Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

So I've had my 944S for a good few years now but it's taken a back seat while I got my 83 944 back on the road. The main problem with it was a destroyed engine (conrod make a bid for freedom) and the sills were a little crusty at the rear due to a poor repair.

So this year I've managed to get a replacement engine (courtesy of t3rra on here) and I've been working on replacing any seals, gaskets and generally tidying that up a bit. Most of it is done aside from fitting new belts, engine mounts and a clutch.



Since clutches aren't exactly cheap things on these cars and I've also been trying to fix up Golf I had lying around I've been sorting the brakes that have been seized on for a while now. I've replaced the nearside front brake pipe which was so corroded it split when I removed it and have fitted new seals to the front calipers.

Now for the snags.

I've discovered that the rear brake calipers are shot and will need to be replaced, not the end of the world but a set back I could do without. The worst part however is while I had it up in the air I had another look at the sills originally thought to be pretty good apart from towards the rear, seems I was a bit wrong. A previous repair means the jacking point is no longer there but the main problem is the seam where the sill is welded to the rest of the car is quite rusty and rather crusty as well. Seems like a previous repairer skimped on rust prevention.










Now I'm pretty much determined to get this car sorted and back on the road as once I've done the engine, brakes, sills, slight patch of rust around the number plate bulbs and sorted a rusty wing it should be a lovely car that I can use as a daily driver and it seems a bit of a shame that the 944S seems to be disappearing rapidly at the moment.

I'm guessing that to have the sills completely sorted from their current state by somebody actually familiar with these cars would cost me around £3000, does that sound about right to you lot? Yes I know it's a lot of money to throw at an old car and I could buy another for less but I like knowing the state of the mechanicals (since I've pulled them all apart) and have the peace of mind that the fully sorted sills will offer.

Keep on going Rob!

Are you certain that krustiness is all the way through? Perhaps it's less nasty than it looks.

If your whiling to put that much money in to it maybe a good shell, dipped a seem wielded MIT be a better value. The rear off the bottom off that sill is very bad and will need completely rebuilding. Most likey the susspenion points as well

Hi Rob, I know just what it is like to discover rust like that! I really get annoyed with all the previous owners who advertise their cars on eBay as being 'fully galvanised, so no rust problems' - muppets, 25 years of road abuse will get the better of any galvanised steel! - Rant over..

Anyway, it may not be as bad as it looks, flaky underseal always looks worse. What you need to do is get a good rotary wire brush on your drill, goggles and face mask on, then give the seam a really good clean, you may be pleasantly surprised.. .

However, if you push the outer sill and you hear creaking and cracking noises from inside, your problem may be more widespread. All is not lost, many owners have faced this issue. I managed to get mine done (see my restoration thread), by purchasing a good set from a breakers (£100/pair), got a mobile welder to help fit them (£80 a side). I did have to do a lot of grinding and cleaning and prep work, but I like to keep costs down anyway. Also, finishing them with the right products helps. So, mine probably cost me around £300 to £340 tops .

Your rear sill panels are pretty shot, but repair panels can be bought for just that area, and that is not too structural as the suspension points are inboard of that area. If you have a grinder, perhaps it would be a good idea to cut that section to allow you to inspect the inside of the sill panel, as it is going to have to come out at some point anyway.

Have you done any body metalwork before?

Regards, Rhett.

The inner pic is from the back off the sill is the face off the rear wheel arch, I hope its not to bad. But I no from exprence just how bad that can be. Its the whole reson rob end up with my engine as dispite the huge amounts off money spent, I couldn't justify spending more.

Robs quite capable, and I think in the long term a fresh shell will give him a car well worth the time spent. If he missing middle jack point there's a good chance theres going to be some corrosion to the floor pan as well. So there's going to be rust inside.

A lot off what you done could be transferable

The face of the sills do seem solid. The area with the hole is where I've excavated a bit and that's as far as the rot goes on the outer sill, it's brown as I covered it in anti-rust primer to avoid it spreading whilst the car lays idle.

It's mainly just that seam at the bottom that's worrying me but I shall try scrape off the tatty underseal and see what it's like when I get it back to bare metal. I may be ordering new gear from bilt hamber if it isn't so bad.

Terry: The rust has spread quite badly to the rear suspension mount. My plan so far would be to get the rear axle assembly removed (as I did with the blue car) and refit it with new bolts and mountings so I can get it to a 944 expert and have the required parts repaired without driving labour costs up with the battle of removing crusty bolts.

It'll cost but if all goes well it'll be solid. A replacement shell would be nice but then I would have to make sure that the sills are perfect (which is unlikely), and then spend all the time transferring all the parts over. I may be forced to go down that direction but I'm trying to avoid it.

I'd be interested to hear what the guys over at JMG think about it.

Iv sent you some email and pics.

What seem soild anoth probley really isint. But I Hope so

Thanks for the pics Terry. To be honest that's kind of what I'm expecting to find inside but won't know until I start digging. I have had a look inside the hole that I've already excavated and beyond that point it's all looking very solid. I'll order up some Dynax and start grinding the underseal and paint off and see what I'm working with. Don't want to do it without something to coat the metal with afterwards.