rear control arms

[OPRN]

The background to this inquiry is that I have 2 project cars. A 1983 944 and a fiberglass VW street Buggy. I also had a 1986 944 for parts.

The first and foremost plan is to change the Buggy over to IRS from the original swing axle with the 944 rear brakes. This is in progress now but:

Is it worthwhile to put the aluminum control arms on the '83 944 and use the steel control arms on the Buggy? My thinking here is that I don't need the extra width on the Buggy and I do have the aluminum control arms front and rear off the '86.

Also I see that these rear control arms are not really a "bolt on" swap. What am I up against for changes here?

[walfreyydo]

86 is early offset and should bolt onto the 83 with no problems (someone correct me if Im wrong).

87 and up is when they switched to ABS and went to "late" offset.

86 is a unique year in that its the only year that aluminum arms came in early offset (non-ABS)

[OPRN]

It does look like... according to a parts search on this site, that axle length is the same, brake parts are the same, wheel bearings the same, CV joints are the same but it lists the link bushing as the same too. I am not sure that last one is true. Looks and measures different to me.

[OPRN]

I was just looking at my '83 944 again. Apparently I always just looked at the front tires which are 16" x 7" and assumed the rears were the same. Not so! The rears are 15" x 8". What is with that? Porsche didn't send it out that way did they?

[v2rocket_aka944]

the overall width should be the same between the 83 and the 86.
while its possible to put the aluminum arms in an 83 there is some fiddling of parts including changing out the parking brake cables/assembly to make it work.

were it me, i'd just stick the alum arms/assembly on the buggy and skip some work.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by OPRN

I was just looking at my '83 944 again. Apparently I always just looked at the front tires which are 16" x 7" and assumed the rears were the same. Not so! The rears are 15" x 8". What is with that? Porsche didn't send it out that way did they?

My 1st 944, that I bought in the 80s, had factory 7&8×15 Fuchs, it was a option.

[originalowner]

Originally Posted by OPRN

Porsche didn't send it out that way did they?

Porsche did not send it out that way. 15" all around on your car.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by originalowner

Porsche did not send it out that way. 15" all around on your car.

Correct, Porsche would not mix wheel diameters.
According to the option decal by the spare and the window sticker, mine came from Porsche with 7&8×15 Fuchs.
Option code is 401.

[OPRN]

Thanks for all the replies! Maybe I will go ahead and put the aluminum ones in the Buggy for now anyway.

I have no idea then why this 944 has 16" rims on the front. Maybe somewhere down the road someone will want them and swap some 15" ones for these.

[Monkey Wrench]

mine is an early 85 It came to me came (used) with stock Fuchs 15's , the centers are black in the indented section but the "spokes" have that brushed aluminum finish like the beauty rings They are black between the "spokes" I have the center caps so I was pretty happy to have nice wheels but wasn't sure if they were original.

option codes are:

paint LM3A / LM3A
transmission code 07
C03 158 404 409 425
454 533 650 715

mine also has the optional "turbo" skirt thing near the rear bumper. It was an option but could have been added after it was sold.
with it came some rather unusual skirts that fit below the rockers to make the car even lower. one got damaged a bit so they were all removed and in the car. I'm not sure what is original.
the mags are in really nice shape. Tires are old so I need to find replacements , they are now
Goodyear Eagle P225 / 50 ZR15 I'll need replacements as they are too old, sidewalls are cracking, so I've been wondering where to get those. 15' tires seem harder to find.

I assume I could go to 16's but will that change gearing? I dont think I want to do a large brake upgrade or race it so I'm happy if I can just find tires. I'm happy with how they look.

[OPRN]

Both the '83 and the '86 came with the center of the wheels black and the rims polished. I do like the brushed spoke look so I may do that down the road some day. As far as 15"or 16" height, it totally depends on the sidewall/ tread width profile you choose. 15" tires are still pretty common here. I hope they continue to be because I have 4 cars that take them!

This is the Buggy with the Fuchs on the front. The old rims were 14" and tires are defiantly harder to find for them now.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by OPRN

Both the '83 and the '86 came with the center of the wheels black and the rims polished. I do like the brushed spoke look so I may do that down the road some day. As far as 15"or 16" height, it totally depends on the sidewall/ tread width profile you choose. 15" tires are still pretty common here. I hope they continue to be because I have 4 cars that take them!

This is the Buggy with the Fuchs on the front. The old rims were 14" and tires are defiantly harder to find for them now.

I love the buggy. I plan on getting one at some point to drive in Shrine parades.
And am saving a set of 944 control arms for one.

[Monkey Wrench]

used to see one or two of those dune buggies around here, I believe they were street legal which is neat because they sure wouldn't pass an inspection now. Neat to see it. They are fairly rare now.

I was just looking through a flyer from 1962 for My old volvo , a 122S. The options list was older than mine ( 66) but what I found interesting was that seat belts were an option in that year, and Volvo invented them. an additional option was rear seat belts which mine even to this day does not have. I can get a fine if a kid is in the back without a belt on but in that car there are no belts so no law says they need to be installed.

a later car which was also neat was the Subaru brat. I think it was the only pickup with seats in the box and if you own one now you'd get a lot of looks hauling passengers ( legally ) in those seats.

I once owned a 1960's international scout. it was fun, especially getting pulled over for no seat belts and the cops couldn't do a thing.. no rollbar, you could take the doors off , fold the windshield flat and go hill climbing. WE sure did . it was nuts thinking back,, glad I never rolled it. remember taking hte top off so it was a convertible and then got to the top of a really really steep climb, wheels all spun too much , couldn;t go, had to back all the way back down, with two girls in there with me, terrified id flip it. It would make it with the roof but it lost some necessary traction without the roof.
that thing would be similar no roll bar but it will climb ! not a lot of overhang front and back and good clearance so it can go on pretty rough terrain and not get hung up.

it was fun crossing riverbeds and things, VW's flat so I could get speeding along and sort of float for some distance before it got stuck. I got myself way back in the bush with a pretty girlfriend and she has on a white dress and high heels.. well I got good and stuck right in the middle of a great big puddle.. looked over, Gave her a great big smile,, no ... she shook her head.. ended up walking down the mountain and hitch hike back to town to go find a friend with a truck and a rope lol. she waited 4 hours.. I think I had hopes that would work out differently lol..


I had a bug like many others did.72 superbeetle, It would climb so well with all the weight on the back tires. I imagine that thing will go as well in the bush as most 4x4's

I seem to remember a lot of them having a metal flake paintjob with great big flakes in the paint. I guess it was the style then, and metallic paint was a new thing.

Fun car, neat to see it. I think it should have a really long fiberglass CB antenna ;-) I seem to remember a lot of them having that, often it would be so long they would have it sort of tied down.

[OPRN]

Yes I well remember the Scout and Brat. Great vehicles! The glass Buggy doesn't go off road much, it is a compromise with my wife. I wanted a touring bike for road trips in our retirement, she said NO WAY! So I get my open view and wind in my hair and she gets her 4 wheels. She grins like a school girl when ever she is in it!

This one goes off road!

[OPRN]

Here is my '83. Needs paint, some seat upholstery and a few other bits of TLC but runs really well. Sorry for the road dust, we live in the country.

[Monkey Wrench]

the dune buggy is now such a neat thing.. i dont know much about value but I assume it's worth more than youd want to wreck. I think there are some clubs that represet those owners, probably a lo tof fun. The rail looks so practical. I love how simple it is, nothing to get really hung up on. no rad to worry about, You can't get much more barebones. Even the boat gas can is easy to change or take out. must be fun to drive too. you dont need a ton of power with a power to weight ratio like that has. it looks like the steering wheel is in the center so either could drive it.. It might just be the angle the pic was taken at.

not lots of difference between your '83 and my early 85, same color , same wheels, mine is a bit faded and repainted a bit too, but not so bad looking. Guards red as well. I'm looking forward to driving it, lots planned yet though since it sat a dozen years so so before I got it. I dont mind that, I bought it as a fun project and expected that. At least its not very rusty, That makes me feel more like giving it the love it needs. they seem to do fairly well at not rusting out.

looks like you have a big antenna on the Porsche, is that for a CB?

[OPRN]

Not an antenna, it's a purple martin bird house support pole in the yard. Optical illusion on the steering wheel. 1600 cc engine. Bus transaxle so low geared and has all the power we need for trail riding and hill climbing.

[Monkey Wrench]

I dont know if anyone ever uses inner tubes on their porsches, perhaps keeping a spare one in the trunk could help in the event of a flat where it can't be plugged easily. does anyone ever use them nowadays?

one thing I find is that whenever I try to get air from a gas station I seem to get a lot of water, then it wrecks the bead. next the rims are rusty near the beads and slow leaks result. an inner tube might contain that water?
my old volvo takes the same size as a VW bug 5.6 x 15, they are tall skinny tires, getting a bit unusual now.

[OPRN]

Inner tubes are nearly impossible to find now. My tire shop guy just sold me a set of 165-80-15 tires for the front of the street Buggy. He tells me they have become very popular with the vintage Beetle crowd.

On the flat tire note, has anyone tried to inflate one of the space saver spare tires that came with our 944s?

[Monkey Wrench]

someone here did, you can buy new ones for some crazy price. evidently you can inflate one and deflate it and fold it back quite easily. I guess we should all at least check them by doing that and see if the electric compressor leaks. if it's seals. I assume a bicycle pump is fine , maybe more reliable than those diaphragm compressors that make more noise than they do air.
they are probably unsafe but might get you home anyway.
I wonder what other cars had space savers? Corvettes maybe? Volvo used a "specialspare" which was low speed rated but got you home, most got chucked because there is usually room for both snow tires on OEM rims in the trunk. maybe it's worth buying 5 tires if you renew because if one has an issue you likely will never find the same tread pattern and size . problem is that wont fit in the car unless it's loose in the back.

i think a trailer hitch would be nice , it also makes you look like a redneck to have a sports car with a hitch, but maybe that's away to haul the spare on long trips and maybe a trunk of some sort. a roof rack is another way. I think both were options, but rare now.

somewhere we have a one wheel trailer I was thinking of restoring. I think sears sold them and they were discontinued or banned. they bolted to the back bumper The difference was that with only one wheel when you turned the car they totally messed up the center of gravity and made the car lean.
fun to back up with though. they stick to the back of the car rather than acting like most trailers. when you detach them , they also wont stand up on their own.

we had a trailer sitting on our property that was so old it has wire spoke wheels, I'm thinking early 30's. I took it home thinking it would be fun to make a cool trailer. it was the front end of an early car with the steering welded. sort of an I beam type casting that has a bit of a drop in the middle to clear the motor. I got the leaf springs and cut the fir timbers it was made from. I thikit was all from a car with a wooden frame. that trailer had a tongue made from a fir 4x4.. I'm not sure if that's still allowed on the road, but the wire wheels are so cute. no idea what it is from. maybe a white or a star or something odd. , not a ford.. they are 4 bolt, same pattern as a lot of trailers.