HOW TO DO AN ADVANCED SEARCH.
Mon Jul 08, 2013 3:56 pm by Admin
For the benefit of 944Hybrids users there are two search functions available for you to use.
The purpose of this sticky is to explain the "Advanced Search" function because it is much more powerful and is the best choice when researching information.
When you log on to the site a list of options is shown in a line at the top of the page. One option is labelled "Search", use this option (NOT the search box lower down on the right).
After you click on the upper search option, a drop down box appears. At the bottom of this box is a radio button marked "Advanced …
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85.5 944 LS Adventure
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85.5 944 LS Adventure
My background is with BMW E30/E36 chassis which indirectly led me to this swap.
I have a good friend that runs a BMW shop and while picking up some parts for my E30 he told me he was struggling with his business. His dad, who had run the shop for 30 years prior, had recently passed away leaving him to manage the business at 23 years old. While he was an excellent tech, his business skills were lacking. I dropped what I was doing that day and helped him inventory his shop, including prioritizing cars, collecting NLA parts, and setting up an eBay shop for him. He had a total of 80 cars unfinished around his shop.
I sold the rare parts, packaged & shipped and transferred money directly to his new LLC, which generated positive cash flow and allowed him to finish cars that had been at his shop for months/years. One of the cars in the back was a 944 that had been sitting under a tree for the past 5 years. When asked what he wanted to do with it he said that it, like many others there, would go to the crusher unless I wanted it. Since the car was in the back of the shop, we set a goal that day that if we finished all the cars in front of the 944, I could drive it away free and clear. I went to his shop every day for 2-3 months during my lunch break and managed his books, handled employees, and managed operations. He was eventually able to hire a shop manager and allow me to step aside. One day I got a call that my Porsche was ready to be picked up. The car represented much than a free Porsche, but my friend getting back on his feet after a tragic loss.
I have since cleaned up the exterior, interior, changed fluids, and upgraded the wheels to Turbo Twists. I didn't touch the engine/suspension yet until I knew the swap I was going to go with. After a lot of research, the $/HP ratio of the LS proved to be the clear-cut way to go. I purchased a 5.3 block on craigslist, which, you guessed it, turned out to be a 4.8. I was about to punch out the 5.3 to a 5.7, but I found a great deal on LS6 complete with harness and accessories. I had already purchased a couple pieces of a TPC kit (including the 11" clutch disk, adapter plate, motor mounts, bell housing adapter, ceramic coated LS long tube headers) and ordered the bulk of the swap parts needed on Black Friday. I could probably have just as easily bought a swapped 944 or decent condition 951 for what I'll spend on this project but I love the backstory behind the car, and I really just want a decently reliable street car that I can take out of town with AC and power steering that's capable of the occasional powerslide. Eventually, I could see myself caging and putting a shorty handbrake in it for some drift events but not any time soon. At most I might do some autox events but that's down the road. I'll likely upgrade to 951 brake components paired with the Mustang hydroboost. I'll also upgrade the suspension to Mk1 golf front coilovers and a custom rear Bilstein coilover setup.
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I have a good friend that runs a BMW shop and while picking up some parts for my E30 he told me he was struggling with his business. His dad, who had run the shop for 30 years prior, had recently passed away leaving him to manage the business at 23 years old. While he was an excellent tech, his business skills were lacking. I dropped what I was doing that day and helped him inventory his shop, including prioritizing cars, collecting NLA parts, and setting up an eBay shop for him. He had a total of 80 cars unfinished around his shop.
I sold the rare parts, packaged & shipped and transferred money directly to his new LLC, which generated positive cash flow and allowed him to finish cars that had been at his shop for months/years. One of the cars in the back was a 944 that had been sitting under a tree for the past 5 years. When asked what he wanted to do with it he said that it, like many others there, would go to the crusher unless I wanted it. Since the car was in the back of the shop, we set a goal that day that if we finished all the cars in front of the 944, I could drive it away free and clear. I went to his shop every day for 2-3 months during my lunch break and managed his books, handled employees, and managed operations. He was eventually able to hire a shop manager and allow me to step aside. One day I got a call that my Porsche was ready to be picked up. The car represented much than a free Porsche, but my friend getting back on his feet after a tragic loss.
I have since cleaned up the exterior, interior, changed fluids, and upgraded the wheels to Turbo Twists. I didn't touch the engine/suspension yet until I knew the swap I was going to go with. After a lot of research, the $/HP ratio of the LS proved to be the clear-cut way to go. I purchased a 5.3 block on craigslist, which, you guessed it, turned out to be a 4.8. I was about to punch out the 5.3 to a 5.7, but I found a great deal on LS6 complete with harness and accessories. I had already purchased a couple pieces of a TPC kit (including the 11" clutch disk, adapter plate, motor mounts, bell housing adapter, ceramic coated LS long tube headers) and ordered the bulk of the swap parts needed on Black Friday. I could probably have just as easily bought a swapped 944 or decent condition 951 for what I'll spend on this project but I love the backstory behind the car, and I really just want a decently reliable street car that I can take out of town with AC and power steering that's capable of the occasional powerslide. Eventually, I could see myself caging and putting a shorty handbrake in it for some drift events but not any time soon. At most I might do some autox events but that's down the road. I'll likely upgrade to 951 brake components paired with the Mustang hydroboost. I'll also upgrade the suspension to Mk1 golf front coilovers and a custom rear Bilstein coilover setup.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Great story! That looks like a car worth saving, really solid looking bones, zero rust? Clearly you guys don't get much winter or road salt way down in Alabama!
chrenan- Posts : 203
Join date : 2011-11-20
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
No rust, and I'm actually in New Orleans, just easier to keep everything registered in Alabama with my house there (cheaper insurance, no emissions/brake tags, 30-year exemption on renewing tags).
thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
The paint cleaned up really well. Looks great. Keep it going!
ryan08- Posts : 15
Join date : 2018-02-02
Location : Louisville KY
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Ok plenty to update so here goes:
I bought some longtube headers from a guy on Facebook. My Frenchie approves.
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A guy I work with has access to multiple body shops and I fixed the fender and he painted it. Came out great.
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I bought some longtube headers from a guy on Facebook. My Frenchie approves.
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A guy I work with has access to multiple body shops and I fixed the fender and he painted it. Came out great.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Got a cover for the car now that it’s so nice. J Also, the wheels I got are all the same ET, except one. So I got a 30MM spacer to even it out.
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Last edited by departeg on Mon Aug 26, 2019 12:39 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : clean up code that was inserted)
thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Also I picked up a turbo rear valence. Love the way it makes the car look now.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
It's the little details that count. The first time I ever went to the junkyard, a good friend taught me this lesson grabbing some 740 fancy engine bolts. Fast forward a decade and about 1,000 trips to the junkyard later, I stumble across these script handles. Just so happened that the owner had them on the car and a spare inside the car. I sanded them down, polished them up, swapped the locking cylinder over, and refreshed the internals with new seals and levers.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
No more rubbing thanks to the new fender roller I picked up. Only had time to do one wheel well today. I jacked up the wheel all the way inside the well just to check there was enough room. I also brought my Duke phone out with me just in case someone woke up. Pretty soon he'll be out here wrenching as well. He's too busy being a baby at the moment...
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Junkyard thoughts: At some point this car was loved(wrapped headers, KONI shocks and struts, and then unloved. Atleast I got a good DME, aftermarket small diameter steering wheel, center caps, script handle, AC panel, door card, clean expansion tank, and brake booster(for future BMW 24v swaps) as well as some knick knack patty wack type stuff. The wrapped headers tell me the motor was out at some point so I wonder if it might have a cam or maybe bored/stroked. All in all about $800-1k of stuff for 200 and 2 hours of ripping and tearing. Pretty happy.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Storytime:
So believe it or not I don't spend a lot of my hard earned money on my cars. Most of it comes from flipping parts or junkyard parts. My wife has made it clear the "family money doesn't fund my addiction". So I have to get creative. This includes searching Craigslist, junkyards and eBay for deals.
I ran across a very buried post on CL that was selling a myriad of housewares, some vintage Hawaiian shirt prints but also some classic Porsche parts(which are worth their weight in cocaine for those that don't know). The post said it was a 3 day sale that opened at 9. The location? 5 minutes from my office.
I told a friend I was planning to get there 5 minutes before open. He said I should camp out since there are "pro yard-sailors" that will be all over this thing. So I showed up 35 minutes early, as I was talking to my brother on the phone we joked about a little old lady hocking her late husband's wares for pennies on the dollar, and the chance for a classic Porsche to be tucked under some newspaper. As I turned the corner I see the dozens of cars already parked and waiting for them to open.
There was a line.
Yes, a LINE of people waiting to for it to open.
I notice the people setting up the estate sale are in yellow shirts. I texted my friend that I feel like I just got cucked. Here I am waiting in the 90 degree heat and 100% humidity with a bunch of people I'm gonna have to stab to get to the Porsche parts. I contemplate leaving but I already sunk 20 minutes in and as my FOMO kicks in I decide to just see what I can get.
As it opens I rushed around people and the crowd parted, me to the garage and 99% of the other people to the house. They were all there for the vintage Hawaiian print fabric. I make a pile of vintage Porsche parts. I bring a side shift 901 914 transmission to the front and an old man helping with the sale haggles me:
Me: how much for this?
Old man: what is it?
Me: a tranny
OM: [squints eyes]
OM: how about $30?
Me: what if I buy two?
OM: $50
I grab as much as I can carry in my truck, which is about $15-20k of parts.
Then I see it.
The holy grail. A Porsche 550 Spyder.
I ask the OM how much. He says that the previous owners grandson was supposed to pick it up a year ago, takes my number down, and says if he doesn't pick it up the current owner(previous owners daughter who is a "big time" attorney with no time for any of this) will likely let me just haul it off.
Today was a good day
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So believe it or not I don't spend a lot of my hard earned money on my cars. Most of it comes from flipping parts or junkyard parts. My wife has made it clear the "family money doesn't fund my addiction". So I have to get creative. This includes searching Craigslist, junkyards and eBay for deals.
I ran across a very buried post on CL that was selling a myriad of housewares, some vintage Hawaiian shirt prints but also some classic Porsche parts(which are worth their weight in cocaine for those that don't know). The post said it was a 3 day sale that opened at 9. The location? 5 minutes from my office.
I told a friend I was planning to get there 5 minutes before open. He said I should camp out since there are "pro yard-sailors" that will be all over this thing. So I showed up 35 minutes early, as I was talking to my brother on the phone we joked about a little old lady hocking her late husband's wares for pennies on the dollar, and the chance for a classic Porsche to be tucked under some newspaper. As I turned the corner I see the dozens of cars already parked and waiting for them to open.
There was a line.
Yes, a LINE of people waiting to for it to open.
I notice the people setting up the estate sale are in yellow shirts. I texted my friend that I feel like I just got cucked. Here I am waiting in the 90 degree heat and 100% humidity with a bunch of people I'm gonna have to stab to get to the Porsche parts. I contemplate leaving but I already sunk 20 minutes in and as my FOMO kicks in I decide to just see what I can get.
As it opens I rushed around people and the crowd parted, me to the garage and 99% of the other people to the house. They were all there for the vintage Hawaiian print fabric. I make a pile of vintage Porsche parts. I bring a side shift 901 914 transmission to the front and an old man helping with the sale haggles me:
Me: how much for this?
Old man: what is it?
Me: a tranny
OM: [squints eyes]
OM: how about $30?
Me: what if I buy two?
OM: $50
I grab as much as I can carry in my truck, which is about $15-20k of parts.
Then I see it.
The holy grail. A Porsche 550 Spyder.
I ask the OM how much. He says that the previous owners grandson was supposed to pick it up a year ago, takes my number down, and says if he doesn't pick it up the current owner(previous owners daughter who is a "big time" attorney with no time for any of this) will likely let me just haul it off.
Today was a good day
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
I guess 98 degree heat is the perfect motivation to install a sun visor. Finishing some small upgrades before the big ones start.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
So I had issues finding the right size vinyl for the windshield decal I wanted(all the ones available are too small) in the color I wanted (gloss black). So I custom made my own size and bought multiple to get a volume discount with the intention to sell them to other 944 Porsche owners.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Coincidently the Porsche uses the same headlight as new Jeep Wranglers. Since they are plentiful on the internets, they are a very affordable upgrade from the standard halogen bulbs to LEDs. Best part is they are plug and play, draw less wattage, and the cutoff/color/ output are amazing!
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Koni Cup adjustable coilovers, front and rear inner and outer wheel bearing kit, new bearing seals, shock mounts, and new grease. Just part of the suspension/brake/bearing upgrade before the swap.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
A suction cup brand new anti-glare rear view mirror? Amazon $17. Getting some work in between rain bands, I even have a little helper with me. Got the upgraded coilover mounts and rear coilovers installed. The old ones were blown.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Test fitted the new big brake kit, and also pulled the strut, will build the coilovers tomorrow and install the new stainless steel brake lines, rotors, and replace the bearings and repack them with some new grease. Let the heavy breathing commence.
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
Made some progress today. I like to clean/repaint parts as I go if they're worth reusing and in need of some type of rust protection. I repainted my strut tube while it was out to match the car color. Cleaned out the old grease and repacked the front hub bearings with new bearings/high temperature grease since I'll be bringing them up to 150 MPH+. It's like when you were a kid and you rode a skateboard that had been out in the rain and then you rode one that had been maintained with super fast bearings. I also repainted the brake dust shield as well when I had it out. As well as installed the stainless steel brake line, top mount camber plates, new rotor, and the Wilwood adapter and Caliper. Excited to get the other side done so I can dial in the ride height and bleed the brakes. Interesting fact: the fluid that is recommended inside the strut tube is actually 50mL of Antifreeze.
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Last edited by departeg on Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:03 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : forgot to add words)
thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
Re: 85.5 944 LS Adventure
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thestig- Posts : 41
Join date : 2018-02-15
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