Cone_eater

I have a large number of concerns and I am sure most if not all have been addressed in other threads, with that being said I apologize for any questions that have been previously been answered...

I am at a time in my life where I can finally start the build I have wanted to do for 5+ years. I want to turn my 88 924S into a full track car. I am not too sure where to start or what to start doing. I need to do a full engine rebuild and begin removing all excess weight.

What process / set ups do you guys recommend?
I am a very inexperienced driver and am not trying to build a record breaking monster. Just a fun hobby for me.

Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance

As the car sets now...

BeerBurner

You say that you are a very inexperienced driver so I have to ask... Have you done track days before? If not, I would recommend simply making sure that the car is up to par and running a couple events, first. This way, you can get a feel for what it is all about before you do it. Plus, stock cars tend to be more forgiving to new drivers than heavily modified cars are.

BB.

xsboost90

there are quite a few blogs out there with step by step builds. I have two race car builds in my sig below, the spec build being the nicer of the two. There are also builds on...

www.944spec.org on the forums/build sections

M758

944 spec level prep is very good race level prep on a budget. It has just enough of basics to make the car feel fast, light and racey, but no too many expensive part that just jack up the costs.

f1rocks

You will hear many times that it is a slippery slope.....I have built three race cars......I got smarter on every one. Some advice from someone who has spent far too much on cars that I never recovered:

The 924/944 is a great platform but it has some limitations. Remember, you are going to have the least amount of horsepower of anyone on the track. Maybe some Miata's will be less but you will be on the lowest end so keep your ego in check and remember learning to drive a slow car fast is something alot of those GT3 drivers will never do. Should you ever be able to move up, you will be a much better driver for it.

First Piece of advice: Decide who you like to race/DE/drive with. And do you build to that. One of the major reasons I race is the friends I have. From Wisconsin to Daytona, Topeka to Watkins Glen, I attend races because these are the people I like to race with. I trust them, laugh with them, get pissed at them, but they are always my friends. They have gotten dirty at the track working on my car and I have on theirs. I have loaned parts to competitors that used them to beat me and its what makes this group of guys so good. Find that group for you before building something where you don't enjoy the company you keep.

Second piece of advice: Keep the engine stock and build the suspension to whatever "class" you are going to target to run. Joe (M758) and I have suspensions that are very limited as to what we can do with them. It controls not only build costs but the operating costs. I can typically get 3 full weekends out of a set of tires and they are competitive from start to cords. If you went to a higher "non spec" class you'll be on Hoosiers and the cost and tire life change dramatically. Spent $12K on a suspension for a Turbo S car, never drove the car to it's capability. Maybe now I could come closer but not 5 years ago when I built it. That car went with the divorce and I couldn't afford the $1200 a weekend tire bill. Went Spec racing and have never regretted it.

Third piece of advice is what Brian says above. Get the car in good sound mechanical shape, engine solid, suspension in good shape, don't have to have all the go fast parts on right away and do some DE weekends. Get comfortable with what the car is doing with mostly stock components and as you start adding the good bits, you will brake deeper, carry more speed, gain confidence of speed and close quarters. Don't make the BS excuse that you need better XXXXX and it will make you faster. At least not in the beginning. Horsepower and big tires mask a lot of drivers faults that they will NEVER fix because they crave the next bump in HP, tires....etc.

Buy a good seat, good belts and a H&N restraint. All of those are needed no matter which direction you go and taking a corner at 1G is a lot easier when you're not bracing so you don't move.

Just a few suggestions from someone who has made a few mistakes and a few good decisions along the way.

Arominus

Get it running, safe and go do some DE's and whatever else you can find that gets you seat time. Don't worry about stripping it out and all that yet, should you decide you don't want to continue on this path you'll still have a running 924S to drive thats decent for the street. Thats the great thing about these cars, they can live dual lives.

Dimi 944

I second that statement.

white924s

what is wrong with the engine at the moment? If you have a fresh timing belt, good compression on all 4 cylinders, and good oil pressure, I would just do a few DE events with it as-is to get a feel for the car. You likely won't strain the engine too much more than highway driving would, and this will give you a good indication of what to do next.

Cone_eater

I have done several autox events. As for seat time, I couldn't agree more.
Currently the engine is in pieces at the moment. I planned on bearings, gaskets, water pump, rollers & belts.
I dont plan on the car being street driven any longer. I was in an accident that changed my mind set. Tracks are there for a reason.

I appreciate all the input. From what I am hearing start slow and do it with friends.

Po924S

I AM SO jelly of your 924S :|

If I find an 88 with flat dish wheels somewhere in NorCal... it's all mine.

thirdgenbird

You want to come back already?

Cone_eater

Lol, thanks man

thirdgenbird

i wish my 924s was that color. i also wish my 1995 bronco was rust free like your f150. (great comb btw)

Cone_eater

Thank you.

jdgunn

HA! i'm glad you're getting it back on the road. I was the guy who drove down from STL a few years ago with a rented dolly but decided I didn't want to buy it. Good luck!