I usually don't think twice about swaps but this one is perfect. I like the fact that the weight of the LS3 is very similar to the stock engine - makes the build even better. 80s Porsches are getting old and need a refresh with more power. Perfect daily and track car. I'm thinking of doing this myself and currently shopping for a 944 with no rust. Thanks for the video.
944s will seldom have rust because Porsche galvanized them and unless someone grinds through the galvanizing down to bare metal you shouldn't have any rust come up. You're going to need a turbo model because the transaxle is stronger, unless you can have a non-turbo trans built stronger or buy a beefy one.
@@manstersr I bought a 944 NA with a complete 951 swap. Everything was swapped by Porsche master tech - engine, trans, suspension, etc. So far the power is nice and focusing on restoring the paint, cleaning the engine bay and interior.
@@Oncewaslostbutnowimsaved I joined the Facebook group for 07K swaps, and bought a 1989 944 Turbo. Thanks, I'll look into it further if the time comes! :)
@ModuSublime I have 2 matching 1985 944s. Keeping 1 stock and using the other aa my parts car. Eventually I'm going to just strip everything down and have the parts on a shelf then I will use the rolling chassis one for a 07k swap
I owned a new 1986 944 Turbo and sold it to buy a new 1988 BMW E30 M3 - both were amazing cars and a joy to drive, but very different experiences. I drove the M3 for 28,000 miles and sold it for more than I paid for it, thought I was a genius as a result, and bought a 1989 944 Turbo S - it took everything I loved about the 1986 and turned it up to 11. What a privilege to have owned these legends and icons of the era. My daily driver now is a 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance, and I have a 2013 Scion FR-S as a dedicated track car. Even at 56, I’m still a kid and car junkie at heart!
Had a 944 for my first car in high school! Such a fun car.. just recently picked up a 87 944 turbo a couple year back with only 98k original miles. I will have it to the end!
I had a white on white ‘86 944 with factory Fuchs wheels back in the early 90’s. Selling it is one of my greatest automotive regrets. Everything you like about this car is what I liked about that one: balance, looks, gearing, handling, comfort, etc. hard to imagine with 500hp. I’d love to have that experience. Thanks for sharing!
This is one crazy 944! Sounds raw and looks elegant at the same time, the sound of the engine is music to the ears, thank you for reviewing this beauty!
I've driven three 944's after doing timing belts on them. They are great cars stock, but as someone who knows them and the LS platform? This is golden. Which adapter kit did they use?
@@boywonderrr71 Yeah, that's where I first heard of it. I think I'd want one of the 914 conversions over the 944 if they had the same rust protection on the body.
This car looks like a whole pile of fun! Having owned and driven an 86’ 944 turbo I can fully appreciate the reliability and power of the LS. However, the balance and the way the power is delivered relative to the way the chassis acts with the 2.5 turbo is either a very well researched combination or a wonderful mistake. Many hours spent under the hood replacing onion skin gaskets, and strange oil/coolant heat exchangers but the end result was one of the best driving cars (in my opinion) I’ve ever driven. This includes many generations of M3’s, Supra’s, and an r34 Skyline. I don’t love the 2.5 turbo from a mechanical perspective but it does it’s job and does it very well. Call me boring but Porsche really did something exceptional with the Turbo 944! Nice review and nice swap.
The LSX is actually just lighter than the full 2.5 Turbo engine and it’s necessary components if I remember correctly, so balance really isn’t messed with much. People do these swaps for many reasons; far more reliable, far easier to maintain, far cheaper to maintain, parts are easier to find and cheaper and of course the weight being so similar
This model Porsche reminds me of an FC RX7. I have an LS3 but it doesn't sound as good as the one in this video. A fine example of a modified Porsche & excellent review👍🙂.
best wishes from a german 944 enthusiast! As I am the 1111th thumb up, i am pleased to leave a comment:-) By the way, I also have a 944 engine swap with 420hp and nearly 600Nm torque. My engine is an Audi 2.2 20V turbo engine, known for its reliability, great sound and the possibility to get even double the power out of it... but I also think that the 400+ hp already fits perfect without overloading the powertrain. It simply feels like this car was made for exact this class power. A V8 conversion with same power, more sound and no turbo lag would be even greater, but unfortunately nearly impossible to get legal on the road here.
Great video, I have owned 86 944 turbo for 17 years and they are very special cars. Great balance, great looks, great power, comfortable and forgiving. I personally like the stock engine, but I am sure this is a hoot. Just an FYI, those seats were an option on 944s as well as 911s. They are the factory sport seats.
Looks better and sounds better than today's porsche cars. 1980s sports cars in general looked like spaceships. 1960s muscle cars were also amazing. Same goes for 1990s Japanese cars.
This has been an elusive dream of mine and your video has just brought it to life in the most perfect way. It sucks that the prices for these porsches are now on the rise. I think this is maybe the best all around car you can have for the money.
@Thor Odin son Okay, I thought you meant the VW. The 944 has a rear transaxle. I doubt there is room for a front transmision. Are you saying switch to a corvette rear end?
Fun video I’m a huge fan of the 944 I agree it’s just the ultimate chiseled muscular sleek look. Very nice to see/hear American power under that hood💪🏼
when i was a kid i wanted a firebird, all the ones around me in my late teens were to trashed for high prices but since porsche snobs never saw the 944 as a true porsche i was able to afford one. i saw it as a scaled down firebird at first because of the beautiful big glass hatch, pop up head lights and overall proportions. now i love the car so when you said the ls and the 944 make a perfect german and american muscle car i couldnt agree more.
The 944 looks great and just about any color but black. The black contrast of the tires , the interior and the rubber rear spoiler against the outer color is one of the things that makes it look great.
I have one we built with a ~350 horse aluminum lc9 engine (LS) from a 944 N/A platform. Upgraded the front suspension to 996 Brembo brakes and drilled rotors. The thing eats even with the stock na rear transaxle. Suspension and brakes work beautifully. No complaints here my guy
@@cartermackenzie1135 still rolling! Drove some long trips to cars and coffee this fall probly put 500 or so miles on it last few months of the season this year before storing it.
I’ve just bought a early Porsche 1982 944, achieving a dream goal of mine! Out of curiosity I wanted to see if people had swapped a V8 into one of these because I always thought it would be too small but wow I was wrong! Sounds absolutely magnificent and if I actually had funds I would so do this, being British I would probably fit the wonderful Rover 4.0 litre V8.
With the earlier 944s, you also have to change out the transaxle because it couldn't handle the power that the turbo transaxles could. So find yourself a turbo transaxle in the junkyard
Id be interested to see you take the 944 to a weigh station and get axle weights so that we can see how much the ls affected the weight distribution of the car. Car looks super clean and classy and sounds amazing by the way, Great Vid!
I owned a 944 back in the 90s, and never liked the front bumper and always wanted to do the 951 Turbo front bumper swap. Now 2023 and I like the 944 NA bumper better than the Turbo bumper. Something about the NA bumper design makes the 944 look badass!
To put it in perspective, this is a car that is lighter and with more power than a Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari Teatarossa of the same year. And having driven the 944 it is an amazing handling car that just needed a bit more hp
I personally like the US spec bumpers better idk why everyone hates on them. I think the big black rubber pads add a lot to the look, almost giving it a more rally feel without anything else being done to it. But to each their own I suppose. Proud owner of a US spec 944 🙏
The driving experience between your car and a stock turbo is completely different, 250hp difference, coil overs/springs. It’s a whole different experience. Badass though. Great video.
944's have always been one of my favorite Porsches of all time. I would rather restomod a 944 than buy a new GT3 I enjoy the history and the build process over a out of the box car.
15:22 NO, NO, NO... no... The 928 came out in 1977 in Europe and 1978 for the US. The 924 ALSO came out in 1977. The 924 was originally a joint development with Volkswagen for a low-budget sports car, that ultimately lost out to the Scirocco. It used a 2L inline 4 from the VW Quantum. The 944 body was based on the 924 Turbo race cars. The first year 951 that you're driving gave way to the 944 S2 3.0L inline 4, that was later used in the 968. Porsche re-released the 924S that was a narrow body 944 in 1987, complete with 2.5L engine and NA transaxle, along with narrower wheels and tires.
I had a 1988 Porsche 944, and it's the best car I ever owned. It was in Alpine white with black interior. Sadly I wrecked it before I could do an LS swap.
88 Turbo S with minor tweaks is a 300 rear wheel hp car. Koni adjustable, ride height adjustable, 928 big black brakes and limited slip diff, 90% of the performance and you keep original value...Just saying. I love mine.
Though dreaming of a 944 LS3 swap, I respect your feelings. :-) I would never do that to a 911 though. There are certain things in life you do not do haha.
I just was at SEMA, and there was a 944 with an LS swap, racing on the circuit course. It might have even been this one! It was by far my favorite car on the course, and now I’m looking to buy one and build it haha
Shut the front door damn it. I haave one of these weathered but, for the most part rust free in the midwest. lots of videos about this machine "which I love the stance" now comes this video explaining the swap. Good job fellas. Now i know whatta gotta do....yeah.
I like the original turbocharged M44/51 engine, idk why but everyone is LS swapping, it’s just so overdone. The turbo lag and stuff is what makes the car fun.
I love this build, always loved the 944 turbo and i just sounds perfect now with that LS in it.And yeah i wanted to say that the suspension setup is to soft especially in the front,you can see it hopping while it's driving around.Seems dangerous at high speeds, like trow you off the road dangerous.But i love to own a '86 turbo one day since i am born in '86, would be perfect.😉👍✌️👉 PS: purism is the most ridiculous thing there is, IT IS CAPITALISM IN DISGUISE.It's a rich fools idea so these old cars go for ridiculous amounts of money. And what they say that it needs it's original parts to be pure and that modification is blasphemous is BS.Porsche themselfs from the factory modified they own cars for R&D and for racing ally. How do you think that it is possible that the gt3's and gt2's exist today??? Well guess what it's a factory modified 911 carrera2. And without all those years of modifying their own cars, porsche was able to create streetable trackcars.Without the MODIFICATION and the ''IMPURITY'' porsche did to their own cars, a 911 today would still have been a stretched out VW beetle grocery getter.So purists count your money and shut the fuck up,and drive your cars that are meant to be driven instead of keeping them in a climate controlled tent for when the time is right to sell it.Now that is IMPURE because cars are meant to be driven, and porsches by all means are meant to be driven hard.
Purists are like capitalists? You have no clue what you're taking about. Capitalism is the free market fueled by entrepreneurs, as in mod your car however you want...
Ill say i LOVE my 944 LS swapped daily It is just as nice and clean as this beauty and i cannot wait to finisb the video on her because this just makes me wanna go drive her more!
@@user-fo2el6jm7n Sorry for such a late reply. mainly becasue cars are going up in value a already blown motor or missing motor find is preffered to start. Manual transmission only and lsd is best. AND IF YOUR DONT! upgrade them damn brakes your going to die.... TOO fast with too much power, with very skinny wheels, and anorexic brakes. These are a must ESPECIALLY IF you go manual brakes over hydro boost, power assisted, or other means. I build mine by hand spending only money on adapter, clutch, engine. and my total was under 4k. Friends I've build theirs for 7-44k depending on what they want. mine are bolt in optional power steering, A/C, heat, and all the bells and whistles work like cruise control like factory. Time and patience is the biggest factor. also not these so claimed "kits" suck. and suck bad 944's being this old flex and settle. of the dozen or so I have made ever frame rail was a little different in its buldge or flex. This makes parts like the headers, heads, brakes and other things some times a pain in the butt to fit unless you tailoring these to EACH car by hand. Simple things like the intake routing isn't the same car to car as oddly enough as one of my personal cars I built a plastic elbow that fits PERFECT. on my other 944 it wouldn't fit if I cut it in half.... and no idea why. VERY quirky cars.
@@alorrick7546 thats awesome man. thanks for taking the time comment and share! Amen on the brakes lol They seem like a rewarding and unique project if you invest in one. Might have to try before the end of the gasoline era!
944 Turbo, A.K.A. Porsche 951. Selling my pre face-lift 944 was one of the saddest days of my life. Back then, only a few questionable swaps of the super heavy, cast iron LT1 existed. Most of the time, it was better to just upgrade the factory turbo engine and preserve those amazing (perfect?) handling characteristics. I dreamed of an LS swap back then (especially after later owning an LS1 Trans Am.) The I-4 2.5L non turbo 944 was basically the 928's V8 cut in half and stuck under the hood, and was far from special, meh power wise, and expensive (in the U.S. at least) to maintain. The turbo was much better, but also difficult and expensive to upgrade. An LS swap would probably make it the ultimate "analog" sports car. Swapping The LS into this car isn't blasphemy, it's realizing the true potential of an otherwise epic vehicle. When the 924 came out, Porsche purists scoffed at the idea of a liquid cooled, front mounted engine "sports car " tarnishing the legacy of such a prestigious automaker. Little did they know that this "poor man's Porsche" and it's future iterations would save the company from going broke in the 1980's. After all, the LS is just another fuel injected, liquid cooled front mount engine, with better aftermarket/tuning support, parts availibity and reliability right? On a side rant, LS swapping the RX-7 is blasphemy! The Wankel engine is integral to the identity, purpose, intent, and history of that vehicle. If you want a perfectly balanced LS sports car, leave Mazda alone. The 944/951 is the proper choice. That being said, it is a goal to one day have both cars again [I also had a 1988 FC (2nd saddest day was selling it)]. Anyways great video and thanks for revealing that my dreams can now come true.
Only bad thing is that monster engine is mated to a dicey rear drive train, bad clutch, propshaft, and a dicey transaxel. Hope you beefed it up or you will be snapping parts back there. fjb
When #3 rod bearing in my 86 turbo gives up the ghost I may go this route or 07K. For the moment I'll have to settle for violent boost at 4000 RPM and the loud spit of the blowoff valve.
Ive had a few 944 and 911s but my favorite body by far was the 83 944, it was more box-shaped but stood up was shaped like a beautiful woman's body...I had an LS1 in my 83..
Nice video, but the timeline of the models is not correct. The 928 came before the 944 and the 924, 944 and 928 models ran for years next to each other. The 968 was the successor of the 944 and is widely regarded as the sum mum of front engine, best handling Porsche.. But I agree, the 944 was the best looking one, although the 928 was also stunning (more of a GT). This lightweight V8 is the perfect engine for this car, a perfect swap if you asked me. I owned a 1988 Turbo S (oneof the 1700 models made), and the turbo lag is huge. Only around 5k rpm, you get max. boost. Fun to drive, but this V8 is much better. I also think the lowdown torque matches great with the Porsche philosophy. They always tuned the engines for torque, and less for horsepower.
The glass jaw on these cars is the rear mounted gearbox. The turbo box was stronger, but can you swap in a C6 rear transaxle like they do in the 928 swaps?
This is definitely not my cup of tea but I stopped by to see the spectacle. You guys are plum crazy but the results are impressive I will admit. This is an option if you can’t source a German motor or don’t want to learn that particular Zen.
As I remember reading somewhere, the 944 was originally designed by Porsche for VW to be the new Corado, but for some reason, VW went with a different design.
@@gungfuriceboy u can get a ej257 on eBay for $3000 with harness and transmission. Stock HP is 300 but u can easily bring it to 400 hp reliable. I use the ej20t on my bug rated at 400 hp with my setup! On a 1800 lb bug 300+ whp is pretty fun!
I usually don't think twice about swaps but this one is perfect. I like the fact that the weight of the LS3 is very similar to the stock engine - makes the build even better. 80s Porsches are getting old and need a refresh with more power. Perfect daily and track car. I'm thinking of doing this myself and currently shopping for a 944 with no rust. Thanks for the video.
944s will seldom have rust because Porsche galvanized them and unless someone grinds through the galvanizing down to bare metal you shouldn't have any rust come up. You're going to need a turbo model because the transaxle is stronger, unless you can have a non-turbo trans built stronger or buy a beefy one.
@@manstersr I bought a 944 NA with a complete 951 swap. Everything was swapped by Porsche master tech - engine, trans, suspension, etc. So far the power is nice and focusing on restoring the paint, cleaning the engine bay and interior.
No bro, look up the 944 07k turbo swap. Lighter weight, way more room in engine bay, inline 5 sounds amazing and can push out 500hp!
@@Oncewaslostbutnowimsaved I joined the Facebook group for 07K swaps, and bought a 1989 944 Turbo. Thanks, I'll look into it further if the time comes! :)
@ModuSublime I have 2 matching 1985 944s. Keeping 1 stock and using the other aa my parts car. Eventually I'm going to just strip everything down and have the parts on a shelf then I will use the rolling chassis one for a 07k swap
I owned a new 1986 944 Turbo and sold it to buy a new 1988 BMW E30 M3 - both were amazing cars and a joy to drive, but very different experiences. I drove the M3 for 28,000 miles and sold it for more than I paid for it, thought I was a genius as a result, and bought a 1989 944 Turbo S - it took everything I loved about the 1986 and turned it up to 11. What a privilege to have owned these legends and icons of the era. My daily driver now is a 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance, and I have a 2013 Scion FR-S as a dedicated track car. Even at 56, I’m still a kid and car junkie at heart!
Small modern tweak - engine swaps are everything but not small tweaks goddammit.
Lol
lmao
I think he was joking.
Also, “might” be better. Definitely better
Facts
Had a 944 for my first car in high school! Such a fun car.. just recently picked up a 87 944 turbo a couple year back with only 98k original miles. I will have it to the end!
Just found an 83 with a LS swap already in it. Might buy it next week 👀
I had a white on white ‘86 944 with factory Fuchs wheels back in the early 90’s. Selling it is one of my greatest automotive regrets. Everything you like about this car is what I liked about that one: balance, looks, gearing, handling, comfort, etc. hard to imagine with 500hp. I’d love to have that experience. Thanks for sharing!
The Sport seats were an option on the 944 turbo as well, and yes, they were also optional equipment on the 911. Same exact seats.
They were a option on the 944 na as well
I liked the standard seats better because the sport seats make getting in and out of the car painful.
This is one crazy 944! Sounds raw and looks elegant at the same time, the sound of the engine is music to the ears, thank you for reviewing this beauty!
I've driven three 944's after doing timing belts on them. They are great cars stock, but as someone who knows them and the LS platform? This is golden. Which adapter kit did they use?
Did you ever find out?
@@Martin944turbocheck out Renegade in Las Vegas. They do V8 swaps for Porsche's
Check out Renegade in Las Vegas, they do LS swaps in Porsches. They have YT also
@@boywonderrr71 Yeah, that's where I first heard of it. I think I'd want one of the 914 conversions over the 944 if they had the same rust protection on the body.
Google is your friend, many kits out there ... also for K-swap turbos.
This car looks like a whole pile of fun! Having owned and driven an 86’ 944 turbo I can fully appreciate the reliability and power of the LS. However, the balance and the way the power is delivered relative to the way the chassis acts with the 2.5 turbo is either a very well researched combination or a wonderful mistake. Many hours spent under the hood replacing onion skin gaskets, and strange oil/coolant heat exchangers but the end result was one of the best driving cars (in my opinion) I’ve ever driven. This includes many generations of M3’s, Supra’s, and an r34 Skyline. I don’t love the 2.5 turbo from a mechanical perspective but it does it’s job and does it very well. Call me boring but Porsche really did something exceptional with the Turbo 944! Nice review and nice swap.
The LSX is actually just lighter than the full 2.5 Turbo engine and it’s necessary components if I remember correctly, so balance really isn’t messed with much. People do these swaps for many reasons; far more reliable, far easier to maintain, far cheaper to maintain, parts are easier to find and cheaper and of course the weight being so similar
Plus double the hp@@CarbonRevo91
@@CarbonRevo91this depends on the country in my country a lexus V8 is more common so that might be a safer bet.
This model Porsche reminds me of an FC RX7. I have an LS3 but it doesn't sound as good as the one in this video. A fine example of a modified Porsche & excellent review👍🙂.
924 came before a rx-7.😉
My dude here said that an engine swab is a small tweaks 😂
marcus my man, cam SHAFT when talking about LS engines. singular shaft in the middle of the engine, i'm used to dohc too
best wishes from a german 944 enthusiast! As I am the 1111th thumb up, i am pleased to leave a comment:-) By the way, I also have a 944 engine swap with 420hp and nearly 600Nm torque. My engine is an Audi 2.2 20V turbo engine, known for its reliability, great sound and the possibility to get even double the power out of it... but I also think that the 400+ hp already fits perfect without overloading the powertrain. It simply feels like this car was made for exact this class power. A V8 conversion with same power, more sound and no turbo lag would be even greater, but unfortunately nearly impossible to get legal on the road here.
Great video, I have owned 86 944 turbo for 17 years and they are very special cars. Great balance, great looks, great power, comfortable and forgiving. I personally like the stock engine, but I am sure this is a hoot.
Just an FYI, those seats were an option on 944s as well as 911s. They are the factory sport seats.
Aaahh no way! Didn't know that. Yeah they came straight out of a friend's '88 911
Looks better and sounds better than today's porsche cars. 1980s sports cars in general looked like spaceships. 1960s muscle cars were also amazing. Same goes for 1990s Japanese cars.
this channel should be getting more views than some overrated ones for real
We appreciate it, glad you enjoyed the video. Stay tuned for some more crazy builds!
Wish y'all made rb26det tags here in the states a lot of people going single turbo
+1 here
This has been an elusive dream of mine and your video has just brought it to life in the most perfect way.
It sucks that the prices for these porsches are now on the rise. I think this is maybe the best all around car you can have for the money.
I've always loved the 944. She is a curvy car. This one is so well put together. I think I should get one. Yep, I gotta get one.
They’re slow but very very fun
@@davidpoulsen2669 140 ain't slow bro. Rog
A beautiful dream. I will leave my 944 stock. Oh but if it breaks....
This swap is not that cheap either, but looks ideal.
Why not do a VW inline 5 swap. Unique and relatively cheap.
@Thor Odin son Has anyone done it?
@Thor Odin son Okay, I thought you meant the VW. The 944 has a rear transaxle. I doubt there is room for a front transmision. Are you saying switch to a corvette rear end?
Had a 1987 turbo. "Baddest" car I ever owned. 50/50 weight ratio. A driver's dream.
Fun video I’m a huge fan of the 944 I agree it’s just the ultimate chiseled muscular sleek look. Very nice to see/hear American power under that hood💪🏼
Definitely one of the best reviews I've seen from this channel..LS swapped 944s are very nice..It's about 3 in the Richmond to Maryland D.C. area..👍🏁
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for more crazy builds.
There's one for sale in Maryland now
when i was a kid i wanted a firebird, all the ones around me in my late teens were to trashed for high prices but since porsche snobs never saw the 944 as a true porsche i was able to afford one. i saw it as a scaled down firebird at first because of the beautiful big glass hatch, pop up head lights and overall proportions. now i love the car so when you said the ls and the 944 make a perfect german and american muscle car i couldnt agree more.
Just bought a 1985 944, looking forward to an LS swap in the future
The 944 looks great and just about any color but black. The black contrast of the tires , the interior and the rubber rear spoiler against the outer color is one of the things that makes it look great.
EPIC!
This Engine kicks in the 944 more than in a Corvette !
I have one we built with a ~350 horse aluminum lc9 engine (LS) from a 944 N/A platform. Upgraded the front suspension to 996 Brembo brakes and drilled rotors. The thing eats even with the stock na rear transaxle. Suspension and brakes work beautifully. No complaints here my guy
How's that transaxle holding up?
@@cartermackenzie1135 still rolling! Drove some long trips to cars and coffee this fall probly put 500 or so miles on it last few months of the season this year before storing it.
@E4 Will23 what year is your 944? I have a 84 that im swapping an lm7 into rn, but i plan on picking up an aluminum block in the future
@@cartermackenzie1135 mine is an 84 as well. When I bought it it had the 2.5 pulled already so instead of rebuilding it, the ls swap just made sense
@E4 Will23 bad ass man, I blew the head gasket on mine being a dumb ass. Then I decided It's funnier to piss off the porsche crowd than to join them.
I’ve just bought a early Porsche 1982 944, achieving a dream goal of mine! Out of curiosity I wanted to see if people had swapped a V8 into one of these because I always thought it would be too small but wow I was wrong! Sounds absolutely magnificent and if I actually had funds I would so do this, being British I would probably fit the wonderful Rover 4.0 litre V8.
With the earlier 944s, you also have to change out the transaxle because it couldn't handle the power that the turbo transaxles could. So find yourself a turbo transaxle in the junkyard
Id be interested to see you take the 944 to a weigh station and get axle weights so that we can see how much the ls affected the weight distribution of the car. Car looks super clean and classy and sounds amazing by the way, Great Vid!
+130lbs in the front
aluminum 5.3 is remarkably close in weight to the 944 motor
I owned a 944 back in the 90s, and never liked the front bumper and always wanted to do the 951 Turbo front bumper swap. Now 2023 and I like the 944 NA bumper better than the Turbo bumper. Something about the NA bumper design makes the 944 look badass!
I have a 944 turbo and want to swap the front bumper with a NA one. It makes the car look more balanced
To put it in perspective, this is a car that is lighter and with more power than a Lamborghini Countach or Ferrari Teatarossa of the same year. And having driven the 944 it is an amazing handling car that just needed a bit more hp
you know, i used to be opposed to the idea but now, i think its pretty cool and you would really piss the 911 guys off.
I personally like the US spec bumpers better idk why everyone hates on them. I think the big black rubber pads add a lot to the look, almost giving it a more rally feel without anything else being done to it. But to each their own I suppose. Proud owner of a US spec 944 🙏
The driving experience between your car and a stock turbo is completely different, 250hp difference, coil overs/springs. It’s a whole different experience. Badass though. Great video.
I've had four 944s (three turbos) including an '89 I've had for 22 years. I'll never sell it.
944's have always been one of my favorite Porsches of all time. I would rather restomod a 944 than buy a new GT3 I enjoy the history and the build process over a out of the box car.
15:22 NO, NO, NO... no... The 928 came out in 1977 in Europe and 1978 for the US. The 924 ALSO came out in 1977. The 924 was originally a joint development with Volkswagen for a low-budget sports car, that ultimately lost out to the Scirocco. It used a 2L inline 4 from the VW Quantum. The 944 body was based on the 924 Turbo race cars. The first year 951 that you're driving gave way to the 944 S2 3.0L inline 4, that was later used in the 968. Porsche re-released the 924S that was a narrow body 944 in 1987, complete with 2.5L engine and NA transaxle, along with narrower wheels and tires.
Videos like these make me want to ditch my 600hp n54 and ls swap something small and nimble haha. Great video as always man!
Subtle flex lol
Matt Drutis I know right lol
I had a 1988 Porsche 944, and it's the best car I ever owned. It was in Alpine white with black interior. Sadly I wrecked it before I could do an LS swap.
88 Turbo S with minor tweaks is a 300 rear wheel hp car. Koni adjustable, ride height adjustable, 928 big black brakes and limited slip diff, 90% of the performance and you keep original value...Just saying. I love mine.
Though dreaming of a 944 LS3 swap, I respect your feelings. :-)
I would never do that to a 911 though. There are certain things in life you do not do haha.
Took at 944 through a telephone pole at the front passenger wheel with 2 of my buddies. I was in the front seat. We all walked away unscathed.
Great review. Trying to get my 951 back on the road for more driving joy.
for parts ebs in vegas and go total seal rings
This is amazing! The perfect 944. If this ever goes for sale this would be my choice.
I'd worry aboot the prop shaft, its bearings, and the transaxle with all that added horsepower.
I just was at SEMA, and there was a 944 with an LS swap, racing on the circuit course. It might have even been this one! It was by far my favorite car on the course, and now I’m looking to buy one and build it haha
I had the 944s but always found it underpowered . this is a beast
I'm seeing some gainss! Great video as usual 💪🏼💪🏼
Thank you!
In a word WOW! I agree in this case no more power is needed. Sounds so good. I want one.
THIS IS ONE OF MY DREAM BUILDS
Shut the front door damn it. I haave one of these weathered but, for the most part rust free in the midwest. lots of videos about this machine "which I love the stance" now comes this video explaining the swap. Good job fellas. Now i know whatta gotta do....yeah.
What amazes me is how reasonable the price of this car is. At least where I'm from.
such a beautiful shape
I love the variety of car that you post up on your channel.
Variety is key when it comes to driving!!
I like the original turbocharged M44/51 engine, idk why but everyone is LS swapping, it’s just so overdone. The turbo lag and stuff is what makes the car fun.
I would LOVE to drive a factory turbo and see what that engine feels like
Roads Untraveled you’re welcome to drive mine lol
Building one right now !!!!
It is just amazing. love the swap. I would love to do that to my 944 but cant seem to find anyone in the area to even touch the swap. Awesome!!!
I have a feeling most mr2 guys just drool over these amazing 944s
MR2 dreamer.... Still drooling
I love this build, always loved the 944 turbo and i just sounds perfect now with that LS in it.And yeah i wanted to say that the suspension setup is to soft especially in the front,you can see it hopping while it's driving around.Seems dangerous at high speeds, like trow you off the road dangerous.But i love to own a '86 turbo one day since i am born in '86, would be perfect.😉👍✌️👉 PS: purism is the most ridiculous thing there is, IT IS CAPITALISM IN DISGUISE.It's a rich fools idea so these old cars go for ridiculous amounts of money. And what they say that it needs it's original parts to be pure and that modification is blasphemous is BS.Porsche themselfs from the factory modified they own cars for R&D and for racing
ally. How do you think that it is possible that the gt3's and gt2's exist today??? Well guess what it's a factory modified 911 carrera2. And without all those years of modifying their own cars, porsche was able to create streetable trackcars.Without the MODIFICATION and the ''IMPURITY'' porsche did to their own cars, a 911 today would still have been a stretched out VW beetle grocery getter.So purists count your money and shut the fuck up,and drive your cars that are meant to be driven instead of keeping them in a climate controlled tent for when the time is right to sell it.Now that is IMPURE because cars are meant to be driven, and porsches by all means are meant to be driven hard.
If everyone was like you there would be no unmolested classics around
No clean canvas to work with.
Thats why untouched classic is worth more
Purists are like capitalists? You have no clue what you're taking about. Capitalism is the free market fueled by entrepreneurs, as in mod your car however you want...
Have 2 944's love both 84 is NA 87 drivetrain is Completely out and there Won't be a BowTie going in IT 😯🇺🇸👍
Great vid as usual man! I’m low key eyeing a 944 Turbo...prices are starting to creep up! An aside: what camera do you use? Nice cinematography.
Ill say i LOVE my 944 LS swapped daily
It is just as nice and clean as this beauty and i cannot wait to finisb the video on her because this just makes me wanna go drive her more!
Can you ballpark what it cost in total? Also, what do you look for in any 944 when doing this?
@@user-fo2el6jm7n Sorry for such a late reply.
mainly becasue cars are going up in value a already blown motor or missing motor find is preffered to start.
Manual transmission only and lsd is best.
AND IF YOUR DONT! upgrade them damn brakes your going to die.... TOO fast with too much power, with very skinny wheels, and anorexic brakes. These are a must ESPECIALLY IF you go manual brakes over hydro boost, power assisted, or other means.
I build mine by hand spending only money on adapter, clutch, engine. and my total was under 4k.
Friends I've build theirs for 7-44k depending on what they want.
mine are bolt in optional power steering, A/C, heat, and all the bells and whistles work like cruise control like factory.
Time and patience is the biggest factor.
also not these so claimed "kits" suck. and suck bad 944's being this old flex and settle.
of the dozen or so I have made ever frame rail was a little different in its buldge or flex.
This makes parts like the headers, heads, brakes and other things some times a pain in the butt to fit unless you tailoring these to EACH car by hand.
Simple things like the intake routing isn't the same car to car as oddly enough as one of my personal cars I built a plastic elbow that fits PERFECT. on my other 944 it wouldn't fit if I cut it in half.... and no idea why.
VERY quirky cars.
@@alorrick7546 thats awesome man. thanks for taking the time comment and share! Amen on the brakes lol They seem like a rewarding and unique project if you invest in one.
Might have to try before the end of the gasoline era!
The intro music gave me vibes of being on a pirate ship out on the open seas, laddy
944 Turbo, A.K.A. Porsche 951. Selling my pre face-lift 944 was one of the saddest days of my life. Back then, only a few questionable swaps of the super heavy, cast iron LT1 existed. Most of the time, it was better to just upgrade the factory turbo engine and preserve those amazing (perfect?) handling characteristics. I dreamed of an LS swap back then (especially after later owning an LS1 Trans Am.) The I-4 2.5L non turbo 944 was basically the 928's V8 cut in half and stuck under the hood, and was far from special, meh power wise, and expensive (in the U.S. at least) to maintain. The turbo was much better, but also difficult and expensive to upgrade. An LS swap would probably make it the ultimate "analog" sports car. Swapping The LS into this car isn't blasphemy, it's realizing the true potential of an otherwise epic vehicle. When the 924 came out, Porsche purists scoffed at the idea of a liquid cooled, front mounted engine "sports car " tarnishing the legacy of such a prestigious automaker. Little did they know that this "poor man's Porsche" and it's future iterations would save the company from going broke in the 1980's. After all, the LS is just another fuel injected, liquid cooled front mount engine, with better aftermarket/tuning support, parts availibity and reliability right? On a side rant, LS swapping the RX-7 is blasphemy! The Wankel engine is integral to the identity, purpose, intent, and history of that vehicle. If you want a perfectly balanced LS sports car, leave Mazda alone. The 944/951 is the proper choice. That being said, it is a goal to one day have both cars again [I also had a 1988 FC (2nd saddest day was selling it)]. Anyways great video and thanks for revealing that my dreams can now come true.
Everything is your favorite wtf dude !
Only bad thing is that monster engine is mated to a dicey rear drive train, bad clutch, propshaft, and a dicey transaxel. Hope you beefed it up or you will be snapping parts back there. fjb
I like this car. Looks like a Mazda rx7 in the front, Saab on the rear.
Kind of a shame swapping out the original engine of a car. But, THAT IS a good swap. Who wouldn't want a car like that....
Someone who has a proper track 944 Turbo
Awesome video...tempted to check Craigslist for a new project car. :O
well that intro _fuckin' delivered._
The exhaust sounds great, but you should dial it back close to original for more of a sleeper vibe. 😎
Why cant i give more than one like? Lol
Got you, 500th like over here
LS3 is beautiful song
14:32 there is a KW V3 Coilover kit which is probably the best you can buy, but its not cheap.
When #3 rod bearing in my 86 turbo gives up the ghost I may go this route or 07K. For the moment I'll have to settle for violent boost at 4000 RPM and the loud spit of the blowoff valve.
The best restoration ever seen🎉❤
Transmission =gearbox, transaxle = gearbox + rear axle, also the LS3 isn't a small block chevy, otherwise great car and content, on my list to build.
im so gonna put an ls3 in mine when i get it
I liked when he said “I’m already breaking the speed limit… allegedly”
Looks like this thing is porpoising……. Needs suspension tuning. 👍🥃🇦🇺
This is a TOP GUN 944 !
Engine is perfect. but yea, something is up with the suspension. I think it needs stiffer springs tbh, then lowered through the coil adjustments.
Ive had a few 944 and 911s but my favorite body by far was the 83 944, it was more box-shaped but stood up was shaped like a beautiful woman's body...I had an LS1 in my 83..
but the 83-85 944 engines were designed badly, and that's why there a 1985.5
the 1st bumpers were great...if you hit something, you just banged it back into place.
Im 510 freak, but l love this set up!
Nice video, but the timeline of the models is not correct.
The 928 came before the 944 and the 924, 944 and 928 models ran for years next to each other.
The 968 was the successor of the 944 and is widely regarded as the sum mum of front engine, best handling Porsche..
But I agree, the 944 was the best looking one, although the 928 was also stunning (more of a GT).
This lightweight V8 is the perfect engine for this car, a perfect swap if you asked me. I owned a 1988 Turbo S (oneof the 1700 models made), and the turbo lag is huge. Only around 5k rpm, you get max. boost. Fun to drive, but this V8 is much better. I also think the lowdown torque matches great with the Porsche philosophy. They always tuned the engines for torque, and less for horsepower.
The glass jaw on these cars is the rear mounted gearbox. The turbo box was stronger, but can you swap in a C6 rear transaxle like they do in the 928 swaps?
Takes quite a bit of fabrication but it has been done
This is definitely not my cup of tea but I stopped by to see the spectacle. You guys are plum crazy but the results are impressive I will admit. This is an option if you can’t source a German motor or don’t want to learn that particular Zen.
gorgeous car
Now that's a proper swap 👍
what front lip or bumper is that in the first shots?
If you are thinking about buying a N/A, expect it to be slow. Mine gets out run at stoplights by moms in suvs that didnt even know I was racing
As I remember reading somewhere, the 944 was originally designed by Porsche for VW to be the new Corado, but for some reason, VW went with a different design.
does it still have a transaxle?
Wish I still had mine.
@Roads Untraveled awesome vid. how much did the owner put into this swap? everything looks like it was done so right.
I hope they updated the suspension
can you do an LS 'Swap'...into just a NA 944??
I'm sure u can but the stock transaxle won't handle that power! I think a Subaru ej25t will be a better setup for the na 944!
@@vwrxlasvegas ..subbie ej25t...?? what year?..what's the HP/ torque for that engine?..Reliable..'affordable'??
@@gungfuriceboy u can get a ej257 on eBay for $3000 with harness and transmission. Stock HP is 300 but u can easily bring it to 400 hp reliable. I use the ej20t on my bug rated at 400 hp with my setup! On a 1800 lb bug 300+ whp is pretty fun!
@@vwrxlasvegas ..i will research...cheers! 300Hp..'Plenty'!!
Yes! www.texasperformanceconcepts.com/
Oh holy crap.. time to get my 994 outta the old dusty garage again.
In terms of resale value, this must be a lot more than an LS swapped RX8 ..
928 was produce before AND while the 924 and 944 were produced. The 928 did not come after.
Im sure someone else has said this here already.