pointofdeparture wrote:
IIRC a fair amount of the 924 Turbo parts are NLA. I remember hearing something about crank sensors being worth a fortune since there are none left, they fail periodically and the car won't run without one. However someone like Stefan (turboswede) or Dean (dean1484) would know more, I presume they will be in shortly with advice.
1980 is a S1 or Series 1 turbo and used a mostly standard 924 NA distributor and ignition box, so no stupidly hard to find ignition sensor. Bodies were all galvanized starting in 1979, so rust isn't usually an issue.
The Series 2 had the more advanced ignition system and a round throttle body that was shared with the 944 so its rebuildable as the older Audi dual-plate units are not and they tend to leak after years of use and abuse. Luckily the intake and throttle body swap over and it makes adding an intercooler much, much easier as well.
Engines are interference, so replace the $11 timing belt before cranking it over.
Turbos are KKK units and very robust, upgrades can be performed using 944 Turbo pieces. Wastegates are the same as used on the 930. Exhaust manifolds like to crack, they all do, if it isn't bad don't sweat it and only repair it if you've got it apart and can have it ceramic coated to help with heat issues. Series 2 changed the alloy of the casting, but it still cracks just not as bad.
Bosch CIS injection can be a major pain to resurrect, generally plan on replacing all of the rubber under the hood to seal up any vacuum leaks after pulling the fuel system apart to clean it all up if it has sat at all. MegaSquirt isn't a difficult job to install and about the same money as a CIS rebuild, plus it cleans up the intake path and engine bay.
Electrical connections, especially grounds, generally cause many of the issues on these cars. Expect to spend time going over each one with fine sandpaper/polish/cleaner and electrical grease to get everything working again.
1980 had a Porsche 911 derived "dogleg" transaxle, which is actually one of the strongest units available as far as torque load capacity. The syncros are a bit weak and people rush the shifts and damage them, especially when the linkage falls apart and makes the shifts more sloppy. So tread lightly once it is running and driving until it warms up. Mechanical sympathy is your friend here.
Most of the NLA parts are either worked around or being resolved via group buys on the 924board.org which is one of the best resources for these cars.
A friend of mine runs a 1980 924 Turbo in ChumpCar and won the recent championship race in Vegas with it. He built his own exhaust manifold and used a Subaru derived turbo with MegaSquirt and stock ignition. The car itself is mostly stock with just a few improvements here and there to the suspension. He also has a 914 autocrosser that's powered by a Subaru turbo engine, and Lotus Elise suspension, its a beast.
UBootRennenWerks
I like my 924, they are very good cars and make great vintage cruisers in the vein of an old BMW 2002, just a bit faster and more practical (hatchbacks rule). The steering is manual and very communicative and the car itself is a matter of something that is better than the sum of its parts should be.
