Making a race car street legal again, please advise

I'm considering buying a 1977 Porsche 924 that's been described to me as a "fully sorted racecar." It's got a full cage in it and ultra simplified wiring. It has no dash or heater at all. I'm interested in it for two purposes. The first is to have something to drive on track (time trials & autocross) while my Boxster is apart for the 911-engine swap, and as something to play with in the snow (Lime Rock winter autocross). I'm hesitant because, to make my plan feasible, I'd have to make the car road legal again so I could drive it to and from the track. I'd also have to put heat back in it if I want to go play in the snow with it. The roll cage also needs modifications because it protrudes the roof (current owne/driver is eight inches taller than me( I'm 5'10 vs his 6'6) Is this an absurd idea? Will I be hating life if I take this on?

You will hate it, but you'll learn a LOT about what it takes to make a car work at the simplest level.
The big question is whether or not you have inspections where you are. It's much easier to make a car follow all of the rules of the road than it is to convince an inspector that it really does meet all the rules.

It can be done, but you need to ask yourself if its worth it. How much is the car? How much to make it fit you and be able to pass a state inspection? How much to insure it? Don't forget when you go to register it, the state of Mass will tell you what its worth and you will pay sales tax on whatever absurd figure they decide its worth, and not what you actually paid for it. Porsche... must be worth a bunch in the eyes of this revenue seeking missile called Massachusetts. You want something to beat up in the snow, go buy a $4000 Miata and sell it for $4000 when your done.

M030 wrote: The roll cage also needs modifications because it protrudes the roof (current owne/driver is eight inches taller than me( I'm 5'10 vs his 6'6) Is this an absurd idea? Will I be hating life if I take this on?

If I am reading this right, the rollbar protrudes through the roof. That's kind of a deal breaker for me on a street driven 944. Heat and turn signals and the like can be handled easily enough, but NVH are real things. Still, sounds wicked fun.

for a car that old isn't anything street legal almost? I mean i've seen some..... minimum E36 M3 out there.

All depends on where you live. The two states ive lived in, no inspections. Street legal is whatever you put plates on.

thats what i love about ohio, throw some DOT legal tires on it and exhaust its a street car!

In reply to tr8todd:

I have a dealer license so I'll pay sales tax on what I actually pay for the car. I also only have to make it road legal, not necessarily pass inspection. I'm thinking lights, wipers and a heater.

dropstep wrote: thats what i love about ohio, throw some DOT legal tires on it and exhaust its a street car!

i believe it REALLY helped me to have rear turn signals on the datsun when i took it up to the gas station without hood and a cop ended up behind me. i have a feeling if i turned without a signal i'd have been pulled over and read the riot act about driving a racecar on the street.

i have no heat, we put crap away when it gets cold and drive trucks all winter. i made sure to have head and taillights(no high beams), brake lights, and rear turn signals. if someone across needs to know which way i'm turning i hand signal for them. no wipers either. it's loud and nasty and shakes from solid motor mounts, it isn't the most fun climbing around tubes to get in and out, the harness is a bit of a pain when i want to look behind me, there are no keys so in theory anyone could steal it(if they could figure out how to start it), and it's the most fun i've had in a car in a long time.

patgizz wrote:

dropstep wrote: thats what i love about ohio, throw some DOT legal tires on it and exhaust its a street car!

i believe it REALLY helped me to have rear turn signals on the datsun when i took it up to the gas station without hood and a cop ended up behind me. i have a feeling if i turned without a signal i'd have been pulled over and read the riot act about driving a racecar on the street. i have no heat, we put crap away when it gets cold and drive trucks all winter. i made sure to have head and taillights(no high beams), brake lights, and rear turn signals. if someone across needs to know which way i'm turning i hand signal for them. no wipers either. it's loud and nasty and shakes from solid motor mounts, it isn't the most fun climbing around tubes to get in and out, the harness is a bit of a pain when i want to look behind me, there are no keys so in theory anyone could steal it(if they could figure out how to start it), and it's the most fun i've had in a car in a long time.

coming from maryland it amazed my dad, hell he daily drove a sandrail using hand signals for almost a year. ive had my exhaust checked a total of one time and amazingly i was headed to get gas with no hood on my car!

Considering how simple the 924 is, I can't imagine it would really need all that much to be streetable.

924s are parted all the time, so getting parts shouldn't be too bad.

Don't forget that for winter work you'll need a functioning defroster, not just heat.

You might look around for a Spec 944, see if it might be an easier solution if it still has a dash.

dropstep wrote: thats what i love about ohio, throw some DOT legal tires on it and exhaust its a street car!

...As long as it passes emissions.

Knurled wrote:

dropstep wrote: thats what i love about ohio, throw some DOT legal tires on it and exhaust its a street car!

...As long as it passes emissions.

In Massachusetts, there's no emissions testing for cars fifteen years old or older

Dealer license is the key to getting around most of the monetary concerns. The rest are easy. FWIW, I'm building a gutted, fully caged, fiberglass wherever I can get away with it, TR8 coupe with a LS3 and 6 speed from a 2010 Camaro. I figure if those clowns at cruise night with the cars outfitted more for drag racing than road use can register an insure their cars, why can't I build a GT1 car for the streets. As long as it lights up at night and goes beep beep, I should be good...right?

I have done something similar with an '85 Rx7 which was an IT7 racecar. Biggest issues were getting all the necessary lights functioning, changing the ignition wiring so the engine can be turned off while still belted in, quieting the exhaust, getting in and out with a fixed steering wheel and tight seat. It is not comfortable driving to tracks or an autocross but being able to show up to an event without needing a truck and trailer makes it worthwhile. Like the 924/944 the Rx7 has a hatch and I have room for all tools, fluids, and a set of race tires.

the answer to this question is the answer, or an mr2.

If you have to change the main roll hoop, the whole cage will need to be re-done. The main roll hoop is the focal point of all other bars in the cage.

You know after some more thinking and the obvious $$$$$ things we discussed last night getting a capped out Miata for $1500 or so is not a bad plan either. Hummmmmmm On the other hand if you are $$$$ ahead with the 924 then I would go that rout and it keeps the fleet size stable and there is something to be said about that.

I dreamt up a way around the roll cage issue.. If I let go of the winter autocross aspiration, I could simply cut the roof off, and then it would not matter how tall the cage is. My big assumption is that the cage will more than offset the loss of structural integrity that cutting the roof off will induce.

Knurled wrote:

dropstep wrote: thats what i love about ohio, throw some DOT legal tires on it and exhaust its a street car!

...As long as it passes emissions.

We dont have emmisions testing here.