20 replies to this topic

[flash]

i get the idea of turbocharging a 968, supercharging a 968, putting aV8 into a 968, or putting anything more powerful into a 944

i fail to understand why anybody would do this to a 968 - if you wanted a 951, get one - why do this "reverse transplant"? they lost all of the good things about the 968 - basically they took a 951 and added 300lbs

looks? cost? what would be the motivation?


http://cgi.ebay.com/...#ht_1383wt_1006

[craigawoodman]

Flash,

I could understand if you wanted to build a 968 Turbo RS replica and it had to be like the factory, but you would keep the 6 speed and make it a 3.0 litre engine. It is sort of a half baked idea - not a 944 Turbo and not a 968 Turbo replica.

So instead of 240hp from a 3.0L N/A engine, you get 250hp from a 2.5L Turbo. More torque, but lots of lag - not what I would see as a good overall car.

I have toyed with a 968 Turbo RS replica for tarmac rallying - but the cost is what gets me. Although after the engine rebuild and the S/C install - perhaps a Powerhaus engine is not that bad value with the current exchange rates.

Craig

[Mark]

You do it if your car is in good shape except you blow your engine somehow and want to put in a cheaper engine that is more "mod friendly". At least that is my best guess. Or you like the 951 power band but like the looks of the 968 better. Shrug different strokes for different folks.

[Cloud9...68]

Mark's scenario sounds fairly likely to me. Sounds like he blew his engine, and found a 951 engine cheaper than it would have cost him to rebuild his 968's. Maybe it threw a rod, destroying the block. Plus, 951 engines have a lot of tuning potential. Don't understand why he went with a 5-speed, though... And $19.5K seems wildly optimistic.

[Langley968]

WHY sell it so SOON after the "transformation"? Something seems not right...

[flash]

yeah - pretty much my thoughts - that's why i listed "cost"

and i agree about the price - at 80k, with a mismatched setup like that, even accounting for the other stuff, i doubt he'll get much over $10k - just think about trying to maintain that car - ugh

[banditsc]

Why is that engine bay and engine so dirty if it was just installed in April?

[flash]

basing things on the lower cost of a 951 transplant, they may have gone with a "quick and dirty" setup

a lot of work done for sure, but you can see that each step looks like a number of corners were cut - the upholstery looks like pre-made covers - not bad, but not perfect - the engine bay is full of used or old parts - maybe M030 struts and shocks, but not brakes - yada yada

not a horrible car, just not what i would expect for $19k, and certainly likely to be at least difficult to maintain, unless copious notes were taken to give the new owner a guide to follow

[anthonymaher]

From someone who monitors the cost of 924's, 944's, 968's and 911's,on the auction site, I am never surprised these days to see what a seller thinks they will get for a car, especially the highly modified project cars. Not to mention a few 968's with over 100k with a price tag in the upper teens.

Anyway, I would like to drive the car one (and probably just once) Nice wheels.

[Trueblue]

The legal records show an accident a year ago with a title change 4 months later (Hmmmmm)........ explains the new paint job and possibly the engine retirement/suspension. Agree with the oddly high price. My guess is the owner trying recover ALL the money spent on the rehab work.............

[flash]

lol - makes me wonder what i could get for mine..................

and with that i need to go and have a glass of wine now

[Monstrous4Banger]

Only thing I can think of really, is he was too cheap to force induct a 3.0. 2.5 motors are a dime a dozen. I guess there is the tuning potential......with lots of boost.....and probably lag. I dont see him getting his BIN price.

[Eric_K]

Ignoring the dubious qualities of the particular ebay car, I don't understand why more people don't do it. It is what the factory did when they wanted to give the 968 more power. The 968 TurboS engine is fundamentally the same as the 951, the main difference being .5 liters more displacement.

The 951 has decent aftermarket support. Things that were suspect on old, stock 951s are easily replaced with more modern stuff (MAF, turbo, boost control, etc.). Why would you not want to drop in an engine that uses (for the most part) readily available stock Porsche parts, can very easily make 100 more horspower than stock and no custom engineering is required?

You can make a very potent car, that is reliable and looks like the factory did it - for not a ton of money.

Edited by Eric_K, 07 July 2011 - 09:22 AM.

[Cloud9...68]

Eric,

Good points...

[rxter]

I love the first picture with the fence reflecting off the car - very cool.

[Mark]

You can make a very potent car, that is reliable and looks like the factory did it - for not a ton of money.

As evidenced by the car you drive. I believe you run a 2.5 turbo in your car don't you?

[Joel968]

The 2.5 conversion makes perfect sence...... Cheap parts and pleanty of vendors who support the 951 turbo setup. Tell me how many vendors sell and support 3.0 veriocam turbo conversion setups?

[Monstrous4Banger]

The 2.5 conversion makes perfect sence...... Cheap parts and pleanty of vendors who support the 951 turbo setup. Tell me how many vendors sell and support 3.0 veriocam turbo conversion setups?

Im not saying it doesnt make economic sense. Its just going backwards. There is no replacement for displacement. The same 951 support can be applied to the 104 mm blocks. The only reason to go from a 104mm block to a 100mm block, is cost. 100mm blocks are cheap, and abundant. The guy didnt even sleeve it to 104mm.

Pulling 350 whp from a 2.5 is pushing it. The 3.0 blocks are much more ideal for power. A 2.5 with that much power is gonna be higher boost levels, and laggy. Sure throwing a 2.5 motor in there that he probably paid less the a grand for is cheaper. But hey, I hope he gets 20k for it. If he can get 20k for a 2.5L 968, then there is hope for my 3.0's if I ever sell them. It is certainly going backwards though IMO. Of course I'd ditch the variocam, and go for an 8v any way. With boost at least.

[tamathumper]

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Edited by tamathumper, 07 July 2011 - 06:37 PM.

[jfrahm]

Boosting a 3.0 is really expensive. If you wanted something like 280-300whp the 2.5 swap might be easier and cheaper. I do not think the superchargers make that much. 280 at the wheels is pretty fun in a 951 and not that expensive these days.

Before I got the SC my plan was to build a 3.0L low-boost turbo with about 9.5:1 cr and my expectation was to spend $15k or so. If instead you sold your 3.0 motor (assuming it wasn't trashed) and bought a decent 2.5 engine and the turbo bits, you would only be out of pocket for some upgrades, installation and maintenance. Maybe $5k if you DIY. Maybe even less. A decent K27/8 would be a good turbo for this setup and those can be had for $500 or so. You would not get the low and midrange power I wanted for the street but you'd have a fast, fun car.