Welcome to my Porsche conversion site. Hopefully, this will show the trials and tribulations as I perform a Renegade Hybrids conversion of my 1983 Porsche 944. Sure - the car may not look like much now, but please leave feedback and a rating.I'll do the same for you.
Update: Around the Block - The Sequel: ..... Video! See page 1
06 October 2008 - Recognized as SOTW by the Cardomain.com Community!!
Thanks to everyone who has supported/voted over the past couple years. Evidently, the folks at Cardomain.com wait until a project is completed, but it appears that my project is worthy of recognition in its unfinished state. Don't know if I can call this historic, but it sure is humbling to be chosen out of such a wide and outstanding field of rides! Special shouts out to the guys at 944hybids.com and militarytuners.com. Glad to be representing those of us who are building our dream cars on a family budget out of his own garage as he finds the time between helping with kid's homework, mowing the lawn, and the daily 9-5.
Well, here's the patient - a 1983 Porsche 944 Coupe. I bought it in 2006 off EBay for a paltry $1850. At first, I thought I had gotten a pretty good deal, but then a rattling noise came from the engine compartment that ended up being a totally shot passenger-side engine mount. Since the engine had 128,000 miles on, and was blowing significant oil. I knew I was going to be looking at a significant investment on engine work. Having done my homework in advance, I knew the 944 was notoriously underpowered, and decided to go for an OVERHAULIN' style restoration (without the pranks), and a Small Block Chevy Conversion. After watching Bullrun, I believe my project car would be a perfect entry - from the outside, everyone would think it's the typical lightweight 944 - maybe a turbo; but underneath, it's really a 380HP heavyweight with the handling capabilities of a car made famous for its 50/50 weight distribution. May not be running yet, but stay tuned! That day is not far off! Some of you have asked why put an Americian engine in a German car - well it's simple: I like the 944, but getting parts for the engine (especially performance parts) are next to impossible (or impossibly priced). The LS1 conversion is a logical choice - both from a financial and performance point of view. My in-laws are German, and they think it's amazing that a Corvette engine fits in a Porsche and are really excited to see the car on the road!!!
Nice shots of the interior - What do you expect for 1800 bucks?? If you take a close look at the dash you can see the typical porsche dash warpage (or is it? - stay tuned)
Shots of the engine bay with the typical 2.5L engine (Note the Haynes manual). Need all the help I can get at this point.
Shot of the *ORIGINAL* transplant 'organ' - 5.7L LT1 out of a '96 Corvette. **UPDATE 21 JUL 07** Replaced by LS1 that can be seen on 2nd page.
27 December 2009 - A year after the first time on the street, I was hoping to be done. This time, I'm taking the project out to blow the dust off the IFC Racing Bodykit (allporscheracing.com) and hatch the I installed over the summer. The burnout at the end was food for the soul!
28 November 2008 - Still drunk from having too much turkey and cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving, I went to work early on the car and decided to take the car for a quick spin to see how things were working. Here's the video..........
The following video is of Marc A of Virginia racing his 944/LS1. Once completed, my car should have the close to the same performance. Notice how easily the thouroghbreds are caught and overtaken? A turbo 944 would need tens of thousands of dollars in engine modifications to perform this well.
Page 1 - Introduction <- You are here
Page 2 - Engine and Drivetrain
Page 3 - Interior and Related
Page 4/5 - Bodywork and Paint
Page 6 - Suspension/Tires
Page 7 - Letter to the Porsche 'Purist' ("Haterz")
Page 8 - Videos and misc
