pkt1213

too bad you're not closer. I've got a car I'm parting and the frame will probably go to the scrappers when it's stripped.

SWK6Cup

Van:
Sorry to "hear" about and now see the shunt. Glad you're okay.......that's the most important part. Looks like you might have a nice project to work on for a while....or does this mean you get the other baby up and ready for club racing action?
R\
Scott

porrsha

At least no one is complaining about a guy posting his own wreckage UNLIKE the thread in racing....
yada yada
Glad you are ok...

Van

Damage update:

Subframe and front suspension are pushed about 1/4" to 1/2" over to the left. See the pic where the throttle body is pretty close to the turbo coolant pump?

I think I want to go the SP2 944 route (a lot of people are racing those in my area). So, I'm going to part this car out - place your orders! A lot of money and development has gone into this car over the last 12 years.

catamax944

Sorry to hear you are parting it out,mine was not as bad but i couldn't convince myself to part it so i fixed it but all the while i'm in there jobs makes me wish i had parted it.

What strut tower brace is that ? i may be interested .

Legoland951

1. Strip the sheet metal off.
2. Straighten the structure as much as you can especially from strut tower back.
3. Drill out the inner fender sheet metal above the frame rail and separate from front of the strut tower.
4. Cut off the "frame rail" in front of the strut tower.
5. Take a complete front clip cut off the same way out of another car and weld back.

Once you bolt the sheet metal back, you won't be able to tell other than the new spot welds where the top/front of the strut tower attaches to the front inner fender and where the box frame rail welds are.

I believe in order to bend the front end beyond pulling, you would have to break the front of the motor/water pump, push the entire motor back along with the torque tube and smashing the tranny into the front of the spare tire well in the back of the car, and breaking the bell housing in the process (yes I have seen this a few times). The front of the car is very strong where the engine is secured to the suspension and cross member. Its very difficult to massively deform behind the strut tower beyond pulling.

JerryW

The picture below resulted in cutting the frame horns in front of the shock tower and grafting on a new front. We split a parts car between the two of us and didn't even miss a race.

Van - look into this option as the car and frame are very strong. My front end was pushed all the way into the engine. Compare where the lower valance is compared to the rest of the sheet metal. Bumper was left embedded into the other car.

odurandina

sad.

i know it would be a ton of work to do what Tim did. including gutting, installing the roll bars and doing a new sunroof delete, even before getting to the engine swap.... but that step down in power.... after 12 years isn't it safe to say you're a turbo guy? i also forgot to ask, 'is it getting near rebuild time for the engine?'

Van

That engine is/was as strong as an ox. It was rebuilt 8 years ago and still hardly burns any oil and dynos just to spec.

As for my being a turbo guy... well, I might be a turbo guy at heart, but I might also be ready for a change.

When I bought this car 12 years ago, I was a white (intermediate) DE driver, and I wanted the fastest car I could afford. And it really served its purpose for that. But now that I'm into PCA racing, I'm finding that what might be a fantastic DE car isn't a fantastic racing car - if your intent is to keep racing costs manageable, drive in a large and competitive class, and have a more "disposable" car.

I guess the short answer is that my needs have evolved over the years, and while my car also evolved, I might be ready for a clean slate start-over.

Another option that I haven't really thought about yet would be to fix my car, sell it as a complete race car, and then buy a spec 944 that's ready to go.

JerryW

Come to the light ! 944Spec is such close fun racing, you wont regret it. When nobody has power it becomes ALL about the driver's skill.

M758

I started tracking a 944 Turbo S. Fun car, but I have had alot more fun racing my 944 spec despite being down 100 hp. It will take time to get used to being down on hp, but when you get into racing in a group the hp makes little difference. Plus it will be cheaper to operate. Smaller cheaper tires that last a long time, cheaper smaller brake pads and rotors that last a long time, normal pump gas that you use less of and easier maintenance since there is not turbo plumbing to get in the way. All of that will allow you to put your racing budget torward more events per year since each one will be cheaper to operate. Plus in 944 spec you can't spend your way to a win. You have to be a good driver to get the job done.

87944turbo

Sorry to see this Van, and as others have said most important is that you're OK. All the best in whatever route you choose! I have only tracked the turbo a few times, and spec racing is already making A LOT of sense to me.

Van

Yeah, I think Jerry and Joe are on the mark. When I got my turbo, I wanted to be fast in DEs. When I wanted to race, I ended up slowly converting that car. Now the "speed" is less important to me, and the quality of racing is more important.

JerryW

I think Joe meant what I fixed above.

M758