I was just thinking (944 Related)

[Rx7Ownz]

I'll soon be Inheriting a manual Porsche 944 NA. I was just thinking, would it be possible for me to turn it into a turbo version?

 

[miata13B]

just drop a 350 into it : )

 

[Motorer1]

you can turbo your toothbrush if you wanted to. shouldn't be a problem with a 944. Good car 👍

 

[Boost Lee]

Anything is possible. You're better off buying a turbo model though..

What year is it?

 

[///M-Spec]

I'm sure you could find an aftermarket turbo for the 944.

But there are some important differences between the standard 944 motor and the turbo (951) you should look into. I don't remember the exact details, but I recall the 951 had a different head with stronger valves and maybe revised porting. The headers were different too, as was the tranny (beefed up all the way through). The engine management was also different (obviously), not to mention the added oil cooler and intercooler.

So don't think simply putting the turbo on will automatically give you power levels on par with a factory 951. You may need to do a lot more work to get it there. Monster7 is probably right... you'd be better off finding a real 951.


M

 

[Rx7Ownz]

yea...but thing is, im 16 and im getting this for free from my grandpa. My weekly job is to cut grass for my uncle's gas station, it might be a while until i can get a real 951 haha

 

[knightinwhite86]

Then your better off NOT putting a turbo in it

 

[Duke]

Originally posted by Rx7Ownz
yea...but thing is, im 16 and im getting this for free from my grandpa. My weekly job is to cut grass for my uncle's gas station, it might be a while until i can get a real 951 haha

An excellent reason NOT to try turboing it. Just learn to drive and get the basics well covered in the regular 944, which is no shabby car to begin with. Drive it, repair and maintain it. Don't swing for the stands at your first ups because you'll likely either wreck the car or ruin it.

Get practice and gain knowledge from just normal wrenching on the car - it's likely 10-15 years old and will need some refreshing anyway. THEN after a few years of practice, move on to a bigger project.

One thing to look into is the clutch - the 944 has an odd adhered-rubber arrangement that is best done by a pro.

 

[retsmah]

I'd be more worried about just having the money to just keep the 944 running, I certainly wouldn't start trying to upgrade it if money is a concern

 

[knightinwhite86]

From what I understand 944 are cheap, you can get one around 3-4 grand, so I guess it wouldn't be that expensive to maintain, but I could be wrong

 

[Rx7Ownz]

money no importance as of NOW, i have 11 thousand in non-college money in bank. I probably wouldn't want to make it turbo, it was just a thought. Im looking forward to my dad's 93 RX7 :-D

thx to everyone for the input.

 

[retsmah]

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/4475/Porsche/mainthistory.html

There's one service history thing some guy posted for his 944... doesn't look all that cheap to me

Even when a Porsche gets old enough that it's affordable to purchase, you have to remember that they were never designed to be cheap cars to run.

 

[knightinwhite86]

He could have done half of that stuff himself though

 

[Gil]

A 944 is a very solid machine. It doesn't need a turbo.
Especially for a new driver. You'll have plenty of power to terrorize your neighborhood. You'll also have one of the best handling cars in your town.

Like duke said, stick with the basics for now. It'll likely need some wrenching and other attention. Starting with any Porsche is a good place to be. Unless we start talking 924.

 

[///M-Spec]

Originally posted by knightinwhite86
From what I understand 944 are cheap, you can get one around 3-4 grand, so I guess it wouldn't be that expensive to maintain, but I could be wrong

Just because a car is cheap to buy doesn't mean it is cheap to maintain. As a general rule, the more common the car, the cheaper the parts are. Rare cars that happen to be cheap to buy nowadays can be a nightmare when it comes to parts and servicing.

The 944 is not bad (for a Porsche), but look into fixing up a 928S4 and you will see the true meaning of the word "moneypit". I know because years ago I almost bought one.

The BMW 850i is another example --parts are hellaciously expensive, everything has a computer attached and there's two of everything on those V12s.


M

 

[Boost Lee]

I owned a non-turbo '88 944 when I was 14. Fortunately for me, it had low mileage and only broke down twice in the two odd years in which I beat the crap out of it. The parts/labor fees were enough to make my leadfoot ease up quick.

The handling on these cars believe it or not, really is fantastic. I'm still amazed 9 years and dozens of high performance cars later, that something as ugly as the 944 is that good.

 

[Rx7Ownz]

ok....so i decided i will not turbo charge it at all. At least, is there anyway i can spice it up a bit?

 

[XzifT]

NAAAAWZ. No.. just hit the pedal harder, 944 are kinda fast.

 

[miata13B]

Originally posted by ///M-Spec
928S4
M

My father had as beautiful 928S4 cherry red with the beige leather interior when I was younger. . . He totalled it when I was 13 coming to pick me up. . . It was a shame because my father never cared for anotehr car after losing that Porsche : (

 

[Rx7Ownz]

wow, that really blows =[.

 

[bengee]

I own a 89 951. And i would suggest that the best 944's are the post 88 silver rose edition 944's which includes the s2 and the turbo of these later years of production.

In my mind it really depends what year this 944 is. If its an early model (pre mid 85) not all the kinks were worked out of hte machine and there are several annoying problems (not to mention the engine is no where near as good as later years). These early models are going to be not hte best investment for modification as just replacing the engine would probably yeild a much better result in the long term. In addition i would carefully concern yourself with being able to afford the car. Because i have a turbo it cost a **** load more than an NA version, but any 944 is going to need to be taken care of relatively well or damage is bound to occur. And alot of hte stuff i would usually be able to do myself needs a special tool you can only get from porsche for a couple hundred (or some homemade stuff that i dont trust), so it is almost more than likely that you will need a good mechanic for even some simple stuff. More time in the shop will be spent by the early years of the 944... Its unavoidable (they are older and not as well designed... battery acid even causes decay to the passenger footwell)

I would suggest seeing what your grandpa has done to remedy some of the cars shortcomings, most of these are not hard or expensive to remedy yourself, but its not worth putting the money into even a silver rose if the car is screwed beyond your ability to save it...

I would love to have a 928s4 but for that kind of money you can get a 964...

Good sites for some info:
http://www.connact.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq.html

 

[240Z freak]

There's an article in the either January, February, or March issue of Sports car market that you should read. It was a letter from somebody who was a longtime Porsche mechanic, and the basic gist of it was that 944s are expensive and difficult to work on (the analogy he used was that you couldn't just work on it in the backyard at home).

 

[bengee]

They may be expensive, but as porsches go they arent too bad...

If you want cheap you must go to the crappiest porsche... the 924