I wanna build a beast!
 

Hi all! This is my first post to this forum and I must say thank you to porschedoc for his amazingly informative posts. I've owned an amazing looking black 83.5 944 for about 5 years now and I'm looking to sell it within the next year and a half or so. I am only selling the one I've got to get a 951... (Hopefully black also) and build it to about 450hp... Soo that being said I need lots of guidance on this project. I've seen several 951's online pushing these kind of numbers and that's my goal. I know a new turbo,exhaust, injectors, and a MAF and ecu remapping/chip are in order but I'm having a heck of a time finding a good selection of performance parts and some are insanely priced! Lyndsay racing wants like $4,000 for a turbo alone.... Not a turbo kit just the turbo!!! That's crazy prices. Can you guys lead me to a turbo kit to purchase and factory turbo flange sizes and such so I know what will and what won't fit?and any performance companies with suggested parts also? Will I have to do internal motor work to hit this number??? Thanks soo much to all for any advice!!!

Sorry for the long post and I'm trying to figure out just how much this is gonna cost me

First, I am assuming because you are so wlling (eager, I think) to go with heavy-duty mods that you have no desire to keep your car original.

So, if you want a beast, I'd recommend keeping the 83.5 944. You can do better than 450 Hp in a 951: that car, by the way, will be peaky and fussy -- no low end torque, rather quirky, etc. Powerful but not very satsifying to drive.

Instead, I'd keep the 83.5 944 and remove the engine and trans -- you can probably sell them for a bit. Then, drop in a GM LSx V8. They make very slick kits to do this. It does not matter what the x is: even an early 345 HP LS1 will transform the car - it adds very little to the cars net weight, believe it or not, and gives you gobs of power. I know this seems sacrilege, but the LS is one of the great motors being made today - very compact, light, and fantastic power band. And used LS1s in good shape (they were in 98 - 2002 Camaros) are easy and cheap to find.
Spend a bit more on an LS3 (435 HP) or LS7 (505 HP) crate engine and you have a real beast, with a perfectly refined, low-stressed engine but God's own torque curve.
I've seen a couple of cars like this, around 400 HP, and they are really good, smooth, relaxed drivers that can still hang with a 944 in the curves but anytime the owner wants they can just get on it and lay down a high 12 second quarter mile without breaking a sweat.

Thanks for the advice again lee and no I don't think it's THAT sacrilege. I've seen that done a few times. Heck I've seen it in an old pontiac fiero(spelling?) and even in a first gen miata!that's right a LS1 in a miata! In fact eventually I'm gonna buy a classic mini Cooper and do a Honda vtech k20 swap on it! Same idea really. I do think with this car I want to use a Porsche motor though.I love that big turbo sound! See I have 3 other cars to drive so this won't be a daily driver. More a weekend car if that lol. I was talking with the Porsche doc from this forum and he pointed me to vitesse racing and they seem really reasonable on prices considering every body else wants a ton of money for their parts! It's looking like about $5k to do 400hp and that's enough power for me. He said that above that would call for internal strengthening and I don't wanna get into that. But like I said it's probly gonna be a year till I start this cause I gotta build a garage at the house I just bought...sigh and your rite I am eager but do have patience and will wait for the rite car at the rite price. Any exhaust suggestions?