"broken" '78 924 NMNA Richmond/D.C. CL $400

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/5498145390.html

Nothing more expensive than a cheap Porker, right?

I have a spare cylinder head for this and the gasket set is stupid cheap, in case anyone is interested.

If you're comfortable with CIS or converting to MegaSquirt then this is a good car for you.

It's basically and old VW Rabbit/Super Beetle had a baby and named it Porsche.

Oh and Audi 5-cylinder (10v or 20v motors) practically bolt in.

I LOVE the paint job!

Sucks that they are almost worthless cars. If I was a bit nuts, I'd install am Audi turbo 5 and aim at the ~250bhp area.

Buddy of mine is doing that in an early 944 for use as a Rally car.

Here's a how-to:

http://www.944-20v.nl/

Jus' Sayin'

Oh man- and Fittipaldi wheels? I missed those the first time. Boy did I want a set of those back then!

What is v8 swap like for these? Say you used a donor trans also, like a lt1/ls1 and t56, is that a job for normal car guy with a garage, or more of a job for a super talented fabricator with an engineer on his payroll?

gearheadmb wrote: What is v8 swap like for these? Say you used a donor trans also, like a lt1/ls1 and t56, is that a job for normal car guy with a garage, or more of a job for a super talented fabricator with an engineer on his payroll?

Pretty much the same as the 944, only you should replace the torque tube and transaxle with one from a 944 or 944 Turbo (gives you a chance to refresh it while its out and its not a bad job to do, really.) The front crossmember is different, but its steel and easier to fab/modify for supporting the V8. There's less wiring to worry about since its not EFI. Buy the 944 V8 kit/parts and buy your donor and go at it.

I wouldn't use the T56 since you'd lose the weight distribution advantage the torque tube/transaxle solution provides. There's also the challenge of sorting the rear suspension and mating it to the rear differential.

You might want to improve the stock brakes and suspension, but it depends on how quickly you plan on driving. The stock solid front rotor/rear drum solution can be improved slightly, but most swap in early 944 parts to get vented rotors all around. The 944 brake parts require changing bolt pattern to 5x130 which is used by most Porsches and the wheels are more expensive than the 4x108 used on the stock 924.

Read up here:

http://www.texasperformanceconcepts.com/

http://944hybrids.forumotion.com/

I bought this car about a month ago. The seller was very cool. I'm very much looking forward to bringing it back to life. A stop at a machine shop told me the block will be very expensive to repair. Seems like a good excuse to swap in something with a bit more power.

Id go with an audi 5. Cheapest swap and cool sounds

Boonami924 wrote: I bought this car about a month ago. The seller was very cool. I'm very much looking forward to bringing it back to life. A stop at a machine shop told me the block will be very expensive to repair. Seems like a good excuse to swap in something with a bit more power.

BUILD THREAD!

In reply to Robbie: I have started compiling pictures and logging progress. I am hesitant to start a build thread until I have made some real progress. I don't want it to end up unfinished like so many others I've read. At this point it will be late summer before I will be able to buy a donor car but after that I will attack it pretty hard. This is my first project car but thanks to the wisdom and experience of guys and gals on this forum and others I know this can and will be done.

So....what's wrong with the engine block?

A replacement head is available (or check the 924board.org for people parting cars, etc.)

A headgasket set, a timing belt set and some time with the head at a machine shop should get it running for about $500.

This is assuming there aren't any CIS issues (there will be, they hate sitting, but it's all DIY stuff that just requires some patience and a proper CIS fuel pressure gauge set).

An engine swap will be a pretty big undertaking, even just to another Audi engine.

Getting the stock motor running and adding a Mercedes C-class supercharger would be a more doable project before tackling an entire engine swap for someone who's just learning their way.

Don't take this as criticism, just trying to help impart some experience so that you can get to enjoy the car more quickly before you decide to dump a bunch of money and time into it. BTDT.

Good luck and keep us in the loop, we're looking forward to seeing your progress.

In reply to Stefan (Not Bruce):Hey.. Thanks for the advice. Here is a pic of the block.

Just guessing I'd say the gouge is around .125"(3mm) deep.The automotive machine shop told me it will need to be stripped, dipped, cleaned, sleeved, welded, milled, bored and honed and the risk of warpage is high. It will be labor intensive and therefore expensive. He said the head should not be that bad to repair. I have not seen the c-class supercharger idea done before but that has me kind of interested. If car_parts.com is not lying to me I can get a block for $275 only 20 minutes from my house. I have not pulled the block yet but turning the crank I hear some unsettling noises so I'm not sure if the internals are ok or not. I would like nothing more than to be driving for less than $500, but I don't think the stock 100hp will hold me over for long. I was thinking the 20v I5 or a VW 1.8t would get me closer to 200hp and would not upset the balance (and spirit) of the car. And would be HELLA fun to drive. The CIS does worry me a bit as I know nothing about it. I suppose mega squirt has some solutions for that. Though I don't mind fabrication and wrenching but I am budget driven so if $500 would get me rolling I would be stoked. Thanks again. Here's a few more pics for those that didn't see the ad before it was deleted.

Me and my little helpers. Rally stripes make it look fast sitting still...kind of.

Great score! Even if you haven't made a ton of progress please start a build thread. It's not only a great place to shake out ideas but also helps keep you motivated.

In reply to Boonami924:

Yeah, that's unfortunate the block was damaged.

If you can, try to find a 76 block, they were brought to the US with the Euro compression ratio and will have 125hp versus the 95 or 110.

http://www.connact.com/~kgross/FAQ/944faq02.html

Just try to make sure the engine block has the proper engine code, it should be stamped near the driver's side of the engine block, under the intake manifold.

If you stick with the 2.0L and want to play with it. Look at having the cylinder head reworked by European Motorworks and gain a few more ponies (like 15) and set the stage for more power later.

http://www.europeanmotorworks.com/

I saved some articles on old school tuning of the 924's 2.0L:

http://s148.photobucket.com/user/fiat22turbo/library/Porsche924/Histerical/Articles

and here are some more:

http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=29524

If you're interested in the supercharger dealio:

http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=26904

I concur with the build thread, no matter what you've got going on. Some of us find it helps with motivation and of course the discussions can be fun and help with problem solving.

hobiercr wrote: Great score! Even if you haven't made a ton of progress please start a build thread. It's not only a great place to shake out ideas but also helps keep you motivated.

I would concur!

I'm so happy to see this car ended up with a forum member!

If I was the enabler I'm happy to have enabled.