azbanks

Let me know when you will be in town. Give me some advance warning so I can make sure the car is running. I don't want to have to drive the minivan.

azbanks

This thread is silent for a month and a half. You guys need to pick up the pace. Spring is here. Get those projects going.

Alaska Cabrio

This is the second '90 S2 Cabriolet I've owned. First one was the Porsche Linen Gray paint, second is this Baltic Blue.


Bought it in Tennessee, drove it across country using Highway 40 to visit my son in Phoenix.


My daughter flew down with me to help drive it to Phoenix, then she flew back for work.


Everywhere was hot for that time of year, the day we got to Phoenix it was 99 degrees.


A few photos along the way...




Mike

azbanks

Beautiful car Mike!!
I love the color combination.

mhr

Pressure, pressure

Ok

In the last 2 weeks:

1-Changed the front brakes, installed SS brake lines, Fluid flush and bleed.
2-Changed CV boots on the drivers side axel as they were ripped. Rebuilt the CV joints. reinstalled.
3-Installed a weiltmeister short shift kit I had sitting in my garage for about 4 years. With the axel off the access is good so I decided now or never.
4-Installed an LED strip for dash lighting. Had fixed the lighting a few years ago by fixing the reflectors and putting new bulbs but I wanted it brighter. Now its too bright and I have to use the dimmer
5-Installed a 4 port USB with fast charging to charge my phone and to power a cheap Aux to bluetooth device I got on Amazon. Wanted it mostly to listen to music from my phone through bluetooth although the phone function seems to work well also. Got the switched powered for the charger off the heated seat wire that I don't use since I don't have heated seats. All works great/
6-Oil change

Now I'm just waiting for some nice weather. This week in Montreal we had freezing cold and some snow which is unusual for April so it a bit of a bummer.

Cheers

Mark

azbanks

Now that's more like it.

Do you have any details or pictures of the LED lights for the dash? That sounds like a project I would like to do. I think that makes it project number 283 on the list of current/pending projects.

Jon951

Mark, pretty impressive and dedicated for Montreal, one of the most beautiful cities in North America. You've guilted me into sharing my list, not because the car is so great but because it needed to be done. This is my first convertible a 1990 944S2 cabriolet and I bought a fairly rough example that had a nice paint job but apparently whoever put it back together (not the PO) had not kept all the pieces and did a quick and dirty job...

This is a partial list
Odometer reset button
Driving Lights (European)
Electric door Locks
Aluminum under tray
Electric trunk release
Oil pressure gauge
Backseat position top down release
Require 3rd brake light
Overheating - 2nd fan on
aim windshield washers
Refinish wheels
Battery tray
New shocks struts & springs yellow Koni adj
New leather on driver sport seat
Align headlights
Under brace from Brey Krause
Strut tower brace
Powder coat calipers
New brake pads
New tires
Alignment
Replace 951 trans with S2 lsd
Find and install rubber plugs covering B pillar cuts
New Battery
Industrial strength car cover
Solar battery charger with float
Original tool set
Original air compressor
Original owners manual
Fire extinguisher
Jumper cables
Spare DME relay
LED dash lights
Door handle seal
Reattach rear view mirror
New speakers (10)
Fiberglass inside door cards to better hold window controls
Suede wrap speaker boxes in lower part of doors and add new grill
Widow lifts
Replace steering rack
Blend door controls
Recharge air conditioning
Oil change
Complete brake fluid change
Transaxle oil change
(Air in the tires did not need to be changed because the new tires came with nitrogen)
New steering wheel
New leather glove box door
New leather console box cover and hinge
New wiring harness for euro driving lights

My other cars are 951s so the handling on this car felt like it had all the torsional rigidity of a flying carpet even with double floor pans. The strut brace and the under brace helped tremendously. It is a totally different driving experience from the 951s, and with the S2 transmission, one that I very much enjoy!

The doors are difficult to close with the top down and the cover snapped in place. I've had the door hinges adjusted and still have problems. Any suggestions?

When you put your top down and the cover over the retracted top do you put that cover behind the back seats?

Does anyone use the automated top actuation?

Thanks for your help and I hope you're enjoying your cabriolet as much as I'm enjoying mine!

azbanks

That is a great list. Welcome to the S2 Cab club. We need pics!


I don't use the automated top actuator because if the two side motors get out of sync, it can break the bows. The bows are hard to find and expensive. I'd rather take the 12 seconds(+or -) to move the top manually.

I don't put the cover behind the rear seats. It flaps a little in the wind but it's behind me so I don't notice.

Putting the cover on does not effect the door closing on mine at all. I do have a cover made by a custom shop(not factory) and it doesn't fit particularly well.

mhr

Quite easy I got a 12v led light strip from amazon:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/r.html?C=1E...290_TE_3p_dp_1

-Remove the vent bezel
-I wired the led strip into the wires for the small bulb that sits at the top middle of the vents. Easy access and it dims with the dash dimmer.
-Unscrewed and pulled out the cluster not totally but enough to flip it so I could gain access to the bottom where the reflectors are. Unfortunately I had to disconnect the cluster wires to do this and they are a PITA to disconnect and connect.
-I had already removed the old reflective paint years ago and replaced it with some reflective Mylar the first time I "fixed" this so I cut a strip out of the Mylar tape about equivalent to the width of the LED strip across all 3 of the reflectors. If you still have the old reflective paint use some nailpolish remover to remove a strip of it across the 3 pods (you will see what I mean when you have the cluster out. I then taped the LED strip up to the cluster with some aluminum vent tape.
-Put it all back together

VOILA

Only problem I have now is that the brightness shows off the 25 years of dust on the inside of the cluster glass.

Also the other dash bulbs around the HVAC etc look way too dim now that the cluster is so bright so I will probably find some LED bubs to replace them as well.

Hope this helps here is a picture of the results this is not dimmed. I generally dim it a bit. Sorry no idea when the picture is upsidown.

Mark

mhr

Welcome! your a lucky man I would love to also have a 951 but havent been able to pull it off.

Funny I have the opposite problem with my doors. They are harder to close and open with the roof up. I have tried to play with the hinges latch and the seals around the roof but I havent got it to where the doors close nicely without effort. As a result the handles are also really hard to pull when the roof is up.

Reality is I mostly use the car in fair weather with the roof down so it doesn't bug me that much.

I am interested in the under brace. was it hard to install? any downside?

regards

Mark

Jon951

It took less than an hour to install and along with a strut tower brace, made a huge difference in the handling.

From Brey Kraus:
R-1524 Front Cross Brace for 944 and 968

For 944, 968
MSRP: $362.25

BK Part Number: R-1524

This cross brace bolts between the rearmost mounting points of the front control arms. It resists deflection of the chassis at those points, which can occur under heavy braking and cornering. The R-1524 was designed with obsessive attention to minimizing weight. Precision waterjet machining allows for an intricate structure, providing superior stiffness at an exceptionally light weight.

NOTE: If using late-model 968 or aftermarket caster blocks, special-order end brackets are necessary.

Material: 6061 T-6 aluminum skeleton, 304 stainless steel mount brackets
Finish: Anodized aluminum
Weight: 2.6 lbs
Models: Porsche 944 (1985 ½ -1992), 968
Installation: Bolts to rear bushing housings of front control arms
Miscellaneous: For best results, use hardened control arm bushings. 924 and early 944 models can be adapted by using late 944 alloy control arms and bushing mounts.

Here are a few pictures with my high milage 86 951




1990 944S2 Cabriolet

Jon951

Since this is my first convertible, I bought the old owners manual to find out how to keep the top maintained and to find out what weather stripping was missing from my car.

I noticed that it said to keep the top up as much as possible, for example not to leave it down overnight. I'd like to keep the top down all the time because I only use the car in good weather. What is your practice with this?

Do you do anything special with the back window fold, like put a cloth in it so it doesn't rub on itself?

1933beer

this is true, keep it up. my bmw has a cloth that I put in place to protect the window from rubbing. ( it has a hard top I use in the winter so it stays down for 5 months) I would love to have it for the Porsche. I have replaced my top and only leave the top down when driving for the most part. After 3 years ( or is it 4) I still have a small rub in one part of my window. If you could find a way to hold the cloth in place it is a great idea and would protect it. I should see if the cover for the BMW could be modified to work. they are available cheap.

1933beer

Jon
I have never seen a lower brace for our car is there a link to see it or a pic on your car?

EliteThink

looking good guys.