944 running

After some good advice we received from a 944 forum contributor, the 944 started right up.
The engine was not starting and we were told to try the fuel pump / DME relay.
August found the relay on the parts car. Voila.  Cranked right up.  Big relief.
Before we tried that we flushed the tank, and blew out the fuel lines.
The car has a new fuel filter.
We discovered that the moon roof mechanism is working.
Now that the weather is starting to warm up we will get things together.

Running again!

Low rider

New brake pads and red calipers to go with them.

944 windshield

We had a big event yesterday.  The Safelite window guy showed up.  Michael Whetstone helped us out.
We had tried to salvage the windshield off the 1985 car but it cracked in the process.
Calling the pros was the right answer.
It was $288 installed and looks great.  It has nice blue tinting on the top.

After the glass was in we rolled it into the daylight.
We have drained the tank and will be checking the fuel system and ignition systems next.

Rear Hatch installed!

This evening we removed the rear hatch and gasket off the parts car and moved them over.

The gasket has a metal lip formed into it and it grabs the steel frame.

After a little straightening, we were able to put it all right back together.  Four sturdy allen bolts screw into the hatch's hinges from the car's interior.  Now it's starting to look like a 944 !

Bumpers away

This weekend the warm weather permitted us to get under the parts car to remove the bumpers and air damn.  The rubber ends where gone / damaged so we needed to grind off the rusted bolts that secured them.

We will fill these holes and prime the bumpers for paint.  Black on black.

More Priming and painting

This weekend we got the front quarter panels, hood, roof pillars and roof painted with a first coat.
Here, August is doing some spot priming on the doors and door jam.

This shows the re attached upper door bracket.
To fix the door alignment we repositioned the bracket.

In the shop for paint

We managed to get the 1984 944 into the garage for paint.  The weather is cold now so this is a good time to get the car inside.  The interior is fairly stripped out.  The dash remains and we will mask it off.  The dash on the 1985 is in better shape but for now we will leave it as is.  That is farther down the priority list.

Having never painted a car before, we chose to use an acrylic lacquer.   We ordered it from TCP Global, an automotive paint supply and this was recommended for beginners.  I have spayed Imron before on boats, but I didn't want to get into trouble.

The lacquer is great.  It goes on even and uniform.  We are using a $12 gun from Harbor Freight.  We are thinning the paint with a slow high gloss thinner.  It is looking great.  The body was primed and only needed a little additional priming and sanding.

We did order a urethane clear gloss coat.  It is a two part that is compatible with the lacquer.  We will try it on the roof panel and see how it goes.
The boxes of parts are slowly being sorted.
Here are some photo of the painting:

Red Letter Day!

Today August bought 2 Porsche 944s.  One is a 1984 an one is a 1985.  They have a very cool form.  I've always liked them and now we will bring one to life!

This blog will cover our progress.  Please comment or give suggestions when we are going astray.
Thanks.

This is the 1984.  It is the chassy with the drive train.

This is the 1985 parts car.  The interior is in decent shape and we will be moving it over.