Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Project car - Porsche 944

On a whim, I answered an ad today for a guy that needed to sell a car quickly. 1983 Porsche 944 with 72,000 original miles. The back glass was busted out, but the body was good except for some minor damage to front left quarter panel from a side-swipe. I think it cam be repaired fairly inexpensively - just a dent with no creases. No rust, anywhere. Paint is silver and original, a little clearcoat is starting to come off the hood. Leather seats are in great shape. All the electronics work - windows, locks, mirrors, lights, stereo, etc. The dash is cracked significantly as they all are of this age. He advertised it as non-running, but I was able to jump it and get it to turn over and start, but not stay running. Based upon what he told me, I'm thinking it has a bad alternator. There were lots of maintenance records, new head gaskets, new ignition wires and cap, brand news tires and everything was bone stock.

$700.

My son's been asking me to get a car that he and I can work on together until he gets his license in one year.

Anybody ever own one of these? I know they were gutless wonders with the 2.5L I-4, but they were supposed to be pretty good handling vehicles.

Could be a lot of fun. I'd say check into what a 'good condition' running one goes for and set that as a bar...cause parts add up. Last I knew this is NOT a model that has developed a cult following.

It's a project car with your Son...WIN, WIN !!....I'm on my way to Sturgis SD in 10 days with my 18 year old.....1800 plus miles towing a four bike trailer...getting there is half the fun ..We really enjoy the time together.

Do an LS swap and you will have a killer car!!

http://www.renegadehybrids.com/944/LS-1/LS-1.html

http://www.texasperformanceconcepts.com/LS1-Basic-Installation-Kit.html

That's kinda the direction I was thinking...

The trip will be worth the money.

My and my son rebuilt the engine for the 71 landcrusier and it was a hoot.
He always was handy with tools but he learned a lot about why the parts did what they did.

Quality time.

The trip will be worth the money.

My and my son rebuilt the engine for the 71 landcrusier and it was a hoot.
He always was handy with tools but he learned a lot about why the parts did what they did.

Quality time.

Son had a 924 and someone busted the hatch out at college. Cheaper to find a used hatch at a salvage yard than glass. Look for one with a good seal and so forth. Key is to match up to what you have, but there is a lot of swap parts across years. Electrical in them is crap, but generally decent little cars. 944 is heavier than the 924 but they handle well. tons of part cars around as they were popular.

Father and son project.

And work on it you will.

If it's your son's first car, just get it working and safe and be done with it. Everyone should start with a beater until they can afford to buy their own good car imo.

If you decide to LS swap it, find an aluminum block motor for weight savings.......LS1, LS2, LS3, LS6.......some of the 5.3s were all aluminum too, would probably be less expensive and have plenty of power.

I just finished swapping an LS1 and T56 6 speed into my '68 camaro.......worst part is converting the wiring harness to "stand alone", it's not really hard, just time consuming. Mine took a lot of time because I had to lengthen the harness to mount the PCM where I wanted it.......that's a BUNCH of wires to cut, splice solder and heat shrink!! Most of the wiring pinouts are available at LT1swap.com as well as instructions on which wires to keep and which to remove. You will have to have the PCM flashed to remove security and, if you aren't in a smog test state or your car is exempt, they can remove the egr, downstream O2 sensors and a bunch of other stuff when they flash it.


If you haven't already looked, go to https://ls1tech.com/forums/search.php?searchid=35374949&pp=25&page=2 there are several threads about 944 swaps and hours of reading about LS conversions in about anything you can imagine.

Good luck!!

+1

Isn't that front engine rear transaxle? Does anyone make an adapter for swapping engines?They have great weight balance . Lousy wiring for sure.

We need a certain member, a Porsche guru, to chime in.

+2. There is a lot to be said for a car that handles with margin of safety running the motor flat out.
A buddy bought one, pretty ragged out cosmetically but ran great.
They make a safe platform for your son to learn how to really drive a car.
Plus it's a Porsche! Chicks will dig it.

I had an '87 944 in Guards Red.

as far as handling goes its an amazing car.

but its a Porsche so I probably don't need to say that parts are going to be expensive.

Its pretty easy to find an older 944 on the cheap. If I had a place to put , I'd consider a donor car.

Trouble spots for me - electronics, A/C, that crazy gear driven sunroof and the main computer. The engine was pretty solid. IIRC , comes in somewhere around 150hp. Not much by today's standards but it will sling you around well enough.

Also mine rusted at the manifold and it was serious money to get a new exhaust. I paid a guy to weld up the existing one

Had it for maybe 2 years and while I enjoyed it, it was the most maintenance heavy car I ever owned until a Ford F150.

I sold it and got a twin turbo 300ZX.

Then I knocked a woman up and those days of cars with no functional backseat are gone.


The good news is those are very popular track cars so there is a huge online community dedicated to DIY repairs, tuning and what not.

Yes and yes, but you'll need to put a 944 turbo transaxle in as the naturally aspirated transmission won't hold up to an LS.

It's not just the 50/50 balance that makes the 944 a great handling car, Porsche really got the suspension right and the ride IMHO is the perfect balance of being stiff without being harsh.

I've been debating doing a build with an LS swap, but it won't be cheap to do it right. It's more than just an adapter plate and turbo transmission. You need engine management for the LS, and since you're going from 160 hp to 400 hp, you need to upgrade the brakes, bigger tires, cooling, with a car that age new shocks, etc.

If the car is in pretty good shape and just needs some body work, glass, alternator, battery and a tune up I'd say go that route. 160 hp is more than enough for a new driver to get into trouble, putting 400 hp in there is more than asking for trouble.

Pretty sure the LS is even just a touch lighter than the weak I4 that Porsche put in there.

That would be a hell of a fun car.

The LS is a badazz platform for building power on a budget.

Be sure to instill in him that a Porsche is a valuable tool for getting girls.

Probably the MOST important thing to know is the date of the last timing belt change. Every 4 years or 45k miles. Otherwise risk bending (Very hard to find) valves even at cranking rpms. If you're going to consider a V8 swap, then you'll want the 944 Turbo transmission to survive the additional torque. The stock motors were pretty good, not much power, but if you kept waterpumps and timing belts changed on schedule, they would go a long time. Balance shaft belt timing is absolutely critical. If they go out of time, they will create odd vibrations that can crack starter mounts on the block, and destroy oil pump pick-up tubes. You'll also need the timing belt tensioner gauge (special tool) if you're going to replace that belt.