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I can’t leave well enough alone

 
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Gaddyman19  



Joined: 01 Jun 2021
Posts: 20
Location: Warrenton, Missouri 63383

PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2021 5:06 am    Post subject: I can’t leave well enough alone Reply with quote

Well as the title says, I can’t leave well enough alone.

About 3 months ago I bought a 77’ 924 that is an absolute blast to drive, and I do so fairly often. It still has some quirks that I’m working on ironing out but I’m happy with it.



And then I went and found a trashed 85’ 944 for $500.



Apparently I have a knack for getting myself into trouble

So now we get on to the plans for this thing.

My 924 is in decent condition all around so I’d feel bad about making any major changes to it mechanically or on the interior, plans for it are mild and safety oriented (a roll bar and harnesses, then maybe a steering wheel) anything more and I’d feel like I’m doing more harm than good. However the 944 is a nice blank canvas in multiple ways.

The interior is absolutely gone, engine is also MIA as the previous owner was setting up for a 5.3 swap but gave up 1/2 way through. I have the transmission, though that was removed as well and is currently sitting in the car itself.



So I now have a blank canvas to do whatever ridiculous stuff I want to rather than ruining an already nice car

Problem is, I’m now faced with a different dilemma. I don’t know what to do with it

I’m mainly considering a 1.8t because they’re easy to find, there’s tons of documentation on different people having done the swap, its somewhat faithful to the origin of the car (though that’s not a huge deal to me), I can buy a mounting bracket, and you can build them to get some crazy HP considering the overall weight of this car.

I’m worried if I went with an LS or similar small block I’d ruin the feel of the car. I like how the 924 handles and obviously more power is gonna change that somewhat but the more I can do to keep the handling etc the same the better in my opinion.

Another thing that’s making me lean towards the 1.8t is that the clutch housing is missing along with the engine so I’ll be cutting a custom one as many people have done rather than trying to track one down and then getting an adapter plate.

This would be my first swap so I’m trying to cover all my bases, I’m in no hurry with this and it’s in a safe place so I’m going to take my time on it and make sure it’s done right so that I’m happy with the final product.

TLDR: I’m somewhat paralyzed over how many options I have + my lack of experience. I know ultimately it’s going to be my choice, and in the past people have showed resistance to 1.8 swaps but are there any (in your opinion) better swaps by way of simplicity, reliability etc? Or is the 1.8t going to be a good swap despite my lack of experience. Sorry not trying to make you all into babysitters
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Fasteddie313  



Joined: 29 Sep 2013
Posts: 2596
Location: MI

PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2021 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don’t say sorry, we need more people posting..
Post all you want no matter what it’s about..

I have been working on a 1.8t with a mafless tune today that doesn’t run for crap..
Did a compression test on it and swapped plugs..
I don’t know what’s wrong with it but I think the MAP sensor is wrong..
One of those silly tunes in a can you buy.. I think their stupid..

Comp test is ok and I guess it was running some 20psi or so..
Idk.. A lot of people like these 1.8T engines..

I had a 5 valve 1.8T head in my hands the other day and it’s a pretty impressive head..

I don’t much like their exhaust manifold and tiny turbo setup though.. ick..

I’d be MUCH more likely to lean toward an LS engine, and LS engines are lighter than 944 engines (or maybe lighter than 944 turbo engines)
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Gaddyman19  



Joined: 01 Jun 2021
Posts: 20
Location: Warrenton, Missouri 63383

PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2021 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fasteddie313 wrote:


I don’t much like their exhaust manifold and tiny turbo setup though.. ick..

I’d be MUCH more likely to lean toward an LS engine, and LS engines are lighter than 944 engines (or maybe lighter than 944 turbo engines)


My understanding was that the 1.8t's are also extremely light and a larger turbo is not something I'm opposed to... I think it comes down to price for me ultimately, I hear you can do an LS swap pretty cheap and there's certainly enough aftermarket parts for them. I suppose I'll have to just do more research but one phrase in general that comes to mind when comparing the two is "There is no Replacement for Displacement"
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Fasteddie313  



Joined: 29 Sep 2013
Posts: 2596
Location: MI

PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2021 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the big deal is that LS engines aren’t cheap, but 1.8s are lying all over the place..

I also think a 300 hp LS would spank all over a 300 hp 1.8, and even more so for a 500 hp version of either..

Either way you are going to need the right Porsche transmission to handle it, and not the 944 NA trans..
You will need a 924 turbo g31 trans, or a 944 or 968 turbo trans to handle the power..
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Gaddyman19  



Joined: 01 Jun 2021
Posts: 20
Location: Warrenton, Missouri 63383

PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2021 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fasteddie313 wrote:
I think the big deal is that LS engines aren’t cheap, but 1.8s are lying all over the place..

I also think a 300 hp LS would spank all over a 300 hp 1.8, and even more so for a 500 hp version of either..

Either way you are going to need the right Porsche transmission to handle it, and not the 944 NA trans..
You will need a 924 turbo g31 trans, or a 944 or 968 turbo trans to handle the power..


well yeah... it looks like I was mistaken on the price for a crate but if I do some hunting around I might be able to pull one from a yard for relatively cheaper if I did want to go that route. The other issue is that the transmissions for something like that are nearly as expensive as the motor would be from the looks of it, 9K for a G44 on Ebay sheesh. is that even the correct number I'd need?
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Gaddyman19  



Joined: 01 Jun 2021
Posts: 20
Location: Warrenton, Missouri 63383

PostPosted: Mon Aug 16, 2021 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a 350sbc block I’m waiting for the shop to finish machining, think that’s decent? Then I circle back to the fact that those blocks are considerably heavy… I could get an aluminum aftermarket block though… and still get good HP in a V8 Which I could stroke out to a 383…

Something else that I’m considering is if I go cheap junkyard LS, rather than trying to break the bank on a g44 or g50, what if I used a transaxle out of a c5 corvette? I don’t know what the dimensions or figment would be but they’re at least built stronger than the 944 transaxle I assume?

My whole thing with this 944 is that it’s junked out already so I have no need to keep anything original or even relatively Porsche, might result in a lot of fabrication to make things fit but overall opens me up to more options…
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