924Board.org

[asimovrobot]

Hey guys,

I was hoping to get some input. I think the next thing on this car I want to tackle is the suspension... as in give it a complete overhaul. She hits pretty hard sometimes, 'clunks' if I turn too sharply and seems to have a little more play in the steering wheel than would be normal. I was looking at ideola's suspension work and it looks great but changing all those parts to newer 944 stuff and all the geometry that appears to be involved seems like a bit much for me right now(of course ideola once you get yours sorted maybe you can just post a complete parts list along with a step-by-step ).

Car is going to be all street/no track and I am not looking to spend a fortune. I just want it solid. I am sure it has been quite some time since anything in the suspension was replaced or even looked at.

1980 924/NA

[Smoothie]

The clunk on turning might be (in order of likelyhood) -
1) worn upper strut bearings/mounts
2) ball joints
3) motor/transmission mounts
4) a jar of Francesco Rinaldi marinara sauce rolling around behind a seat (, but this one's easiest to check for, so check it first)
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"..it's made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff."


'82 924T, US version, dark green metallic, 5 speed Audi 016G gearbox

[ideola]

Does your car have 4-or 5-lug setup on it? If it's 4-lug, before you spend money on refreshing or upgrading suspension components, now might be the time consider doing the 5-lug swap. Upgrading pretty much anything in the front is going to almost certainly require an alignment, and those routinely go for about $200 around here, sometimes more. When you get it aligned, you should really have a 4-wheel alignment done, and the rear is not easy to do from what I've been told.

All of that said, you can typically find the bits to do a steel-based 5-lug conversion for $400 or less if your patient. Once you've acquired the base components, you can rebuild them all on the bench, and then swap in the completely rebuilt suspension, minimizing your down time.

As for parts list, we've already sort of got one of those put together:
Illustrated Guide to Five Lug Conversions
...as well as a ton of info compiled on all the various permutations of upgrades possible from later models and (to an extent) the aftermarket:
Performance Upgrades: Tires, Wheels, Suspension & Brakes

To summarize, if you're going to consider a 5-lug conversion, your simplest, cheapest, and easiest path will be to find a donor car with a steel-based suspension, which will be one of the following: 1980-1982 924/931 with 5-lug option; or 1983-1985.5 944. Read, re-read, and re-read again the info posted in the threads linked above (there's a lot there, and it can be confusing, we needed lots of help from folks here to sort it all out). And feel free to ask for input here as you start to zero in on a path.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[Ozzie]

Dont forget tie rod ends
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Porsche 924 1984 (UK import) NA
Its AUTO and its BLACK
Montego Black on black/red
Engineer of Electro/Mechanical Systems Maintenance

[asimovrobot]

They are 4 lug. Well shoot if i go 5 lug then I have to spend money on rims too... LOL.

I will acquaint myself with those links and see what I am going to do.
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--1980 924 N/A, Red Paint, beige/brown interior, 5-speed, AC, Power windows, Sun roof.

[gohim]

Why not see if the guy who has the 1980 Turbo for sale FOR $400 has 5-bolt wheels and four wheel disc brakes?

Seems to me that would fix you right up. And as a bonus, you can part out the rest of the car, and get all your money back plus....

[ideola]

[Cedric]

why change to 5lug, suspension are the same for both? just change all the bushings, new dampers. Maybe some stiffer springs and t bars and the car will feel like new, dont forget strut mounts which are almost free from porsche
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1980 924 Turbo
www.instagram.com/garagecedric/