Wishbones

[simonthomas]

Hi!
I've got an 1986 944 lux with a sloppy ball joint. I've replaced the ball joints in the past but the passenger side cup in the wishbone is now slightly worn so I need to replace it.

Now the 1986 wishbone 951.341.149.01 seems to be easy to find reconditioned but my question is... is the later version of the wishbone 951.341.149.10 (with a hole in the middle of the wish bone) the same and will it fit?

The reason being it that a mate of mine has one that I can have that is in good condition but I would rather not take the old one off only to find out that I have to go and get the "correct" one any way.
Many thanks
Simon

 

[944 man]

They should all have a hole - its where the anti roll bar mounts. Unfortunately I cant help with the part numbers as the current parts on PET have revised part numbers (everything other than '86s have 968 parts) which dont match yours. The first thing to do is measure your wishbone and his very carefully. If theyre the same length then theyre probably the same in all practical respects. Simon

 

[zcacogp]

I can't be sure about the parts you have, but the 968 wishbone (with the hole in the middle) is a direct replacement for the S2 and late turbo wishbones. I know that early cars had different length wishbones to the later ones which you would need to check. But checking it isn't hard - I expect a bit of careful measuring will answer the question for you. Oli.

 

[T911UK]

Cant see where you are getting those part numbers but the 1986 alloy wishbone is for that year only and is different in size to the 1987 on version

 

[944 man]

Remember too that you can use a Golf type steel wishbone on an early car series two car (1986 model year) too. You just need to drill a hole for the ARB mount, which you can take off a 924S. Simon edited for clarity

 

[944 man]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp I can't be sure about the parts you have, but the 968 wishbone (with the hole in the middle) is a direct replacement for the S2 and late turbo wishbones. I know that early cars had different length wishbones to the later ones which you would need to check. But checking it isn't hard - I expect a bit of careful measuring will answer the question for you. Oli.

Oli, somewhat confusingly the 968 wishbone has a 944 prefix part number. a 951 prefix part will be off either a 944 or a 944 Turbo. Apart from the 1986MY part which is dimensionally different, every other 944 alloy wishbone has been superceded by a 944 prefixed part now. Unfortunately I no longer have any way of correlating original and revised part numbers.

 

[simonthomas]

T911UK - The part numbers are cast in to the bottom of both arms. Thanks for the info now I can get another arm as I know it isn't going to work! Thanks to everyone for the quick response!

 

[944 man]

Simon, those original part numbers have been revised by Porsche a number of times and the currently used part numbers are different. I believe that youve listed the part numbers for a 1986MY left hand side wishbone (.01) and a 1987MY> left hand side wishbone (.10). Im about 75% sure, so not really enough to make a decision on, but your local OPC parts department will be able to tell you for certain. If you can measure the part on your car I suspect that it will be more than an inch shorter than your friends part and they arent interchangeable. Simon

 

[Catamax944]

ORIGINAL: simonthomas Hi! I've got an 1986 944 lux with a sloppy ball joint. I've replaced the ball joints in the past but the passenger side cup in the wishbone is now slightly worn so I need to replace it. Now the 1986 wishbone 951.341.149.01 seems to be easy to find reconditioned but my question is... is the later version of the wishbone 951.341.149.10 (with a hole in the middle of the wish bone) the same and will it fit? The reason being it that a mate of mine has one that I can have that is in good condition but I would rather not take the old one off only to find out that I have to go and get the "correct" one any way. Many thanks Simon

They are different ,the later ones '87+ are longer for increased offset (they can be recognized by the extra hole), they will not fit on a '86.

ORIGINAL: 944 man Remember too that you can use a Golf type steel wishbone on an early car series two car (1986 model year) too. You just need to drill a hole for the ARB mount, which you can take off a 924S. Simon edited for clarity

No holes have to be drilled ,the Mk1 golf wishbones are identical to the early 944 wishbones Since your car is a '86 i suggest you fit these wishbones instead as they are much more economical and last much longer ,ball joints can be replaced for only £10 each , both wishbones complete with ball joints poly bushes will cost you less than £150. The bushes to get are the prothane 22-201 kit for mk1 golf . You will also need the early ARB mounts as mentioned and also the castor mounts , these can be had from any 924S or '82-'85 944 and i suggest you get them used as they are stupid expensive new. Here are my wishbones

ARB mount

Castor mount

 

[944 man]

I was sure that the Golf steel wishbone needed a hole drilling for the antiroll bar mount? Anywhay, its different to a series one one car which should use the steel part, and a 924S ARB mount can be used to adapt one to the other.

 

[Catamax944]

ORIGINAL: 944 man Anywhay, its different to a series one one car which should use the steel part, and a 924S ARB mount can be used to adapt one to the other.

That makes no sense ... please explain. My steel wishbones you see in my picture are Mk1 golf parts complete with mk1 bushes and ball joints. The 924S and the '82-'85 944's both have the exact same wishbones and ARB mounts as does the mk1 Golf. Only adittionnal parts needed to fit those Golf wishbones to a '86 944 are the said ARB mounts+bush ( see item #5 and #6 ) and also the castor clips ( see item #12 ).

 

[T911UK]

Never pay too much attention to part numbers in castings, they are put there by the manufacturer not Porsche

 

[simonthomas]

Catamax944- excellent response thanks! Showed me exactly what I needed to know without taking anything apart! 944 man- you are right about the part numbers that's exactly what I have. Thanks for your help I'm going for a "reconditioned" one. The steel option looks tempting but I may save that for the next time it goes... Thanks to all for your help!

 

[944 man]

Only just seen this Catalin, sorry, and this is a rushed reply. Download / read this article .pdf which explains why exactly a series two car needs to use a 924S front ARB to wishbone mount. OP, itll be very interesting to you too. http://www.cannell.co.uk/Road_tests/911PW0507_944_suspension_fix.pdf Simon

 

[Catamax944]

Simon ,i see where you are coming from but keep in mind that such articles are sometimes incomplete or outdated. In the article they fail to mention that the 924S front suspension is identical to the series one 944 in every aspect including the ARB mounts and you can check that by simply looking at the part numbers , maybe they considered this to be common knowledge . I also see they chose to modify the wishbones by drilling it in order to fit the later style ARB mount meant for the alloy wishbones . In my opinion that is not a very wise or safe thing to do without reinforcing that particular area of the wishbone. However you can see they did do that to the wishbones that they modified for late offset but for whatever reason they completely overlooked that aspect on the other wishbones, a bit unprofessional i might say.