I bought a 944 just to join up ;)

[Monkey Wrench]

I’ll post pics first as a start
I have lots of questions about my new to me 944 and I’ll contribute as I learn more.

[Monkey Wrench]

[Monkey Wrench]

So it’s a beautiful car
The hood badge is missing and the rear bumper is pushed in a little
I know the prior owner well he drove it until he had some no start issue and parked it
After some years of sitting there all the gas leaked out somewhere below the fast tank or fuel pump.
It’s not very rusty or so it appears.

Im planning what to do and check to make it roadworthy enough to test drive

I’ll do the timing belt
should I just go ahead and replace both fuel pumps?
Tires look nice no miles, but rather old rubber.
I’ll need to replace lots of things like rubber parts so I’m interested in sources

The glass side mirrors fell out so it looks like rubber pads there seems to be new glass but I need to determine if they are heated or if they are electric since there seem to be some choices but the glass shouldn’t be too hard to fix.

He said second gear synchromesh is a bit rough. I’m not sure about the clutch it hasn’t lost its fluid.

I’ll change fluids , bleed brakes , flush rad, drain transaxle and engine and check for metal bits.

I thought I should put a bit of oil in the cylinders and then do a compression check

He couldn’t locate the key for the wheel but locks can I break them off if I’m stuck on that ? I’ll give him time and also crawl under maybe the key could be tied or stored somehow ?

The wheel wells aren’t rusty or the battery box it rains lots here so that’s good
Paint is faded a bit I can try cut polish wouid it have clear coat ?
I think some or all was repainted at some point but it looks not so bad few dings . Pretty straight good door closing feel so I doubt it’s had anything too serious

I can lift tge sunroof up with my finger from outside I’m not sure why or if it’s broken .

Are there other obvious things I should just go ahead and change before I start it or try to ?

Once it proves it can run and drive I’ll test it and I’m sure I’ll have to do more but it’s not seized and it didn’t stop with a clunk or overheating so I’m relatively sure I can get it going .

I love the style and it looks ok for a backyard mechanic like me
Non turbo but maybe a good year for having fuel injection but not so many over complicated features to fail

I like cars if this era and I’ve owned and fixed lots if Volvos and a ford van and they all use Bosch electrical too.

I’m excited, it might not be the fastest or most expensive Porsche but it looks like a huge amount of fun to me. I don’t want a super new car tgat has a zillion sensors and gizmos I don’t need because it’s easier to maintain and restore

I’ll have lots more questions but I better control myself

[TheSecondChris]

Great looking 944! The bumper should be a pretty easy fix. Looks like a 1984 or early 1985, right? Yes, I think you can just drill out those wheel locks and then replace with a regular bolt.

[jjeffries]

Please show us the old blue pickup, too. We like that stuff (or at least, I do!)

John

[Monkey Wrench]

[Monkey Wrench]

It was our Mazda ford
Great little truck, I blearned to drive in it
It eventually wouldn't go anymore so my dad and brother did a “farmer rebuild”’on the motor.

They dropped the engine on it in its flywheel by accident
Itvwas pretty bent so they beat the heck out if it until it was actually straight again. Itvwas good for a few years then.

When it would not run no more they made it into a trailer. The crown and pinion are still in there so it has a little inertia on the highway and the U joint flange spins


I’ve gone way over what it was designed for hauling machines and all kinds of stuff for years

Now the frame above the shackles is Swiss cheese with rust so I’m wondering how to fix it

I’ve got a couple of alunimum Volvo bumpers so I might be able to use them as some if it .

I’ve got this old front end from some unidentified old car and have been thinking of trying to use that and ditch the truck axle

I’ll post a pic of the front end and wheels tgat came off it for chuckles

[Monkey Wrench]

I don’t know what kind of car it’s from, it was a trailer with a wooden frame , maybe the car was wooden too. The hitch was wood so I couldn’t see towing that The 4 boot wheels are the same as a lot if small trailer wheels though, the spoke rims are cool but I’d at least have the option of modern wheels

I don’t know if I can trust the welds that lock it straight but it has a place for the tie rods. So I could lock that too if it’s welded so the wheels are straight enough and not cocked so it tows funny wheels still turn easy.

[Monkey Wrench]

Iva also got an old 66 Volvo 122s that I’ve owned for years , bored from 1800 to 2 litres, dual SU carbs. I polished the ports, balanced it and put in overdrive with a switch on the steering column , I replaced the crown and pinion to lower the gearing a bit. It’s a 4 door and I’ve been chasing the rust around in circles but it’s a lot of fun to drive.,

Also a 88 ford van with low mileage, raised roof and a wheelchair ramp. It has a 4.9 litre 6 cylinder
It’s been my daily driver for a while, great for hauling stuff around.

Also a 88 Volvo 740 wagon and a 88 Volvo 4 door 740 and a 1990 4 door Volvo 240
A boat about the same age with an 85 horse.. it all keeps me busy the 740’s and 24O’s have all been great workhorses, I’ve owned a few and airways liked them..

[Fast Freddy 944]

Are those barnacles growing in yer' engine bay?

[Dano944]

Nice looking car! The 1983 5-speed 944 I inherited also sat for a long time, but it was garaged and is in nearly perfect condition. I had a tough time finding a Porsche repair shop that would touch a 944, but I did, and it was the most important step ever. Have a good repair shop give your car a good once-over. IMHO you should get all the front engine stuff done before you do any serious driving (timing and balance belts, seals, water pump, thermostat, etc). Find a good repair shop, then you can drive your baby without worry.

[Ernie944]

Nice 944 Monkey Wrench,,,take your time clean it up good fixe it & enjoye drving the hell out of it

[Monkey Wrench]

yes barnacles" ;-) It'll look a lot better cleaned up but I might as well wait till I replace the gasket too.

the only time in my life Ive taken a car to a mechanic is a few times when I was stuck and it was cold out or to do wheel alignment. I'm fine taking it all apart myself but I don't know everything about it. I dont see being afraid of replacing any part in the car. I might need a special tool or procedures or have questions along the way.

I'll do the timing belt and belts for the balances and the oil seals in the area. should I change the tensioner as a matter of course? I saw the article about the bolt breaking and wondered if that was due to over torquing it or if that is a common failure. I don't want to risk pistons and valves colliding.

I'll change the oil and probably it will need a fuel pump since all the gas leaked out and years prior he said it failed to start, then it sat looking pretty in his driveway.

I purchased the two back bumper ends since at least one is all torn and the other may not return even with hot water treatment, they weren't in the best of shape but nothing a refinish wont fix, at least they are not all cracked and bent.

I'm on the lookout for the back bumper shocks since at least one is pushed in and stuck. I can try to pull it back out but the jury is out on whether that's any good or if the gas charge leaked out.
It looks like there is some red trim below the back bumper and maybe that needs to come off first.



after oil change and the belts and probably a fuel pump I can start it and see what's holding me back. I'd like to drive it if even just around the block to see how it shifts etc.

I saw the article about taking apart the rear CV joints or U joints or whatever you call them to clean and lube them. I can handle that, seems like something I should do. Ill bleed the braking system too , is dot 3 ok or should it be dot 4? In my 66 Volvo I changed it to silicone and the clutch too. the clutch cylinders seemed to fail regularly but swapping to silicone made them last 20 years. I dont see anything wrong with switching the clutch to silicone as it never gets hot. I might need to change the rubber parts as a part of that if they are available.

I now that the silicone also boils at a lower temp and so if you brake hard you can boil the brakes. on the other hand as it's a bit of a collectable car I probably wont be driving it like I'm racing either and may store it more than drive it. The plus side is that it doesn't absorb water and so after sitting it wont rust the cylinders etc so much, and it doesn't eat the paint. when I switched my old volvo over I also changed all the rubber in the braking system so I was able to clean everything thoroughly. I assume that others wont recommend switching to silicone for the braking system.


the motor mounts seem pricey and it's old so I dont know if there is a workaround to that issue. It probably makes sense to go changing a lot of the rubber parts. maybe i can get a kit with polyurethane bushings without a lot of cost?

headlights dont open, I don't see that getting too complex. stuck relay maybe.

I think there is some trim just at the top of the back window that's in the back of the car I think i can replace that if it's even important.

it does have the rubber spoiler thing , intact but it's a bit degraded maybe it could be replaced along with some window seals etc.

is there a place I can download a real shop manual? I dont know if it can be copied or not. Maybe there is a CD or something I can order? I have the Hanes one, its a help but a real shop manual and parts book would probably make things easier.

tires look great but i dont trust them, too old. I've had sidewalls rip right out, not fun.

I think my first objective is to clean it up a bit do the basics, and see if I can fire it up then I can assess what's important better.

Im really excited about the car, every time I see it I get a little tingle and imagine driving it. right now all I can do is sit in it and make racing noises ;-) It's going to be a lot of fun.