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As my Cossie pug is now near the point of regular use I decided it was time to start on the 944 that has been lurking in my garage for a few years. The engine was shot so I just binned it.
My thoughts for this are to make a cheap track car that I don't care abusing and if I want to do track days, drifting, airfields etc...so that it is cheap to run but not care about too much.
At the moment I am thinking of an Audi 1.8t 20v as these are cheap as chips if I break it and they produce 280 bhp for next to no money and 350 is simple. The best block for this is a 1.8t AEB from an Audi A4 or Passat as these had the block in right orientation and then use part of a Golf MK4 gearbox to hold the flywheel and Mate to an adapter for the torque tube.
My first option was a yank V8 LS engine, much more fun and nice noises but a much more expensive swap.
I have dropped the rear beam out and cleaned it up, removed the torque tube to Mate it up to the new engine.
Here we go again. It's the old this is going to be a quick and cheap project thread. Queue the music A team style. 4 x 4 sequential and 500 horses before you know it
Here we go again. It's the old this is going to be a quick and cheap project thread. Queue the music A team style. 4 x 4 sequential and 500 horses before you know it
Lol, everyone teases me about that.....I am really trying to go low budget on this one.
I am going to prob use a tin sump off a diesel golf so that I can cut and shut it myself but won't rule out sending an ally one to MK and ask him to cut it and add wings. I have sourced the 1.8t today that is aeb which has the oil pump at the right end and is drive by wire. Gearbox from MK 4 golf will arrive this week so can cut up the bits I need to make the adapter and then use g60 flywheel and a vr6 clutch. Then just need to make a simple adapter plate to the MK 4 bellhousing. The gearbox will be a normal 944 box on the end of the torque tube, I have dropped the knackered box out and it is just a Vw gearbox, same as an early Passat, it just sits at the back so I may even use a Passat 6 speed box and add a slippy diff.
I am going to prob use a tin sump off a diesel golf so that I can cut and shut it myself but won't rule out sending an ally one to MK and ask him to cut it and add wings. I have sourced the 1.8t today that is aeb which has the oil pump at the right end and is drive by wire. Gearbox from MK 4 golf will arrive this week so can cut up the bits I need to make the adapter and then use g60 flywheel and a vr6 clutch. Then just need to make a simple adapter plate to the MK 4 bellhousing. The gearbox will be a normal 944 box on the end of the torque tube, I have dropped the knackered box out and it is just a Vw gearbox, same as an early Passat, it just sits at the back so I may even use a Passat 6 speed box and add a slippy diff.
Costs so far....new gearbox £39 eBay, bought tonight. Torque tube £50 delivered eBay. Mk4 golf gearbox £10.91 ebay. Aeb engine price tbc, good mate has it on a pallet, he will do a good deal. (Guess £300-£500?)
Car cost me £1000 2 yrs ago.
Engine loom will be £200 for a mate to make as new, £30 immobiliser delete on ecu and the maybe £300 to remap when I change a few things such as ko4 turbo etc..
I don't think I am doing badly
Last edited by Caddyshack; 06-06-2017 at 10:04 PM.
I will wait for a cage to come up on eBay, my interior will sell and pay for some bucket seats.
I will allow a bit for service items such as new shocks and brake pads and then consider a few squids on lightweight bonnet, Lexan glass replacement inc rear hatch.
Ford sharan clutch can be used over lightweight mk4 golf flywheel, my friend can supply for £150. He is also a pro flex agent so can poly bush reasonably enough.
Last edited by Caddyshack; 06-06-2017 at 10:03 PM.
Thanks for the comments, some are useful LOL. Work gets in the way.
Yesterday I jumped in the car with a Sandwich at lunchtime and drove 1.5hrs to brighton to pick up the 5 speed gearbox, It was £39. The bloke was a 911 Trader but had taken in 2 944's as part chop and broke up one for spares and sold the other. He had just done a 1.8t swap in a Passat and had also been looking at the swap in a 944 (small world eh?)
Cleaned up the box last night after work and it does look pretty good, he said the car it came from was rotten from being near the sea but had not done big miles.
This weekend I am going to bolt the torque tube to the box on axle stands and try to make a stable and level platform so that I can offer up the 1.8t block dead level to then start marking out the adapters. The Mk4 golf box will be here soon so I can strip that for the part I need and offer it up.
Mate Of mind has a modded 1.8T cupra track car. It's only about 280bhp but go's really well
Yeah, 280bhp is good on a track car. The 944 in my spec was 1180kg from the factory but you can save a ton of weight by taking out the Electric seats (one is pretty lumpy to lift) and then replacing that huge rear glass with Lexan along with a light bonnet and just strip the interior. I saved 100kg on my 911 when I had it and stripped it out and put a pair of light Recaro's in there.
I am hoping to get close to the ton on this one and maybe 300bhp for now, 300 per ton puts it up there with an Audi R8 V10.
I opened the oil drains on the new box and it has had a change recently I think as they came out very easily, will put new oil in anyway. I cleaned it up and gave it a lick of paint.
Fitted a Porsche approved lightweight battery to this Club Sport, weighed 5 kilos and had to make a new clamp for the battery, 10,500 miles from<br/>New in 1989, only about 30 came to U.K.. quite nervous working on it as just valued at £220k it is minty mint.
O2j gearbox from mk4 golf, split apart and removing diff and gearset.
This is the machined flat surface that we are after to mount first part of adapter plate to but I don't need the diff end.
So I have roughly cut off the bit I don't need. You can see that I will retain the hole where the hydraulic clutch actuator goes.
I might cut off the extra bolt hole to make it neater as I am sure I don't need it. This is now very light.
Needs a good clean up but now I have my bellhousing to bolt up to the 20v turbo, I will not use the dual mass flywheel, instead I will put on a lightened and balanced g60 Vw flywheel as my mate can buy them trade. The Ford clutch from<br/>The people carrier thingy works on this and uses the Vw hydraulic clutch push. Just need to make the other part of the adapter plate template on Sunday now.
I had a look on ebay but couldn't find any listings saying 02j for the box. What engines do these come fitted to and i'll get hold of one.
Any mk4 golf. I used a diesel one but as we only need the housing any will do. Try and get one with the hydraulic slave included as you need that anyway. You can sell on the shifter part as people in the Vw world upgrade earlier cars with them.
02j is 5 spd. O2m is 6 but they all have other codes. Loads on there for £50 but I waited for an auction and £10 was a bargain
Last edited by Caddyshack; 18-06-2017 at 07:46 PM.
Yeah, I am not changing the rear gearbox layout. The handling of the 944 was often regarded as one of the best balanced sports cars as it has 50/50 weight due to the gearbox being at the back, it has always been a Vw box at the end of a torque tube, I am only using the bellhousing off the mk4 to contain a flywheel and clutch at the front and make the adapter, nothing different to how Porsche did it, the rear 944 bellhousing is empty on the originals.
05-06-2017 | 06:50 PM
944 Project begins
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