David Ray

My thoughts (after a great deal of research) based on a '88 na:

1. 944 NA or Turbo: Car inside is basically the same (where you sit 99% of the time when you drive).
2. Front end cosmetics: doesn't matter when at speed.
3. Rear end cosmetics: ditto (I’ve been on fast tracks, riding in both na’s and turbos, and I can’t see any advantage)
4. Brakes/suspension: who ever keeps it as purchased? Everybody changes something: pads, shocks, diff, springs, sway bars, torqs tubes, etc. or they’re a purest.
5. Replacing the engine; don’t worry about smog or other – it ain’t gonna pass. Look for waivers, loopholes. No sense in messing up a conversion with SMOG stuff.
6. Be patient, nothing good happens quickly.
7. Remember a 951 is a 2.5 – why limit yourself to a SMALL displacement - 3.2’s are available netting comfortably 400+ ponies somewhere.

In conclusion I know my 944 na inside and out, great handling, great looks, incredible stereo, a new engine a new life (whether it’s a tubo or NA) Counter; I know nothing of the 951 I pick up off of Ebay or Rennlist at $8K. Think about it.

nine-44

I definately hear you there! That's how I feel, I know how tight every bolt is, and I like it that way!

tifosiman

Here is the link for the early 944 that was converted to a 968 turbo.

http://www.diateam.no/porsche/

This has been one of my favorite bookmarks over the last few years to watch their progress. At one place on the website, they explain that the reason they did the swap was that newer, higher HP cars cost a lot in taxes and that this was a cheaper and better way to go about getting what they wanted. They definetly are doing a nice job.

Tifo

944J

funny how they don't talk about how the turbo conversion actually drives or have dyno results for it? or do they?

tifosiman

There are dyno results on there. With that much HP, and the suspension and brake mods, I can guess how it drives............

Tifo

josephsc

Wow, now that's a pretty car -- love the Carrera GTS front, brings a little of the 924 into the picture. Can wait to see dyno result after the turboconversion, though. I find it inspirational since I'm in the process of getting a 968 engine swap. But this is more like taking a 968 and swapping the body!

Ag951

I've seen kits like these before. I was hoping they'd have a kit for the headlights. I think it'd be cool to have a 968 or 928 style hood and headlights.

944J

wouldnt you be able to just put 968 headlights into the 944 straight in?

nine-44

No, the nose, hood, fenders are all different along with plenty of unseen parts too.

Water944t

And after reading up on that car, it is a long way from what you are talking about. And they still havent finished the turbo conversion yet. The dyno sheet says it is from the 968 it came out of, not even the conversion car.

mmmbeer

Hi!
It is interessting to see that you guys are discussing our 944. Ill try to set a few things straigth.

The turboconversion itself is finished and the engine is running very well. We are currently running stock motronic and injectors with 0.3 bar boost pressure. The plan is to mount a Haltech stand alone system and larger injectors soon. That will make it possible to run 1-1.3 bar boost and theoretically around 500 flywheel HP.

The dynosheet on the web page is from the 968 engine as it is written below it. What difference does it make which car the engine was in? The engine was dynoed while in the 944 before we started turboconverting it.

The car runs great as it is now with plenty of power even at such low boost. The reason why we are not in such a hurry to get the Haltech mounted and tuned is among other things that the 968CS got priority since we are turbocharging it as well and we were hoping to get it ready for the seasons last race events.

If you have any questions about the cars or about the turboconversions just email me at mmmbeer@sensewave.com

Regards:
Eirik Kvello-Aune
www.diateam.no/porsche

Water944t

I never said it made any difference, I just wanted to clarify what some others had been saying. It seemed to be misunderstood that the dyno was from the converted car. I would also like to point out that the dyno certainly doesn't reflect the addition of a turbo. All you have is that it 'should' make X amount of power. (400-500HP I think you were guessing? I am a not a bit surprised that a turbo made that kind of power, although I would like to know why you went with 53lb injectors rather than a higher flow. Do you find that you are running out of your rated capacity at high RPM?)

It seems like a cool project, but like I said before, probably way outside of what 944J is prepared to get into. This certainly doesn't look like a project for the unwary, or unskilled. There was a lot of fabrication involved in the write up you guys have on your site, and it seems that you are pretty highly skilled at wrenching these cars.

Would you mind posting a rough estimate on your out-of-pocket expenses to create the 944/968T? That might help 944J in his decision making regarding the attempt to convert his 944 to a 944T.

944J

yep, I wouldnt do a s2 or 968 engine, I'd do a 86 951 so it allready had forged internals and maybe put a 944S head on it...

I'm also trying to figure out if airbags and antilock breaks are that important (should I get an 86' 951 or a 87 or later 951)?

mmmbeer

We were aiming on as small injectors as possible to not get trouble with the idle. These injectors should be large enough to make 500+ HP. Atleast combined with the asjustable fuel pressure regulator.

Such a project requires a lot of special work and unforseen problems/solutions. It is not bolt on fun.

The difference beteween a turboconverted 968 engine and a 951 engine is the larger bore and stroke making it a 3.0L contra the 951 2.5L. But the greatest improvement is in the 16valve variocam head. It flows a lot more air at high rpm and it has two different cam settings to give optimal cam timing for both medium rpm torque AND high end HP. The best of both worlds. Some might say that the variocam is not suited for a turbo application, but that is something I never have been able to make sense. As the valve overlap is not affected by the different cam settings.

Anti lock brakes are nice, but only the 86 has forged rods. I dont remember if the 944S head combined with the 951 block give a useable compression ratio, but if it don't you have to get shorter aftermarket rods to get the compression right. Or you can mill down the combustion chambers.

Crippler

After converting my 84 to a turbo I would reccomend just buying a 951, not that I regret doing it. It is just more cost effective to get a 951 IMO.