Greg H.

Hi guys - hoping I can get some guidance. We have been racing a 924S in the 24 hours of LeMons. It's been a fantastic car; out handles and brakes everything but the Miatas. It has done 10 races with only one DNF - and that wasn't a mechanical. (put it into a wall at Infineon). Anyway we are getting greedy and want more power in the same platform. We found an 86 Turbo that has some body damage, a water pump leak and can't pass smog for some reason. It has 132,000 miles on it and seems to run well. Assuming it has decent compression, we run it at stock boost and we take care of the obvious maintenance, any opinions how it will do reliability wise compared to an N/A 944?

Greg H.

carlege

You might have to go over it with a fine tooth comb but i dont see how it shouldnt hold up at stock boost levels. The spindles and hubs if you do a search might be an issue. Atleast it is with the track cars.

87944turbo

That’s a great question and a great record of runs. We run a chump/lemons 944 as well. The turbo is far more complex, particularly when it comes to things like exhaust and cooling, so there are many more points for potential failure. As an endurance car, I would expect it to use significantly more fuel as well.

However, your familiarity with the 944 will certainly pay off. If you could successfully manage the heat and properly maintain the car, I think it could work assuming you are starting with a decent example. I would certainly tear it down to the point that every system is as absolutely dead simple as possible. Would love to know how it works out if you decide to do it!

M758

I would be worried. Now a stock boost the car will run fine, but many are not. Beyond that I have found most $500 944 or 924S in such a sorry shape they can't last 24 hrs. The ones that can last 24 hrs are priced higher than $500.

Since most 944 Turbos get sold for 2000-3000 more than a 924S in similar condition I can't see how you could get close to a solid machine at $500.

Cyberpunky

I have re-read OP 5 times and can't see any mention of $5oo anywhere

Oddjob

Rules of the LeMons race series is that the investment in the car (purchase price and certain maintenance and upgrades) be no more than $500.

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/

Greg H.

You get to deduct the price of parts you sell that you don't need, like the interior, side glass and oem wheels. How much would you pay for a car that won't pass smog and doesn't have a straight body panel on it?

Greg H

whitegold

I think you would be fine with stock boost. I thought about looking for one myself, but it will be hard to get it down to the $500 pricepoint required

Cyberpunky

Thanks. I just couldn't work it out and now the name of series makes a lot more sense lol

peace

teamking

I started with an '86 944 Turbo that was being given away because it hadn't run in 10 years (and had some damage from a guardrail). I turned it into a street car that was perfectly reliable, and it's now a track car.

You can recoup quite a bit of money by selling parts. However, I would (and have) upgrade the spindles/hubs/rotors, as mentioned.