The Restoration of an $800 Porsche 944S (photos)
The Porsche 944 doesn't get a lot of love, and even nice higher performance 944S and 944 Turbo can usually be had for less than any 911 of a similar vintage. Still, a genuine, complete Porsche for less than $1000? That's a bargain!
1. The Bidding War
While shopping for a cheap Porsche project, Freddy Hernandez found a 1987 Porsche 944S in an online auction located three hours from him. Although this Porsche wasn't as pretty as back in '87, it had a complete service record and more importantly, it was straight and accident-free. The bidding was at $700 with days left, so Freddy emailed and offered $750 to end the auction, but the owner told him he already had a better offer, and the first $800 will take it. Just like that Freddy was out $800, but he was the new owner of a 1987 Porsche 944S.
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2. First Impression
Having only seen pictures of the car online, the first impression wasn't as nice as Freddy had hoped it to be. The interior was extremely rough, thanks to a water leak, not to mention the rat droppings around the cabin. There was an oil leak under the car, the headlights were stuck open, and the sunroof was secured in place by prayers and gravity. In other words, it was not a pretty sight.
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3. Vroom Vroom - Sort Of
It was time to see if the heart was still beating. Freddy started the 1987 Porsche 944 S, and it did start, but did not run the way a Porsche would usually. The engine ran extremely rough, like on 3/4 of the cylinders, and the car smoked more than Snoop Dogg. It did move on its own, though once on the road, the car pulled to one side, then pulled to the complete opposite when the brakes are applied, and there was over 100 miles to get home.
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4. Road Trip Preparation
Freddy wasn't about to blow his entire profit margin on a tow-truck, so driving this diamond in the rough home was his only option. Before he got on the road, however, he figured a stop at the auto parts shop could make the trip home much safer. He changed the spark plugs, topped off all the fluids, and filled it with premium fuel, to try to counteract the old varnish already in the tank.
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5. The Drive Home
Freddy had a 120 mile road trip of rough driving in his near future, and with with all the issues, he chose to keep his speedometer below 40 mph. Nervous and worried, he began one of the longest 120 miles drives ever. With the old gas, and neglect, the car was not having any of 5th gear, backfiring and bucking when he tried. As the clouds darkened, and rain began to fall, he realized the windshield wipers weren't going to help him on that trip home. That's when he notices that he was missing at least one rear view mirror as well. Then suddenly, the new gas dissolved the old, the rain let up, and the Porsche began to purr, eventually hitting over 90 mph on the way home.
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6. The Clean Up
After a fun drive home, it was time to get some of the rat droppings out and get this project going. First things first, an industrial vacuum was employed and all the dead things and droppings were sucked out of the interior. Next, he started tackling the engine compartment with a power washer, after covering over the vital bits. The Porsche 944S was now ready for some serious work, and the risk of catching the plague was vanquished.
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7. The Tune Up
The engine oil leak turned out to be coming from the valve cover gasket, so he used that as a starting point and replaced the gasket, which turned out to be a tremendously easy job. Freddy then cleaned up the distributor cap and rotor head, replaced the oil and filters, and flushed the radiator coolant. The Porsche was slowly coming back to life, and starting to look and run like the fine German sports car it once was.
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8. Keep it in a Straight Line
In attempt to fix the awful pulling the car was putting him through, Freddy inspected the suspension. He soon realized the end link bushings were disconnected, meaning only one side had the sway bar connected. Freddy connected the sway bar applied some lube and grease to the moving parts, and tightened the rest of the suspension's connections. He then bled the entire brake system and changed the fluid with fresh brake fluid. The vehicle was now running and driving like a real Porsche, but it still looked just as rough as the day he bought it.
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9. The Interior Work
The time has come, and the interior had to be addressed. Freddy replaced the blown stereo speakers,a nd removed miles of sloppy wiring. Then he scored some nice leather buckets originally from a Mazda 3, which fit nicely. The 944 was finally clean and comfortable, and the lack of rat droppings made it a pleasure to sit in.
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10. The Exterior Work
Lucky for Freddy, the stock paint was actually in pretty decent shape, with only the lower front valance showing the wear and tear or 30 years of owners driving it into curbs. The bumper came off and the valance was sanded and sprayed with black Plastidip. Next the wheels, and rock guards on the rear fenders got dipped to match. The metal sunroof panel, beat up from having blown out on the road, was wrapped with flat black vinyl to match the other black accents. Then all that was left was a complete detailing.
The 1987 Porsche 944 S sold for $2,650 in no time, and after subtracting the total amount spent on it, the total profit was $1,511 and memories that will last a lifetime.
Check out the full story HERE.
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