wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:Tom_SpanglerI was always partial to the idea of the Audi/VW 1.8T swap. Keeps it in the family, it's a compact engine that you don't have to do any crazy exhaust plumbing to fit, you can keep your brake booster, etc. It's also lighter than the OEM engine by a decent amount.
Love the color, by the way.
+1 all the way.
Sorry, I know Porsche is in the family, but I refuse to work with VW/Audi.
dps214 said:AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:So I guess I'll be keeping an eye out for a Ford 8.8 IRS rear.
I don't think I've ever seen an 8.8 swap that didn't involve huge modifications to the chassis. For your power desires and especially if you're staying N/A, a turbo trans and a decent clutch will be plenty.
And I agree that if it cranks well it's probably not the timing belt. But given the apparent knowledge and diagnostic skills of the PO I would definitely put a new timing belt on it before trying to drive it.
They do seem to require fabrication, but I'm willing to do fab work.
Turbo Transaxle would be fine and dandy, but I doubt I'll be able to find one cheap enough to work out.
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:As far as goals for the car, to further filter engine options, I'd say I'm shooting for a minimum of 200whp, ideally 250-350 tops. Not looking for crazy power, just enough to surprise people. Also, prefer that power to come naturally aspirated.
I appreciate the feedback on the transaxle. I had already gotten similar concerns from a friend of mine. So I guess I'll be keeping an eye out for a Ford 8.8 IRS rear.
Then sell the car and buy a C5. Sorry, but moving away from the torque tube solution just makes the car not a 944 and for that effort you'd be better off with a newer chassis since the 944 is based around the 924 and that started in 1976 using MK1 Golf and Super Beetle solutions. They've made it work pretty well, but its still quite old with more than a few challenges.
Like I said, the transaxle is fine just put a little care into and it will survive, even at 400bhp. If you're shooting for a little more than stock (stock is 150hp, btw) and closer to the 2.7 or 3.0L powered 944 S2/968 then again you'll be fine with what you have.
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:Tom_SpanglerI was always partial to the idea of the Audi/VW 1.8T swap. Keeps it in the family, it's a compact engine that you don't have to do any crazy exhaust plumbing to fit, you can keep your brake booster, etc. It's also lighter than the OEM engine by a decent amount.
Love the color, by the way.
+1 all the way.
Sorry, I know Porsche is in the family, but I refuse to work with VW/Audi.
So why did you buy a 944 then? It was originally supposed to be a VW product, so its filled with VW parts and Porsche engineering, initially paid for by VW.
Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:Tom_SpanglerI was always partial to the idea of the Audi/VW 1.8T swap. Keeps it in the family, it's a compact engine that you don't have to do any crazy exhaust plumbing to fit, you can keep your brake booster, etc. It's also lighter than the OEM engine by a decent amount.
Love the color, by the way.
+1 all the way.
Sorry, I know Porsche is in the family, but I refuse to work with VW/Audi.
So why did you buy a 944 then? It was originally supposed to be a VW product, so its filled with VW parts and Porsche engineering, initially paid for by VW.
I bought the 944 because it looks pretty. :)
Also because I'm not afraid to make it "not a Porsche".
In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :
Any info on lfx working with the ls kits?
Nice snag. I'm in to follow. I vote LS or K swap. No audi/vw for me either.
In reply to yupididit :
Not that I've seen, but I've only done a little searching so far. Considering how the LS is mounted in the 944, and the way Miatas are modified to support the LSx and the LFX tells me there's a good chance it shouldn't be terribly difficult to do.
I go back and forth on engine swapping my 924 and I think I'd likely go with whatever I already have because I'm not always a smart man :)
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:Tom_SpanglerI was always partial to the idea of the Audi/VW 1.8T swap. Keeps it in the family, it's a compact engine that you don't have to do any crazy exhaust plumbing to fit, you can keep your brake booster, etc. It's also lighter than the OEM engine by a decent amount.
Love the color, by the way.
+1 all the way.
Sorry, I know Porsche is in the family, but I refuse to work with VW/Audi.
So why did you buy a 944 then? It was originally supposed to be a VW product, so its filled with VW parts and Porsche engineering, initially paid for by VW.
I bought the 944 because it looks pretty. :)
Also because I'm not afraid to make it "not a Porsche".
This thread its 924 related, but the 944 is just the curvier sister to the 924 ;)
http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=30684
Well, I found some wheels about 2 hours away, so I picked them up last weekend and got them installed last night. (Car is still on my trailer, which lives at someone else's house since they have space to park it and are generous like that.) Tires hold air, but are not in great shape. Got the set for $250 though, and they have center caps, even if the paint is a little rough.
Tom Spangler still has another set of phone dials that I may or may not end up with as well.
There's a long road ahead, but this is exciting.
While I was over there I took some bolts out and took a peek at the timing belt. That's definitely the issue.... I couldn't see a snapped end of it, but it was extremely loose. So even if it didn't snap, maybe a tensioner or something went out and caused the same damage. That's a bit of a bummer as I would have loved to have been able to drive it a little bit before an engine swap, but such is life.
Been thinking about the upcoming swap more, and I'm still torn. LS would technically be the "easy" way to go. It looks like I can keep the transaxle with that and be fine. The downside is, to get an LSD, I'd have to find an LSD transaxle, preferably a turbo model, and they are harder to find and expensive. This makes me consider an entire drivetrain swap that would include an LSD that would hold the power for sure. I'm a BMW guy, so naturally I've been considering a BMW drivetrain. The transmissions and diffs from them are solid and usually able to hold like 5-600hp reliably. Finding a 6-speed 540i would be an interesting one to swap in. That would be a 4.4l v8, with around 300hp, and the trans and diff to back it up.
So really the question is, do I want to toss an LS in there and have a half decent car, possibly drivable by the end of 2021, or a much "better" done swap that would take way longer. Honestly, I don't know yet.
You know you can put an LSD in the existing transaxle, right? No harder than adding one to any other transaxle and you get the bonus of knowing the bearings and syncro's aren't all worn out before you install it.
I do love me some BMW V8. I'd be worried about whether it would fit considering its width. Won't know until you measure it.
I'm not sure losing the torque tube and transaxle is a good thing, but that's just me. Glad you got some wheels! Now you can get started on it!
In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :
I can't say I totally knew I could put an LSD into the existing transaxle, but if I'm upping the power the non-turbo transaxle is debatably weak.
See, for me, I'm torn because to an extent I'm not sure how much money I would want to put into the stock parts, (like adding the LSD to the existing transaxle) versus swapping the guts for a totally solid setup. Then there's also the question of whether I attempt to keep it legal for the 2021 GRM Challenge, or just say screw it and build it to the max.
I do appreciate all input and opinions!
I will say, given that these cars have the "bullet" style fuses, same as my e28, it will be temping to re-wire the whole car. I hate those fuses.
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :
I can't say I totally knew I could put an LSD into the existing transaxle, but if I'm upping the power the non-turbo transaxle is debatably weak.
See, for me, I'm torn because to an extent I'm not sure how much money I would want to put into the stock parts, (like adding the LSD to the existing transaxle) versus swapping the guts for a totally solid setup. Then there's also the question of whether I attempt to keep it legal for the 2021 GRM Challenge, or just say screw it and build it to the max.
I do appreciate all input and opinions!
I will say, given that these cars have the "bullet" style fuses, same as my e28, it will be temping to re-wire the whole car. I hate those fuses.
Someone figured out after talking to some of the Audi coupe nuts that you could swap the rear diff from a Audi V8 coupe into the front of an Audi 016 based transaxle for a cheap limited slip upgrade.
http://www.924board.org/viewtopic.php?t=23820
There's also Guard's, Quaiffe and Porsche's limited slips to install and they are available new (but not cheap, obviously)
Here's a relatively cheap option: https://gripperlsd.com/product/audi-016-gearbox-5-speed-front/
I thought the 944 used blade style fuses? Or maybe that was after the dash was redesigned artating mid-year 1985 and the fuse box was moved to under the hood?
Keep the fuses clean and they work fine. Most of the issues are around ground points getting dirty and causing issues.
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