944J

I have a $550 1986 944NA car with koni yellows all around and cross drilled rotors on the front and 18" turbo twists.

Now I would like to know what will be cheaper and get me the car I want, to buy a turbo and modify it to get more HP and work on the body (I want the 968 rear from albertweb.de) or to put that body kit on my NA and build a nice turbo engine in my garage then put it into my car that looks exactly how I want it to look.

Assuming I can get a complete low mileage 1986 turbo engine for around 1,000.

A number of questions come up like:

1) Where can I find the complete list of components I need to make a turbo engine?

2) Are 944 airbags a good thing? If so, why? If not, why?

I'm looking at a 1987 Turbo that is out of state for about $4500 that may need the head gasket replaced. I can do this myself. But then I still want to put the 968 rear end on it or at least take of those rubber black nubbies.

or I can start to buy the parts to make my 944NA the custom car I want- the body kit, and the turbo engine. This way I can do minor work on the engine like a wide-fire head gasket, and buy used headers and exhaust, used computer/wiring, new (or used?) bigger and faster turbo, bigger intercooler (used again.)

this is how I've added up the prices so far

1987 Turbo
$4500 - car price
$250 - pre purchase inspection ( the car is not in so cal)
$300-$1000 - ship the car to so cal
$2500 - horsepower package from somewhere (bigger turbo, misc upgrades)
$1500 - 968 rear end shipped from albert web and paint on it
$600 - for the 968 lights
----------------
$9550
this car has ABS and airbags

my 1986 NA
$550 car with new koni yellows and drilled rotors from my dads car fire
$1500 for the 968 body kit shipped to me (front and rear)
$800 for the 968 lights front and rear (used)
$2000 for paint
$1000 for engine
x? for the remaining parts to make the engine a working turbo engine
y? for any other parts I might want to make the car exactly how I like it
------------------
$5850 plus x and y
this way I get the body kit I want and probably a more powerful turbo engine, things missing are break upgrades although I allready have cross drilled rotors on the front and transmission and drive line issues

can anyone give me their opinions on how much in used parts I will need to build a turbo engine (x and y)?

keep in mind I'm not racing this thing, its just a fun project...

thanks....

Water944t

While I am certainly a big fan of projects, it is a little more involved than just slapping an engine into the chassis. Oh, and good luck with that 'low mile turbo engine for $1000'.

944J

I've seen that picture, but I have $5000 to buy it all at used prices.

My shocks are allready very good, brand new koni yellows all around.

And any 944 Turbo engine will be used as well. So I don't see a difference in buying a used in that is in a car to buying one that is outside of a car. Both are used...

I'm just wondering what the actual parts are (not transmission and brakes, but engine stuff) needed to do a turbo.

Does anyone have a list?

Oddjob

Buy a turbo.

Not sure where you can find a complete low miles turbo engine for $1k, expect more like 2.5-3k for complete and excellent condition. And that probably wont include the wiring harness and DME/KLR brain boxes.

Other major (meaning expensive to upgrade) differences are the brakes (w/ front spindles) and the transmission. If youre looking at a modified turbo powerplant, a plain 944 gear box will be short lived and youll want the larger brakes.

No way that I can think of to build/create a 944 turbo cheaper than buying one.

Peckster

Check the archives for the many threads on the subject, it comes up every couple of months. Many have asked about it but no one's done it and reported the results.

But don't let that stop you, I'm waiting for someone to try it!

BTW, Water944T was saying that you won't find a good engine for $1,000.

944J

what is a brake with a "front spindle?"

still looking for a list of all the parts needed

here's what I have:

1) engine from oil pan to the cam tower (no intake or headers or turbo or wires)
2) intake
3) headers
4) turbo
5) exhaust
6) injectors and fuel rail
7) ignition wires and distributor
8) DME/KLR (what does this stand for?)

and what else?

944J

I have a turbo engine for $1k that just needs oil seals... with ~50k miles on it...

944J

and the guys from norway have reported on this site how they put a 968 Turbo into a 944 (pre 86) body... they just didnt display the parts list...

Ag951

I agree with Water944T. Especially about finding a good low mileage 951 engine for $1k. Where is that "out of state" turbo? Just ask somebody on rennlist to take it for the PPI. (If it's in Phoenix, I'll take it to Technodyne or eXotic or Powerhaus for you.) Then if it's somewhere west of the Mississippi, fly out (Southwest will sell you a one-way ticket for under $100), and drive it back.
I'm surprised you can't find anything in LA or SD. When I was looking, I found most of my leads over there.

Where are you getting 968 lights for $800? I would love 968 style headlights!

Peckster

What's the link?

MM951

I know what hes talkin abuot, if I can find hte site, I'll post it!

944J

they did a really powerful transplant into an old 944, the car looks great and is like 600HP.

I'm still looking for someone who knows about this and has a parts list.

944J

talking about the lights to fill out the 968 body kit from albertweb.de

http://www.albertweb.de/Porsche/Karo...erHecklook.htm

I would be just getting the bumpers then getting used lights from a junk yard here to save on shipping costs.

If I dont do the body kit then I save about 2,000-3,000 and have about $8k to spend on building the turbo motor and will still come out cheaper than buying a turbo. Unless I'm really off about the price of parts for the turbo engine.

Water944t

Based on phrases like, I would highly suggest that you BUY a turbo. You may be mechanically inclined, and have a lot of faith in your shade-tree abilities...but you are a long way from the knowledge you will need to try to pull this off. It is, at best, an iffy proposition to do this anyways, since there are a lot of sub-systems that must be addressed to make a NA car turbocharged.

It seems that every kid with a need for speed wants to re-invent the wheel with these poor cars...Porsche did have a bit of a clue when they created these cars, they are excellent examples of design and engineering capability. Years of race experience went into the design of both cars, and while technology and creativity have found ways to improve upon them, an A+ certificate doesnt mean that you are ready for Stuttgart.

You said that you have seen that picture before, but I suspect you haven't actually looked at it, nor have you read the print. The key phrase in the ad is:

But since you seem to be a bit of a bull in a china closet (not that this is automatically a bad thing), I wish you all the luck in the world. Some people can learn from the experiences of others, some need to try **** for themselves.

And as one final note, let's assume that at some point in the future you want to sell this hypothetical car. With my 10+ years of auto sales experience I can tell you this next thing with 100% certainty. A NA car converted to a turbo is worth absolutely nothing. Really. You would be better off with a salvage title turbo than an abortion like a turbo swap. No dealer would touch it, and only a fool would buy it.

Carpe Diem

Tom

The difference between an engine out of a car and an engine in ther car is that you may be able to verify the engine in the car actually runs. Also it is more likely to have all the little overlooked bits.

Beyond the fact that it is questionable whether it actually would cost less to convert vs getting a turbo, if you get a running turbo even if it needs some TLC you can use it right away. Trying to reinvent the turbo seems like a project whose time span may be measured in years, especially as if you had the budget to do the job reasonably quickly, you wouldn't have to do it at all.