The whole reliability issue as far as 944 engines go would probably pay for itself after a couple of years..

Even if the 290 or whatever horsepower isn't that impressive in comparison..

V2Rocket

xschop, can you confirm if the 4.8 vortec will work with all your parts? those are 270-300HP and like 300 ftlbs and are likely cheaper than the 5.3 since it is the "base" v8 in the silverado/sierra/suburban. also the smaller engine displacement might give a little gas mileage over the 5.3 lol