944Play

I believe the lights in the Euro bumper are driving lights.

tifosiman

Driving, fog, whatever. I didn't mean to be so specific. Sorry.

Tifo

944Play

It's 3am, I'm just being **** for the hell of it.

tifosiman

Man go to bed! It's 6:15am here, I just got up.

He said "****".........he.....hehe...........hehehehehehe.

Tifo

Manning

I think they actually call them supplimental high beams, whatever that means

ilikemy944

The vin # would start with WP0A if it were US spec... right?
and something else if it weren't... right?

Peckster

A neighbor of mine has a 944 track car running a stock engine, trick paint job and a ton of suspension upgrades. He is very, very fast on the track, I think it's a real classy car.

Fishguy

okay


so...
yeah
um i guess there is hope as to its origin?

ok, ill have my dad look at the VIN next time I call home ( I just moved into teh Dorms yesterday

i looked online, and found what it needs to be to be either... i wonder if i can give the original owner a call...


i dunno

so... what should i upgrade then? or what specifically should i have changed to make sure my car is in top shape? and what is a good DME chip to get? Powerchips seem good, but costly, so yeah...

944Play

www.frwilk.com

Fishguy

ok, mystery solved, its the US spec one

I got the VIN (good idea to post it on a public forum?)

and I have WPOAA0 = Us spec

oh well

ok then, What would you guys do with this mint 1984 944 ?
id need some new stuff (like timing belt, i guess)


though (please be very specific) what are a few good basic starter modifications (brakes, suspension, engine, anything)

that would only cost me, say $800? and be the best way to start turning this into a good autocrosser?

Fishguy

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2430214407


how about one of these for some more pull?

tifosiman

Don't even mess with that.

If you are working on a budget, don't start down that path or you will f-up your nice example of a good German canyon-carver. I would start by making sure the car is in good working order (T-belts, Balance belts, rollers, H20 pump, plug wires, plugs) and change out the oil, brake fluid, brake pads, and air filter. This will more than likely put you over your initial $800 budget.

After that, when you get some more money, start spending money on getting the suspension up to snuff. Replace the shocks and struts, as they are probably dead from age. Get some Koni yellows, they are an established, well-accepted way to go. Then check thw sway bar bushings in the front, they are probably shot, especially on the passenger side. You can get the shocks anad bushings from Paragon. Crawl underneath and look to see if you have a rear sway bar, as a suprising number of 944 non-turbo cars were spec'd without them (mine initially was). If you don't have one, get one, along with the bushings and drop link kit to mount it. Ian at 944online will have all of those parts in good used condition.

Then, go do some autocrosses for a season or so with the car in this format. You will learn to appreciate how well these cars handle in well-tuned, stock form. Once you feel that you have fully mastered the car in that state, and are willing to be bumped up a class in auto-x, then look into upgrading:

Front springs
Torsion bars
Sways
brakes

At that point, the car will be able to keep up with cars that have 100HP more in the twisties.

It's important to keep in mind that during all of this, it would be a good idea to save some money and put it aside as a reserve in case something bad happens (clutch, trans, etc.). The worst thing would be to have something break and find yourself staring at the car in your driveway for months while you wait for the cash to fix it.

This forum is a wealth of info, feel free to ask more questions and we will all do our best to help.

Oh, and don't feel bad that your car isn't a "euro". In my mind, all of them are..........



Tifo

Fishguy

yeah, i was only kidding about that 3 liter,
but it would be pretty cool, despite being horribly, horribly expensive and impractical, (to say the least)

Thanks for all your help! thats some good info


though my plan for upgrade is a bit every summer, so i might be able to put in 500-1000 every summer for the next 3-4 years (while im at college, which is rather cheap actually, thanks to my
$11,000 scholarship )

yeah, I did change the oil, and add some coolant treatment to the car before i left to make sure it would be ok while it sat for 8 months or so (im going back to wash, wax, infalte, block up (only slightly, to lower pressure on tires) and cover properly before winter comes (ie middle of october)
the brake fluid was all replaced this summer, when i had my clutch slave cylinder replaced ($400 repair for a $70 part... time to pick up a wrench, eh?)

the PO did get new brake calipers (and i think new pads) right before he sold it to me, (3 months ago)

so the list of things to get back to good shape include timing belts, balance belts, "rollers" (?), new water pump, plug wires and plugs ( i think im getting some for my Birthday, actually ) and a K&N air filter (for my B-day as well, methinks)
Though i have a leaky seal somewhere that causes oil to leak onto the exhaust manifold (very slow leak, oil shows nice and full consistantly) and get very smokey - I guess when i get that fixed is a good time to have the water pump installed and the belts changed, huh?
I am going to change the oil when i get back for the summer (i've heard great thigns about Mobil 1 - that worth it?)

Anything else i should worry about in an 18 year old car to get it to top shape?

and why would the water pump need changing now?

I actually have a front sway bar?!? what do those do? (i hear stiffen suspension to reduce body roll, but how?)


oh and what about tires? i have some Dunlop Super sport D4's (i think thats what it says) with some decent tread left, will these do me well for awhile?

oh and whats a good manual to use for home fixing?


thanks again for all the help, i think i know what all parts to be hunting down over the semesters!

tifosiman

The leak you are talking about is probably the cam tower seal. The "rollers" are changed when the belts are changed. They wear out with the belt (like the gears and chain on a bicycle that wear at similar rates).

When you are in there changing the timing belt and associated items, it is usually one of those "ounce of prevention" things to go ahead and change the water pump, especially if there is no receipt in your records of it being updated.

I would recommend against Mobil One unless you are planning on getting all of your seals replaced. I switched my car to it at 71K miles, and 1K miles later the fine-grade oil found every leak in my seals. I replaced all of them. Many Rennlisters will share a similar story. It's good stuff, and I am happy I switched to it, but it cost me some $$$ in seals. Think about that before you switch.

Your tires should do fine.

If you do get a K&N, get the filter that fits in your stock airbox.

Haynes makes a fairly good manual that helps with most things that you can do at home. I think even Autozone and Pepboys stock it.

Good luck!

Tifo

kwh29

Word from Mobil is that the too slippery oil leaking out of old seals was a problem with their formula about 5+ years ago, but not any more. When did you do the switch to Mobil1, tifosi? In my experience, using Mobil 1 exclusively in 5 cars over the last 7 years, I've had zero leakage problems and noticed improved gas mileage(documented! About .5mpg improvement.) , in addition to smoother running and easier winter cranking with the Mobil oil.

Any other full synthetic _should_ give you the same benefits but I'm partial to Mobil1 and don't want to switch without good reason.

Look at the Physics of racing series (google is your friend) for a lot of good info about how suspensions work.

--Kevin H.