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GalironR
Joined: 02 May 2026
Posts: 6
Location: Ohio
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 Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 4:15 pm Post subject: Bought a 924 need some help. |
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As the top says I bought a 924 originally listed as a 79 but turned out to be a 77 based on the vin and title. I have some question.
One is there a way to tell when it was made? My doors don't have the label so I'm trying to find out if its one of the early 77s ie I'm assuming made in 76 or later 77s given everything I've seen said.
Two when it comes to the engine I've read the 77s crank or I should say the bearings are unobtainium level. I want to keep it stock so if I get a newer block can I use the rest of the parts ie the heads and every thing else or are there other parts off it I can't use on a newer(77 to 82) engine block? Could i use a turbos block and not put on the turbo stuff? I really just want it to be as stock as possible I've never liked modifying cars and like them being stock. My over all plan is if I get the engine fix/replaced to restore it.
My engine is complete trash its a complete lockup I have no movement at all when I put a breaker bar on it and try to turn it. I had an engine sort of lined up pick and pull actually had a 77 924 I spent 4 weeks removing stuff to pull the engine off but last week I went and they had crushed it *rant*I'm still pissed about it like they couldnt check and go oh someones been pulling $500+ in parts off maybe we should keep it around more grrr*rant over lol*
Attached are some photos. Sorry I couldnt figure out to resize to edit the size in the phpbb style
Last edited by GalironR on Mon May 04, 2026 6:15 am; edited 4 times in total |
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924RACR
Joined: 29 Jul 2001
Posts: 9101
Location: Royal Oak, MI, USA
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2026 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, a newer block would be fine; could even build and swap in an entire later motor, get the later cam for better performance... throw some higher compression pistons in there to use better octane than the orig 85... probably a header while you're at it, wake the car up nicely.
If it's so stuck as to have the crank locked up, odds aren't great the CIS will work without a lot of effort and cost; might want to think about EFI now and save the time and frustration... Ciprian has a lovely kit for the conversion, would be relatively trivial to put that in as you wrap up the rebuild.
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Vaughan Scott
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'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype |
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GalironR
Joined: 02 May 2026
Posts: 6
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 6:22 am Post subject: |
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| 924RACR wrote: | Yeah, a newer block would be fine; could even build and swap in an entire later motor, get the later cam for better performance... throw some higher compression pistons in there to use better octane than the orig 85... probably a header while you're at it, wake the car up nicely.
If it's so stuck as to have the crank locked up, odds aren't great the CIS will work without a lot of effort and cost; might want to think about EFI now and save the time and frustration... Ciprian has a lovely kit for the conversion, would be relatively trivial to put that in as you wrap up the rebuild. |
The issue is cost I wouldnt mind a complete engine but really dont want to spend that much more so as ebay either seems to have only other 77s as complete engines or their from europe which has a shipping cost equal to the cost of the engine. Hell one showing in italy they want 1500 and its listed as a locked engine lol.
If i can use a newer block and the rest of the parts off my current I guess ill go that route maybe look for a 82 since that seems to be the last year listed for it. and if the cam shaft is as much of a pain as the crank replacement wise i guess ill replace that as well.
edit: Also can i use the block off a turbo or are there differences beyond just added parts? |
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Fifty50Plus
Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 1423
Location: Washington DC area
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 8:53 am Post subject: |
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Turbo block is the same.
_________________
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 |
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Cedric
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 2814
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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| GalironR wrote: | | 924RACR wrote: | Yeah, a newer block would be fine; could even build and swap in an entire later motor, get the later cam for better performance... throw some higher compression pistons in there to use better octane than the orig 85... probably a header while you're at it, wake the car up nicely.
If it's so stuck as to have the crank locked up, odds aren't great the CIS will work without a lot of effort and cost; might want to think about EFI now and save the time and frustration... Ciprian has a lovely kit for the conversion, would be relatively trivial to put that in as you wrap up the rebuild. |
The issue is cost I wouldnt mind a complete engine but really dont want to spend that much more so as ebay either seems to have only other 77s as complete engines or their from europe which has a shipping cost equal to the cost of the engine. Hell one showing in italy they want 1500 and its listed as a locked engine lol.
If i can use a newer block and the rest of the parts off my current I guess ill go that route maybe look for a 82 since that seems to be the last year listed for it. and if the cam shaft is as much of a pain as the crank replacement wise i guess ill replace that as well.
edit: Also can i use the block off a turbo or are there differences beyond just added parts? |
I have an n/a block in my turbo, the only difference i could find was the crank case breather outlet pointing in a different direction.
These engines pop up around here from time to time cheaply, but its much more difficult to get one at a specific time, at least these days when forums arent as great. I dont know the intricacies of the US cars, but the early euro cars have some diffferent wiring setup, physically it should work to swap them in.
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1980 924 Turbo
www.instagram.com/garagecedric/ |
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924RACR
Joined: 29 Jul 2001
Posts: 9101
Location: Royal Oak, MI, USA
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2026 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, it shouldn't be remotely hard to find a block or complete junkyard motor here in the States, we're swimming in broken 924s and they're a lot cheaper here.
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Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype |
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GalironR
Joined: 02 May 2026
Posts: 6
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2026 9:51 am Post subject: |
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| 924RACR wrote: | | Yeah, it shouldn't be remotely hard to find a block or complete junkyard motor here in the States, we're swimming in broken 924s and they're a lot cheaper here. |
I see some listings under car-part.com but most list upull and aren't remotely close and a few others I've contacted but haven't gotten back when i ask about shipping lol Im lazy enough to pay for a possibly dead engine to be shipped to me but not drive 3hours one way to pull it myself.
On another note where are the rear spots for jackstands all my googling gives me blurry photos that have me questioning if I should use them. |
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924RACR
Joined: 29 Jul 2001
Posts: 9101
Location: Royal Oak, MI, USA
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2026 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, these days I'd expect you'll have better luck off off FB marketplace, or one of these forums like here or Rennlist or Pelican...
Hey, the Foha spoiler! Nice!
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Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype |
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Beartooth
Joined: 05 Apr 2022
Posts: 319
Location: Roberts, MT
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2026 6:31 am Post subject: |
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An engine could be dirt cheap depending on how patient you are. Since you'll likely be pulling what you've got anyway, it might be worth tearing down to see what you've got. It's a real nightmare to get all the parts to rebuild one unless you're willing to spend big money on custom pistons and such, but stuff does come across ebay, and you might be able to scrounge up a rebuild rather than having to make a long drive or pay several hundred to have something shipped. I'm not sure how much being and early one adds to that though... As for the fuel injection, you might be amazed at how far you can get just cleaning up what you've got. Plan to start with a new fuel pump and filter. Mine's running pretty well after replacing the pump and filter, a fuel distributor (FD) rebuild (that might not have even been necessary if I'd been more careful of what I sprayed in it trying to get the plunger free) and some cleaning and tinkering. I think you have an iron FD though, vs. aluminum, so maybe that's more likely to be trash. K-jet is a remarkably robust system and pretty easy to live with once you get over the learning curve and get it sorted.
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1980 931 diamond in the rough |
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GalironR
Joined: 02 May 2026
Posts: 6
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2026 7:09 am Post subject: |
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| Beartooth wrote: | | An engine could be dirt cheap depending on how patient you are. Since you'll likely be pulling what you've got anyway, it might be worth tearing down to see what you've got. It's a real nightmare to get all the parts to rebuild one unless you're willing to spend big money on custom pistons and such, but stuff does come across ebay, and you might be able to scrounge up a rebuild rather than having to make a long drive or pay several hundred to have something shipped. I'm not sure how much being and early one adds to that though... As for the fuel injection, you might be amazed at how far you can get just cleaning up what you've got. Plan to start with a new fuel pump and filter. Mine's running pretty well after replacing the pump and filter, a fuel distributor (FD) rebuild (that might not have even been necessary if I'd been more careful of what I sprayed in it trying to get the plunger free) and some cleaning and tinkering. I think you have an iron FD though, vs. aluminum, so maybe that's more likely to be trash. K-jet is a remarkably robust system and pretty easy to live with once you get over the learning curve and get it sorted. |
My understanding from some reading seems to put the 77 as not worth the hassle to rebuild ie what i've read says it was basically a 1 off with changes to the crank bring made for the 78 to 82 making new parts like main bearings and such next to impossible to find for the 77 so i'm better off with a newer block atleast to have findable parts easier. Now is this is untrue great ill rebuild it but with it being firmly locked i mean super locked lol I put a breaker bar on it with an extension to get more leverage and even with my full body weight I get zero movement not a single centimeter lol so what ever is wrong is massively so. |
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924RACR
Joined: 29 Jul 2001
Posts: 9101
Location: Royal Oak, MI, USA
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2026 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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No, I agree with getting the later motor... but it can't hurt to open yours up and see if it's rebuildable. Most likely cause would be rings stuck in bores - straightforward to clear up with a re-hone and new rings, maybe punch it out 0.040" over and raise the compression to 9.5:1 if budget allows new pistons.
The other concern would be the crank, if it's OK or if it's locked up down there. If your crank were damaged, a rod popped or something like that, then yeah you're wanting at least a short block. But still better off properly refreshing any donor block with rings and bearings and gaskets, not just dropping it in as is.
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Vaughan Scott
Webmeister
'79 924 #77 SCCA H Prod racecar
'82 931 Plat. Silver
#25 Hidari Firefly P2 sports prototype |
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peterld
Joined: 10 Dec 2006
Posts: 983
Location: Noosa Heads QLD Australia
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2026 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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Look, I think you are approaching this the wrong way. I get that you want to have the motor running, but really that's a step further down the track.
The car has obviously been sealed up with masking tape to prevent the ingress of water/dust. getting that old, hardened tape residue off is a right bitch. Alcohol solvents as used for house painting will help. The interior looks half decent.
First step is to clean the car.....then have a good look at what you have. Are there rust issues? If not then it's worth saving. If so, then EVERYTHING needs to come apart - cleaned/painted/refurbished - and then reassembled.
In the meantime, pour some ATF/power steering fluid down each plug hole/injector hole and let sit. Every few days try turning the motor over. You may be surprised!
If the motor is a dud, then you will need to pull it anyway, however you should disassemble it regardless, to see what happened, and why, and perhaps a repair is feasible.
So far all of this has cost you nothing but time, and you are in a far better situation to decide the next steps.
Just remember to bag and tag everything as you disassemble.
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80/81 932/8 ROW |
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GalironR
Joined: 02 May 2026
Posts: 6
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2026 5:22 am Post subject: |
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| peterld wrote: | Look, I think you are approaching this the wrong way. I get that you want to have the motor running, but really that's a step further down the track.
The car has obviously been sealed up with masking tape to prevent the ingress of water/dust. getting that old, hardened tape residue off is a right bitch. Alcohol solvents as used for house painting will help. The interior looks half decent.
First step is to clean the car.....then have a good look at what you have. Are there rust issues? If not then it's worth saving. If so, then EVERYTHING needs to come apart - cleaned/painted/refurbished - and then reassembled.
In the meantime, pour some ATF/power steering fluid down each plug hole/injector hole and let sit. Every few days try turning the motor over. You may be surprised!
If the motor is a dud, then you will need to pull it anyway, however you should disassemble it regardless, to see what happened, and why, and perhaps a repair is feasible.
So far all of this has cost you nothing but time, and you are in a far better situation to decide the next steps.
Just remember to bag and tag everything as you disassemble. |
I thought of this and did do some cleaning looks like rats were living under the seat with what i shopvaced out. Im focusing on the engine first since if i cant get it to run theres no point in the rest more so my plan is to get it professionally painted. Theres a dent in the back passenger side corner and some other areas that need work so ill have that fixed as well. My main goal is to have it running reliably before I spend more money on anything else. |
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