'85 or '86 model..which one is it?

[Axl Rose]

Every time i try to shop around i find myself facing a dilemma - 1985 or 1986?
I've got a 1985 oval dash model first registered 1/11/1985..
Some places(like The Porscheshop) get me confused - i'm after an alternator belt..they offer 82-85 and 86-92..
But right there on the same page they've got a timing belt kits -86 and 87-..
I even tried to contact them a few times but there's no reply..
Maybe someone can help me out?

 

[Fred Hindle]

A possible explanation is that Porsche change the model year in October so in their eyes your car is an '86
This may not help the confusion but at least you may know why you are confused.

Cheers,

 

[Axl Rose]

I figured that..so the '85/2 counts as a '86 model then? I've heard that shortly after changing the interior Porsche also started making wider axles and something else changed on a 944? Or is it just something that i've heard?

 

[hartge bob]

You're right.

From '87 the offset for the wheels changed with the introduction of ABS.

The offset was changed regardless of whether ABS was fitted or not, so all post '87 cars require wheels with a different offset to earlier cars.

 

[Axl Rose]

Ok..thanks guys..that makes things a lot easier..[]

By the way..would any of you happen to know if the pre '85 models which had steel wishbones,also had a different diameter anti roll bar? When i bought my 944 it had one alloy and one steel wisbone fitted..so the steel wishbone was sitting in perfectly..i went the cheaper way exchanged the alloy for steel..bought all the new bushes including arb bushes but there's quite a few mm cap between arb and bush..i'm not sure if i got the wrong size bushes or are the arb ends just worn ?

 

[rajagger]

I have a similar problem. My car was registered 1/1/87. Does that make it a 86 spec or 87 spec???? It has the small offset wheels but there appear to be some bits and pieces which are on the newer model. I need new handbrake cables but is it a -86 model or is it a 87- model. Most confusing.

Richard

 

[Paul Fraser]

Some owners retrofit steel wishbones instead of alloy ones to post 85.5 cars -- cheaper and they can be rebushed, I think.
As to antiroll bar bushes there are a number of different sizes given by the PET:
1986
20mm
23mm M030/758 option
24mm turbo
1987
21.5mm
25.5mm turbo
26.8mm M030/758 option
As Fen suggested in another thread, you would be best just to measure the circumference of the roll bar and work it out from that.

 

[Diver944]

The date of Registration has nothing to do with model year. Sometimes cars will hang around for many months at a dealer until they are sold. It is the manufacturing date that decides it and you can decipher this from your chassis number

The 10th character tells you what model year the car is:

wpozzz94zKn1xxxxx

1983 - D
1984 - E
1985 - F
1986 - G
1987 - H
1988 - J
1989 - K
1990 - L
1991 - M

 

[Axl Rose]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

The date of Registration has nothing to do with model year. Sometimes cars will hang around for many months at a dealer until they are sold. It is the manufacturing date that decides it and you can decipher this from your chassis number

The 10th character tells you what model year the car is:

wpozzz94zKn1xxxxx

1983 - D
1984 - E
1985 - F
1986 - G
1987 - H
1988 - J
1989 - K
1990 - L
1991 - M

Well..she's an '86 model then for sure now..thanks..[]

 

[Axl Rose]

ORIGINAL: Paul Fraser

Some owners retrofit steel wishbones instead of alloy ones to post 85.5 cars -- cheaper and they can be rebushed, I think.
As to antiroll bar bushes there are a number of different sizes given by the PET:
1986
20mm
23mm M030/758 option
24mm turbo
1987
21.5mm
25.5mm turbo
26.8mm M030/758 option
As Fen suggested in another thread, you would be best just to measure the circumference of the roll bar and work it out from that.

The inner bushes are actually ok..it's the outer ones i'm worried about..funny thing is that there's no diameter given in the 82-85 catalogue..maybe because theres only one size available..looks like i'll have to measure the whole arb and compare it to the pre 85 one..

 

[Axl Rose]

Has anyone here actually done the alloy-to-steel swap? Any problems with fitting arb bushes afterwords?

 

[Fen]

Looks like this is an '86 car from the chassis number, but the oval dash was introduced part way through the '85 production (unlike all other significant changes which happened in September when the next year's production started), hence 85.5 as a designation. In other words there are some '85 cars out there with each dash type. I suspect they are all '85 in terms of suspension components though.