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Not sure what my problem is with red 1980's vehicles these days. Bought a 1985 Porsche 944 with a 1995 Camaro 5.7L V8 LT1 (mostly) installed in it tonight:



This is an interesting situation because (1) I have always wanted a 944, call it an item on my automotive bucket list. (2) I have for some time wanted to do a completely inappropriate swap of a 'murican V8 into something that was never designed for it. Never having owned a 944 or anything with a SBC I find I'm on a new learning curve, which is fun.

Now I haven't even pulled the car off the trailer yet but here's what I can tell you:

- It's a 85 1/2 model with the updated dash and control arms
- 1995 LT1 with a "good" kit and parts and stuff but uses the stock 944 transaxle
- Still fuel injected, but unsure about ECU and wiring (I think the PO used a good kit)
- Was running fine 3 years ago when the PO pulled the heads to upgrade them
- PO plans changed and the car has been sitting with heads in the trunk for 3 years
- Bottom end looks OK but has some pitting on cylinder walls from rust

Goal is ... just a fun driver with track potential, without putting a dent in the wallet. So what do I do? Clean up the block, bolt the engine together, and see what happens? Or take the opportunity to do some upgrades? What kind of work should I be thinking of?

SBC knowledge is welcomed

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

I have notified the authorities. Your Porsche Club membership is being revoked as I type this for buying an outlaw abomination!

Seriously, it looks like a great project. There will always be purist who will turn their noses up, but engine swaps in the 914 community are common (Subaru is popular), and I suspect it is the same way in the 944 community given some of the cost issues on the stock 944 motor, so my tribe approves.

I am not a SBC expert by far, but depending upon how bad the cylinder look, I would likely bolt it up, get it running and then see what you think needs fixing. It might be plenty fun as is.

Richard

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Inspection criteria for registration? Since the engine is 1995 it looks like visual only for the emissions equipment so I guess you need to make it look like it has whatever the engine had in the donor car and be able to convince an honest inspector. Assuming NC car did the PO formally turn in the plates so you don't have any overdue registration and penalties for missed inspections?

Sounds like a fun project. Have you researched what it will take to keep the transaxle healthy?

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

Did 944's come with the same transaxle as 928's?

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92 Miata 1.9L naturally aspirated. SSM 21

Put the heads on, get the engine running and flip the thing right away!

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

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Current stable:
2019 BMW M2 Competition slicktop 6MT
2011 BMW M3 sedan slicktop 6MT
2007 BMW 328i wagon (slushbox for now)
1975 CanAm 125MX2

Get the heads CNC ported while they are off if it hasn't been done already and a nice set of long tube headers if that hasn't been done already. Other than that, just bolt it back together and see if it runs. Do not tear into the engine unless you have to as the LT1 is the bastard child of the SBC world and parts can get surprisingly expensive.

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'07, '08, '11 Autocross VP
'06, '10 Mike Dishman Cup
'21 MX5, '13 Corvette GS, '92 Corvette 383 c.i. 413whp/390wtq, '03 Expedition

Stock up on accessory belts.

Saw that thing on CL and thought it looked like a really good deal for someone looking for a V8 P-car.

There's also a V8 914 for cheap on CL that looks like it might be a hoot.

well, provide the link so mike can buy it

Stock up on ignition modules and the opti-spark (the distributor under the water pump). The Lt1 is the first sbc that uses a reverse flow head, so only lt1 heads can be used on it. A good tune will amaze you, I recommend Carolina Auto Masters. Jeff tuned the Lemons Trans Am we drove and got 275whp, the stock lt1 is rated at 275hp at the crank.

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2004 C5(415whp,390ft/lbs),
1997C5,1997Trans Am, 1986 C4,
1990 Miata, 1976 MGB,1997 Protege, 1989 MR2

The LT1 can be rather finickey. Bob Kendrick has a bored and stroked LT1 at 396 cid in his jeep cherokee. On the track cooling is an issue. It will die from overheating faster than a Honda. BTW Bob has all the emissions stuff on his motor. His 94 vintage motor has cats, electric air injection pump, EGR, charcoal canister, and pcv system. The EGR and air injection are not programmed to work. He is using a reprogrammed OEM ECU from a Road Monster. Carolina Auto Masters has done most of the tuning.

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George Bright Member # 141
One of the youngest of the old farts.
Yes I voted against you joining the club.

@Les - I'm thinking about just taking the heads to George at CHS and say "work some magic" within a reasonable budget. I'm pretty confident he doesn't do any CNC work ... what's the CNC port entail, and does anyone do it around here?

@Bret - I'm quite happy with the deal I got, considering I didn't pay his asking price

Jigsaw puzzle! Bless the PO, he bagged and labelled all the engine pieces. Came with some nice Wilwood master cylinders too (which I don't plan to use). Heads look good too.



Spent a little time on one side with the buffer, paint's in ok shape, thin in a few spots. Couple of dents and spots with paint missing. If I end up falling in love with the car I'll probably have the fenders and front bumper resprayed. Seats are trashed, need to figure out what to do about that. Otherwise, cosmetically, it's pretty good. Straight, no evidence of big hits or lots of paint work, and rust-free.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Here's a picture from the seller of what the engine bay looked like 3 years ago before he pulled it apart...

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

CNC porting requires a very large expensive machine, George cannot do it, but he might be able to point you to someone. George was really impressed with the CNC port work on my heads and they made real good power. Maybe theses guys? http://rpmmotorsportsnc.com/i-13995036- ... eads.html#

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'07, '08, '11 Autocross VP
'06, '10 Mike Dishman Cup
'21 MX5, '13 Corvette GS, '92 Corvette 383 c.i. 413whp/390wtq, '03 Expedition