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Awesome thread - was doing something similar to my 944 Turbo but didn't go into as much effort as you with the engine rebuild..... yet!
Good usage of the home / diy blast cabinet - I may even have to purchase one of those (and a compressor) at some stage, and I've also added another job to my list to modify the gear selector linkage as you have done.
Been a while since I updated this thread. I had to replace my oil cooler gasket since it had a pesky leak and I also replaced my steering shaft to get rid of that 60-80 mph steering wobble.
I've been enjoying driving the car over the summer and have taken it to two SCCA autocrosses and one HPDE at Road America. I don't have any good pictures from the autocrosses but I have some pretty good shots from the DE that I thought I'd share. Enjoy!
Last edited by JRP944; 07-02-2021 at 09:20 AM.
Reason: Adding title
So I guess the first update is actually a location change (again) for me and the Mrs. We left Wisconsin and moved back to Pennsylvania in late September. It just gets too damn cold in Wisco in the winter and we were missing being closer to family and being in Philly. Being back in Philly is good and bad - Good because it has all the things we like; Bad because it's much more expensive than Sheboygan, WI and I don't have anywhere in the city to keep the 944. However, I now get to use my father-in-law's shop again (he has a lift!) so I suppose it all works out in the end.
The first order of business was to ditch the Wisco tag and get a PA antique tag. I decided to go antique so I never have to renew registration again, never have the car inspected and never go thru emissions testing.
I finally replaced my rear shocks with Koni adjustables to match the front struts I replaced a few years ago. The old shocks had no damping qualities left - when compressed they just stayed in their compressed positions unless I manually extended them. Guess that makes sense for being almost 34 years old. No leaks though! For now I have the fronts and rears set at half-stiff.
Earlier in the month I picked up some 16x7 and 16x8 phone dials from fellow Rennlister Jeremy. I need to clean them up a bit and paint the center caps before getting tires for them. This will be a much-needed improvement for HPDEs and auto crosses so I can run better, stickier tires compared to the hard as rock all-seasons I'm running on the 15x7s currently. I'm thinking RE-71Rs but we'll see how I feel in the spring.
Looks like I need to finally replace my radiator this season. I sprung a leak in late 2018 on the driver's side where the plastic end cap meets the core. I used that radiator putty stuff from NAPA thinking it would probably never work, but it made it thru all of 2019, including two auto crosses and a DE before finally starting to leak again in November. I'm thinking a stock replacement should do the trick since the last one worked for 34 years.
I also plan to upgrade the brakes in 2020. Daily driving a BMW 325xi and participating in the DE this year made me realize how crappy the current 944 brakes are. Some new rotors, Hawk pads and stainless steel brake lines should do the trick to improve the pedal feel and give it some more bite. New front wheel bearings are in order too as mine are finally starting to get a little loose.
That's it for now. Happy new year everyone!
Justin
Last edited by JRP944; 07-02-2021 at 09:19 AM.
Reason: Adding title
Radiator replacement time. Picked up a nice NRF unit from AutohausAZ for $300. Hopefully this one will last another 34 years.
Since I was partially draining the cooling system, I figured this would be a good time to replace the yellowed expansion tank with a nice, new, white OEM one. Hoses are all still good from when I replaced them in 2018 during the motor installation.
Hopefully this year I'll be able to get some new tires for the 16 inch phone dials and redo the braking system before 944 Fest in September. After 132k miles on my 325xi, the suspension is shot so I guess I have to tackle that next since I drive the car 80 miles per day.
Cheers!
Last edited by JRP944; 07-02-2021 at 09:20 AM.
Reason: Adding title
Love this thread Justin! I am just outside Chicago and picked up a slightly rough 951. I have been getting it back to running condition bit by bit. This has renewed my restoration bug!
Nice work Justin, did spray your wheels with Wurth silver/clear? -they look great!
Thanks! Yes, I had them sand blasted to remove all the old paint, then I used the Wurth primer, paint and clear coat. If you scroll back through the thread you'll see some pics and additional info.
Warning: Not 944 content, but still Porsche content.
During quarantine I built the 911 RSR Lego kit and it's super cool so I thought I'd share. I always wanted the GT3RS but never pulled the trigger when they were more readily available. You're never too old for Legos!
Hope everyone is staying safe and finding some time to do cool car-related things.
Justin
Last edited by JRP944; 07-02-2021 at 09:19 AM.
Reason: Adding title
Any thoughts about putting in stock air intake instead of the CAI? From everything that I have seen, those end up losing HP since you are really ingesting hot under hood air. Everything else looks really nice. I hope to get started in a year or two on redoing my 1987 Ocean Blue NA. Right now, working on the 968, as that is what has become the new DD.
Any thoughts about putting in stock air intake instead of the CAI? From everything that I have seen, those end up losing HP since you are really ingesting hot under hood air.
I really don't like the look of the stock air box and I like the sound of the open intake. It makes a slow car feel faster.
When I refreshed the motor, I eliminated the emissions control stuff, the venturi, some extra hoses and the air box. The plan was to either make a heat shield for the current filter set up or extend the intake tube toward the driver's side headlight so it's pulling cooler air like the stock intake box. I just haven't gotten around to it at this point.
05-14-2019, 10:22 AM
