mazdaverx7

Yesterday I worked out a trade deal with a buddy and acquired his neglected Copenhagen Blue 84 delete car. The car has less than 70k original miles but has been un into the ground over the last couple of years. The car has been neglected, vandalized, abused, and unloved. The car has a nice list of options making it very desirable to me. Not too often you find a sunroof/rear wiper delete car with an M456 suspension package up this way. The car is extremely clean with no rust. First order of business is to replace the belts and re-seal the leaky cam box. Engine temps are at 3/4 on the gauge during normal running and driving. Got some diagnosing to do there but the good news is that the car does have the updated turbo style water pump. I also plan to remove the stripes and buff the paint and get the interior back to a normal and non neglected state. Its the worst 944 interior in a car I have owned. I will get it all taken care of. Here are a few pics to start off:









Raised hub steering wheel?:

odurandina

it's a kit shell. run the toy motor for a time if it still works.... but long term,

save that thing.... gut, pimp... and install the nearest GM V8 you can find.

no filibustering. once done, post the glory pics, 190mph videos, etc.

Kerry Chadderton

Personally I love projects like this. I call them "polishing the turd" projects. I get a great deal of satisfaction returning them to presentable condition. In the last 18 months I've completed a 1979 280zx and I just bought a 1973 VW Beetle for $400.

Keep us posted!

laneskelton

Looks like another fun project. I look forward to seeing where this one goes. When I was a kid, my dad had a grey market 1984 with sunroof and rear wiper delete...always loved that car and wish I had it today.

odurandina

you posted a lot of truth there.... as there's a lot of petrified turd surrounding the lower blocks–

[which keep on in (relatively) unspoiled condition 30 years out from the factory].

but you also have to be very careful when choosing exactly where to risk your limited funds in a project car.....

there's a lot of complexity with these 944s and a lot of upside down car left over once the petrified turd–

(concealing the jewel beneath) is scraped away.....

and if the short block ends up worse than you'd hoped, we should be reminded of the long, sordid history

of hundreds of failed rebuilds that came before – archived on this forum....

and a lot wasted money and effort – all for a hundred and fifty or so horsepowers....

the simplest solution would be to have a suitable crate engine from Volkswagon Group/Porsche available for purchase...

but we're actually, a lot closer to solving the JFK assassination.
https://rennlist.com/forums/politics...t-78-a-26.html

mazdaverx7

Its not going to get a V8, lol. The engine runs excellent and I am happy to preserve the car in its original form. The long term goal is to bring the car back to its former glory. Mechanically it needs very little. The suspension is tight, the engine runs perfectly, the trans and clutch are great, no torque tube noise. Needs an alignment and tires. Guy before me smacked a curb and bent the right front control arm. Luckily it was replaced.

Tiger03447

Reminds me of when I started on mine, some 20months ago...only mine didn't run had broken balance shaft belt and trashed belt boxes....and had been sitting for at least 8 years...P.O. had run it straight into the ground..but it was about 99% complete, so I started working on it..Hope to get it back on the road by next November or sooner...Tiger03447

Turbodan

love the drink holder

odurandina

on second thought, get one with a late dash that can at least throw some AC/heat your way.

the only place you can run an old dash is San Diego County under the blessed marine layer.

Voith

Nice car, needs some TLC and def. new seats.. This one looks like somebody farted a nuke in to it.

joeystanker

Best of luck to you Mazda.
She's in good hands.

Spidey944

Post of the week right there! Brilliant idea, why didn't I think of it??

Dino V

Nice save and looking forward to seeing you work your magic.
LOL at the cup holder, didn't see it until everyone mentioned it.

mazdaverx7

I have the ignition lock assembly out currently. Working on issues with the ignition cylinder being loose inside of the housing causing a no start issue.

I'll post more pics in a little bit

mazdaverx7

Got the car pulled in the garage today and fixed the ignition switch and got the wheels cleaned up. Going to slowly start bring this one back to life. Here are some pics form today:



Engine is filthy for now but tomorrow it will be cleaned:



When cleaning the wheels I noticed that the lug nuts were all loose on the left front wheel. No wonder it was sticking out so far. I Tightened one and saw how loose they actually were: