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944 S2 - progress with restoration

Stumpjumper

PCGB Member
Member
Hi all,
Just thought you might enjoy a couple of pics of my ongoing 944S2 restoration.
I thought I would be starting with the outer sills- a familiar starting point to many of you I imagine - but so far this has turned into outer sill replace + intermediate sill replace + inner sill repair + lower rear quarter replace + A pillar door hinge area replace + jacking points (fabricate from 1st principle and replace + rear suspension / back axle mounts replace. I’m most definitely on the well trodden journey ……
FE1A3758166344ACAC0D45DB34FDAA6F.jpeg

 
And here is where I am today. Lots more to do and looking forward to sharing / benefiting from the vast experience on this forum. Cheers.
 
well done, not the easiest of shapes to work with, look forward to seeing further progress....

Pete
 
I applaud your determination and skill. Personally, I'm not able to perform such body work and qualified professional assistance is prohibitively costly here in western Canada (if you can find it). I run away from any vehicle that displays the slightest sign of the tin worm. My S2 came as a lowish mileage example from Japan so while some mechanical refurbishment was required, the body was perfect even if the paint was polished to a micron of its former glory :) Kudos to you and good luck with your project.
 
Hi all,
Pleased to update you that the structural part of my 944 S2 restoration is now nearing completion. Next to move onto the mechanicals - back axle, steering rack, lines, hoses, exhaust, belts ...... Will definitely have to reach out to you all regarding hard-to-find parts etc as this is all new to me but clearly from the forum it is a well trodden path!
Thanks in advance for your guidance.
Rgda
 
Great work here! When you say fabricated from first principles, do you just mean the A pillar part or everything! Either way, its impressive work.

Sonny
 
Hi Sonny, thanks for the feedback. Happy to clarify and also to correct if I have in any way misled.
All bodywork is being done by professionals as it needed to be loaded onto a Celette jig to maintain shape (and it needed many years of classic car body restoration experience that I don’t have…!). Their brief is to refurb the chassis and bodywork and any essential mechanical items through to MoT (another service they provide) after which I’ll take the car and do all the mechanical restoration etc. Main sources to date:-
- Intermediate sill from Porsche, and outer sill, A pillar (lower part only used), a number of panels / part panels around the back axle mounting area.
- Lower rear quarters from Independent on eBay (fair quality but had to be shaped and extended to fit)
Handmade around the rear jacking points and along the long infill section to connect the lower inner sill to the new intermediate to the new outer.
They are making a complete photo record of everything they do and I visit them on a weekly basis to develop a relationship and frankly to be as involved as I can be in this very interesting part of the project. Hope this helps and I’ll be happy to keep forum members up to date if there is the interest. Cheers
 
Great work and well done on saving the car. I'll be following this thread with interest.

Can I ask who you're using for the bodywork? It's something I'll address in the next 12 months or so.
 
Great to see another getting the full treatment.


They seem to be doing great work, are they a specialist in classics or older Porsches?


I have just recently finished a full restoration of an Alpine White 1985 square dash 944. This is my second 944 restoration and it isn’t getting any easier cheaper!

Its a real labour of love. I really enjoy threads like these so I look forward to seeing more updates.


 
Thanks aporschefan and Wallachie - your comments and support are appreciated.
Please note I want to state from the outset that I have absolutely no professional affiliation with any of the organisations I may mention in this string - the purpose is only to share my journey for the interest and enjoyment of those of us on the same journey. Please treat my comments in the spirit they are intended.
The bodywork and works through to MoT on the 944 S2 are being undertaken by Steve Archer’s team at Smart Automotive in Eaton Bray. My 944 is the 4th car Steve’s team have worked on that I have been involved in - my Cayman R, my pal’s 635 CSI and another pal’s full ground up resto of a late 60’s Alfa Junior. I understand they also do modern car service and repair but my only involvement has been in the classics. It is my experience / my view that they do things properly - I’m a Chartered Mechanical engineer by qualification but not a car resto expert - but bear in mind doing things properly comes at a cost.
All parts - where available - have come from Porsche Solihull / Reading /Hatfield. Others may hugely disagree but my logic here is that you buy the best parts which saves on the labour you may otherwise end up paying for to make non OEM parts fit. This view has been reinforced by the lower rear quarters. After much searching I finally sourced them from ClassicCarParts in steel as I didn’t want GRP: the Smart boys made them fit but they needed a tab added for welding and some "caressing” with the English Wheel to achieve the right curvature. Note this is no criticism of ClassicCarParts as they at least provide something to work from, which is more than Porsche do ….
Withthe bodywork nearing completion I’m now moving onto mechanical refit in preparation for MoT. I sourced a replacement back axle from Paul at Woolies Workshop - v interesting guy to talk to and I’m vinterested in the likely 924 / 944 maintenance workshops he is considering as a service to the transaxle fans out there ….- as the original back axle looked like it came from a 16th Century galleon that had spent the last 400 years in Davy Jones’ locker ….
I have finally sourced the OEM unicorn back axle mounts as I don’t want the solid mounts that otherwise seem to be all that is available (Porshop and Porsche Reading - eye wateringmy expensive for what are only rubber blocks but don’t tell my wife).
Design Tek cat and Dansk exhaust from Design 911.
Bosch Lambda sensor was ordered from Design911 but they have just advised delivery as March 2022 FFS….. so will likely have to go back to Porsche for that grrrrrr.
GAZ GHA coilovers to come after a discussion with Dan Furr - editor of 911 & Porsche World (a really helpful guy that I cold called after reading the article on his lovely 944 Turbo resto) and as the back axle’s out I’m having a new clutch kit including release bearing fitted with the Only944.com quick shifter kit as part of the mech refurb pre MoT.
Hope this is all interesting, and that I haven’t overstepped the Forum rules in getting into the nitty gritty of the choices I am making / having to make.
Fingers crossed I’ll keep updating you in the coming weeks and months as the rebuild continues. Cheers all. A
 
Hi all.
Quick update.
Now the structural work has been completed the rebuild can commence as far as getting the car ready for MoT before I get the car back to the man cave for tinkering.
Interior refitting going well: seats and carpets cleaned - came up well considering 115k miles and 14 careful (and not so careful...) owners.
It’s never going to challenge the beautiful GT4RS that’s the talk of the internet today but beauty is in the eye of ...... Cheers all.


 
Looks fantastic!

Interesting to hear you managed to source OE back axle mounts. I could only source the solid mounts and they make the back end quite firm, initially I had a bit of a rattle also, but thankfully after a few miles that has disappeared.

Are your new front shocks complete replacements, or do you have to cut the existing strut and install new inserts?

I plan to do mine next year.
 
Design 911 get the parts from Porsche and add a bit on
you are better off going direct to Porsche and asking for a discount for the kind of money your spending

and sometimes the parts you get from these third parties are not genuine

the rear mounts are shockingly expensive but they are available direct from your local OPC


 
Hi all.
Thanks for your support Wallachie, especially as you have been on this adventure twice already and so you know the bumps in the road.
I’m certainly hoping that the OE mounts give a bit of compliance in the ride......

Update - as the back axle is out I’m taking the opportunity to have a new clutch fitted and (after watching an interesting YouTube video by Van Svenson) I’m having some preventative parts changed as well.

Also thanks to Wallander for the points you raise about costs and discounts. To test / reinforce your points I compared Porsche Hatfield prices with Design911 for my latest purchases:-
clutch
clutch fork pin
clutch fork needle bearings
bell housing throw out bearing guide
rear main seal

The expensive part - the Sachs clutch - was significantly cheaper through Design911 but the other clutch parts were all a worthwhile amount less through Porsche, especially with the discount I get through joining the Classic Register.

I’m also having to change driveshafts, which incidentally were cheaper from Design911, with an excellent next day delivery service.

Overall conclusion in my view therefore is - surprise surprise - do your homework / shop around / pick up discounts wherever you can.

Hoping to visit again today / tomorrow so plan to post photos when I do.

In the meantime happy to share a photo of the world’s most expensive bit of hard rubber - one of the elusive OE rear suspension components.......
Cheers all.

 
Just a thought - if the Clutch Fork itself is available for a reasonable sum, I'd replace that too if I were you, as you’re renewing many bits.

I had one break (unusually) from age fatigue several years ago on a 924 Turbo, similar item [;)]
 
I would be very careful of the drive shafts, Euro car parts make some, about £75-80 a side, they are made of chocolate,

if the design 911 ones were so much cheaper then they are not genuine, I would have bought a set of GKN joints and replaced those, mine have done over 160k and they are still more than serviceable


 
I bought the cheap ECP chocolate ones and one joint exploded and one on the other side disintegrated on removal. Just a few hundred miles and nothing too taxing. The box was labelled Q-Drive. Got a full refund and refurbed my old shafts with new GKN joints. Still had to put in a lot more labour than originally intended though.

Stuart
 
Is there a way of removing those rubber mounts while the back axle is on the car? I have some of the solid ones but can’t see how they can be changed in situ (not that I’ve really tried).
 
All,
Many thanks for your continued interest and the excellent feedback. This is EXACTLY what I was hoping for from the forum - honest feedback on all 944 resto experiences (not just the good ones….).
The driveshafts I bought from Design911 are GKN so hopefully I’ve bought sufficient quality not chocolate…
Visited site today to inspect an issue with one of the Brembo brake callipers. One of the nipples that secures the balance pipe between the 2 sides of the calliper has completely corroded into the calliper itself. For any of you who have been here before, can I drill out the corroded nipple, sleeve it / helicoil? and re thread it or am I compromising the integrity of the calliper? 2 part question ….. if the latter then is there a non Brembo calliper I might go for or am I stuck with another eye watering purchase? Thanks in advance. Cheers
 

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