Sparkydog's Abnormal Build - 944 With L67 + Ford Stuff & CARB Legal

Hotrodz - thanks for the suggestion. I've sent him a pic and we'll chat on the phone tomorrow.

Sharkey & xshop - good suggestions as well. I could always settle for the fittings and hose you describe but have a bulkhead/union fitting in the middle so that if I have to service the trans/clutch - I can break the line in the middle and have it drain fluid in a less-messy fashion. (It won't be easy to get at the roll pin on the master cylinder when it's inside my 944 due to where I buried it in the frame rail.)

Thanks guys

xschop wrote:Nice to see a different build and some more American technology incorporated. Great job.

Thank you xschop!

I started mocking up the gas pedal and linkage. I'm going with the 944's pedal on this one.
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Already carved up the pedal linkage into the most basic aspect of it - shorter, less kinks, fewer moving parts.
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And then I mocked up the Camaro front fuel hoses and decided they were nearly perfect as-is. So I punched a hole in the inner fender just ahead of the shock tower and routed them into and around the fender cavity.
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Under the car where they route below the A pillar I'm going to have to mod them or shorten them - as they have a couple of extra bends that I don't need. Does anyone know if I can heat up the hose and re-form it?
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The gas tank modifications are under way.

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I've tried reforming plastic fuel lines a few different ways. Never had much success. It always weakened the plastic. I've used heat gun, steam and flame. I found it was better to buy straight tubing and splice it as needed.

Your fuel tank looks good.

Hi guys - can someone remind me what bolts up to those areas on each side of the rear frame with the 3-bolt pattern? (Just above the jacking point tit or whatever it's really called.) I'm designing my lower gas tank mounts and I need to run a brace over to that area of the frame and want to try and dodge whatever goes on there.

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That was where Porsche put the tie downs for shipping only. They were later removed at the delivery during predelivery checks.

Thanks for the help Hotrodz!

I've finished the fab of the gas tank mounting brackets.
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Looks good. Will be a fun ride when you're done.

Evap canister located high-ish up inside the fender well.
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I've started on the fuel filler - the tank now has a stub pipe welded into it. I've also shaved off the stock 944 bracket for the filler neck & cover. I'll do something else once I have my new Camaro-based fill pipe & other hoses sorted out. I'll be running a total of 5 hoses through the cutout I made and will be blocking off the original 944 hole.
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And I started staring at my battery. I will be putting it behind the passenger seat and I think I'll try running the cables down the inside of the frame/rocker box.
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Almost done with my filler pipe. There are pipe sections from 3 different vehicles on it! The cap and first few inches are from my donor Camaro so that I comply with CARB/Evap system requirements. Then the rest of the parts are to get as small of bends as possible and try to keep the whole thing tucked along the side of the hatch area.
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Nice touch again.... just don't be welding on it if you smell fumes....

I was able to pressure test my modified gas tank and the fuel filler neck piping. I had several leaks but now they are all gone... fingers crossed that I found all of them. I'll do another test once I have the whole system plumbed.

In other news - There is a Ford 8.8 rear axle hanging under a Mustang at the local yard and it's calling my name. The diff is a 3.27 ratio limited slip. I believe the ratios on the WC T5 from the Camaro are: 3.53/2.75/2.19/1.41/1.00/0.72

My tires are about 26" diameter. The car will be about 2800-3200 lbs when done.

Do you guys think the 3.27 diff will play nice with the stock L36 (205 HP) and later on with a stockish L67? (250-300 HP crank)

the 3.27 will work with the wide ratios you have in the trans, although it is quite tall. for comparison, the v6 camaro came with a 3.23 with the manual trans, so your pretty close.

imo 3.42 would be better, 3.73 could be too tall because of how low 1st gear is in the trans. you might be able to find a 3.42 ratio 8.8 in an explorer, but im not sure if the width will work for you. then again, if you dont like the mustangs 3.27 you can always change the gearset later.

i have a set of like new 3.55's out of an 8.8. You can have them if you pay shipping.

Starting in on the fuel and evap lines.
FWIW the caulking gun + tube flare clamp trick for pressing connectors into plastic fuel hose actually works well! A little Vaseline and some assistance shoving on the side to keep everything aligned were the only things I had to learn.
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The 8.8 rear end is still hanging there in the wrecking yard, calling out my name. It's in a 94 Mustang which means it has the 28 spline axles and diff instead of the 31 spline. Perhaps this explains why nobody has yanked it out yet. For my car the 28 spline should be fine - I doubt I'll ever put more than about 300hp (to the crank).

Any advice for me gentlemen?

The battery tub and the mount for my main fuse/relay center are done.

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And I found some nice clips for the fuel/brake lines under the car. They will tuck nicely into the 944's existing channel in the floor pan.

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Fabrication of the transmission tunnel & cat converter "hump".
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Also the first of what I'm sure will be many, many engine removals.
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I had cut a large hole in the Mustang K member in order to clear the A/C compressor and now it was time to pull the K member and finish out all the welds, then paint and re-install.

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For mockup purposes, I wanted to learn now just what kind of challenges I would run into down the road with the L67 motor instead of the Camaro L36. So the T5 trans was swapped off of the L36 motor and onto the L67 (supercharged) motor. Said L67+T5 then stuffed into the 944/Mustang engine bay.

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The only way I could get the L67 to fit was to remove the throttle body and the EGR valve assembly. Both wanted to live well aft of the firewall. Here is a shot with the throttle body bolted (staggered) above the firewall.

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So in other words, if I want to run the supercharger and stay GM stock-ish, then the 944 HVAC unit is going to have to be deleted and I would then have to run either a different HVAC unit (located to the passenger side) or no HVAC at all.

I decided that a working supercharged 3.8L motor was more important to me than retaining the stock 944 HVAC module, so... off came some more 944 sheet metal!

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Now the L67 throttle body and EGR valve can fit.

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I also harvested a set of forward-tilt components off a 5-series BMW at the wrecking yard. Yes I already have a functioning forward-tilt hood on the 944 but this stuff will be better. (If I ever get around to it.)

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I'm about to buy a new windshield for my 944. The "normal" version is factory clear glass. But there is also a version that has a 3-4" band across the top - bluish/greenish in hue. Anybody got any advice for me?

I had the same choice. The one my folks had with the tinting also had a radio antenna. I ended up going with the clear one. Also, they couldn't get the right 944 n-a seal so went with an aftermarket one that keeps water out fine but doesn't look as good as it's not flush with the pillars on the sides. FYI...

Rich

BTW... loving your build and thread. Keep up the good work!

Thanks Rich.
I went clear and aftermarket seal too. The guys just left after putting  it in.

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I was also starting to fab up the new recess area for where the future throttle body will live. But now that I have windshield sealant curing nearby I decided to leave the 944 alone for a day or so.

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And some more painted parts! These are the front motor mounts. Mmmm shine-y.
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