1983 Porsche 944 - Time for some restoration
Discussion
Thanks, always nice to know people are finding the thread interesting. It's all gone a bit quiet in here lately but then the thread is getting pretty long/old now!
Just ordered some new brake hoses and enquired about some rear calipers from another S that's being broken so hopefully that'll solve that issue. I'm also teetering on the edge of getting a bank loan to get the thing finished ASAP and sell the little Golf on and take the white 944 on track!
Just ordered some new brake hoses and enquired about some rear calipers from another S that's being broken so hopefully that'll solve that issue. I'm also teetering on the edge of getting a bank loan to get the thing finished ASAP and sell the little Golf on and take the white 944 on track!
MadRob6 said:
Thanks, always nice to know people are finding the thread interesting. It's all gone a bit quiet in here lately but then the thread is getting pretty long/old now!<snip>!
I've been following it from the start, and I'm still here, as I'm sure are many others. I don't comment as I've nothing to add!I still enjoy reading the updates though, and applaud your efforts at getting these 944s back on the road.
Thanks guys, always nice to know that people are finding my battle with these things interesting!
Currently having some issues with brakes. The rear calipers were pretty shot with bad pitting on the cylinder walls so were no good for rebuilding, I've also found that the driver's side front a rear brake pipes were completely rotten where they connected to the flexi hose and for the rear into the caliper. The front pipe is NLA from Porsche but the rear one is still available for a hefty fee and I'm currently waiting for the ever helpful Marc at Exeter OPC to see if he can track down a front pipe.
I managed to find in my pile of spare bits from the other car a rear driver's side caliper that was good for rebuilding so I threw some new seals on it and put it on the car and decided to see if I could create another frankenstein caliper for the other side. Sadly that caliper was so bad that I couldn't even pull the piston out so I gave up which is just as well as I realised it was half ten at that point.
Luckily I've managed to source a replacement caliper from Matt (Pawn Sacrifice) so when that arrives along with the big pile of parts from Porsche and I get these pipes it should be about ready to get the rust sorted out at long last.
Now a quick question for anybody familiar with the 944S. Mine has Koni shocks and from what I can tell that's standard equipment on an S as mine has little to no option codes. My question is are the springs the same as other 944s or are they uprated on the S? I ask as mine are looking a bit rusty and I'd like to replace them at some point before they give up completely.
Also my car is running on Boxster wheels with 205/55/16 tyres up front and 225/50/16 on the rear with V rating. What tyres do you guys run and can recommend?
I'm currently swaying towards Yokohama ADVAN Sport V105 as the S.Drives on the Golf have been very impressive on both road and track.
Currently having some issues with brakes. The rear calipers were pretty shot with bad pitting on the cylinder walls so were no good for rebuilding, I've also found that the driver's side front a rear brake pipes were completely rotten where they connected to the flexi hose and for the rear into the caliper. The front pipe is NLA from Porsche but the rear one is still available for a hefty fee and I'm currently waiting for the ever helpful Marc at Exeter OPC to see if he can track down a front pipe.
I managed to find in my pile of spare bits from the other car a rear driver's side caliper that was good for rebuilding so I threw some new seals on it and put it on the car and decided to see if I could create another frankenstein caliper for the other side. Sadly that caliper was so bad that I couldn't even pull the piston out so I gave up which is just as well as I realised it was half ten at that point.
Luckily I've managed to source a replacement caliper from Matt (Pawn Sacrifice) so when that arrives along with the big pile of parts from Porsche and I get these pipes it should be about ready to get the rust sorted out at long last.
Now a quick question for anybody familiar with the 944S. Mine has Koni shocks and from what I can tell that's standard equipment on an S as mine has little to no option codes. My question is are the springs the same as other 944s or are they uprated on the S? I ask as mine are looking a bit rusty and I'd like to replace them at some point before they give up completely.
Also my car is running on Boxster wheels with 205/55/16 tyres up front and 225/50/16 on the rear with V rating. What tyres do you guys run and can recommend?
I'm currently swaying towards Yokohama ADVAN Sport V105 as the S.Drives on the Golf have been very impressive on both road and track.
TonyRPH said:
I've been following it from the start, and I'm still here, as I'm sure are many others. I don't comment as I've nothing to add!
I still enjoy reading the updates though, and applaud your efforts at getting these 944s back on the road.
Me too - good luck with whatever is next on the list!I still enjoy reading the updates though, and applaud your efforts at getting these 944s back on the road.
Not a lot to report as I'm still waiting for a bunch of parts to arrive from Porsche but I do now have the brakes fitted and working!
They're pretty good if you're going backwards but suck if you try and stop going forwards so I'm probably going to need new discs.
That also means that there are now no fault lights on the dashboard at all, woo!
They're pretty good if you're going backwards but suck if you try and stop going forwards so I'm probably going to need new discs.
That also means that there are now no fault lights on the dashboard at all, woo!
Fitted a few new parts tonight including my new clock bulb (I'm still chuffed that the clock actually works!), new interior light so I can actually see things inside the car, new hatch struts, boot lock seal and microswitch, throttle cable pulley bush, headlight motor and coil caps and a few other bits.
Problem is the boot release is being a complete pain in the arse. Seems the latches are requiring waaaay too much force to release which is causing the cam on the motor to bend and then throw the clip off into the boot somewhere. It's so stiff you can't release them by climbing into the boot and using the manual release either.
Something is wrong and I'm not entirely sure if it's the latches or something else. It did mean that I had to remove my nice new struts to avoid the boot being open and the inside of the car ravaged by the cat that sees the garage as a big playground.
Problem is the boot release is being a complete pain in the arse. Seems the latches are requiring waaaay too much force to release which is causing the cam on the motor to bend and then throw the clip off into the boot somewhere. It's so stiff you can't release them by climbing into the boot and using the manual release either.
Something is wrong and I'm not entirely sure if it's the latches or something else. It did mean that I had to remove my nice new struts to avoid the boot being open and the inside of the car ravaged by the cat that sees the garage as a big playground.
I've been busy lately with the later car and have managed to get a load of little bits done and also find a few more issues with the car.
First up I've managed to fix the boot release by throwing some cash at it and fitting new latches, the old ones were waaaay too stiff which is what was causing the issue there. I've also fitted the screenwash reservoir and filled it with fresh screenwash, drained out the water that was in the coolant system, filled and flushed it out again before putting the new coolant in and bleeding the system and broken the rear luggage blind...bugger.
Looking quite nice now after a good wash
I even gave the interior a bit of a tidy up
Now with opening boot!
And knackered luggage cover
Trial fitted a spare stereo that was lying around and found that the string of connectors for the speakers ranging from original 1988 plugs to spade connectors to ISO connector was falling apart a bit so I cut out the complications and soldered the ISO connector on.
Didn't fix my problems though as it turns out this speaker has collapsed and is causing the amp to shut off to protect itself. New speakers are on the way!
Showing its rustier side (although hiding it well in the shadows)
And since it's time for new tyres I created...HOVER PORSCHE!
First up I've managed to fix the boot release by throwing some cash at it and fitting new latches, the old ones were waaaay too stiff which is what was causing the issue there. I've also fitted the screenwash reservoir and filled it with fresh screenwash, drained out the water that was in the coolant system, filled and flushed it out again before putting the new coolant in and bleeding the system and broken the rear luggage blind...bugger.
Looking quite nice now after a good wash
I even gave the interior a bit of a tidy up
Now with opening boot!
And knackered luggage cover
Trial fitted a spare stereo that was lying around and found that the string of connectors for the speakers ranging from original 1988 plugs to spade connectors to ISO connector was falling apart a bit so I cut out the complications and soldered the ISO connector on.
Didn't fix my problems though as it turns out this speaker has collapsed and is causing the amp to shut off to protect itself. New speakers are on the way!
Showing its rustier side (although hiding it well in the shadows)
And since it's time for new tyres I created...HOVER PORSCHE!
Conian said:
I no longer own any 944, am I still welcome here *sob sob*
Oh dear, what happened there then? You can tell the story before you're forcibly removed from the thread 
Hitch78 said:
I've been following this thread for almost six years now and it just keeps on giving.
Glad people are still finding it interesting. At the moment I just want to get the thing on the road. Once that's done I'll be getting some of the paint sorted out on the other car and pulling the head to try and sort the running issues out.Or you could get an S, pretty much identical apart from the engine and the same price as a lux
Made a bit more progress since more parts arrived.
First up we have new brake discs and pads all around as modeled by the rear nearside corner which is my only red caliper.
The car is also now sporting some new tyres, this season the style is Yokohama Advan Sport V105 as modeled by the boot of a Passat
And it all comes together in the beautiful sunshine with a rusty sill
Waiting for my new rear speakers to arrive now which have sadly been delayed and then I have to bleed the clutch and refit the pinch bolt to the steering column. Once that's done I think it's ready to be sent off for some welding.
It's tempting to insure it and chuck it through an MOT somewhere locally just to make sure there's nothing else I've missed.
Made a bit more progress since more parts arrived.
First up we have new brake discs and pads all around as modeled by the rear nearside corner which is my only red caliper.
The car is also now sporting some new tyres, this season the style is Yokohama Advan Sport V105 as modeled by the boot of a Passat
And it all comes together in the beautiful sunshine with a rusty sill
Waiting for my new rear speakers to arrive now which have sadly been delayed and then I have to bleed the clutch and refit the pinch bolt to the steering column. Once that's done I think it's ready to be sent off for some welding.
It's tempting to insure it and chuck it through an MOT somewhere locally just to make sure there's nothing else I've missed.
Benton said:
Love this pic. Great thread, the white car is looking ace now!
Cheers, it's certainly getting there now!Made a few more finishing touches including adding the radio from the Golf. I now have all the mod cons such as hands free, playing music via bluetooth, ipod and usb as well as a CD player.
I also fitted the new brake dust shield to the rear brake where the old one had snapped off. That was fun as the lower bolt had rusted in place and the head had rusted away. My attempt to hammer various sockets and spanners onto it resulted in the bolt just falling out which was handy in a way. Managed to re-thread it despite the confined space and put a new bolt in including a dodgy spacer as the new one was too long but it's better than it was!
In talks about getting the welding done, an alarm fitted and an MOT now so soon I should be able to drive the old thing!
I had a week off and had to deal with being rear ended, driving to Oxford, then to Swindon, helping to buy a motorbike, then back to Oxford, then to Kent for a weekend of airsofting and camping, back to Oxford, cleaning up said motorbike and then back home. My relaxing week off turned out to be not so relaxing.
Anyway as for the car it will be leaving me soon. Just waiting for a date where it can be collected and then I have to wave bye bye.
Anyway as for the car it will be leaving me soon. Just waiting for a date where it can be collected and then I have to wave bye bye.
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