Tfvesquire

Please allow me to introduce myself to the Forum and my first Porsche purchase/project. I am picking up a 1985 944S that needs a lot of love. My son will be 15 in June and getting his DL permit so I asked him if he would be interested in doing a project with me to find, repair and maintain his first car. He said he was very interested and had a few vehicles in mind. He definitely has to have a manual. He wasn't too focused on engine size, HP numbers or top speed, but appears to be fixated on styling for now. He likes the 944 body style especially the wide body look of the fenders and quarters.

I found this project and inspected it twice. The first time I only had enough time to see the glaring issues: doesn't run, seller claims he did certain repairs himself (timing belt, radiator and water pump, injectors, fuel pump) and some body damage whaling with several missing parts. Oh did I forget to mention "some" rust along both rockers?

After my first inspection I compiled a list of myself needed parts, rare parts to locate, and "would be fine to have" parts and started searching online to get some range of prices. I determined the vehicle can be saved so I focused on the main missing or damaged parts.

Next I was able to run a vehicle search on it to make sure I was not dealing with any hidden title issues or evidence of salvage etc. That checked out fine along with the last recorded mileage. I have a hunch the odometer gear is stripped out at some point but once I actually get the guage cluster out I can do a closer inspection and bench test.

Second Inspection was this past Sat. Definitely has more rust than I noticed before but nothing structural especially in the front and rear suspension or along main seating area. Made a reasonable offer and he accepted. I'll arrange to pick it up in two weeks.

s all I have time to post for now. Ill uodate this thread as time permits.

Ted V.

Zirconocene

Please post pictures when you get it, it's always great to see folks' cars.

If you haven't already found Clark's Garage, do yourself a favor and start reading it.

Plan on some new fuel hoses for the engine bay, I imagine what's there will be a fire hazard if you get the car running.

Good luck, this sounds like a fantastic project to take on with your son. It's like pulling teeth to get my own son to help me with his car...

Cheers

Petza914

Awesome and good luck.

My son and I are doing a bunch of stuff to his S2 this week while he's on spring break - new head unit with BT, remote door locks and trunk release, auto-dimming mirror, Lutz boards and trim rings in his gauge cluster, new clock, clean up battery tray, new lighted shift **** with boot, etc.

Great father / son time and he'll love the 944 once sorted, especially it being a manual.

Tony5

I'm hardly an encyclopedia of 944 knowledge, but if I remember correctly there was no 944S in 1985.

Tfvesquire

Hi Tony:

I am still getting to know the various models and options available for the 1985 which apparently went thru a change mid production and there are 1985.5 models that have several differences from this vehicle.

When I performed the vehicle history search and put in the VIN it came up as a 944S. I don't know the importance of the "S" designation unless it deals with the engine HP and suspension package. I am not trying to restore this vehicle to concourse condition, but am trying to sort out what options it had and what things need to be addressed to make them function.

I'm picking up the vehicle tomorrow and then I'll post photos and more info.

Ted

Petza914

944 S and 944 S2 have 16 valve engines. The others are 8v, so very different. If you cam cover is flat and wide, then it's a 16v. If it's more like a boxy rectangle it's an 8v.

(I also have 2nd one of these refinished cam covers for sale as I bought a 928 set - it's the same silver, but letters aren't painted)


16v Cam Cover



8v engines have a cam cover that looks like this (half a 928 engine)

Tony5

Well make sure you find out the model and year before purchase. The value of an S is different enough from a base car that if you pay for one and get the other you could be getting a very good or very bad deal. As posted above, the main difference is the twin cam head and I believe 190hp. If memory serves the S models didn't arrive till 87 though.

Tfvesquire

This car has been thru a tough life. The good news is no accidents.

Cols airvintake sucking in hot engine air?? Seriously?

The rear bumper looks like it was pushed from the rear to move it around. No evidence of being in a rear end crash.

Someone screwed on the rear bumper impact strips. WTF?

Still has the original seats but notice anything significant missing in this photo. I totally missed during inspection....

Hey, at least it has a Pioneer CD player. Who need climate control anyway. Plus it came with factory AC.
Hi All.

I picked up his car Sat and trailer it home. As i followed the trailer to my house, for a minute or two i wondered if i had purchased a project that required too much $$ to get it right. Then i went back to realizing not only was I able to find and purchase the car that my son had his heart set on, but I have the ability to restore this car on a reasonable budget with him.

Back to reality. Here are a bunch of photos I took before we loaded it:


I think my photos were loaded before my text about but you get the idea.

Here are some more photos after I got it home and wiped it down:

Tfvesquire

After light wipe down. Car has a hole in the cowl under battery tray so full hand car wash was not an option.

Panels align pefectly showing no prior crashes. Hood release cable needs replacing so hood is popped for now.

Needs lots of love.

My son originally wanted to change the wheels tp the cookie cutters but now wants to source centercaps and restore these phone dials. Go figure.

My son loves the widebody look of the fenders and quarters.

This thing has spent years baking in the sun.
Here you go.

Tfvesquire

Tony. To confirm, this vehicle is not a 16 valve but stock online 4. So it's definitely a 944 base model. It does have a ton of power features that I can identify right off the bat. The rest I will have to figure out because there are a bunch of missing switches in the center console.

Power options:

1. Windows
2. Sunroof
3. Rear hatch release
4. Driver seat
5. Steering
6. Brakes
7. Mirrors

I dont know if it also has power mirror tilt, etc. Because there are four missing switches in the console. I'll have to remove console to see what wires are tucked away underneath everything.

We are going to remove the dash and refinish the cracked dash covering. While the dash harness is completely exposed we will test everything for power and repair any damaged wires. Plus it's a great time to replace any burned out bulbs.

Remember when I posted the first setbof photos above and asked if anyone noticed anything important missing from the interior? Any takers??

Ted

Gage

Horn button?
Power seat controls?
Those are not the original seats btw. They are from a later model year and will have a different restraint anchoring system than that of the early cars.
This is an ambitious project for sure but completely doable and will offer lots of satisfaction along the way.

Gage

Can't go wrong with either phone dials or cookie cutter wheels. The wheels on the car currently are from a late model and not the correct offset for the early car. That's why they appear so recessed from the fender sides. Spacers can be added to position them correctly or find a set of early offset (23mm) wheels which have a deeper dish appearance and imo look better.
Mirror controls will be on the drivers door panel.

Tony5

Horn button is missing? Most obvious thing anyway. As posted above, the dials are the wrong offset for an early car, and power mirror control is on the door under the window switches. The left/right mirror button should be aft of the shifter. As for the missing buttons there, I've never seen a 944 that had all those holes filled with functional buttons. I'm sure somewhere out there a car had every option imaginable and used all the slots, but I've not seen it.

Tfvesquire

Tony5.

I wish. Did you notice the missing turn signal and wiper stalks? I totally missed that when i was inspecting the car. You would never think about something so basic missing that I was focused on the rest of the obvious repairs needed.

I started tracking down the correct turn signal stalk that has the cruise control option. The wiper is pretty standard. I don't have the mounting screws so I might have to purchase everything from a seller with a parts vehicle.

As for the seats, i did not know they are the wrong seats but they look proper and will clean up nicely. I'll find out how they were installed once we gut the interior.

Gage. As for the wheels, is there a part number on the back of them so I can track down the right offset? I wanted to install spacers and then 225s if possible (215s on it right now) but let me know.

Will post more as we go along.

Ted

Gage

The original phone dial would be 7 x 15 x 23.3 with a 215/60r15 tire.
Part number for that wheel is 95136210400.