What did you do to your 944 in 2009?
12-11-2009, 07:14 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
What did you do to your 944 in 2009?
I'll go first.
I drove my 1988 Porsche 944 home from work today. The smell and feel of the newly conditioned leather of the interior was almost alive as I darted in and out of traffic. The newly reupholstered dash glistening as the streetlights reflected mildly off of it. The matching bright blue glow of the gauges, dash switches, shifter handle, and stereo easy to read in the dark of the drive home. The engine purred as I instantly jumped from fifty to eighty miles per hour to get around a semi in the left lane. The stereo was playing a constant barrage of eighties tunes from the satellite radio through the new speakers all around the car.
It was not like this nine months ago when I brought the car home. It was a rainy early spring night. The little four cylinder motor was chugging along. I could not get my just purchased Porsche to go over forty-five miles per hour. My arm uncomfortably perched on my jacket because the center console armrest was missing. An incessant rattling was coming from an ugly metal shifter that had no business in this Porsche. The stereo sounded horrible, and the amp and subwoofer were sliding around loose in back. None of the electrics worked, the windows, locks, sunroof. One of the wipers shook its way up and back across the windshield like it was having an epileptic seizure. The dash lights were so dim I could not tell how fast I was going without the help of my flashlight. The dash was wavy and misshapen. It turned out that this was a cover hiding the cracked dash of most 944’s. The air conditioning blew warm air, however the heater worked better then any car I had ever been in.
I knew the car was in overall very good shape, but had been sitting for over a year. It would need some work to get it running and looking right. I knew this was going to be a bit of a project, but I was up to the challenge. What I did not expect was that the car started out cursed. Every time I took it out of the garage something went wrong. Not necessarily mechanically wrong, but wrong. Two days after I brought it home, I took my wife to a movie in it. While we were inside some pinhead smashed into the drivers rear quarter. They were so upset at their inability to park that they keyed the rest of the drivers side. It was my first insurance claim in twenty-six years of driving. I had two flat tires within two days after it came out of the body shop. I changed from the wheel and tire combination that came on it to the original phone dials that also came with the car. The phonies were rough, but my tire problems went away. I also thought they handled better then the eighteens that were on there. At one point, the sunroof fell off a shelf in the garage while I was fixing the lifting gears inside the car and got a serious case of road rash. My body guy has a good sense of humor, and took pity on me with the price of repair. I finally managed to outlive the curse (knock on wood).
The biggest performance improvement was to run the year and a half old race gas out of the car, and fill it with fresh premium and a bottle of BG 44K. I also changed the fuel filter. A very complete tune up and timing belt service were next. The previous owner had the spark plugs in finger tight. The new ones are correctly installed, and the car runs like it should. I also managed to get the air conditioning working. It was the first time in a very long time that I took a car to have it serviced instead of doing it myself, but the air conditioning recharge was done well, and blew cold air at me all summer.
Over the course of the year, I also installed a throttle cam and a performance chip. These made a lot of difference in the daily drivability of the car. While I am glad I did the performance upgrades, I am also glad that I drove it without them long enough to appreciate the upgrades for what they were.
I then started to fix all of the minor electrical problems. My weekends were spent disassembling, and fixing or replacing switches, wiring, and other minor items. I bought new speakers, added satellite radio, a TomTom, installed blue LED’s in the entire dash to match the stereo. I also mounted the amp, and ticked minor maintenance items off my list. I sourced and installed a center console armrest and a new shifter handle.
Soon after I got my 944, a friend of mine picked up a 951 in very rough condition. His car had a center reflector that said Porsche. I think it really gives the car a finished look. I sourced one and installed it. I also found a set of emblem stickers to break up the solid black of the front fenders. They are on magnets, so if I change my mind they can come off without issue.
My friend convinced me that we should refinish the phone dials. We spent about twenty hours stripping and sanding the wheels to the raw aluminum that they are now. By spring I intend to paint the insides black. This would already be done if not for a rerun of the ‘80’s T.V. show Knight Rider. The black wheels on the car look horrible, and I got a little scared about doing this to my 944. I have the black on black combo on my Jeep and love it, so I don’t know why I got scared, but I did. I photoshopped the black wheels on pictures of my 944 and have once again decided to continue when the weather is more permitting.
One day I removed the dash cover to see how bad the cracks were underneath. They were pretty bad, so I went to an upholstery shop to price out the repair. It was very reasonable if I removed and reinstalled the dash. With the help of Clark’s Garage I was able to do this fairly easily.
The car now looks and drives great. My only imminent projects are to finish the wheels, and touch up a few small rock chips. As I typed the last line my phone rang. It was a call from a seller on Craigslist. I found a set of cookie cutters about an hour away at an incredible price. He says they were on an ’87 and are in good shape. I guess this is why they call it a work in progress…
Buy Porsche April
Bodywork from theatre April
License plate frames April
Super tuneup April
Fire Extinguisher April
Tools April
Bodywork sunroof May
Super detail May
Fix passenger lock actuator May
Fix lock switch May
Sunroof switch May
Install phonedials May
Arm box May
Sub woofers May
Tom Tom May
Rear reflector May
Air conditioning May
Fuel filter May
Stock airbox May
Wipers May
Headlight wiring May
Replace passenger mirror June
Fix sunroof gears June
Fix passenger window switch June
Throttle cam June
Porsche emblems June
Ash tray June
Cup holders June
Blue LED's July
Sirius July
Mount amp July
Shifter July
Strip phonedials August
Replace dash September
Replace dash trim September
Chip September
Timing belt September
Rear brake pads and rotor turning October
Doctor Color Chip November
When I bought it
Cleaned up on phonedials
Dash replacement
Phonedials refinished
New cookie cutter wheels
I drove my 1988 Porsche 944 home from work today. The smell and feel of the newly conditioned leather of the interior was almost alive as I darted in and out of traffic. The newly reupholstered dash glistening as the streetlights reflected mildly off of it. The matching bright blue glow of the gauges, dash switches, shifter handle, and stereo easy to read in the dark of the drive home. The engine purred as I instantly jumped from fifty to eighty miles per hour to get around a semi in the left lane. The stereo was playing a constant barrage of eighties tunes from the satellite radio through the new speakers all around the car.
It was not like this nine months ago when I brought the car home. It was a rainy early spring night. The little four cylinder motor was chugging along. I could not get my just purchased Porsche to go over forty-five miles per hour. My arm uncomfortably perched on my jacket because the center console armrest was missing. An incessant rattling was coming from an ugly metal shifter that had no business in this Porsche. The stereo sounded horrible, and the amp and subwoofer were sliding around loose in back. None of the electrics worked, the windows, locks, sunroof. One of the wipers shook its way up and back across the windshield like it was having an epileptic seizure. The dash lights were so dim I could not tell how fast I was going without the help of my flashlight. The dash was wavy and misshapen. It turned out that this was a cover hiding the cracked dash of most 944’s. The air conditioning blew warm air, however the heater worked better then any car I had ever been in.
I knew the car was in overall very good shape, but had been sitting for over a year. It would need some work to get it running and looking right. I knew this was going to be a bit of a project, but I was up to the challenge. What I did not expect was that the car started out cursed. Every time I took it out of the garage something went wrong. Not necessarily mechanically wrong, but wrong. Two days after I brought it home, I took my wife to a movie in it. While we were inside some pinhead smashed into the drivers rear quarter. They were so upset at their inability to park that they keyed the rest of the drivers side. It was my first insurance claim in twenty-six years of driving. I had two flat tires within two days after it came out of the body shop. I changed from the wheel and tire combination that came on it to the original phone dials that also came with the car. The phonies were rough, but my tire problems went away. I also thought they handled better then the eighteens that were on there. At one point, the sunroof fell off a shelf in the garage while I was fixing the lifting gears inside the car and got a serious case of road rash. My body guy has a good sense of humor, and took pity on me with the price of repair. I finally managed to outlive the curse (knock on wood).
The biggest performance improvement was to run the year and a half old race gas out of the car, and fill it with fresh premium and a bottle of BG 44K. I also changed the fuel filter. A very complete tune up and timing belt service were next. The previous owner had the spark plugs in finger tight. The new ones are correctly installed, and the car runs like it should. I also managed to get the air conditioning working. It was the first time in a very long time that I took a car to have it serviced instead of doing it myself, but the air conditioning recharge was done well, and blew cold air at me all summer.
Over the course of the year, I also installed a throttle cam and a performance chip. These made a lot of difference in the daily drivability of the car. While I am glad I did the performance upgrades, I am also glad that I drove it without them long enough to appreciate the upgrades for what they were.
I then started to fix all of the minor electrical problems. My weekends were spent disassembling, and fixing or replacing switches, wiring, and other minor items. I bought new speakers, added satellite radio, a TomTom, installed blue LED’s in the entire dash to match the stereo. I also mounted the amp, and ticked minor maintenance items off my list. I sourced and installed a center console armrest and a new shifter handle.
Soon after I got my 944, a friend of mine picked up a 951 in very rough condition. His car had a center reflector that said Porsche. I think it really gives the car a finished look. I sourced one and installed it. I also found a set of emblem stickers to break up the solid black of the front fenders. They are on magnets, so if I change my mind they can come off without issue.
My friend convinced me that we should refinish the phone dials. We spent about twenty hours stripping and sanding the wheels to the raw aluminum that they are now. By spring I intend to paint the insides black. This would already be done if not for a rerun of the ‘80’s T.V. show Knight Rider. The black wheels on the car look horrible, and I got a little scared about doing this to my 944. I have the black on black combo on my Jeep and love it, so I don’t know why I got scared, but I did. I photoshopped the black wheels on pictures of my 944 and have once again decided to continue when the weather is more permitting.
One day I removed the dash cover to see how bad the cracks were underneath. They were pretty bad, so I went to an upholstery shop to price out the repair. It was very reasonable if I removed and reinstalled the dash. With the help of Clark’s Garage I was able to do this fairly easily.
The car now looks and drives great. My only imminent projects are to finish the wheels, and touch up a few small rock chips. As I typed the last line my phone rang. It was a call from a seller on Craigslist. I found a set of cookie cutters about an hour away at an incredible price. He says they were on an ’87 and are in good shape. I guess this is why they call it a work in progress…
Buy Porsche April
Bodywork from theatre April
License plate frames April
Super tuneup April
Fire Extinguisher April
Tools April
Bodywork sunroof May
Super detail May
Fix passenger lock actuator May
Fix lock switch May
Sunroof switch May
Install phonedials May
Arm box May
Sub woofers May
Tom Tom May
Rear reflector May
Air conditioning May
Fuel filter May
Stock airbox May
Wipers May
Headlight wiring May
Replace passenger mirror June
Fix sunroof gears June
Fix passenger window switch June
Throttle cam June
Porsche emblems June
Ash tray June
Cup holders June
Blue LED's July
Sirius July
Mount amp July
Shifter July
Strip phonedials August
Replace dash September
Replace dash trim September
Chip September
Timing belt September
Rear brake pads and rotor turning October
Doctor Color Chip November
When I bought it
Cleaned up on phonedials
Dash replacement
Phonedials refinished
New cookie cutter wheels
12-11-2009, 07:18 PM
#2
Rainman
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
drove the living f*ck out of it almost every day, gave it AC again, some suspension mods, swapped transmissions, new torque tube, redid the carpet, took some weight out, maybe get supercharged by the end of the year
12-11-2009, 07:26 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
changed timing belt- annually
installed new track pads
burnt up slicks- installed new
burnt up those slicks
pulled car out of gravel trap
installed new CPR splitter
pushed in and out of garage
deleted a/c
deleted cruise control
pulled oil cooler for RX7 cooler
camber plates
installed new track pads
burnt up slicks- installed new
burnt up those slicks
pulled car out of gravel trap
installed new CPR splitter
pushed in and out of garage
deleted a/c
deleted cruise control
pulled oil cooler for RX7 cooler
camber plates
12-11-2009, 07:38 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
supercharged it (well, haven't started the car yet, still trying to finalize everything, but that might be done before the end of the year!)
and the 951 got lowered more, new wheels/tires/ spacers, front lip, seats, MAF kit, diverter valve, and lots of maintenance and repair stuff, too much to list without spending an hour!
Photo comparison.... Christmas/New Years of last year...
and as of now....
and the 951 got lowered more, new wheels/tires/ spacers, front lip, seats, MAF kit, diverter valve, and lots of maintenance and repair stuff, too much to list without spending an hour!
Photo comparison.... Christmas/New Years of last year...
and as of now....
12-11-2009, 07:46 PM
#6
in the spring i did: welt springs, koni yellows, seats, tires, sway bar
in the summer, tracked hell out of it. scca and bmwcca autocrosses, pca de, evening test and tunes, alot of seat time
8/25: evening test and tune. blew engine. destroyed #2 rod bearing and crank. towed 200 miles home. arrive at home at 2am and $200 poorer.
9/06: borrow dad's minivan and brother for company. drive up to western wisconsin to pick up a new motor. another $200 poorer after trading the guy my old head and camtower.
9/09: took new head off, machine shop tested and decked. has some bent valves.
10/12: found out i was missing the dist rotor. ordered part off paragon.
10/31: installed 6pt harnesses
11/21: installed redline rollbar
12/7: went drifting in the snow
i'm pretty much reading from my credit card statement and pm dates hhehee
in the summer, tracked hell out of it. scca and bmwcca autocrosses, pca de, evening test and tunes, alot of seat time
8/25: evening test and tune. blew engine. destroyed #2 rod bearing and crank. towed 200 miles home. arrive at home at 2am and $200 poorer.
9/06: borrow dad's minivan and brother for company. drive up to western wisconsin to pick up a new motor. another $200 poorer after trading the guy my old head and camtower.
9/09: took new head off, machine shop tested and decked. has some bent valves.
10/12: found out i was missing the dist rotor. ordered part off paragon.
10/31: installed 6pt harnesses
11/21: installed redline rollbar
12/7: went drifting in the snow
i'm pretty much reading from my credit card statement and pm dates hhehee
12-11-2009, 08:18 PM
#7
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: formerly RI, then MO, now CA
Posts: 1,649
Likes: 0
Received 7 Likes
on
7 Posts
Refinished the phone dials
New brake rotors
New brake pads
New parking brake shoes and hardware
Replaced radiator
Replaced that radiator (finally one that doesn't leak)
Replaced rubber boot for shifter
New shift lever
Fixed oil leak under turbo
Insalled Apexi AVC-R
Replaced all vacuum lines with silicone (the ones taken out were less than a year old)
Rerouted vacuum lines
Installed e-code head lights
finished installing 5 point harness on pass. side
Installed factory seat belt on driver side (using a 6 point day to day is a pita)
new rubber seal around hatch key barrel.
Installed Zeitronix wide band
Relocated the MAP sensor
New Bosch plugs
New clucth inspection hole plug
Had a leaking weld in the turbo coolant "Y", where I modified it. Brazed that shut.
Pulled some rate out of the front swaybar
Rewired the consol gauge cluster so it disconnects with one plug
Installed a 968 instument cluster (no more dead boost gauge and non functioning odometer)
New stainless glove box door holder thingies
Replaced the clock with a functioning one
Wet sanded and polished the roof
There are probably a few other things I forgot
New brake rotors
New brake pads
New parking brake shoes and hardware
Replaced radiator
Replaced that radiator (finally one that doesn't leak)
Replaced rubber boot for shifter
New shift lever
Fixed oil leak under turbo
Insalled Apexi AVC-R
Replaced all vacuum lines with silicone (the ones taken out were less than a year old)
Rerouted vacuum lines
Installed e-code head lights
finished installing 5 point harness on pass. side
Installed factory seat belt on driver side (using a 6 point day to day is a pita)
new rubber seal around hatch key barrel.
Installed Zeitronix wide band
Relocated the MAP sensor
New Bosch plugs
New clucth inspection hole plug
Had a leaking weld in the turbo coolant "Y", where I modified it. Brazed that shut.
Pulled some rate out of the front swaybar
Rewired the consol gauge cluster so it disconnects with one plug
Installed a 968 instument cluster (no more dead boost gauge and non functioning odometer)
New stainless glove box door holder thingies
Replaced the clock with a functioning one
Wet sanded and polished the roof
There are probably a few other things I forgot
Trending Topics
12-11-2009, 08:25 PM
#9
Nordschleife Master
I didn't do much "fun" stuff to my car this year. I was only employed for about 41/2 months, so money was tight at times.
Did the annual belt swap
Water pump (3 weeks after the belt swap
)
hood shocks
Rennbay Headlight Kit
ummm.... basic maintenance stuff
and put nearly 28k miles on it (California 3 times, Salt Lake twice, and Montana twice....all for 4 months of work)
I will say though, the 944 is a fantastic GT car. Sat in it for nearly 14 hours (Straight through. Only stopped for gas) going from Vegas to Montana, and my *** never hurt. I even slept in it one night because of a hotel room mix-up.
Love my car!
2010 will hopefully be the year for "fun" mods.
Did the annual belt swap
Water pump (3 weeks after the belt swap
)hood shocks
Rennbay Headlight Kit
ummm.... basic maintenance stuff
and put nearly 28k miles on it (California 3 times, Salt Lake twice, and Montana twice....all for 4 months of work)
I will say though, the 944 is a fantastic GT car. Sat in it for nearly 14 hours (Straight through. Only stopped for gas) going from Vegas to Montana, and my *** never hurt. I even slept in it one night because of a hotel room mix-up.
Love my car!
2010 will hopefully be the year for "fun" mods.
12-11-2009, 08:31 PM
#10
Replaced all cooling hoses
Changed upper pad on the cam chain tensioner
Fixed my ABS so it works (faulty relay and computer)
Rennline glovebox arms
Changed Transmission fluid over to MT90
Changed motor mounts
Changed air filter
Patched leaky radiator
Changed all back and front fuel lines (never know when 20 year old lines will crap out)
Put in a new checkvalve and new fuel pump
Installed Rennbay wiring harness
Replaced Windshield
Replaced shift lever
This car is my daily driver, so I tried to make it relatively reliable.
Changed upper pad on the cam chain tensioner
Fixed my ABS so it works (faulty relay and computer)
Rennline glovebox arms
Changed Transmission fluid over to MT90
Changed motor mounts
Changed air filter
Patched leaky radiator
Changed all back and front fuel lines (never know when 20 year old lines will crap out)
Put in a new checkvalve and new fuel pump
Installed Rennbay wiring harness
Replaced Windshield
Replaced shift lever
This car is my daily driver, so I tried to make it relatively reliable.
12-11-2009, 09:01 PM
#11
Nordschleife Master
I would go in order... but lost track... so here in no order is what I have done...
Drove it for first time... recognized work was to be done...Oh there will be work...
Hacksaw Koni fronts
Koni sport shocks
adjustable ride height kit w/hypercoil 300
installed KYB monoball strut uppers
removed KYB strut uppers
installed ground control camber plates
installed turbo cup strut tower bar (LOVE IT, THANKS ODDJOB)
installed newly refinished Boxter twist wheels
removed boxter twists
installed MY02 replica wheels
Installed stainless braided brake lines
new metal master pads
new Zimmerman cross drilled rotors
new Dansk cat back
rebuilt turbo
venturi delete
new cooling hoses
New Radiator
new water pump
55lb injectors
Installed zietronix suite (boost, egt (thanks Laust,), throttle, WBO2, RPM, AFM voltage)
installed Scivision MAF
installed Ostrich2 and began using MaxTune... Thanks russ, it rocks...
resealed hatch
resealed hatch again
planed to reseal hatch for last time
replaced hatch seal with AM seal..still have 200 feet or so...
resealed PS rack
rebuilt PS pump
rebuilt ball joints
replaced control arm bushings with ER monoballs
new tie rod ends
new wheel bearings
MULTIPLE engine / gearbox services
Rebuilt K26-6
installed LR turbo oil feed line
installed LR MBC
installed LR vacuum lines
installed special vacuum manifold (thanks laust)
replaced recirculation valve
installed euro fog lenses
custom wired in euro fog lenses
replaced tail light housings
clear lenses front, and on sides
CPR V1 splitter
new coolant pipe above exhaust
new coolant valve (on firewall)
rebuilt odometer drive gear
refaced gauges (and rearranged gauge layout)
still need to install my SFR FMIC
replaced clutch master cylinder/ slave/ braided steel lines
replaced hood struts and hatch struts
DROVE THE EVER LIVING **** OUT OF HER... 15000 miles, in between above maintenance!
I know I am missing something..
My N/A got driven..twice
Drove it for first time... recognized work was to be done...Oh there will be work...
Hacksaw Koni fronts
Koni sport shocks
adjustable ride height kit w/hypercoil 300
installed KYB monoball strut uppers
removed KYB strut uppers
installed ground control camber plates
installed turbo cup strut tower bar (LOVE IT, THANKS ODDJOB)
installed newly refinished Boxter twist wheels
removed boxter twists
installed MY02 replica wheels
Installed stainless braided brake lines
new metal master pads
new Zimmerman cross drilled rotors
new Dansk cat back
rebuilt turbo
venturi delete
new cooling hoses
New Radiator
new water pump
55lb injectors
Installed zietronix suite (boost, egt (thanks Laust,), throttle, WBO2, RPM, AFM voltage)
installed Scivision MAF
installed Ostrich2 and began using MaxTune... Thanks russ, it rocks...
resealed hatch
resealed hatch again
planed to reseal hatch for last time
replaced hatch seal with AM seal..still have 200 feet or so...
resealed PS rack
rebuilt PS pump
rebuilt ball joints
replaced control arm bushings with ER monoballs
new tie rod ends
new wheel bearings
MULTIPLE engine / gearbox services
Rebuilt K26-6
installed LR turbo oil feed line
installed LR MBC
installed LR vacuum lines
installed special vacuum manifold (thanks laust)
replaced recirculation valve
installed euro fog lenses
custom wired in euro fog lenses
replaced tail light housings
clear lenses front, and on sides
CPR V1 splitter
new coolant pipe above exhaust
new coolant valve (on firewall)
rebuilt odometer drive gear
refaced gauges (and rearranged gauge layout)
still need to install my SFR FMIC
replaced clutch master cylinder/ slave/ braided steel lines
replaced hood struts and hatch struts
DROVE THE EVER LIVING **** OUT OF HER... 15000 miles, in between above maintenance!
I know I am missing something..
My N/A got driven..twice
12-11-2009, 09:26 PM
#13
koni yellows
racers edge coilovers (torsion bar delete)
hypercoil springs
kla solid upper mounts
968 sway bars
kla sway bar mounts
kla adjustable drop links
kla strut brace
fidanza aluminum flywheel
sachs spring clutch
dansk catback
wilwood front calipers
ss brake lines
e-codes
944 duckbill
manual steering rack
lindsey racing ac delete
new afm
new plugs and wires
and won a trophy at a charity car show
racers edge coilovers (torsion bar delete)
hypercoil springs
kla solid upper mounts
968 sway bars
kla sway bar mounts
kla adjustable drop links
kla strut brace
fidanza aluminum flywheel
sachs spring clutch
dansk catback
wilwood front calipers
ss brake lines
e-codes
944 duckbill
manual steering rack
lindsey racing ac delete
new afm
new plugs and wires
and won a trophy at a charity car show
