Are any of you also 924/944/968 Fans?

[jjeffries]

Hello All,

I was a Pelican 911 Forum reader before I was lucky enough to acquire my 82 SC coupe (in pieces) in 2014, and I stop by at least daily to top up my tank.

This past summer I bought a forlorn 87 924S, so started moonlighting over on the Pelican 924/944/968 Forum to learn more. There's some good stuff over there, but it can be pretty sparse compared to this, the turbo-charging and engine building pages.

I was naughty and never wrote a thread on my SC, so in order to become part of the solution, over the past few days I've started one about my 924S. Readers should also be prepared for some content related to other cars and related subjects, like favorite car books.

JohnJ's 87 924S Rehabilitation

Do you have experience with or interest in the 4 cylinder water cooled family of P-cars? They have a lot going for them right now, and not just a reasonable cost of entry. If yes, please come on over and add any feedback, wisdom or experiences of your own.

Kind regards,
John

[JohnTucker]

Oh yeah. There is a 944 locally my wife are trying to sort out how to get it in our garage. First Porsche I ever drove back in 1991 so I'll have one eventually.

[Sebscst]

Yep 911 and 944 owner here along with 914. My first love was the 944 and then I met her sluttier sister.

[jjeffries]

Excellent. I hope my tale of automotive redemption, even salvation will be of at least entertainment value! That assumes I can actually make it work.
John

[Techno Duck]

Owned a 924S, 944 and a 951 over the span of about 14 years. Great cars that are still under appreciated. I know the cars very well and will follow your build.

'88 924S, Zermat Silver


'87 944, Guards Red


'88 951, Guards Red. Bought nearly bone stock and over 10 years of ownership it saw many changes. Final iteration was a streetable track car with a 5.7L LS1. Sold in 2016.... probably should have kept it.

[jjeffries]

Jon, that's bad-a$$. Did you do the LS conversion as a result of the original turbo motor failing, or just in search of more power?

Many years ago I had an 89 944S2 for about a year. It is my favorite body style of the whole - and very long lived - family.

[Dave Colangelo]

I started with a 924S, bought a 78 SC, then an '87 944, still have them all.... its an addiction...

[Techno Duck]

Originally Posted by jjeffries

Jon, that's bad-a$$. Did you do the LS conversion as a result of the original turbo motor failing, or just in search of more power?

Many years ago I had an 89 944S2 for about a year. It is my favorite body style of the whole - and very long lived - family.

I made the mistake of heavily modding the turbo, to the point where leaving for the track in the morning i always wondered if the car was going to make it home. The turbo engine is reliable to about the 300whp range, anything more than that and i think the reliability goes down exponentially. The worst part of the engine swap was working out all the bugs. The LS1 just runs, and very well at that. Getting the engine in and running is seriously easy. Getting the power brakes power steering, cooling system...etc is the hard part. It took about a year of driving it to get it dialed in. The 944 chassis is great... handled the power (and torque) with no issue. It seriously felt like it was meant to have that much power.

The S2 is the perfect iteration of the 944 with the big 3.0. With the LS1, its basically the S2 with twice the HP and torque.

One thing i noticed between the 924S, 944, 951 and my '88 3.2. The g-body is more akin to the 924S and early 944. Just what you see as far as cable / lever operated HVAC, wire harness covered with sticky / gooey friction tape and the type of connectors used, for example under the dash.... lots of the white molex connectors. Amazes me that the g-body ran this way through '89. In '85.5 when the 2nd gen 944 came out it had electronic hvac, a nice wire loom and the black pin connectors. The '85.5+ 944 is more akin to the 964.

[WolfeMacleod]

Yepper.
See below...

[Speed metal]

Love em! Had an 89 951... Always on the lookout for another

[RSBob]

Dad had a 968 Cab sporto which he sunk a ton of money into upgrades and it still felt slow and road harshly. Even though it looked gorgeous, I was not a fan. Would like to drive the last year 944 turbo S. That would probably make me a believer.

[Cubieman]

Would love a 944, especially a well sorted LS swap, whoops. Let it slip.

[911tracker85]

Hi jjeffries .....

[RNajarian]

I loved my ‘84 944. It handled wonderfully. Still have some leftover parts for it, including a Saratoga Glass Moonroof.

My dream is to get a 968

[racer]

I used to deride them. An avid "aircooler" I was biased against them. Drove my brothers S2 once and while quick, it just didn't feel right. About 10 years later I ate some crow and bought a base 1987 coupe. Man.. cool AC, non smelly heat.. room for people.. large hatch.. fun to drive.. and I learned the errors of my way. Fun cars indeed.

[dsfnctn]

I wont mention all the 911's that I was fortunate to pass thru.
I wanted to start racing in PCA and it was at that time I made the move to 944.
At this time I have 2 PCA 944 race cars, A 88 924S SE, a 91 944S that I brought over from Japan, and a dark blue 94 MO30 968 that you wont want to hear from me will run circles around my old 993S.

[Nick Triesch]

When I was a pup I had a 1977 special edition 924. One of the worst cars I have ever owned. The dash in these cars did not crack, they imploded!!! Horrible! Also this good size sports car had the power of a go cart. I remember going up a grade in San Diego on 805 coming up from mission valley, my Wife passed me by in her 67 bug. My peddle was on the floor! But I must admit it was very pretty junk!

[jjeffries]

Thanks everyone for this feedback.

I remember my 89 944S2 had a pretty firm ride and did well on the track** and that was with the standard suspension; I don't think I'd have wanted the M-030 for a car for street use. That said, I'm no glutton for punishment...a bit of a softie.

(** I'm not suggesting that I'm a super-talented driver. My goal at track days was to be safe and smooth, and to be a play nice with the other drivers out there with me.)

Nick, I would likely not have become jazzed about this car had it been an original, non-Turbo Audi/VAG-engined version. I cannot imagine bothering with a car of this size/weight equipped with a sub 100bhp motor. And yes, the dash's construction pretty rubbish...getting it into an acceptable condition will be a challenge.

I thought this 931 on Bat a couple of weeks ago was extremely cool, whomever bought it got what appears to be a highly dialed-in car:

John

[Nick Triesch]

I think the 924 was beautiful. But such a dog.

[Lake Guy]

So lots of people are happy with the chassis but maybe not the motors. Anyone put any serious thought into an electric conversion? The parts are becoming more and more available.