Porsche 944 brakes/suspension/wheels

[sbcspeed]

Mods: I'm listing these here even though they're not VW specific because I've sold sets of these to T1 guys in the past.

I have a set of early 944 trailing arms with spring plates, front hubs, brakes and parking brake cables in serviceable shape.

Great for a German look Beetle. The front spindles are the type with a hole for a speedometer cable.

I have a set of 5x130 15x6 ATS spiderweb wheels as well, no tires and they could use some paint but are straight and not curbed.

Items are all in Vancouver BC, Canada. I will consider shipping but greatly prefer local pickup, or we could meet in the Seattle or Victoria area as I'm in those cities often.

Make me an offer.

Connor

[Piledriver]

I'm looking or a set of early adjustable spring plates...

[Steve Arndt]

I'm looking or a set of early adjustable spring plates...

forty bucks, free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/86-Porsche-944- ... 1605635056

[sbcspeed]

I'm looking or a set of early adjustable spring plates...

forty bucks, free shipping
http://www.ebay.com/itm/86-Porsche-944- ... 1605635056

Those ones are actually specific to the alloy control arms fitted to the 944 turbo, "late" '85.5 and newer 944 and 924S.

I have at least one set of early plates but I think they may be my last ones and I was hoping to sell them with this brake setup. I'll look for others today though.

[Steve Arndt]

I was under the impression 1986 turbo 951 had steel arms, and the same spring plates as 944.
edit; please correct me if this is wrong.

[Piledriver]

2 styles->85 and 85.5+ (mid-year split)
bolt pattern and supposedly length differ.

If anyone knows for a fact the late plates fit early TAs I'm all ears.
(i'm only using the 3 rearmost ta bolts anyway, looks possible)

All of the springplates on ebay lately are lates.
The first is a pic from the ones I ordered that didn't exist.

early, fits steel trailing arms:

early-944-springplates.jpg

Late that fits alloy arms:

944-springplate-late.jpg

[sbcspeed]

I was under the impression 1986 turbo 951 had steel arms, and the same spring plates as 944.
edit; please correct me if this is wrong.

Nope, every turbo came with alloy arms. The arms are all identical, given lefts and rights, the 924S, '85.5 and '86 944 cars have alloy control arms which are identical to the late trailing arms used right up through the 968. There is a difference in the hub for cars I've listed with gives them similar offset to the early cars. I have '86 951 arms on my 924 turbo which are alloy, early offset so they fit in a 924 wheel well with a high offset wheel as per a standard 924. The early 944 used a low offset wheel to increase the track width and take advantage of the flares. The late 944 increased the width at the hub itself.

Now my question is, can you directly use an early 944 trailing arm in a T1 or do you guys just throw those out and use the spring plates and 5 lug hubs?

2 styles->85 and 85.5+ (mid-year split)
bolt pattern and supposedly length differ.

If anyone knows for a fact the late plates fit early TAs I'm all ears.
(i'm only using the 3 rearmost ta bolts anyway, looks possible)

All of the springplates on ebay lately are lates.
The first is a pic from the ones I ordered that didn't exist.

early, fits steel trailing arms:

early-944-springplates.jpg

Late that fits alloy arms:

944-springplate-late.jpg

I know a guy who probably has a couple at least. I'll text him and PM you to see what he says.

Connor

[Piledriver]

Now my question is, can you directly use an early 944 trailing arm in a T1 or do you guys just throw those out and use the spring plates and 5 lug hubs?

Most folks don't bother to pull the steel trailing arms at U-Pull-it, if they can get the axle nut off.

The 944 early arms (steel) are dimensionally identical to T1/T3 trailing arms...
...Some swear they have hidden reinforcements and are better, I have never seen any convincing evidence either way.
I have also never personally dissected some to compare, so its a maybe.

If someones converting from swing axle, or has a bent arm, or is going to flip the shock mounts or something, they need them.

The rest of the stuff bolts on the T1 trailing arms, and they may just be after the brakes.

I'm not even 100% sure I'll have room for the 944 spring plates without some massaging of the adjust bolt setup due to tire sidewall proximity, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

I know a guy who probably has a couple at least. I'll text him and PM you to see what he says.

Thanks!

[sbcspeed]

Cool, thanks. I have a pet project I'm working on with the basic idea of using a 944 transaxle with a mid mounted Mazda rotary engine. Obviously a T1 floor would need to be hacked up to make it work. It'd be a very compact drivetrain and rear suspension that would fit in a lot of cars that were never intended to have rear drive. Slightly different spin on a rotary bug.

Factory 924 Carrera GT cars had reinforced arms, that may be where that rumour got started. The '81 924(937) Carrera GTS had the original alloy trailing arms that the production late 944 units derive from.

[Piledriver]

I was under the impression 1986 turbo 951 had steel arms, and the same spring plates as 944.
edit; please correct me if this is wrong.

Nope, every turbo came with alloy arms. The arms are all identical, given lefts and rights, the 924S, '85.5 and '86 944 cars have alloy control arms which are identical to the late trailing arms used right up through the 968. There is a difference in the hub for cars I've listed with gives them similar offset to the early cars. I have '86 951 arms on my 924 turbo which are alloy, early offset so they fit in a 924 wheel well with a high offset wheel as per a standard 924. The early 944 used a low offset wheel to increase the track width and take advantage of the flares. The late 944 increased the width at the hub itself..............
Connor

My one remaining neuron just fired as that finally registered...
There is an alloy arm/hub combo that will fit a stock T1/T3, with ~normal track width? How much wider than std steel setup?? (distance to spring plate would be a good comparative measure)

[Steve Arndt]

The regular early 944 brakes that fit steel arm 944 add almost 1 inch of offset compared to beetle. I think it is 20mm.

[Piledriver]

Cool, so the arms here are early offset, and I can lose the 15mm spacers I'm running now.
Will the early setup work with the 944 axles used with the steel arms?

[sbcspeed]

I don't see why not, the alloy arms with their hubs interchange on a 924/944. Assuming the hubs are from a 85.5-86 944 or any 924S the offset should be about the same. I can check the flange to flange on my 924 turbo with '86 951 arms and hubs tomorrow. I have to get under there anyway.

Also note that the part numbers are different for the parking brake cables between early and late 944 and I don't know why.

[Piledriver]

It would require modded/custom cables/adapters anyway for a squareback.

Price inquiry sent. Needs to include shipping to Texas 75495.
Don't need the front end bits.

[Piledriver]

One more time, trying to buy this setup.
It solves my parking brake/caliper as well as what rotors to use issue.
(996TT rears fit the 944 24mm rear rotors w/custom mounts (DIY), Wilwood superlights/Wilwood rotors/hats up front, just a little larger pistons than the staggered piston big red rears, should work well)

I guess I need to investigate what to use for rear shocks when these are swapped into a T1/T3...

Also appears the aluminum arms (early or late) require longer axles.
Strangely, Vanagon axles seem to be same??? If so I have a set I'm not using, so OK there.
Need to verify.---VERIFIED, Turbo/S2 axles for the alloy arms used on Vanagons.