well i had one once before, i didn't bother looking for it because this was much quicker! i know, it probably wasn't smart. anyways, i just ordered the mount bushings and a few other things today, should get here on tuesday. got them from pelican, hope they're good!

Ken, you can "rent" a spring compressor from Advance Auto Parts for free!! You just pay for it in full; use it at your leisure; and return it for a full refund. That's how our rental program works. When my customers ask me "why even bother paying in advance?", I just tell them "since it's already paid for and then you fall in love with it, you can just keep it!" I sell about 5% of my rental tools by saying this.

i know i can "rent" from advance and autozone, but i didn't bother to. it would be a hassle to get the thing and bring it back, and it also takes a lot longer, the zip ties took me like.... a minute and worked just as well. then when i was done, i jacked the control arm back up to take the tension off the ties and cut them, done! but don't think i'm not thankful for all your concerns! it's great that there are such caring people here, even though i did think about adding a turbo... haha. thanks, peoples!

Frustration sets in again
 

Well it is official. The SC I had intended on using is not going to happen. I have wasted a lot of time and money fooling around with a less than reliable supplier. The $3295 has been spent and I have no product. I have now officially enlisted the aid of authorities to help resolve the matter. If I don't get it back the only satisfaction I will have is that someone is going to be embroiled in a very nasty federal criminal case which will cost substantially more than anything that he has gotten from me.
I would rather just have what I paid for so long ago. The worst part is that I feel like an idiot having waited arouind for 7 months listening to excuses, problems, etc. all the while dumping a large wad of cash into my car prepping for something that is not going to happen. I went so far as to try to take the badge off the back and I have the boost and air / fuel guages out at the moment. I swear I was about 10 minutes away from either selling it or just giving it to my son. The car runs great as it is and definately handles well, it's just that I had intended on doing something else. I have recently spoken at length to Tim @ Speedforce and I just have to decide if I want to go through this whole process again and be out another $5500 minimum. I think I will wait to see if I do get my money back. Meanwhile my friend who owns Parktown Porsche Audi here in St Louis has decided I need a Cayman. I did drive one and it is really cool. I love the look of a Speed Yellow / tan one that they have there.

Thats a huge bummer about the flakey vendor. If you have decent fabrication skills, you can put together a kit similar to what speedforce offers, for much less, (essentially what the guy who screwed you was promising). Fully tunable piggyback, or standalone engine management systems are available for under $500, and an upgraded 951 intercooler is available from Lindsey for $375, and 951 injectors are available used about anywhere, just send them to witch-hunter for overhaul (may need balast resistor circuit). A 951 bypass valve can be bought pretty cheap, and then the only expencive part left becomes the head unit itself.

Then the million dollar question: How do I mount it? Pop your AC out, and relocate the Alternator to its position, then hold that head-unit in there and measure where you can make mounting plates connect to. From there, evaluate where you need to route tubing. lay out where your intercooler is going to install and play connect the dots. Looking at pictures of what others have done helps too. But what about the AFM/MAF. . . don't use them, use a Intake Air Temp sensor and a GM MAP sensor that simply connects to a vacuum signal off your intake manifold (another reason to use a piggyback or stand alone).

I think you can do the project for under $3000. Come on, don't give up now.


Cheers!

I realize that what you are suggesting is certainly possible. Possible for someone w/more knowledge and time than I have. The stuff I have done has been due to hitting the books to figure out basics. Guys like you are far more adept at doing a lot yourself. I know enough to get myself in trouble. I can get the Speedforce kit for about $4500 including a new DME. That part still has me worried as nobody has responded about that being a viable thing to do. My brother-in-law lives in Dana Point and he has agreed to run over to their place to check it out for me. At least it's a real business. Tim will do all or part, whatever I want. He has also volunteered to give me the names and contact info for previous customers doing the same thing. I don't want to get the thing so radical that I can't jump in it and drive 400 miles w/o taking a laptop and prayer. Before I do that I may just get something else and put this one in the garage for a while. I have decided to not give it to my son. He is the only person I know that could destroy an 83 BMW 325, they are tanks. I want to see the 944 live a long and happy life once I get the SC situation sorted out.

My wife just jumped into her 98 M3 and drove from St Louis to Daytona Beach and back. She picked up our granddaughter and came home. I can't believe she didn't fly. She has decided she really likes the little car. She was somewhere in Georgia for the night and the NOPI people had a big thing going on. I am proud of her, she totally cleaned the bugs off (her car not herself) and went over for the day to check out the rides. I do appreciate the encouragement it's just kind of frustrating right now dealing with Police and Lawyers instead of auto parts houses. The Cayman or a tricked out M3 ragtop is a viable alternative for me as my business did OK this year and I don't do drugs, chase women, gamble, or drink (much). I really like the BMWs as we have had 7 of them but there is just something about a Porsche. (we only have had 5 of them). At $60K the Cayman will be a stretch but you only live once and that yellow one is really pretty cool. I could do the BMW for way less than 1/2 that for a good used one w/ all the goodies.

Steve

If you're contemplating the viability of the amount of wasted money on dumping $5k into the 944 vs. buying a new Cayman for $60k, here's some food for thought. The Cayman is going to depreciate at least $5k the second the dealer drops the keys in your hand.

The 944 on the other hand, you can either sell with the blower setup, or remove the blower and sell that and get half your money back out, and sell the car for market value (depreciation curve has already bottomed).

It's not really the money totally. I have not purchased a new car since 1983-84 when I bought 3 after a particularly good year. I picked up an 83 911SC, 83 Audi Sport Quattro, and the 944 for my wife. We have had a ton of other cars since then but the little 944 is still with us. I just really like the Cayman a lot. It reminds me of a 246 Dino Ferrari in that it looks like a race car even sitting still, especially in yellow, and I hate yellow cars normally. I am just frustrated right now with this whole supercharger thing.
I am going to let the dust settle and see how effective our judicial system is if I don't have my cash back by the end of the month. At that point I will rethink the whole SC thing, do some additional homework, and probably just do it. I have spent way too much time and money on the car to drop it. Fortunately I have a favorable garage situation, heated, A/C, air tools, etc. I actually just got back from Home Depot and I had two people come over to ask me about the 944. It is really a fun car, just slow. I want to blow off a few ricers, it's something about a second childhood / mid-life crisis I guess.

Steve

Well the car goes in Friday for a new windshield. I was surprised that it's only $325 installed. There are 74,000 miles of tiny chips and one dime size bullseye right in front of my eyes. After that I am going to run down and get a dyno result for what I've done so far. Worst case I can post that headers, fuel rails, etc are snake oil. I started @ 124 @ the wheels. The car is down probably 250 lbs, and it feels better. Who knows, it might be interesting.

Steve

Steve

Steve, Where are you going to get dynoed and what does it run you?

I'm curious to see some numbers from the 924S...

Performance by Joe on S. Hampton. He's about 2 miles South of 44 on the West side. He just moved his shop in from High Ridge about 6 months ago. I don't have an exact price yet. He is going to play with it on a Saurday for me. Joe is pretty much the dude to see if you have a Viper but he will do the 944 for me.

Steve

Man what a difference a new windshield makes. It's like driving without one. It really is amazing how many little chips there are after 74K miles. I got it back in time to go to a Porsche show here in St Louis tomorrow. I'm sure I will get some kind of flak for mine not being stock. Oh well, I'm not in the show, just going to check out the rides.
Steve

Porsche Show
 

Well there were definately some nice cars out today at the St Louis Porsche club show. I had to do things early in the day for the Wardon and unfortunately did not get there until it was winding down. There were the usual assortment of old dudes w/ new cars and old dudes w/ old cars w/ almost no miles that were taken there on trailers for people to tell them how cool they are.
A particularly classy touch was the guy w/ a new Carrera GT that had the sticker out so everybody could see how much he spent. The parking lot was more interesting. There were a lot of really clean cars and actual enthusiasts that drove them there. I came out and some kid and his dad were video taping my 944 as they told me they had never seen one like it. I felt kind of good in an egocentric sort of way. I stayed kind of in the background while an "expert" informed the dad and kid that the car "was obvioulsly not stock and that someone had ruined an otherwise clean example". Whatever!!! Leaving was a blast as a 951, my 944, and another 84 944 left together and played cat and mouse for about 20 miles before going seperate ways. I still think there's more to these cars than telling everybody how much they cost. Most of the guys w/ the big dollar cars had more money invested in their female partners augmentation than I have in my car. I guess the car needs to be stock but the girl can be highly modified, I don't get it.
Guess I'll never be a good club kind of guy. It's kind of like the old Marx Brothers thing about not wanting to be a member of a club that would have me for a member. I know this purist thing is all the rage but individuality also is a good thing.

I now anticipate getting roasted by a few people. Such is life.

Steve

pics?

...I need to start going to these things.



If your 944 didn't get the best reception because of the fiberwerks parts, my 924S probably wouldn't get great looks at all. While it is stock it isn't 'perfect' by far and has a few too many paint chips and such on the front end...

I dunno, I think at a Porsche meet you're gonna get the "tweakers" and you're gonna get the "showroom stock" guys. At a PCA swapmeet, I remember seeing an obviously modified bright yellow-cum-purple 914 roll through the lot on big 18" rims, big reds, and an apparently open exhaust; turns out he had a 3.6 993 motor in there. A lot of people thought it was really cool, but the guys with pristine pre-bumper 911s just turned away.

How's that 951 treating you CJ?
I like my little car more all the time. Hopefully by next spring I will have the rest of it sorted out. One way or another I will probably just pop for a Speedforce kit. I want one stop shopping this time from a reputable vendor. The last one still has my money and now the legal system is involved. It's pathetic. It would be nice to be able to take it to a Porsche club thing and really horrify somebody. I still would like to find a car club that was just into fooling around with cool cars, regardless of brand. My wife and I are going to be in Vegas next week and I am definaely going to go to Harrah's car museum. There should be some pretty interesting things there. I am also going to try and fit in Renegade Hybrids shop.

Steve

Hey steve... the 951 is great. Actually, it kinda scares me a little ;)

I am sure everything will come together. Now that the law is involved, you will be sure to get your money back (I hope)... what a mess that turned out to be.

Steve,

Have you tried going directly to the source for the supercharger? From what I gather this x3m944 (ESC944 on 924board.org) guy sells Thomas Knight superchargers and pawns them off as his own. Maybe something could be worked out with TK to keep him from being drug into the criminal case. You never know, he might be in on the scam, but either way you should involve him.

Just a thought as I contemplate what I would do if it were me. I would seek retribution for the losses, and would do my best to get the supercharger set up too. You can call that payback for the time and energy wasted dealing with this scammer.

I wish you the best.

Honestly if the supplier has the same "ethic" I would just as soon close the book on this particular chapter in my life. I have a really pissed off wife, a year of wasted time, and I'm out $3800. I have been in contact with a guy in Norway who also got hosed, his was for a MAF kit. That's about the only thing I have received. He paid for his about the time I got mine so it was more than likely his to begin with. I am going to send it to him if I get my money just as a token that not all Americans are crooks. I have the proper people involved now to really make the guy that got me feel some serious heat. I am stubborn enough, and have the financial resources, to absolutely ruin the guy's life. I know it sounds cold but I did not initiate this situation. The small amount that I have been ripped off for will not even come close to paying the federal fines associated w/ Wire Fraud, Credit Card Fraud, Continuing Criminal Enterprise, and another thing that I have agreed not to divulge at this point that will really cause problems.
The only things I regret are that this particular situation has taken up so much time and that I was stupid enough to believe all the hype and excuses. I kind of wondered when he told me he had invented the supercharger (the TK one) and that he was afraid I was going to steal his design and have it copied in the orient. Now I'm told that he is working two jobs just to make sure I get repaid. What a great guy going to all that trouble just to make me happy.

Steve