Porsche 924 shite - buying parts and getting rinsed

[DavidB]

As has been probably said, electrical problems are ALWAYS the little cylindrical earth point behind the glove box.

I bought one off Retro Rides in about 2009 for £600, they are slow but they handle really well, they have 50/50 weight balance. I saw a Suzuki Whizzkid for sale, so I sold it to someone who then sold it to amate who then spent a couple of years restoring it, and ended up scrapping it when he couldn't undo a bolt on the rear subframe to fix a rust hole!

They are the sec ond best looking Porsche IMO, beaten only by a 944 in red!

Phwoar!

[inconsistant]

944 is the 924’s chubby cousin. 

[inconsistant]

On 24/08/2025 at 11:46, N Dentressangle said:

Ta - I've joined the owners' club, so will see what advice and discounts can be had.

There should be an obvious link on the 924oc  to download the ‘PET’ , a pdf doc that lists all part nos and has exploded drawings to show how they do together. It’s a godsend for working out what’s missing or how things should have gone together before a cheapskate PO got involved.

[N Dentressangle]

One of the lugs on the screenwash bottle has broken at some point in the past. It had been 'fixed' with a cable tie and some wire, so it was hanging loosely and mostly resting on the headlamp motor and relay:

Because this is a very high performance Porsche automobile, this kind of approach can't be tolerated. Only the finest materials and engineering are appropriate.

Bearing this in mind, I made a small plate with some aluminium sheet left over from the old Aga flue, drilled it and used a couple of self tappers to attach it to what remains of the lug. I even gave it a quick coat of paint, although it slides under the wing flange and is mostly hidden:

Job jobbed.

[N Dentressangle]

6 minutes ago, inconsistant said:

 

I've actually had a FB convo with the 924 OC chairman, and he's not sure why there seem to be two types of guide tube either - there's only one P/N as far as he can tell.

[N Dentressangle]

Fuel gauge was U/S, obvs. Earthing it at the sender sent the gauge to full, so had to be a sender fault.

Well, it's the weirdest looking tank sender I've ever seen:

and the most fragile. Mrs D has steadier hands than me, so had a go at cleaning it with cotton buds and carb death spray.

One of the fine filaments was only held together by the corrosion at the top, so I'm now £60 lighter for a new sender. PITA - I've always managed to be able to fix the usual Lucas kind.

Oh, and the radiator leaks too. Happy Christmas.

[DSdriver]

I did consider buying one once but it had a crap respray, the windscreen had an open channel around the frame and the price should have included the reg but didn't.

[comfortablynumb]

Ex bil had a 924, thought it was the bees knees, despite the fact that it spent most of its time as a driveway ornament, because it was perpetually broken.

He had a fiesta rs turbo parked next to it, when he needed a car which worked for more than five minutes at a time, which to be fair to Germany's finest could well be because although he thought he was a great mechanic, he often made things considerably worse by his hamfisted 'I know it all' attitude.

Guess which one got nicked? 🤣

 

[N Dentressangle]

@dome and @inconsistant this is a pic from @dome's thread:

What does the bit I've messily arrowed in blue do? What am I missing?

As you can see on mine, there's nothing there, but there obviously should be. The parts diagram is bugger all help.

Thanks!

[N Dentressangle]

OK, with help from the Porsche 924 FB page I've worked it out.

I need two of these:

https://www.design91.uk/p/rear-axle-support-mount-porsche-924-944-968-oe-match/?currency=GBP&country=GB&ppc_keyword=&gad_campaignid=17348469743

#6 on the diagram. FFS - how much for a small piece of metal and rubber???

[barefoot]

Can I suggest PH sports cars as a 924 breaker.

Paul is a really nice bloke I’ve known for many years. Just off j24 M1 at Shardlow and on 01332 799298

[N Dentressangle]

8 minutes ago, barefoot said:

Can I suggest PH sports cars as a 924 breaker.

Paul is a really nice bloke I’ve known for many years. Just off j24 M1 at Shardlow and on 01332 799298

Brilliant - thank you. I'll give him a call.

[N Dentressangle]

10 hours ago, barefoot said:

Can I suggest PH sports cars as a 924 breaker.

Paul is a really nice bloke I’ve known for many years. Just off j24 M1 at Shardlow and on 01332 799298

Unfortunately that number doesn't work, and I can't find a number that does. Has he ceased trading perhaps?

[MrBig]

On 22/08/2025 at 19:18, N Dentressangle said:

Bit the bullet and started on the handbrake.

Found a tied up cable which seemed to want to go to the OSR hub. Took the brake drum off - hubnut was not even finger tight 🤣 - and tried to imagine how the cable might go. It looks like it should hook onto where I'm pointing:

Is that it? No other parts needed?

The main, long handbrake cable which goes to the NSR wheel and the lever is a bit knackered. I suspect that's why the whole lot got pulled, especially when I checked out the cost of the cable:

https://www.heritagepartscentre.com/uk/92442414200-handbrake-cable-long.html

How much???

Who knew platinum handbrake cables were a thing? What a time to be alive.

Maybe you have sorted this already, but that link is for the 924 Turbo/Carrera GT... cars with rear disc brakes. I think you need 477 609 720 (assuming you need the RHS cable) which is much cheaper: 477 609 720 ATE, COFLE | 477609720 in AUTODOC

 

[N Dentressangle]

3 minutes ago, MrBig said:

Maybe you have sorted this already, but that link is for the 924 Turbo/Carrera GT... cars with rear disc brakes. I think you need 477 609 720 (assuming you need the RHS cable) which is much cheaper: 477 609 720 ATE, COFLE | 477609720 in AUTODOC

 

Cheers - sadly it's the longer cable I need. However, I've just called Porsche and it's available for £90-42 +vat, which doesn't seem too spiteful.

[N Dentressangle]

Bit the bullet and ordered a handbrake cable from Porsche, plus the missing guide tubes they think will fit. I'll collect them from my OPC and consume my own bodyweight in coffee and biscuits at the same time to compensate.

Picked up a used radiator for just over £100 off Ebay, so I'm counting that as a win.

The two stupid brackets that are missing from the rear suspension are an unbelievable price:

https://www.design91.uk/p/porsche-rear-axle-support-mount-477501089--95133308832--95133308830/

There's an aftermarket option for just under £50 each, but no stock until October, so I guess I'll have to wait. Might actually just make up some brackets in the meantime - they don't look complicated.

This fuel line:

https://www.design911.com/parts/477209093/

has been horribly bodged and is leaking, so I need one of those. I was quoted loads more than 49 quid by Porsche, so I bet that listing's a mistake and they can't actually get one. If so then there's another option:

https://9zwo8.com/en/products/kraftstoffleitung-porsche-924-477209093c?variant=47319899603235

It's a post-pump high pressure line, so needs to be right.

What a performance.

[Asimo]

46 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said:

Might actually just make up some brackets in the meantime - they don't look complicated.

 

The very earliest 924s had the rear torsion bar tube/subframe assembly mounted solidly to the body.  The road noise heard inside the car was severely criticised and the rubber isolation mount modification was hurriedly introduced. I can't see it getting an MOT with these suspension mounts missing. They do need to be there as they transfer the torsion spring torque to the body.

[Surface Rust]

Can't you just get the bits from someone breaking one of these?

I've heard they are basically the same underneath 😉

[barefoot]

2 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

Unfortunately that number doesn't work, and I can't find a number that does. Has he ceased trading perhaps?

Whoops sorry, looks like it's changed to  01332 799217

You can always try asking for barefoot discount. And if that number doesn't work, let me know and I'll nip down and ask him what it is.

[N Dentressangle]

1 hour ago, Surface Rust said:

Can't you just get the bits from someone breaking one of these?

I've heard they are basically the same underneath 😉

You joke, but I'm currently trying to fix the wiper stalk, and I bet the LT one is the same.

[barefoot]

There's an awful lot of Volkswagen in my 944 as well, but that's because the 924 was originally designed for VW to replace the VW/Porsche 914 with, but at the last minute VW ran out of money and it became a 'proper' Porsche. 

[inconsistant]

3 hours ago, Surface Rust said:

Can't you just get the bits from someone breaking one of these?

I've heard they are basically the same underneath 😉

TBH I'm surprised we're 3 pages in and @garethj still hasn't turned up to say van engine yet.

[inconsistant]

5 hours ago, MrBig said:

Maybe you have sorted this already, but that link is for the 924 Turbo/Carrera GT... cars with rear disc brakes. I think you need 477 609 720 (assuming you need the RHS cable) which is much cheaper: 477 609 720 ATE, COFLE | 477609720 in AUTODOC

 

https://rareporscheparts.co.uk/products/porsche-924-long-handbrake-cable-92442414200

Little bit cheaper.  I was trying to remember the name before to recommend but was on my phone and couldn't find it. 

Rare Porsche Parts are also recommended.

https://rareporscheparts.co.uk/collections/porsche-925

All these places including Porsche OPC/Dealer spares should be giving at least 10% off for 924oc members so do ask/check out the forum for partner discount codes. 

https://porsche924.co.uk/our-partners/ 

I think this bit of the forum is only accessible to members. 

[N Dentressangle]

Thanks - they reckon the bits will arrive with them on Thursday so I'll try for a cheeky discount then 😉

[inconsistant]

1 hour ago, barefoot said:

VW ran out of money and it became a 'proper' Porsche. 

This was at a time VW were doing a bit of a British Leyland they had models all over the place competing with each other across Audi, VW, NSU and maybe even the dregs of Auto Union, a range consisting of fwd, rwd, front, mid and rear engine, rotary and cylinder engines, their line up was a mess in the early 70's. I think there was a change of chairman and a plan to make massive redundancies and rationalise the VW model range to be completely front engine/front wheel drive so it got binned at the 11th hour and they went with the Scirocco as their sporty car.

Porsche got the 924 project for cheap on the basis it was still made for them by VW at their NSU factory at Neckarsulm to avoid some of the redundancies. So it's not just the 'van engine', not rear engine, not air cooled that got it labelled 'not a proper Porsche', it was that it was going to be a VW, had a mainly Audi engine and it wasn't even made by Porsche either. Something like that. Cars with weird back stories are the best!

My guess is that it was going to be an Audi as there's a suspicious gap between the Audi 100 Coupe S stopping production in 1976 and the Audi 80 based Audi Coupe/Quattro launched in 1980.