New to me - 1984 interior questions to start

[TheSecondChris]

Hi, After a long time I finally got a 944!! I have had it for only a week and am getting to know the car.
I like the pre-1985 style with the round yellow gauges.

I noticed that the dash was a bit rattly and found that some screws are missing and I'd like to replace them but don't know which size fits best. If only one were missing I could take one out and find a match, but since both are gone I'm asking for help. Somebody removed (and didn't replace) the two screws that screw upwards in the gauge cluster. One is in front of the tachometer and the other is in front of the left-most gauge. I have documentation that somebody had the odometer apart and re-positioned a gear to get it working again - so maybe the screws weren't replaced after that repair.

The other 2 screws that are missing are in the silver panel to the right of the clock and to the left of the oil pressure gauge.

I have a lot of other questions. Is it best to create a thread devoted to my car or post individual questions to the forum?

[jjeffries]

Chris, I'm writing this in a bit of a hurry, so can't give you a web-link, but what you need first is to download the Porsche Parts Catalog aka PET (Porsche Ersatz Teilung), which you can Google, likely it's available on Porsche's Classic website. This shows just about every part for you car, including fasteners...in amazing detail....like the thread pitch and length of fasteners. For my 924 and 911, these have been of immeasurable help; I printed them to retain in three-ring binders.

Some hardware or car parts stores will sell the black Phillips head screws you'll need, but if not THE best source for these and all other fasteners for our cars is Bel Metric, probably belmetric.com.

The dash in my car is really shot. You can buy molded plastic caps to glue over the old, which everyone SEEMS to agree yields utterly mediocre resuslts. Anyone who has had positive results, please tell me...I would like to hear more. Some folks restore their dashes at home using various epoxy, foam and filler compounds followed with a paint of some sort, but the word is that the word "difficult" doesn't begin to cover it (pun?).

There IS a guy in Germany (Google will find him) who sells new dashes at approx $1500. Expensive yet reasonable to my way of thinking, yet likely a very tough investment for a car of a 924 or 944's value; for now, I wouldn't be able to afford one. The same guy also has all the original fabrics for the various interior configurations.

Keep on posting! I for one am on a crusade to build this area of the Pelican Forums.

Kind wishes, John/CT

[TheSecondChris]

Thanks a lot. I think I found the fasteners in the catalog.

Looks like the two for the gauge insert are Oval-head sheetmetal screw
B4.2x13

and the two for the large gauge cluster are Raised. countersunk h. tap s.
B4.8x16

Are you in CT as in Connecticut?

[v2rocket_aka944]

those are sheet metal screws...the metric one is correct but really an american "inch" size that is close will work just fine.

the plastic dash caps work great, you forget they're even there.

[jjeffries]

V2....Thanks, and glad to hear that. They're cheap enough to give 'em a try. Did you attach yours as per the instructions, with just a bead of silicone around the edge? I'd think one would want to a) use something stronger and b) really slather it on.

Chris#2: yes, northeastern CT

[TheSecondChris]

Thanks a lot guys. John, I'm in New Haven.