Porsche 944 Project Story - Year 4 - Status Update, Repairs, Maintenance, & Costs 

Thanks for that little auto enthusiast’s prayer. 😂

💯

😂 I didn’t start the channel until 2 years in, so the timeline is partially condensed, but time is still flying by.

@@NC944er I thought so and yes, it is. Merry Christmas and I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

Wow! It’s sounds like you’ll end up with quite an impressive machine when it’s all said and done. To do it all and to do it all the right way definitely takes a considerable time (and monetary) investment. The small wins help push the forward progress. Best of luck! 👍🏼

Thank you! As long as I make a weekly donation to the Porsche parts department, the gods’ favor will continue to shine on me. 😂

Yeah… I may have taken it too far at this point. 😂 My expenses were riding a break-even point for awhile, but have probably now exceeded the car’s value, although it has been fun.

@@NC944er never doubt your worth, this is a fantastic professionally done project.

@@geoffstandee Challenge accepted! Now, just to turn my worth into a multimillion dollar revenue stream. 😂

That’s awesome to hear, thanks for letting me know! They are a fairly approachable platform and a little help can go a long way. And… with all the things that can fail, there’s plenty to learn. 😂

Yep, my pump is running, but I'm pretty sure the check valves are all clogged up, which isn't terribly uncommon.

As promised - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T68a5OGuDvk.html

@@NC944er You are a good man. We owe it to these cars to help the 944 community!

Thanks for the feedback Michael! Sometimes I wish mine was a race car so I could be less of a perfectionist about all the small details. 😂 Wrenching on cars is like therapy for me, so it’s a win-win I guess.

Thanks! I halfway wish I hadn’t tracked the costs. 🤣 But… hopefully it’s useful to some people out there.

That’s a great price, well done! Prices are down across the board in January, traditional for this season… great time for buyers, sellers not so much. 😂

I’ve seen some people bake them in their kitchen ovens for 10 minutes to get them flowing again as well, but the heat gun seemed like a more focused approach to me… and the cruise control is still going strong today! 👍🏼

You’re quite welcome, glad you enjoyed!

Yeah man, I’m not sure what I’ll do once it’s all cherry… maybe sell it and start all over again. 😂

@@NC944er I guess it's about the journey more than the destination, but I think a project car can never truly be done so maybe you'll just have it forever lol

Hey man, thank you! These cars can definitely be quite a bit of work after some neglectful prior ownership, but also super fun and rewarding to restore. I performed my suspension upgrades before I started the channel, so I have some pictures of the process, but no video. I was thinking of doing a video on how to adjust the damping on the shocks and maybe an overview of what they offer, that could be useful. Unfortunately work flow has picked up a bit at my real job, so forward progress on hobby projects has come to a crawl, but hopefully I can rebalance that equation soon.

@@NC944er I will certainly watch that video when it comes out if you make it! Best of luck at work, and I look forward to whatever content you have coming!

Thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you’re enjoying the content. 👍

It’s definitely possible! And not all the work I’ve done was technically “required,” as I’ve probably taken things too far. 😂 I would try to avoid a really low mileage car or one that is coming off a long period of storage with no recent maintenance being performed, as there will be a greater likelihood of seals failing as you start to use the car, which will require more work on your end to make it roadworthy. If you can, try to grab one that has a nice list of recent repairs done to it, the clutch and oil pan gasket are bigger jobs that are nice to have done by a prior owner. A lot of folks go crazy about the timing belt, it’s important, don’t get me wrong, but you could still buy a car that doesn’t have a recent belt done, just factor that into your costs and care for it sooner than later after you take delivery.

​@@NC944er Thanks for the info! I already knew about the clutch, but didn't know about the oil pan gasket. Seeing all the parts you replaced and in how bad of a shape the old ones were does make me feel like I should do the same once I get mine 😂. You also mentioned replacing the connecting rod bearings in the year 2 restoration. How often do you reckon those need to be changed? Some cars I'm looking at have around 300k km on them and I doubt those were ever replaced. Basically I'm worried about the parts inside the engine and transmission that can't be accessed easily and sound very expensive to get fixed 😆. I hear that these cars can be reliable but no engine lasts forever.

@@etyl2494 The piston rings and rod bearings are fairly robust on daily driven cars with regular oil changes. I only replaced the bearings preventatively since I was in there, but they can last over 200k miles. A car that has seen track time is a different story, as bearing 2 can get starved of oil in repetitive high speed corners. If the transmission goes, a rebuild will cost around $3,000 or you can find used transmissions for about $600.

Nice! It sounds like our cars have a similar history. I’ve put off the AC restoration for far too long. 😂 But, if all goes well it’ll be cared for in 2023. Cheers!

Thanks Rich! The car is back up on stands yet again, at some point there are only so many parts that can be replaced right? 😂 The ‘86 Turbo is great car to have, I hope it’s treating you well… and vice versa. 👍🏼

I agree, but they are old cars and will keep you on your tows. I have to say that my turbo has been a great car for the past 20 plus years and I always enjoy driving it. Good luck on your current project.

Nice! You got any big plans for it?

@@NC944er years ago i acquired any n all parts i was missing or were broken and drove it alot. Its pretty clean BUT I let it sit for many years and still have parts to put on but life and medical issues got in the way..really thinkin of getting back to it lately. I love driving that car ! Someone broke my drivers side window so i need to source one. Otherwise, just need maintenance items n some busted knuckles lol. I added- aftermarket 5 star wheels (momo) Momo disconnect steering wheel Aluminum race pedals, aluminum floor mats, short shuft, strut tower brace (weltmeister i think), Nology electrical stuff, the throttle cam thing, big fat chrome muffler (forget who makes it) , new stereo head unit n speakers, dash cover(plastic one that matches) side skirts , etc. (Prob forgetting some things lol) . SO glad i bought every single stock switch, button, luggage cover, fog light etc to make the car totallly complete years ago!! Also have a bra on the nose with matching mirror bras..wow thats alot! Sorry to chew ur ear off! Btw- i live in NC now as well (near jacksonville) ..hopefully ill be able to get goin on my projects one day when my medical issues get a lil better (if they do)..i have 3 other project cars and a harley that need some love too! Lookin forward to ur videos !

Almost forgot..put a new trans n clutch in it as well..wow im gettin old ! Lol

@@finster7582 Oh wow! 😂 That’s quite a lot, it sounds like you’ll be set up for success if you’re able to get back into it. It is hard to maintain multiple projects, especially when they all need help at the same time.

@@NC944er absolutely ! Its also a problem when u go around n buy MORE projects at the drop of a hat ! Lol

Here are the resources you’ll need… Power Steering System Overview - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I_6lS69RIKM.html Manual Steering Conversion - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y7dDLdYPS-Y.html Manual Steering Kit - www.ebay.com/itm/115532024809?hash=item1ae63ecbe9:g:LeEAAOSw-iZcESTx Machine Shop Website - mwthemachineshop.com/

I made it to two of the Cars and Coffee events at Southpoint Porsche this year. There was another 944 owner who recognized my car from the engine bay. 😂

Depending upon one’s budget and goals for the car, that’s certainly an approach that could be taken, with benefits of having it all done at once, but a longer down time and larger expense up front. I wanted to be able to drive and enjoy the car while slowly working to restore it over time, which also allowed me to break up the expenses over a period of years, the down side for some would be that a few areas of the car were revisited more than once. Luckily for me, I find wrenching to be therapeutic, so tearing things down and learning about how they work is something I’ve probably enjoyed even more than driving the car. It’s been a fun experience!

Hey! I used the parts catalogue to identify the applicable numbers and then searched a number of vendors for pricing and availability. My larger orders for this repair went through Delaware Porsche Parts - www.delawareporscheparts.com/ - they can get just about anything, but sometimes it has to come from overseas.

@@NC944er thanks a lot

Hey Andrew, no I didn’t make a full tutorial on the balance shaft covers since edredas already has one up that’s very in depth - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZGzHBeBjy_I.html

@@NC944er thanks for the response.

Hey Aiden, I’d say it depends a little on pricing and availability, but generally speaking… for new parts, probably Pelican Parts followed by 944Online, for used parts, eBay and Plyhammers Parts. You may have also seen the parts video I have posted on the channel that provides an overview of how to locate parts followed by a summary of various vendors I’ve used in the past - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ouPC6DuRpuE.html

After some back and forth, I received an insurance payout of $5,330.62.