While looking for either a 914 or other inexpensive Porsche as a first project to work on with my 16 year old grandson I ran across a 944 with a bad automatic tranny. How tough is it to convert it over to a manual, and how pricey do you think it will be.

There are a bunch of threads that just came up on the 944 Board over at Pelican on this very topic.

I suspect the hardest part is adding the third pedal & hydraulics for the clutch, etc. Gas pedal and/or ECU might be different (for kickdown of automatic??)

Do you have experience working on a 944 ?
From what i understand it can be difficult and expensive
So not really much sense in putting in a ton of time and money into a project that will never be worth much

But if your son is 16 and its a father son project
Get a aircooled vw beetle( disposable car ) . tons of learning how to work on it ... For very little expense. And that experience transfer over to the 914 when you find one .

Due to the value of these cars I wouldn't bother,it would be a hell of a lot of work.
Buy a manual series 2 ,cheap enough if it needs a little work,make sure it has history of cambelt/waterpump ,clutch and cooling system otherwise you can spend a lot on these repairs.
I've owned an auto and a manual,I was surprised how well the auto drove with the 2.7. but I really think the engine works best with the 5 speed.

I’ve noticed that aircooled beetles are rare as hen’s teeth over here on the east coast and are not at all “disposable” like they once were. In fact, I was shocked at the prices they are commanding now.

The water cooled beetles are more your throw-aways now.

Have to agree with what was said above from a time/effort/cost. Cheaper to find one that you can use as-is even if you have to ship it. Any Porsche from that era will give you opportunities for father and son wrenching time anyway.

That said – I’m guilty of doing irrational things on cars for the enjoyment or learning so not everything has to pencil out

This is a super simple project. First, buy a 944 that has a 5 speed. Then, take whatever parts you need to make the 5 speed car nicer and haul the remains to the junk yard...
nice father son project!

Or what is wrong with the auto... Is it the trans or the ring pinion, spider gears, stub axle..??? might be simpler than it appears..
gonna have to do a bunch of other maintenance...timing belt, water pump, brakes, etc.

Those days are long gone ...

Personally I love the 924 and 944s.. Great cars.. I pine for a 924 turbo and 944 turbo some day.. My son has an 88 944.. Drives very nicely

Fix the automatic.. They are pretty tough drivelines..

‘89 952 (944 Turbo rhd) was the best car I’ve ever owned. Regretted selling that car but the upside was funds from sale went into 914 resto-mod.

Me too, had a ‘87 924s (OB with 944 running gear).