Welcome to my Porsche 944/LS1 conversion site.

CHECKOUT Page #9 for video of 2012 Autocross/Solo/Track Season!!   

From humble beginnings as an EBay purchase for the wife, I saw the potential in the car after a mechanical failure almost caused me to junk the car.  The next 5 years worth of blood (lots of band aids), sweat, and money, led to the next couple photos.  I am far from finished, but I am at a point where I can start showing the work as a 'nearly' completed project, then just a collection of parts.  All of the work you see was performed by me in my garage - with the exception of the final paint - that was done in a friend's paintbay because my wife was pregnant and I didn't want to have a baby with 4 eyeballs)

BEFORE THE TRANSFORMATION.....

AFTER . . . .

'98 Corvette LS1 w/DBW Engine Swap
Custom 3" Exhaust
Magnaflow Muffler
Custom LS1 Hugger Headers
Schott Short Shift Kit
Koni Coilover Suspension Upgrade
M030 Sway Bar Upgrade
Willwood Big Brake Kit (front)
Porsche 968 Calipers (rear)
Tilton Proportioning Valve
SPARCO Chrono Road Seats
SPARCO 4-Point Cam Lock Harnesses
SPARCO Naxos Steering Wheel 

 IFC Racing Widebody Kit

IFC Racing 944 Carerra Nose
IFC Racing 'European' Style Hatch
IFC Racing Rear Spoiler
Work Meister 3P Wheels 18x12(R) 18x10(F)
Nitto NT555R Tires 315/30R18(R) 285/30R18(F)
DuPont Hot Hues (HHM-6400) Hot Rod Black Paint

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 shout outs to the guys at 944hybids.com and militarytuners.com for all of the support through the years.  I am 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.

  IN THE BEGINNING

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.

Shots of the LS1 that finally went in

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....

Around the Block

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

Around The Block - The Sequel

27 November 2010 - Legal and in full trim, I finally get to take the project on the road!

Around The Block - The Final Chapter

Here is raw footage of my son and I driving around the neighborhood calibrating the speedometer.  For some reason I'm having problems with VSS sensor and the Autometer gauge that I'm using.

Neighborhood Run

UPDATE:  PCA AUTOCROSS EVENT

First time out of the neighborhood in 6 years and very first time autocrossing, me and my Porsche 944/LSX are tearing up the course. I expected snobbery and jeers from the purebred owners, but they actually seemed interested in the conversion and the tech behind it. I knew I would take some serious ribbing though if I suffered a major mechanical failure (which did happen to a purebred). I think we represented the conversion community well by dispelling the myth that once the original engine comes out, the car immediately becomes something less. Check out the video below

944/LSX Conversion at Porsche Autocross Event

944/LSX at SCCA Warminster Solo Event 6 Aug 2011

Got invited to participate in an SCCA Solo Event in Warminster, PA - the car performed well - unfortunately the driver didn't. At least I got some valuable seat time in the 944/LSX

944/LSX at Chesapeake PCA Autocross - 13 Aug 2011

Had an awesome day, despite losing one of my power controllers that fed power to my fuel pump.  5 minutes worth of jerry-rigging a circuit directly to my battery, and I was back in the competition.  Looking forward to attending more events!!

10 Sept 2011 - 944/LSX Spinout at PCA Autocross Event

944/LSX Spinout at PCA AX Event

Porsche 944/LSX at Chesapeake PCA AX #7

Page 1 - Introduction 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