Hi All!

I'm excited to have just fulfilled a life-long dream of being a Porsche owner with the (rather impulsive, but nigh-impossible to pass up) purchase of a 1985 Porsche 944/1, and have started making a plan of action to ensure nothing catastrophic happens when I drive it like its meant to be driven. I'm ready to dive in and have a solid project to keep me occupied during quarantine.

I'd LOVE any feedback on what's most important to take care of, and what can wait. Don't spare my feelings if there's something I'm missing, or doing pointlessly, or doing totally wrong (but keep in mind I'm totally new to this) I'm sure most of my questions can be answered with the search function, but links to great threads or just straight-up good advice is welcomed

I'd also love to turn my build thread into a one-stop-reference on how to baseline a new-to-you 944, so I'll include all costs, times, parts, and tools used.

Build Goals:
1 - Have something to occupy my mind/time during quarantine.
2 - Get to a solid, reliable, ENJOYABLE, drivers-grade car without (completely) breaking the bank or going down the numbers-matching resto route. This will also act as a second mode of transportation so I can tackle the larger projects on my other car ('87 JDM Toyota HJ61 Land Cruiser Turbo Diesel) without being completely stuck at home.
3 - Learn some new wrenching skills and possibly some minor fab/body work (tools and space being the limiting factor for fab work).
4 - Maybe do some upgrades for the occasional Auto-X or track day (never done this before and would love to, but $$$)
5 - Profit. (ha, ha)

Pros:
- $2,000 - Initial purchase price
- VERY clean, other than the lower front bumper valance and drivers-side front QP. The front will need a respray to deal with rock chips, but there is ZERO evidence of rust anywhere other than a small bit in the battery tray.
- no evidence of leaks anywhere except a small amount of oil from the rear diff
- started up immediately with no hesitation from complete cold start. No evidence of valve lift/slop & runs strong, although I haven't pushed it very hard due to unknown age of timing belt.
- drove for about an hour, and oil pressure & temp stayed right in the correct range
- Fuchs wheels, in great condition, no curb rash 😍
- makes my neighbors jealous
- have had zero issues with seized nuts/bolts so far,
- interior is in great shape, no rips in seats, and is decently clean. A solid detail and occasional replacement clip or bolt will take care of 95% of issues here.
- came with short shifter kit, new wiper motor, spare fuel pump & fuel filter, and a new shift boot
- all gauges work, although speedo reading is inaccurate due to non-standard (I think) tires (215/60R15 Front, 225/60R15 Rear). However, my other car is a JDM 1987 Land Cruiser Turbo-Diesel on non-standard tires and in KPH, so I'm not too worried about this 😂
- CVs & Control arms look to be in solid shape
- no evidence of rust or neglect in brakes, and although I haven't done a full, thorough check of the lines yet, a quick look didn't reveal any bulging or corrosion there.
- all lights work properly, and pop-up headlights are smooth & responsive.

Cons:
- no long-term service history
- as mentioned above, needs a small amount of bodywork done & a respray of the front valance, bumper, and hood (probably)
- immediately needed a new battery & tires (battery is already done, tires are on the way)
- torque tube makes noise >70mph
- rear sunroof clips are broken (but no evidence of leaking)
- A/C needs a recharge and possible leak fixed? PO said it used to blow cold, hopefully he was telling the truth.
- passenger side window won't roll down
- dash had some kind of crappy dashpad poorly installed in the past, and whoever removed it left a ton of glue residue. Needs a recover or replace, but is only aesthetic, not functional in nature, so it'll probably have to wait.
- a couple hoses are clearly near the end of their life.
- heat shielding on hood is quickly deteriorating and crumbles to the touch. Probably not the most pressing issue, but I'd like to get it cleaned up to keep my engine compartment clean if nothing else
- a couple other random cosmetic issues, like chipping paint on door handles and peeling window tint.
- PS pump has a small leak, but still works perfectly
- oil cooler radiator has a lot of bent fins. Will likely replace.
- slight fuel smell when being pushed hard. Will probably replace all fuel lines when I replace the fuel pump & filter.
- has a cat removal done, and I need to pass Denver emissions, eventually 😬
- is White, my least favorite car color. I'm starting to fall in love with it though, so I'll maybe move this to the 'pros' column in the future
- sideview mirrors electrics currently non-functional

Plan of Attack:

Stage 1 - Important items to address before regular driving ----------------------------------------------------------

1. Buy some needed or quality-of-life tools
   1. $109.99 Low-profile floor jack - Harbor Freight, 3Ton
   2. $19.99 - HF 1/4 drive click-style torque wrench - Torque figures matter. Got this as a supplement to my 1/2" drive for tighter spaces and smaller torque figures
   3. $29.99 - HF Creeper
2. Replace Fluids
   1. Coolant - DONE. There was a very small amount of residue/sludge in a simple drain, so I opted to just do a simple drain-and-replace instead of a full flush. If I'm dumb for this, let me know and I can do a full flush. Used Zerex G-05. Lower rad bolt (notorious for getting stuck, I think) came right out with zero issue, but seals perfectly – looked pretty new as well.
      1. $19, Zerex G-05 phosphate-free coolant, AutoZone
      2. $2, 2-gallons of distilled water
   2. Oil & Oil Filter - IN PROGRESS. Using Castrol GTX conventional 20W50 & a STP filter.
      1. $27.48 - 6 Qts Castrol GTX 20W50
      2. $4.99 - STP S6941
   3. Manual Transmission Fluid - will replace just to get to a baseline. Shifts beautifully as-is, but is supposed to be replaced every 60k, so I'll do it for peace-of-mind, and to get to a baseline.
   4. Check diff fluids - replace if low
3. BELTS BELTS BELTS - Is there any real advantage to going with OEM parts for this? Or does gates/napa/whatever work just as well?
   1. Timing belt - this is my #1 priority since I have no clue when it's done and could grenade my engine (and my budget)
      1. BORROW TOOLS? I'd love to borrow some tools for this (can pay in Beer or $) – I definitely don't want to buy the infamous Porsche tool, and even the arrnworx tool / engine kit seems like an unnecessary expenditure right now.
   2. Balance Shaft, P/S, A/C Belts- might as well replace them, and a cursory inspection reveals some worrying signs of wear.
4. Replace tires - IN PROGRESS.
   1. Got a great deal from Discount Tire for a full set of Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring 225 /60 R15 96H. (price-matched to some rando tire site so I could get DTD's warranty)Delivery/install is set for late next week. I know these aren't the absolute best of the best, but $1k+ for tires just isn't in the budget right now, and it won't see track time for a whiiiile at the very least.
      1. $287.88 - 4 Tires & warranty - Discount Tire Direct
      2. $84 - Install & balance, Discount Tire Direct
5. Replace Battery - DONE.
   1. $159.99 - AutoZone - DuraLast Gold
6. Mitigate rust in battery tray - DONE
   1. ~$20 in already-bought paint & $6.99 Quiksteel from AutoZone. took a wire wheel to a couple small spots that started to rust through & got it real clean. masked thoroughly, then sprayed with rust reformer. Put some quiksteel in to prevent any more moisture ingress, then sprayed again with rust reformer, white automotive paint, and a clear gloss w/ rust inhibitor.
   2. Planning on getting this fixed the right way at the same time as I get the respray done
7. Hoses
   1. Upper Radiator hose - Definitely needs replacement, as its showing signs of cracking
      1. Looking at 944online, there's one with a bleeder hole ($185), and one without ($28), is the bleeder hole worth the additional $160?
      2. Should I do thermostat at the same time? water pump?
   2. Other hoses - haven't had a chance to thoroughly check yet. Will likely replace to give myself peace-of-mind unless they've obviously been replaced recently
8. Torque Tube(?)
   1. Not sure yet how important this is from a functionality standpoint, but might do it at the same time as I'm doing belts? Need to do more research on this – I can live with some noise for a while as long as it doesn't effect anything important
   2. Anything else I should just do at the same time?
   3. Reman, rebuilt, or NOS? Best places to source parts welcomed!
9. Brakes
   1. Double-check all lines for corrosion/bulging
   2. Do a flush/bleed for good measure and peace of mind
10. Fuel Pump, Filter, & Fuel lines - I'm smelling some fumes when idling, and above ~70mph. Hoping its the fuel pump or fuel lines
    1. replacement Bosch fuel pump & filter came with the car
    2. I'll likely replace the fuel lines at the same time. Is this kit worth it?
11. Short Shifter & linkage install - Parts for this came w/ the car, so I'll just knock it out whenever I have time
12. Reattach rear-view mirror - adhesive failed. Have a new unit & adhesive, just need to get it done.
13. Replace wiper motor - wiper motor failed. Replacement came w/ the car, just need to get it done.
14. UNKNOWNS, but could be importants
    1. - Water Pump
       1. will likely replace for peace of mind. is this a waste of money?
       2. should I do the update kit at the same time?
    2. Clutch - seems like its in good shape, no sign of slippage. Also f'n expensive.
    3. Wheel Bearings/CV Axles - need to check these now that the car is on jack stands, but there wasn't any obvious noise during test drive.

Stage 2 - Still important, but won't grenade the engine/car and can wait a few paychecks to happen ----------------------------------------------------------

1. Sunroof clip replacement - not currently leaking and no evidence of previous leaks, so not a big deal. I'd like to take care of this sooner rather than later, especially if it's cheap-ish. Electronics all work properly.
2. Rear Hatch release mechanism - works, but is a bit finicky/sticky. Will troubleshoot if it bothers me, but likely (?) just needs greased or a connection cleaned up.
3. Adjust speedo gear to read correctly - kind of a pain, but I'm used to it from my other car so it's not that important to me.
4. Oil cooler - if I decide its worth it, I'll do this kit. Need to take a closer look before I decide its done
5. Spark Plugs - Might as f'n well.
6. Catalytic converter install - I'll likely try to pass without but will almost definitely fail. If that doesn't work, I'll go to AA Performance exhaust on S. Broadway. They did a full-custom 3" exhaust for my Land Cruiser, and I was really happy with their work (cost, time, and quality were all excellent). Everything else on the exhaust, headers back look perfect, definitely no holes or anything.
7. Diagnose/fix a few rando electric issues - Passenger window & side-view mirrors.
8. Recharge A/C and/or see if there's a leak somewhere. PO states that it worked for him, so my guess is there's a leak somewhere.

Stage 3 - Largely unimportant, will take care of as $ and/or time dictates ----------------------------------------------------------

• Any bodywork not involving rust
• Replace ugly, peeling window tint
• Replace heat shielding on underside of the hood. It's currently very brittle to the touch, and leaves dust everywhere. Is the 944online kit worth it? Or is there a better option at the "cost" of not staying full original?
• remove & refurb door handles. Paint is chipping on both, and the cover is broken on the drivers side. Only cosmetic, so not a priority.
• Shocks/struts/etc - Everything seems to be in pretty good shape, but haven't driven spiritedly enough to really know yet. So a solid 'maybe' here I guess.
• Buy FSMs and/or owners manual - nice to have, but not that important to me. I've already got a little notebook & folder going with notes and maintenance records.
• Replace vacuum hoses? - These all seem to be in good shape (so far), but could be worth the relatively small expense and time expenditure to just get out of the way
• re-coat lug nuts - paint is chipping, I'd like to get them re-coated or replaced.
• stereo/speaker upgrade - there's a new-ish stereo in, but I'd like something nicer, and definitely want to replace speakers for something modern at the same time.
• passenger door handle "sticks" a little. Likely just needs some lube/adjustment

I can't get pics to upload right now - I'll try again later.
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Wow, that is the spirit! Welcome to the forum, I suggest you post some of this in the 944 forum!

 

 

Thanks @OCNYPORSCHE , I'll do that. Wasn't sure what the norm was so I posted here — I'll cross-post over in the 944 forum as well.

​​​lol ​@uniqueMR —I've learned to do these build plans from other, much less successful projects in the past. Plus its a good way for me to sort out priorities and build out a reasonable budget.

 

I had that same car pretty much new back in '84. Timing belt critical. Don't put it off. While there consider the water pump. Exhaust is too close to the rights side motor mount and factory original heat shield was inadequate. She shakes, that's the problem. Sounds like you have a plan. FWIW one of our sponsors is local to me here and has great prices and parts in stock for the 944 crew; Zimms. They ship everywhere.

 

@Own Goal — timing belt is first on my list, for sure. Trying to figure out whether I need (or can borrow) the tension gauge, and what other tools I'll need for that—just been a lack of time cause of a busy work week.

I'll look into water pump as well, and check out Zimms during my research. Should I also look at replacing the right side motor mount & exhaust heat shield? Everything looks good there, but I haven't really driven it spiritedly yet (and don't have a baseline for what it should look/feel like)

 

It will shake at idle a lot. Leave it until you need it. Unless they got a better over the years they have a life and replace. There is a little cheap tension tool you can use. Don't need the high dollar dial factory tool. I've been out of it a long time. The 951 and 944 boys will set you up in the forum.

 

Welcome to the madness!