New 944 Owner

[EuroFighter2003]

Hello everyone! I am a new 944 owner and a first time classic car owner. I recently picked up an 86 944 as my first project level car, and it is in pretty decent condition all things considered. Does anyone have any experience with DIY dent removal? there is some evident hail damage on the roof and front hood area of the car.

Additionally, the PO had replaced the stone guards on one side of the car but had not gotten around to replacing the driver's side. Either these stone guards are extremely old or they have been painted over at some point . I have heard that others have used a heat gun and scraper to remove these, anyone have any experience or suggestions? I also am considering getting a respray done on the driver's side rocker panel, would it be more realistic to rely on a body shop to remove, replace, and respray this area of the car?

Thanks,
Drew

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Photos of the driver side (needing to be replaced) and passenger's side (already replaced)

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[WillyDaP]

Welcome and she looks pretty darn good for a 1986. Considering the age you might just do all the small items, mechanical, etc. and then consider a full repaint when the funds allow. It gets pretty tough to match paint after years and years of sun exposure and more, so since you have some body work issues along with the paint, but none look that bad considering, you might put those off till later, imho. Great site and lots of 944 info here --- plenty of transaxle Porsche fans on Carpokes!

[Drscottsmith]

Very nice car! Good luck with the project(s)!

[Aaron_N]

Did you pick this up in OH/MI/PA area? I think I saw it on FB for a good price...

Before you get to the aesthetics of the car, how is it mechanically? Do you know when the belts were last changed? If you are in my neck of the woods, Steinels will inspect and give you a to-do list for a little over $100.

[EuroFighter2003]

Hi Aaron_N,

I believe I did in fact pick up the car you are referring to. Mechanicals seem to be pretty good, belts replaced in 2024. There is a slight oil leak (I suspect the balance shaft) but I plan on putting the car on jack stands this coming weekend to really figure out what is happening.

Also, the head unit is busted but I didn't buy the car for the radio

[Tom]

For the rock guards, I used heat, a plastic bondo scraper, and a pink eraser, followed by a lot of polishing. When putting the new one on, soak it in a solution of water with a teaspoon of dawn dish washing liquid. That way you can push out all the bubbles and slide it into the exact location.

I've been tempted on the paintless dent removal DIY, since Youtube makes everything look doable, but my initial efforts on an old mercedes left me thinking it's a steep learning curve in reality.

Welcome to Carpokes. Before doing anything else, change your fuel lines under the hood if they are still original!!

[WillyDaP]

The learning curve on Dentless removal is pretty high when you see a talented repairman do it. Living in " Hail Country " I am always shocked at what the guys who do this often can accomplish. It is worth paying a good shop to do the work.

[EuroFighter2003]

Welcome to Carpokes. Before doing anything else, change your fuel lines under the hood if they are still original!!

Do you have any suggestions on which fuel lines I should purchase for replacement (Lindsey Racing, Rennbay, OEM, etc). This is something that I need to address as the fuel lines were last replaced in the early 2000s.

Also I am considering replacing the hood insulation on this car since I don't really think they are serving a point anymore (and might be a further fire hazard). I have also noticed that the hood insulation is getting stuck to the fuel lines due to heat. Would this be a smart thing to just remove these pieces completely?

Its hard to make it out in this picture but the foam from the hood insulation is coming off on the fuel line:

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Indentations on hood insulation.

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[Tom]

I like the Rennbay fuel lines because they have a custom fitting that avoids all the bulkiness of most replacement fuel lines. I have one Rennbay and one replacement fuel line. Look under your car to see if one or both hard fuel lines under the pan have couplers. If they do, it's fairly easy to replace them with the factory part -- a combo line that starts as a hardline at the coupler, and ends with the rubber hose under the hood. They aren't cheap though, and the Rennbay lines work great, so unless you're really into originality, you can't go wrong with the Rennbay lines. See my fuel line saga here:

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[EuroFighter2003]

Ah I misunderstood. The hardlines under the car were replaced a few years back, I am looking to replace the fuel hoses that attach to the fuel rail. I want to route these hoses away from the exhaust manifold as I have heard this is a potential fire hazard. I will need to cut into the hard lines in the passenger wheel well in order to put in replacements but want to see if anyone had experience or a recommendation for which brand of replacement to buy.