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#1 |
Registered User
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Location: Hillsboro Oregon
Posts: 6,449
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
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#2 |
Slots go on anything!
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Richardson, TX
Posts: 5,957
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Check out a Mark VIII and 89-up T bird IRS. Those have an 8.8 center section, and you can probably buy the whole car for under $1k for a Mark. Instead of using an LS, you could use the 4.6 DOHC engine in that. Seems like those were rated around 300 HP also.
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#3 |
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Anderson SC
Posts: 3,886
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Maybe a newer GTO?
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#4 |
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Location: Hillsboro Oregon
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Solstice IRS. It uses a CTS diff. You might get away with just a CTS (non-V) diff or go to the V - Would need some research.
Looks like Mallet might use the stock diff (maybe just a ratio change?) Some good reading here and here. Another thought; Keep the 944 rear suspension and simply replace the transaxle with a CTS/Solstice diff and axles..! As far as widening the body. we all know you have the skills not to have to buy anything buy consumables to make that happen ![]() Don't forget about the insurance auto auction houses like copart and iaai for your parts car procurement. ...and dome Solstice Porn: ![]() ![]() |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Dang! Solstice wheelbase is 95.1" and the 944 is 94.5". I should do this Halfbreed style and just shave the body off a Solstice and tuck the chassis up into the Porsche. Drive it with the Solstice motor for awhile.
Now I just need to find a wrecked Solstice where all that they damaged was the roof! |
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#6 | |
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Location: Hillsboro Oregon
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Quote:
![]() Using one donor/make will ease the challenge of meeting CARB standards. Last edited by Frizzle Fry; 07-17-2013 at 12:51 AM. |
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#7 | |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Quote:
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#9 |
Registered User
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Location: Hillsboro Oregon
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Damaged top wouldn't save you much there, no
![]() Another approach to consider (briefly mentioned earlier) would be keeping the 944 swing-arm IRS and just mounting a donor IRS diff (many to choose from) in place of the Porsche transaxle. Run your LSX with a conventional trans/drive-line back to it. Easy-Money. |
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#10 |
Slots go on anything!
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Richardson, TX
Posts: 5,957
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
After having an early CTS-V with the plain 6 cylinder aluminum diff, I wouldn't bother swapping one of those in. The 06-07 V's used an iron center section. The early ones were prone to failure. The one in my car was howling like mad when I got it at 30K.
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#11 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
During the past week I finished off the carcass dolly. I also went hi-tech and fabbed up some conduit stunt struts so I could keep the hatch of the 944 open without risk to my life (it's heavy). Get used to seeing conduit bracing because it's going to play a main role in my suspension grafting activities later on!
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#12 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
I promised myself that before I pulled the motor out of the 944 I would create some kind of ride height & wheel location reference gage so here are some shots of what I did. I'm not sure I will need it later on but I didn't want to discover later on that I wished I'd done something like this after it was too late.
I even gave the gages names so I wouldn't forget them! |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Then it was on to the fun stuff - motor extraction!
Apparently there is a Hatfield/McCoy thing with the 944 crowd on whether tis best to extract out the top or the bottom. I went for the top style. Along the way I noticed that it's a good thing I never intended to drive it as a stock 944 because it was missing motor mount bolts, 1 out of 4 crossmember bolts and the front sway bar was askew on the one side. By Friday eve I had the top side prepped and was ready early Saturday morning for what I expected was going to be a simple completion of the final steps. But the Porsche had other plans - turns out the motor is seized so I could not disconnect the flex plate. 4 hours later I emerged the victor but along the way I had to drop the cross member, loosen the rack and pinion, remove the DS wheel, drop the DS shock tower and control arm and to a whole lot of wiggling. I lost track of all time. The place looked like a war zone. But - the damn thing is out now. ![]() Can you spot the boat anchor in the last picture? |
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#14 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Next I cleaned up and re-positioned the 944 for rear-end surgery. I spy a transaxle!
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#15 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Today's example of quirky German engineering: there are no junction connectors on any of the harnesses. For example - the engine harness is basically a branch off the main vehicle harness. So if you want to pull the motor you have to disconnect ALL motor devices (fuel injectors, oil pressure switch, alternator, AC the list goes on) and then snake all the wires out/off the motor because Brother there ain't no engine sub-harness!
Verrrrrry interesting! But schtupid. |
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#16 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
I forgot to mention that before marking locations on the gages I put the 944 hood, seats, battery, spare tire, et cetera back on the car. No idea how much gas was in the tank but will find out soon enough when I pull it out.
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#17 |
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Location: Hillsboro Oregon
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
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#18 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Well the 944 gave up her rear suspension and torque tube without much fuss today. I had to get a little creative and use the motor hoist to drag it out from under the car while doing a group hug with the floor jack.
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#19 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Then out came a surprisingly large fuel tank.
The fuel filler area looked like it had some kind of rework or hack - I've heard there were issues with fumes or smells on the 944. I don't know what it is about me and critters but here you go - this black widow was PISSED OFF that I had to go and tear apart the car she was growing some kids in. |
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#20 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Now she's up on the carcass dolly and the front suspension is next.
Check out the size of the pads on the disks. This is why the stock 944 rigging is not good for V8 swaps. Trying to figure out how to grab onto the rear end is challenging. That pretty much goes no matter what you're talking about. ![]() |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
I verified that the overall width of the rear of the car is approx 68" inside to inside of rear fender well lips. This is what Wikipedia had listed so now we know that anything on Wiki is correct! (joke) And the stock Porsche rear end was about 59.5" wheel hub to wheel hub (face to face). These two measurements along with the same deal from up front will be important in the donor vehicle decisions.
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#22 |
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 3,081
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
You have a Porsche?
You have a publicist? What are these things? ![]() |
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#23 |
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: N.E. OH
Posts: 214
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Looks like it's going well! Looking forward to watching the progress.
Chad
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#24 |
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Front suspension is off and the shell is re-positioned on the carcass dolly. Now I can drag it under the shade and keep working on it. Engine bay is cleaned up and ready for surgery. After measuring key dimensions on the 944 and on donor candidates (more on this later) I decided that it was too close to call on whether the stock 944 HVAC module could survive the transplant sessions. So I decided to pull the dash so that I could pull the HVAC module.
Hole-E-Crap what an ordeal. Even with nice instructions off some of the Porsche forums I still broke some stuff and re-broke the same things some PO had done before me. (I am not the first owner to remove the dash.) As just a small example of what the dash removal entails - the sun visors have to come off. No wait - not just the visors but their clamps too. Here are some shots of how I spent about 3 hours today. |
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#25 |
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Fallbrook, CA
Posts: 910
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Re: Porsche 944: Actually there is a substitute
Schwing!!!
Yes in my fake internet world I have a publicist! ![]() |
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