Victor C3

I've been brainstorming my next automotive project and I've come across a 964 chassis that is mostly bare and I've seen 997 Turbo and 991 C4S salvage wrecked cars for sale in my price range.

Basically what I would like to do is take the suspension, brakes, engine, and tranny out of the wrecked 997 or 991 and pop it into a 964. I would rebuilt the interior and exterior of the 964 to be era-correct. So I'd have a 964 that looks almost 30 years old yet drives like a car 20 years more modern.

Would this be a project that is at all feasible for a moderately proficient home mechanic to do? I can do some basic welding and fabrication and I have experience restoring classic corvettes (including engine and tranny rebuilds). I can bolt things together, degrease, paint, and follow instruction manuals with the best of them. Or is this a project that is better off skipped or left to the professionals due to its complexity?

Thanks for any thoughts!

964Andrew

Have you driven a 964? If not, maybe start there.

Thanks!
Andrew

onceover

People have swapped 996TT powerplants into 964s in the past. The watercooling is somethign to consider.

Suspension wouldn't be worth doing - you can upgrade with parts designed for a 964.

Victor C3

No, I've only ever sat in a few 991s and one 997 at my local Porsche dealer - never even driven any Porsche. Honestly, I'm really just excited about the project aspect of restoring a car from the ground up.

Other than a few pre-1982 Corvettes, the most performance oriented car I've owned or driven is a 1991 Mustang LX (with a 4 cylinder engine) and a 2003 VW Passat wagon with a 1.8 turbo engine. So basically nothing that would outperform a 964 Porsche. If I was looking for a practical decision, I think I'd buy a non-salvage 991 C4S or a 991 Turbo from my local dealer.

Marine Blue

Having recently purchased a 964 I will say that parts costs are very high even compared to a modern Porsche. The smallest items can cost big bucks due to limited availability or options. Something to consider if you buy a fixer upper.

Jjm4life

You're in way over your head and you haven't even begun. drive a few different Porsche sand see if it's even for you.

Vegas993

You'd be better off collecting parts and putting the 964 back together.

Victor C3

That's not the answer I wanted, but I'll take it. Thanks for your candidness!

964Andrew

I don't think anyone here wants to discourage you from doing anything new, interesting or even technically substantial in terms of drivetrain and engine modification. But, the fact that you are asking these question before experiencing what a stock 964 has to offer raises questions of preparedness to undertake such a grand project.

In the end, If you end up going on this journey - myself and many others will subscribe to your build and follow your every step.

Thanks!
Andrew

brucebell

Sometimes you need to listen. Its good advice, so is putting it back together as a 964. I've owned Cayennes, Panamera Turbos, 996 turbo S's, 991s, yet the 964 is for me, is the most satisfying of all. it is closer to the real heritage of porsche and i don't have to worry about antifreeze. lol

Jjm4life

Apologies if I came off as overly harsh. Modifying a Porsche isn't like a foxbody or a c1-c5 vette. You can't swap suspensions like you asked. There isn't a chassis for you to bolt under it like you can do with a c4 into c1 vette. I don't question your mechanical abilities, is just hate to see someone bite off more than they can chew. You're looking at major engineering solutions to get this to work. In addition, you say you've never driven a "modern" performance car. A stock or modified 964 might just be more than enough car for you to enjoy, without all of the engineering projects.
So drive a few Porsches and see what you like, or don't like about the platforms and then decide what type of project you want to take on.

rkwfxd

I'll take "Things that will never happen." for $400 Alex.

As mentioned above, it's just not practical without huge amounts of $$$.

But having said that, I like the way OP thinks. And sticking within my chosen category, I'd like to see Porsche revive the 912 Model like they did the 718. Use the four cylinder from the 718 and put it into a chassis with Pre-1995 exterior styling and size but push the interior towards the current 991 styling.

But this will NEVER happen.