gmsracing

I debadged my STi (and all of the pink stickers) but left the 951 as is. I wanted to keep it stock looking. I think I would prefer the look of 951 without the Porsche script, but leave the turbo script.

Matt Sheppard

Well, I had every intention of keeping this up to date, but the best laid plans . . .

Here are pics of progress as of today. First off, the end of an era: Spencer goes to his final resting place early Saturday morning while my girls look on.





Pour some liquor!!






With that done, I had room to finally move Crush outside and to reassess where all my missing parts are. Problem areas for me have been door handles (Ski is not alone - my pass. door still isn't right), front light cover alignment, lower window trim (aluminum), I broke the AC line at the shock tower so I had to drop the motor a little (after I already had it in place) to R&R and all the little parts I cant find: rear sway dogbone, header panel screws, alternator hardware/vent, yada, yada. Even with 2 of everything (parts car), $h!t still happens.

One thing I really need to do strait off is adjust the rear eccentrics. Man this thing is tall in the back! just look at the diff from my '86.






Motor is now in. All oil lines, most water and half electrical is hooked up, waiting on a parts order from Paragon before I can go much further. All brakes and clutch bled, interior all together.





I'm looking for the Sierra run as a christening. If not I will resort to old faithful. Alas, then there were two:

Matt Sheppard

Oh, BTW: I was the only person in the neighborhood to have a stripped out car on jack stands in their front yard. My neighbors love me


Hey Rob. Regarding your comment above : I am really liking it without the script as well - I dont think it's going back on. Your getting an '08 Caymen S! Big Pimpin'. I might have to come visit you yet. You should bring it down for the 4 pass run and show it off

Olli Snellman

Matt, you are not alone ! My neighbors also loved me when i did this last year:

Matt Sheppard

Ha, ha, - that's great Olli. Perhaps we need a thread for most mangled 951 skeletons! I loved dropping the engine with the nose off it (nose went to fix someone elses car). I've never thought of stripping it while on it's side.

My oldest daughter was so sad to see the red car go. she used to climb oll over it when it was still a roller.

Keithr726

Always sad to see one go to the crusher. I wish I had room for another.

Olli Snellman

I bought my 951 parts car badly bent, so there was no chance to save it. Matt's red parts car looked much better, at least in the pictures.

Matt Sheppard

ahh, the red car and the whole "why did you part it when . . ." thing. The fact that so many of those that take this position avoid is entropy - something every 944 owner should understand by now. Things break down and naturally revert to randomness. The red car was hit before I bought it and fixed mickey-mouse. The car was resprayed in 2 different stages, different color hood, clear coat pealing everywhere on it. I paid $8k for it, put another 8K into it and 100's of hours and it was one of the biggest financial mistakes I've ever made. I had to replace both the engine AND transmission within a year of buying it, it had constant electrical problems from hacked wiring and botched repairs over the years - some of which were mine in the learning process.

We all have to learn on our cars and sometimes repairs/mods don't come out like you intend them. When I found the deal on Crush, it was just sooo much cleaner and worthy of saving that putting the two together to make one made the most sense. Selling Spencer would really be the most criminal act - passing these headaches onto the next chump and at less than half my investment? Put it out of it's misery; the parts went into to several 951's that they might live longer and in the end it was my decision because it was my car.

Olli Snellman

This is how my car looked. Every single body panel was bent. I just calculated this 951 keep on living at least in 40 924/924S/944/944 S2/951 in Finland/Sweden/Estonia.

Thom

That really IS high - I'd be suprised if eccentrics prove enough to lower it to a decent height.

Matt Sheppard

Ok, I have a long overdue update for this thread. I figured I'd give y'all the 411 while it is still 4_11.

Crush is together and running. He is shaking down really easy so far as well. I need to get it smogged and then I get to take off the temp sticker - they do that here in Kalifornyah.



















The rear eccentrics are on their minimum height and works out great now.

Really, I still have a laundry list of niggling things I need to do, but it's a car now. It's completely stock running gear wise until I smog and I will put in a Vitesse AFM chip, boost controller and a Tial WG I have waiting (Props DDP).

find a new gallery here

Let me know what you think of the more diminutive rear spoiler.

333pg333

Fantastic job there Matt. Love to see another Grey Ghost back on deck.

Keithr726

Nice looking car. The custom two tone interior is unique, in a good way. And no dash cracks. Lucky you.

Nurburger

Congrats on getting it back on the road, it looks amazing... Very nice work with the panel gaps.

Matt Sheppard

Thanks for the comments guys.

Gaps look good from 15 ft and yet they still need some adjusting. They are hard to index one to the other. The body shop did a decent job setting me up for me on that - not excellent, but decent.

No dash cracks. The interior was still the linen partial leather seats and I knew they were not my style. White leather seats would last a gearhead about a year and be a light "bovine" pattern ever after. I like black. I want to put as much black into it as I can without getting too invasive. I'd like to find a 968 leather optioned split rear seat set in black - that would finish it. Door tweeters are not wired in yet.


333: Thanks, man. Let's keep them on deck!


What do you all think about the rear spoiler?