I was wondering how difficult it is to swap a S2 engine into a 1983 944. I was going to rebuild my current engine (it has 161,000 miles) and bore it, but I was thinking it might be cheaper to purchase a S2 engine and swap it into my car. What would need to be changed if I did that?

First,

You can’t/shouldn’t bore out a 944 engine. The cylinder walls have a fancy coating on them.

Next, the S2 engine, my understanding is that it does fit. However it is recommended that you replace the entire drive train, and suspension also. Buy the car, it'd be cheaper!:nono:

Here is something to think about. Just rebuild your motor stock. Get a performace chip, cold air intake, and a good header. Most folks don’t realize that the 83 944 is the lightest one made. Compared to a 944 S2, the weight to HP ratio is almost the same, And that is stock! :eek7:

The S2 engine will fit like he said, you are best off finding a doner car to get ALL the components necessary. DME, wiring harness, hosing, complete exhaust, torque tube, tranny, halfshafts. Yes you'll need the tranny and such because you'll destroy the weaker older tranny.

actually there has been some success in fboring the engine to 2.8 ltrs.

It's expensive, but it's your money so here goes.

disassemble engine.

order pistons, wiseco was recommended, call for sizing.

re mortgage the house

have local machine shop bore out cylinder bank

option 1 - a longevity option is to have the cylinder walls lapped to remove the soft aluminum leaving the silicione as Porsche done 21 years ago.

option 2 - a cheap option is to get a set of liners (available w/ pistons) and sleeve the cylinder bank. There is an awful lot of debate about the pros and cons of doing this option so you'll need a lot of research before you decide.

port cylinder head or at least rechamber the combustion area for the larger pistons.

reassemble engine

bore out TB about 3mm to accomodate larger airflow(any larger than 3mm and you'll lose out on throttle response)

possibly find larger injectors/custom fuel rail $$$$

cry about being completely poor and scrap pennies together for gas

enjoy your 944 2.8!

...re mortgage the house

cry about being completely poor and scrap pennies together for gas

enjoy your 944 2.8!

:evillol::evillol::evillol:

OMG, that about made me cry I was laughing so hard!

Thanks for making my day!

And Well PUT 83-944!!

I know I say this over and over again but why do you want to build a car that Porsche already made? Are you smarter that Porsche? If you want a S2 or a turbo sell your car and buy one-don't reinvent the wheel. Ahhhhh I feel better now thanks

I know I say this over and over again but why do you want to build a car that Porsche already made? Are you smarter that Porsche? If you want a S2 or a turbo sell your car and buy one-don't reinvent the wheel. Ahhhhh I feel better now thanks

If I may 930guy, the fact is that many Porsche owners seem to like to “reinvent the wheel”. I hate to break it to you, but the fact is the 911 is flat-out the most re-invented Porsche out there.:lol2:

The really sad thing is that folks that are willing to put this kind of money into their car seem to think they will recover it when they sell it. They will learn a very hard lesson in life is my guess.:eek7:

Perhaps cactusjrig should consider the V-8 chevy 350 conversion kit and be done with it? And yes, it can be done. But then would it really be a Porsche?:banghead::nono:

Well I guess thats what I'm trying to say. By the time you do the swap, find all the pieces and figure it out you could have just bought one. Resale? your correct on that. Most Porsche people want it original or damn close or they won't even consider it. So now you've spent $10,000 on a S2 swap and it still doesn't have all the needed parts and the car is now worth less.

Well I guess the engine swap is a bad idea... thanks for the advice. So what mods are worth doing? I've read about chips but the problem is that the 83 doesnt have the same type of system as the 84's and up... like it costs 3x as much to chip an 83. Headers, intake, exhaust.... really my intention is to just get it to be on par with the modern 4cyl (ie sentra spec-v, 2.5 RS, and so on (this would mean like a 15.5 ish quater mile). Thanks again.

Go to FRwilk.com he has early computer upgrades cheap

really my intention is to just get it to be on par with the modern 4cyl (ie sentra spec-v, 2.5 RS, and so on (this would mean like a 15.5 ish quater mile). Thanks again.

Dude, if you want a strait line car, you got the wrong car! Not to be mean, but the 944 is NOT a drag car, and nothing you do will make it that. The 944 were built for cornering and breaking, and that is what wins races (not drag races), but road coarse racing. Who cares if they beat you off the line, you can pass them in the fist turn, and never look back.:smokin:

While the newer motors are getting more HP out of small engines, the cars are heavier. And really the stock HP of an 83 944 is very respectable even by today’s standards. Combine that with the lightweight, and weight distribution, and you still have a very nice performing car!

Drive your car, enjoy your car, and join your local PCA. You can learn a lot at the driver ed events.

By the way, how much does that "sentra spec-v, 2.5 RS" cost?:grinno:

didn't you ask that question in an earlier post?

1) Get a later DME and AFM (make sure they are from the same year car)

2) Get the head ported. Exhaust and intake upgrades wont do you any good if the head won't flow it.

3) Chip the new DME. If you don't like one chip, send it back and get another. Please check out frwilks site. He has some of the best chips and they're when you need stock settings for emissions, flip a switch and your'e done. No need to open the DME to change chips and risk frying something.

3) SFR exhaust is (personable opinion) expensive, but well worth the cost.

4) consider an external oil cooler (I feel a match lit already) The hotter your components run, the less efficient they are. (Let the flaming begin!)

4.5) Choose VERY wisely on your oil cooler and position in front of the car. Post a thread if you want some suggestions.

5) Start researching other peoples cars. You could learn an awful lot about what works by simply seeing what worked for others. (confuse you enough!?)

4) consider an external oil cooler (I feel a match lit already) The hotter your components run, the less efficient they are. (Let the flaming begin!)

4.5) Choose VERY wisely on your oil cooler and position in front of the car. Post a thread if you want some suggestions.

5) Start researching other peoples cars. You could learn an awful lot about what works by simply seeing what worked for others. (confuse you enough!?)

Hmm, (worry not, no flame here!:grinno:) that actually makes sense. I know my 83 tends to run very hot once the outside air temp is around 75 degrees +. I never really thought about doing an oil cooler to a N/A, but hay, why not! Sounds like a great winter project!

Thanks 83-944!

P.S. Very good point on #5 too!

In my opinion, building up a 2.5 liter SOHC 944 engine is about as practical as building up a 2.0 liter 924 engine, it's a bottomless money pit, where you're just going to make it less streetable for a small performance gain, at a ridiculous cost.

A 944S2 or 968 engine is worth around $2-$3K, a good tranny from a 951 or S2 is another $500, figure $1500 for a LSD or 968 tranny.

That's getting pretty pricey, but compare it to the costs of rebuilding the 2.5 SOHC for better performance. Not to mention, think about where your torque curve is going to be, relative to a hopped up 2.5, passing emissions, etc.

Telling someone to just buy an S2 or a 968 is all very well and nice, but both cars are hard to find, and carry a much higher market value than an '83 would fetch. As was pointed out earlier, they're considerably heavier than the '83 944 as well.

As far as the swap is actually concerned, it is all bolt in, there are some wiring differences, and you'll need just about everything engine related from the donor car. Finding an actual donor S2 or 968 is next to impossible, they didn't make many of the cars, something like 10,000 S2s came to North America, and even fewer 968s did. There are various places like 20th Street Auto Parts that can sell you everything you need, albeit at going rates.

I'd budget $3K for the engine, another $1000 for the transmission, $500 for a new clutch, and another $1000 for the miscellaneous stuff.

I see your point on car values but the price for an S2 has dropped dramatically and are now fetching only 9K+ in good condition. That said-

Really want to do a 968 conversion? check out this site www.944s3.com

That said, selling your 944 = $3k
Add the upgrade cost you would have made = $5.5k
You now have the cost of a nice 951
Note: 951's are a very good starting point for upgrades

Well I really appreciate all of your help guys... I am going to check into what seems most feasible monetarily and get back to you on what my choices are. I really appreciate the help.