F.N.G.to944

Hi All,

I am recently purchased a 1989 944 2.7L n/a with a three speed automatic that I plan on restoring for my wife. She recently purchase a 1971 Mach 1 Mustang for me and this car was something she always wanted. Anyway I was a little let down by the car considering it was a Porsche, I figured it would be faster than what it really is. Since I plan on pulling the motor to freshen it up I was wondering what performance upgrades I could make. I don't plan on dragging the car I just want it to be able to live up to its name. I have also heard of doing motor swaps, a non-turbo for a turbo. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks Matt

JohnKoaWood

Yes you can turbo your NA, but not cost effectively..

Your noted performance issue is likely caused by the automatic more than the engine.. 188 HP is more than enough to move these cars around nicely, but not via an automatic..

Luckily you CAN swap to a Manual.. and it is easier (and cheaper) than swapping a turbo motor in..

F.N.G.to944

Interesting idea didn't think about that.

What all would need to be swapped? Obviously the transaxle and flywheel, but do I need to swap the computer or have it flashed? Also what about the torque tube? Would I be better off trying to locate a donnor car or buy the pieces individually? Thanks Matt

JohnKoaWood

Clutch pedal assy, clutch hydraulics, Clutch assy, Trans axle, shifter, shift rod...

IMHO MUCH better approach than trying to turbo a NA when you have little to no experience with the car, the Auto to Manual swap has been done, can be doen cost effectively, and if you can tollerate a parts car, you can source one with a blown motor, or otherwise damaged beyone repair and get everything needed to make your Auto trans NA a Manual..

THEN you can really enjoy the car...

FWIW, I have everything on hand to Turbo an NA, and we may well be doing this in the near future, more as a gag than a project, but it should prove to be interesting none the less!

F.N.G.to944

Sounds good I am going to start searching for a donor car however when I mentioned the swap I meant a 2.5l turbo out of a 944 turbo car. Also are any good performance upgrades for the 2.7L?

AScholtes

I would look for a parts car as well if you can stand to look at it. I would however suggest you buy new hydraulic parts and only use the hardlines out of the parts car...

JohnKoaWood

Performance upgrades in the NA world are measured in cubic dollars per HP.. whereas upgrades on the turbo motors are MUCH easier (and risky) to a point, then there is a point of diminishing returns...

I would stick to finding a 5 speed late model doner car, transfer everything over, and see how you like it then.. I'm willing to bet it will keep you and your wife happy for a good long while!

Yes, you can swap the turbo gear to a NA chassis, but again, much easier and cheaper to simply get a turbo car in the first place!

V2Rocket

the 2.7L only has ~163HP, not 188.

the problem is that the car is automatic. having only 3 gears means they are taaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllll ratios which makes the thing slower than frozen dog poo.

it will be markedly faster if you made it a stickshift instead. but if the wifey prefers automatic, if you plan on any power upgrades the trans won't take much more power so a stick would be needed anyway.

look into cams from webcam, inc, a few hundred bucks but they say its good for ~10-15hp...maybe a chip would help you a little too.

JohnKoaWood

BAH brain fart... I was thingking 158 of my 88...

Thanks for setting me straight!

F.N.G.to944

I found a donor car I think, it is a 1987 944 with the 2.5L it might be an S but not sure yet. I am going to look at it this afternoon the price is right on it so my questions are will the transaxle in this work as well as the other parts I need for the conversion? I know that I will still have to purchase a flywheel and clucth, also is the 2.5L better than the 2.7L? Is it cheaper to work on or easier to upgrade the performance? Should I transplant the whole drive train or just the transaxle? Thanks matt

JohnKoaWood

If it is an S model, transplant the entire drivetrain, DME, and engine harness! Otherwise I would swap everything from the clutch back into your car, and call it a day!

A couple weekends of casual labor and you're up and driving!

F.N.G.to944

Thanks I appreciate all the help, will the tranny work if I don't transplant the entire drive train also if it is an S model what are the specs on it:
HP?
Torque?
Cam Style?
Weight?
Compression Ratio?

JimV8

It sounds like a whole lot of work and money for little real added value. There are plenty really nice 951's sorted for $10-11K.

V2Rocket

If it is an "S", definitely swap the engine as well, it's another 25HP on top of the 2.7L motor. Both cars use the same clutch package.

Maintenance and performance-wise they are essentially identical; a 2.7L is really a 2.5L that has bigger pistons and a better flowing head...although with a 2.7, any performance part for a 2.5 will likely get slightly more benefit in the 2.7 due to increased cubes.
944S (off the top of my head):
2.5L DOHC 16-valve I-4, revs to 6800 (highest of the 944 series)
188HP/~170? tq...CR 10.9:1
Engine weighs about the same as a regular 944 motor.

If it is an "S", pull the cam cover and inspect the plastic pad that the cam chain rides on, it likely needs to be replaced.

F.N.G.to944

Thanks again all!