924Board.org

cjpurifoy924 · Joined: 06 Apr 2016 Posts: 21 Location: GREENVILLE, NC

I hesitate to start a build log because so many I have read end up either unfinished or AMAZING but at great cost. That and I'm a complete noob. I mean I can turn wrenches and change parts but I have not yet learned some of the more complex dynamics like compression ratios, timing advance, things that seem second nature to many of you. I am being forthright with this so I do not come across as some one who pretends to know things that I don't. That said, forgive my ignorance and any help is greatly appreciated.

I introduced myself and my 78 924 n/a in the noob section and made a post about the block and head damage. A machinist told me it would be very expensive to repair the block so I was thinking of doing a transplant. From what I have read they can be deceivingly expensive. The other option was to find another block and head.

We now have another 924 and it's a real jalop....but it runs! It is an 82 n/a w/ a 5 speed. It ran terribly. Missing, spitting and sputtering on to the car trailer. The seats are ragged out. The sunroof leaks. There were plants growing in the passenger floorboard. None of the outside door handles work. You have to open it with a string rigged to the outside....

The 78 is in fairly decent shape considering that it is almost 40 years old. It has no leaks. The leather interior is in great shape except for the drivers seat. The dash is not cracked. All the bells and whistles seem to work. And I love the paint job. So the plan was to swap motors and save as many parts off of the 82 as I could. Maybe sell a few to help fund some parts for the 78. Then scrap the 82. That is until my wife decided she wants the 82 for a project. We will see about that though.

So I was going through the engine bay of the 82 with a buddy and we noticed the distributor was not quite right. Found that the shaft was stripped at the rotor so there was no way it could keep time. We rebuilt it from one from the 78. She actually purrs quite nicely now. As I am standing there playing with the cis and enjoying our success we decided to turn it off and see if it would crank on it's own to see if the battery is charging ok. That's when the string broke. So now I'm locked out of the car, running, with all the lights on. Then my buddy said "good luck" and split. Can't blame him. It was getting late...I guess it's all the better because I didn't necessarily want him to see how efficient I can be at getting into a car with a coat hanger anyway... I get into the car fairly easily and as I let out a sigh of relief I noticed a 15' stream of coolant spewing from a tiny hole in the coolant reservoir. And she's overheating... So now I'm troubleshooting the cooling system. I know I didn't have to share my blunders with the interwebs but I thought it was funny.

Which brings me to a question. What is this hose supposed to be connected to? I have a haynes manual for the 78 but it isn't detailed enough for me to tell what exactly it is. It is badly split so there is no hope for it but where the hell does it go? It was just sitting there, not hooked up, steaming slightly...

Upon digging further I'm finding rust in coolant lines and hoses in need of replacement. I have many parts from the 78 that are good including 2 radiators. I was thinking I could troubleshoot and repair problems before swapping the motor but seeing how I would need to disassemble half the engine bay to replace that hose, maybe I should just start breaking it down and prepare to swap.

So what would you guys do? Keep in mind I'm on a tight budget and I'm pretty anxious to be driving. It seems there are quite a few differences from 78 to 82 like vacuum and electrical lines. Even the CIS appears to be a different system. Should I just use the block and head on the 78 or should I include all the updated parts from the 82 and deal with swapping harnesses, ignition systems, etc.?

I am a noob asking for guidance from you guys and gals who have probably done this kind of thing a thousand times. Thanks in advance for your help.
_________________
Best I can with what I got.

78 Porsche 924 n/a
82 Porsche 924 n/a

Fifty50Plus · Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 3:27 am Post subject:

The hose is a crankcase vent that feeds into the airbox associated with the fuel distributor. The '82 fueling system is different, as is the engine and body wiring harness ('82 has a computer under the dash by the fuse box). The basic components of both engines (block, crank, rods, head, intake manifold) are the same, so entirely swappable. Everything else has experienced upgrades over the years and they don't necessarily plug into each other.
Easiest for you is to just swap the long block and leave the earlier fuel system and wiring alone.
Enjoy....
_________________
1979 924 NA race car H-Prod SCCA
1982 924 NA race car - Sold
1981 924 Turbo sold
1982 924 Turbo sold
1972 911 E race car - traded for Cayenne Diesel
1975 914 1.8 Building for H-Prod SCCA

dubrict · Joined: 22 Apr 2011 Posts: 150 Location: Horseheads NY

I would start by gutting both engine bays. Take lots of pictures, label EVERYTHING (every connection, where it goes, number them if you have to) and keep parts from the 2 cars separate. The key will be to learn how everything goes back together after you've taken it apart.
_________________
1979 924 NA
2009 Chevy Impala
2005 Dodge Dakota

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

Welcome, and remember the only dumb question is the one you're afraid to ask. You've come to the right place, and I'm sure we can help you sort out your car.
_________________
Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

Mike9311 · Joined: 14 Dec 2004 Posts: 1798 Location: Chicago-ish

+1 Rasta's comment

Trust me, I have said I was going to do lots of things and have not. I am still here

Don't be afraid to fail or not finish. I think everyone around here will spur you on and inspire
_________________
1980 931 since 1989
1981 Ideola 931 Club Sport
1982 931 Entwicklungsfahrzeug
1979 924 NA ohne 650 mit 471
1982 931 Red Resurrection - 951 IC
1982 931 parts car / resurrection?
1980 924 NA (R&D lightweight)
1982 931 wana-be GTR race car

cjpurifoy924 · Joined: 06 Apr 2016 Posts: 21 Location: GREENVILLE, NC

Thanks guys! If this rain ever stops I'll get started tearing down the 82. I already pulled the block from the 78. Won't be long now. I'm sure to be back with lots of questions. For instance.... Since I have evidence of rust in the coolant and I will have the block out, is there anything I could/ should do to clean it up? I know Google is your freind but why not ask here...
_________________
Best I can with what I got.

78 Porsche 924 n/a
82 Porsche 924 n/a

Power Tryp · Joined: 16 Apr 2009 Posts: 435 Location: Calgary, Alberta

Welcome to the board! Thank you for using proper english and sentence structure as well as decent formatting.

These cars are old and sometimes confusing so the best thing you can do is arm yourself with a little knowledge.

The parts catalog is available to view and download straight from Porsche http://www.porsche.com/canada/en/accessoriesandservices/classic/genuineparts/originalpartscatalogue/

And you might be able to find the factory service manual in PDF form out there but we don't condone that here so I will not link them.

Good luck and happy wrenching.
_________________
Melanie - 1980 931
NoName - 1980 931 (seeking rebuild)

Green tartan interior, you don't see that on a Civic.

hdrider19 · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2016 12:45 pm Post subject:

I would love to see a build log on your car. I am doing the same thing with an 87 924S same color as yours. The graphics are awesome! As soon as I have time to learn to post pics my car will be on here also.

Ian89C4 · Joined: 01 Apr 2011 Posts: 561 Location: North Carolina

CJ,

Welcome to the board!

Nice grab on the 78...I saw it on Craigslist and was tempted when he relisted it, but the block issues kept me as I have enough projects.

Let me know if you need help with either car, I just live down in Clinton, NC area (about an hour away) and would be happy to lend a hand.

I have all of the CIS testing bits when it comes time to set the CISs on both cars and a lot of the other specialty tools for these cars.

Let me know if you need anything!

Cheers and good luck,

Ian
_________________
Ian Edgerly
North Carolina

Current:
1981 924 SCCA/ChampCar Weissach Race Car ("Serenity")
1987 924S ChampCar Endurance Car ("Der Weg")
1980 924 Euro ("Wahala")

cjpurifoy924 · Joined: 06 Apr 2016 Posts: 21 Location: GREENVILLE, NC

Ian,

Thanks so much for the offer to help. This is my first project car. You may have been the wiser for passing it up but hey, it will be a great learning experience for me and my boys.

I'm hoping to build a CIS test gauge based on the plans I found here on the board. If it gets too complicated for me I will be sure to ask questions.

Aside from that I would love to come down and see your cars. Maybe in the fall after I have mine running? Maybe a small cars and coffee if you will....Pick your brain a bit?

I hope to do the swap in the next month. I have taken Power Tryp's advice and located the factory service manuals for both year models and I will be taking dubrict's advice and taking lots of pics and labeling as I go. I am a terrible estimator so that month may turn into a few months. I have been working a lot lately but I have been tinkering on them everyday for at least 30 minutes. Ideally I will swap motors and drive it to work for a while to test reliability and such before I go down there but I'd love to come check you out.

Thanks all for the warm welcomes and advice.
_________________
Best I can with what I got.

78 Porsche 924 n/a
82 Porsche 924 n/a

cjpurifoy924 · Joined: 06 Apr 2016 Posts: 21 Location: GREENVILLE, NC

Power Tryp · Joined: 16 Apr 2009 Posts: 435 Location: Calgary, Alberta

Ian89C4 · Joined: 01 Apr 2011 Posts: 561 Location: North Carolina

CJ,

Absolutely no worries! You are more than welcome down here any time. The race car is up and running but the 931 is a billion pieces, should be going back together here fairly shortly. I'll start posting more pics of her.

You seem to already have a knack for these cars, I have a feeling your build will go well.

I would not say I am wiser than you, honestly, if I had had the space it probably would have come home

But it has gone to a great home and will be a great car for you! There are plenty of blocks around, should not be too hard to get a hold of one.

Let me know if you need anything.

Cheers brother,

Ian
_________________
Ian Edgerly
North Carolina

Current:
1981 924 SCCA/ChampCar Weissach Race Car ("Serenity")
1987 924S ChampCar Endurance Car ("Der Weg")
1980 924 Euro ("Wahala")

cjpurifoy924 · Joined: 06 Apr 2016 Posts: 21 Location: GREENVILLE, NC

Thanks for the encouragement and pointing me in the right direction. I'm in the process of identifying the parts that are different between the year models and changing them over. That and seeing which parts are the same but are in better shape than the other. With luck and patience I'll drop the motor in today. Thanks again.
_________________
Best I can with what I got.

78 Porsche 924 n/a
82 Porsche 924 n/a