Billy Petilli

Hi- I bought my first Porsche, which I've been teetering with for a few years now. It is a 1987 944 Turbo with 119k miles that I bought privately from an owner who was a mechanic and seemed to have maintained the car pretty good. I did have a mechanic onsite to be with me when I went to see it and he really only flagged the rear brakes as needing immediate attention. Timing belt was recently done, along with the exhaust and a few other listed items. Overall he said he's seen alot of these and this was probably the cleanest one he had seen, which gave me the piece of mind to get the deal done.

I do have trusted resources to have the car serviced, but was wondering what 'little' things someone like me can do on my own. As simple as better lighting or small improvements outside of engine work. I am barely able to paint so I'm not handy, but I'm willing to patiently take the time to work through whatever. I want to take care of this car and be able to eventually upgrade to something else. Unless I hit the lotto, my aim is a 968 Turbo RS next, but that won't be for a while.

Anyhow, any tips and things I can get involved in would be awesome. Happy as friggin' hell to finally join this club.

bumflick

Congrats and welcome.

Humboldtgrin

Chapman951

bumflick

So, im pushing 50 and my eyes are not what they were. I need all the help I can get re driving in the dark.
I replaced the stock sealed beam 7" round headlights with Euro lenses, then replaced the wiring with the rennbay relay kit, and went with higher wattage nornal bulbs. Kept it sort of traditional.

Also upgraded the fog lights to a fog/ driving light setup (shamelessly copied the rennbay setup for wiring and relays).

There are HID and LED options out there as well. Jeeps and some big rig trucks also use 7" round headlights, so options for them may work in our cars

Billy Petilli

Thank you- I've seen some of the examples of a few interiors with the lighting changed out and it looks amazing. I have to bring it to the mechanic as it definitely needs rear brakes. I'll ask what else they think and try putting a plan together around timing of doing stuff so it's not so $ painful.

divil

+1 on the fuel lines. Since you asked about lighting, you might want to take a look at these: http://rennbay.com/Head-Lights/

You'll probably want the relay harness if you are making any changes at all (and in fact it might be a good idea even if you're not).

Come to think of it, they sell fuel line replacement kits too.

Billy Petilli

Dan Martinic

There is nothing simple on this car. Every time you go to do something, anything, it will require..

1. Lots of screen time: reading the WSM (Workshop manual--Google for it), online posts and procedures, youtube videos;

2. Purchasing some new tool(s) ex. socket size / length you don't have or special tool;

3. Extraordinary time figuring out how to lift the vehicle (if working underneath) and/or covering the fenders (if working on top)

4. Extraordinary time ordering parts and waiting for them to arrive. Then, you will usually realize you missed something (hardware, gasket), and wait another 2 weeks for that. Or try to find something in the Depot store nearby. Which won't have exactly what you want.

5. Removing many parts to work on few. It's the nature of that engine compartment (and elsewhere). You can pee on top of the engine and it won't drip on the ground.

6. Replacing extra parts and doing extra jobs that you didn't plan for. This happens as you a) find other stuff that's almost broken and b) you break something. Anything plastic or rubber esp.

7. Spending more screen time to find the unusual thing that's holding you up. Then you won't find it, and when you do eventually figure it out, you'll make a video or take some pics and start a Thread to add your newfound technique or clarification (thanks!)

8. Extra "work clothes"

9. Covered space to keep your classic Porsche--on its jack stands--dry for days (weeks.. months)

10. A steady income with more money than you require for everything else in your life

Am I missing anything gentlemen?

Dan Martinic

All that said... I started ownership 10 years ago with some basic experience changing plugs and oil.

I recently completed a clutch change.

Since no things are simple, you learn skills with every "minor" job. Eventually, your wrenching and confidence improve, and all things become possible.

And add 3 torque wrenches (small, med, large) to the above list

Humboldtgrin

Dan Martinic

Last night, as I sat next to the Porsche under the tarp garage, I started levitating

NCLA951

divil

+1 that's all pretty much true. To be fair, you can get most parts within a week in the continental US. And you can usually find out what you need in advance, especially if you start a thread before you start the work - you'll usually get plenty of "while you're in there" suggestions.

I've always found that the way things come apart and go back together is a bit of a puzzle. Everything is hard the first time, but when you finally know the secret it's very easy.

The hardest thing is that you often have to go pretty deep with maintenance because they're so old. On a 10 year old car you might have a solid cooling system if you just replace the water pump and maybe a few hoses. On a 944, you'll probably have to replace everything the first time you do it, even the expansion tank, if you want the same level of reliability you get on a newer car. And it's the same with every system on the car. When you replace the fuel lines, you'll probably want to do the rear lines too, and have the injectors cleaned while you're at it. And it's very likely the fuel rail could be damaged during all this (I keep a spare handy because they're so fragile). You just have to go deeper. Unfortunately not many people are willing to do what it takes and spend the kind of money that it takes to maintain a 944 in perfect condition, because it's seen as a bargain Porsche, and for the kind of money it really takes (on a turbo anyway) you could probably maintain something much newer like a 996, which for most people is a more rewarding prospect. It's too easy to get upside down on a 944. With all that said, if you plan to own it for a long time then it's fine. You'll probably sink a bit into it up front, but you'll get your money's worth over time.

Billy Petilli

Appreciate the honesty.. truth hurts, don't it

Swung by a place that was recommended and spoke with the mechanic. Going to drop it off next week for him to put a list together and plan for when/what 'should' be addressed. At first glance he flagged the tires as having cracks and the rear shocks were very soft. Didn't sound all that concerned with the shocks, but that was just a short visual look over. Off to a rocket start. Mentioned the fuel lines as looking pretty intact, but did say it would be something he'd recommend swapping for the newer ones. Hopefully the initial 'get out of danger' work won't be overly bad.