Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Thought I'd do a thread on my 1985 944 auto which was given to me by a friend around Christmas.

The reason he gave it to me was the flex plate is shot and these things cost around £1000 and with labour to fit he didn't want to spend that kind of money on it.

He'd left it sitting in a compound in south London for a year and had to get it moved because the lease on the land was up.

So lucky me got a project for the spring

When he left it there a year back it was in fairly good condition but by the time I'd got there both wings were dented the badge panel was dented, the NS rear arche dented, front spoiler broke, a mouse was nesting in it, no battery, radio stolen, no radiator cap and the fuel hose to the tank was gashed so it pissed petrol all over me when I tried filling the tank.







But the sills and floor are rust free, its only done 93000 miles with full service history just with gaps for times when it was laid up for long periods.



My mate had spent £600 on a service only 3000 miles ago.

So well worth saving.

I've been collecting parts since Christmas and thanks to a generous member on this site I have a used flex plate for the transmission thanks Phil

I managed to get two wings in guards red one was only a couple of years old and in fantastic condition apart from whoever fitted it didn't bother to under seal it so it had some light rust on the inside which I soon cleaned up and hammerited.





The other wing needed cleaning up a bit on the inside and trating for rust.




I'll need to repaint the bottom in guards red a little.



The front spoiler came from the bay it was sent wrapped in black bin liners and I feared the worst when it arrived but it survived the journey ok.



I also have a badge panel from the breakers



Now the weather is good and I have the parts let the work begin more pics later

I can't believe how easy these cars come apart I had the front stripped down in a morning



I found a bit of old accident damage poorly repaired next to the headlamp





New wing and badge panel on.



The bonnet needs reshaping





I need to figure out how to re adjust the headlights



That's enough work for now I'll line up the headlights and reshape the bonnet another time, a trip to the dump next.

That looks like a great project - your wheels are worth a fortune!!

Keep the pics coming.

Rich

That's a good bit of work. I think you need to update your signature!

I love Fuch wheels so was very happy when they came with the car, surprised they weren't stolen really when the radio went.

I'm thinking of painting them black.

And yes must update my sig pic probably when I've finished the panel fit and gave it a wash

That looks great, coming on really well, paint the wheels red

well done mate! terrific job so far ,944 fronts are a dream to work on,bonnet looks slightly twisted?ready for hatton?

+1 for painting the wheels black, please keep us updated with your progress. You have done a great job so far

What a fabulous job on a car that might have otherwise ended up in the bin.
It's kind of inspiring really.
If I had a garage I would to take mine to pieces just to have a good look in the nooks and crannies and do some light restoration work.
Looking forward to more photos and up-dates of the job.
Keep it going.

+1 for black wheels (with nice polished rims on those fuchs!).

Thanks for all your encouraging comments

The drivers door out side handle lever gave up on me today so thats another job on the list.

Passenger window motor smoked and was very slow when I tried it so I need to take a look at that.

I need to take a good look at the headlights they foul going up and don't go down at all.

I'm going to rebuild the brakes as they don't work very well and could do with new shoes.

And the most important job is that flex plate which I'm not looking forward to.

Better do the belts too as I don't know how old they are.

It's a good job the clocks are going forward I'm going to need those lighter evenings

Great work, keep it going and paint them black!

i love these bring 'em back to life threads, particularly when you get the picture diary as you go along as well.

nice work so far, i wish i was as handy with a spanner as you are - and part of me wishes my 944 wasn't in such good nick as it's not been the project i'd hoped for!

duncs

Don't worry Duncs, I'm sure there'll be a nice challenge soon i.e. clutch, water pump, wheel bearings!

EDIT: Mind you, yours is so low mileage, most of us are about 80k ahead of you in problems.