Vr 944

[Vonov]

I was invited to begin a thread here on my VR6 944 swap...this will be the beginning of it, and I will try to post all the pics/relevant text here which I've already posted over on Rennlist, so as to bring everyone up to speed on what I've accomplished so far. Basically the idea was to find a European motor, preferably German, to install in a 944 as an alternative to both the 944 motor, with it's annoying timing belt/roller/tensioner/waterpump failure issues, and the LT/LS motors. No disrespect to those who have already gone that way, but I felt the V8 conversion would change the fundamental character of the car, and so I wanted something a little different.
For those unfamiliar with Volkswagen's VR6, which is the engine from which the Porsche Cayenne 3.2 was derived, here is a tech article which explains the layout and concept much better than I can:

http://www.autozine.org/technical_school/engine/tech_engine_packaging.htm

This was the engine I chose. Rather than have to change the timing belt, etc, every 30,000 miles, I will be going to an engine which will go 100K on a set of timing chains. I'm swapping a motor that requires extensive replacements (timing belt, balance shaft belt, water pump, pulleys, and tensioner) at Porsche prices and labor (to do the job yourself properly requires the use of a tool that costs half a grand, I know because I bought one) every 30-40,000 miles, for one that will go 100,000 on a set of chains. To NOT replace ALL those items at the same time, is the same risk as not changing the belts, because if any one of them fails, the result is the same; cracked pistons and/or bent/broken valves, and then you're REALLY talking expense.

The VR motor is smaller and makes more power before anything is done to it. I didn't want an American V-8, because I think it changes the fundamental character of the car. The VR will sit further back in the chassis, and weight bias will be affected very little.

A lot of 944 owners who've been through the broken timing belt/roller/water pump blues would give their eyeteeth for an alternative (besides LS/LT conversions) to the Porsche motor, particularly one that uses a European engine. I have seen one similar swap, where a guy swapped in an Audi five cylinder.

If you're okay with the 944 motor as designed, fine. If I were Jack Roush or someone like that, with unlimited access to machine shop and engineering facilities, I'd probably attempt to design something like a gear-driven replacement for the 944 timing belt, balance shaft belt, etc...but I'm not.

I want an alternative to the 944 engine which DOESN'T involve a small-block Chevy. The engine which I chose happens to have a VW logo on it; it also happens to be the engine from which the 3.2 Cayenne motor was designed; think of it as a Porsche engine that hadn't made it into a Porsche yet!!!

[craighardy]

Looking forward to following along. I haven't heard of a swap like yours, congrats on being different.

Craig

[Vonov]

After doing some (ok, a lot of) research, I think I've finally discovered how this can be done (VR6 swap)...and it proceeds.
About a year and a half ago, I purchased an '84 944, with a fairly decent interior, so-so body, and the usual timing-belt damaged engine. I initially was thinking LS-1 swap...but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it would alter the character of the car; if I wanted a Camaro or Corvette, I could've bought one.

The project stood in limbo for awhile...until I purchased a MkII Jetta with a VR6 swap and some slightly warmed over software (I still don't know where the rev limiter is yet). I'm pretty impressed with the torque, its ability to pull through seven grand, and its nasty snarl.

I looked at my VR motor,and was struck by its compact size. I began to measure, and was dumbfounded to discover that despite two more cylinders, and .3 liters more displacement, the VR6 is actually smaller in both height and length than the Zuffenhausen-built 2.5. It also makes roughly 40-45 more hp at the crank. I began asking around, and was told it couldn't be transplanted into a RWD car, without some serious custom fabrication, particularly the bellhousing. One evening while haunting the VW boards, looking for ideas, I stumbled across a guy who was building a RWD Corrado, using components salvaged from our favorite P-car...and the solution I'd been looking for was staring me in the face.

To date, I've yanked the old motor, modified a VW bellhousing to delete the FWD differential case, and fabricated an adapter plate to enable it to be attached to the torque tube assembly. Now I've begun test fitting the various components. The clutch, PP, fork, throwout bearing, and slave cylinder will all come from the VW parts bin. The clutch disc itself *may* need to be a custom unit...but it may not. The biggest hurdle encountered so far will be modification of the drive tunnel to accommodate the high mounted VR6 starter, but even that will be fairly minor, as it *should* not interfere with the pedal assemblies or shifter, although the brake lines will likely have to be rerouted slightly.

[Vonov]

The car...heavily overpainted and neglected when I first got it.

The partially modified VW VR6 manual trans bellhousing, minus the differential case;

The TT adapter plate/template (haven't determined the final thickness yet)...as you can see in this pic, some minor modifications to the bell needed to be completed (removal of the roller bearing, etc)

First trial fitting of the bellhousing to determine what fitment issues are likely to arise, with adapter plate in place;

[Vonov]

Next picture shows the one point that is likely to prove troublesome; it's sort of hard to see, but the view is from directly beneath the car, looking up at the mounting point for the VR starter. Fortunately, there is nothing on the other side of the drive tunnel sheetmetal except carpeting; it's aft of the pedals, and forward of the shifter hardware. The plan is to cut an a relief in the tunnel, and fabricate a bulge that will allow adequate clearance, which will then be welded in place. Access to the starter bolts themselves will actually be fairly easy, as they will be located at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions, vertically speaking.

[Vonov]

I'm really NOT looking forward to doing the prep work on the paint for this car, though---the last person who painted the car was of the "mo is bettah" school of painting. The paint was cracked severely in a couple of spots, and I thought I was gonna find major bondo---NOT the case (thank God)---the guy just sprayed on this cheap enamel SO thick, that I suspect it was either really cheap single stage enamel, or not automotive paint at all. It's at least 5 mils thick... Here's something to give you an idea:

[Vonov]

My partner in all this is a friend who goes by the moniker of Krazy Karl, aka Doug, at German Performance Options in Nashville. He's forgotten more about VW's and Porsches, especially the liquid-cooled variety, than I am ever likely to know.
He loaned me a VR starter which I think he was going to send out for rebuild or exchange, but which will serve admirably for purposes of mocking up and fitment. The first thing I was gratified to notice was that unlike your average GM or domestic starter, this one has no "snout" on it; what that means is that I can install it with the solenoid up or down, without having to partially disassemble it, as would be necessary on a GM unit. It will minimize intrusion into the driveline tunnel.
In case anyone was wondering, what will make this fairly simple (as simple as anything like this ever is, anyway) is the fact that I will be able to use off-the-shelf Volkswagen components for practically everything from the torque tube forward, including slave cylinder, everything inside the bellhousing, the power steering pump, the A/C compressor, the alternator, water pump and so on...

[Vonov]

Anyway, moving right along, next pic is of VR6 starter w/bellhousing...if you look closely, you can see that the "snout" for the VR unit is built into the bellhousing, enabling the starter to be installed w/solenoid either up or down, as required. The starter is installed from the TT side of the bellhousing.

[Vonov]

After slowing me down for two weeks, progress... it was necessary to get the carpet out of the car for the purpose of (a) determining the areas necessary to cut on the TT tunnel for the necessary starter clearance for the VR6 bellhousing, and (b) to pressure wash and dry the carpeting. To accomplish that, it was necessary to remove the throttle pedal, but moisture in the footwell over the years had badly corroded the studs anchoring the throttle pedal assembly to the floor. After reading earlier posts on this subject, I realized that this was an area I needed to be careful in, to avoid unnecessary headaches later on. I first soaked the studs and nuts with SiliKroil for two days, and attempted to break loose the nuts---that was a no go. I kept spraying every couple of days, and they finally came loose. I immediately chased the threads on the studs with a metric thread cutter to clean them up and ensure that reassembly would not result in broken studs and the aforementioned headaches. Also going to put some grey slime (Permatex antiseize compound) on them as well.

[Vonov]

The VW bellhousing is part of the FWD transmission case...to obtain a usable bellhousing for a VR6 longitudinal installation, you have to split the case on a Passat manual gearbox (preferably one which already has bad gears; when one of those units loses the shear pin and eats the side of the case, that's an ideal candidate, because that case is scrap anyway at that point) and remove the guts. For our purposes here, the bellhousing is carefully cut away from the main part of the trans case, being careful not to compromise the structure of the bellhousing itself. In the image below, you can see what was cut away from the bellhousing (lighter grey) and what went where in relation to the original case.


FOR ATTRIBUTION: Photos courtesy of EvilVR6 on the MotiveMag boards.

[Vonov]

Here's another shot, which more clearly illustrates exactly what's going on...

[craighardy]

Wow, and I thought bolting in an LS1 was a lot of work! Very nice writeup. I love the detailed pictures/description. This is exatly the kind of content we are striving for.

Thanks,
Craig

[Vonov]

Thanks, I'll try not to get too wordy, and try to be as illustrative as possible without taking up unnecessary bandwidth with extraneous pics. It may seem like a lot of trouble, but modifying the VW bellhousing is a picnic compared to what fabricating one from scratch would be...makes me itchy just thinking about it. (No pun intended.)
I now have a bare VR block, head, and valve cover in hand. As soon as I get time, I'll begin fitting in the engine (Injun? lol) compartment. I'll also take comparison pics of the 944 block and the VR6 block.

[Vonov]

Okay...pics of head, block, and side by side comparison of the two engine blocks (more or less)...although the VR engine IS taller, it's also shorter in length, which should enable it to sit slightly lower in the chassis, just behind the crossmember. The oil pan is almost exactly the same length (about a half inch shorter) as the distance from where the rear mating surface of the block meets the bellhousing, with the adapter plate in place. It may be necessary to notch the pan slightly for clearance. If absolutely necessary, I will install a modified hood, but only as a last resort, and from what I'm seeing so far, I have hopes it will not be necessary. I may also have to look at setting the engine at an angle off of vertical.

[Tetzuoe]

this is brilliant, the VR has a great sound
plus if you get bored (or come into a bunch of money) you can build up an R32 motor for her >=D

[Vonov]

Finally, stitches out, and time to actually do something on my car!! Woot!! These are of the first test fitting of the VR6 block in my 944...the pic under the hood is with the hood fully closed; this was primarily to check what the relationship between hood and torque tube is going to be as far as vertical clearance. The clearance on the forward part of the valve cover is about a half inch, but since the motor will be moved back about another inch and a half (more clearance toward the rear of the block), it *shouldn't* be necessary to modify the hood, although I'm not out of the woods on that just yet; the torque tube (hereinafter referred to as the TT) must come up about a half inch or so.

EDIT: Just realized head was bassackwards...(I'd been working on the car off and on since 4:30 p.m., and it was midnight or later when I took the pics I posted earlier...brb with CORRECT pics...doh!!!)

The last pic is from the front of the valve cover to the actual rear of the head/cam/valve cover...the proper orientation of the valve cover/head actually fits better. I will need to reroute the A/C lines somewhat, as well as some of the brake lines. In case some of you are wondering why I haven't just removed everything from the engine compartment, it's so I could find potential issues like the A/C line interference. Once the actual build begins in earnest, the entire car will be stripped to its bare bones.

[craighardy]

Looking good. I like how far back the engine sits. How much of the engine sticks out past the shock towers? It looks like you'll end up with a front mid engine setup similar to the latest ferrari's and aston's. Very cool!

[Vonov]

Looking good. I like how far back the engine sits. How much of the engine sticks out past the shock towers? It looks like you'll end up with a front mid engine setup similar to the latest ferrari's and aston's. Very cool!
About a third...actually, it will sit back a little further than that; there's an ear on the bellhousing which will need to be shaved off to get the motor back another inch, inch and a half, to where it needs to be for the TT to be snug to the rear of the bell.

[ChadTanner]

Great work,I'll be keeping an eye on this one!!

I have to ask,How did you come up with the ideal of removing the bellhousing from a FWD transaxle?

[Vonov]

Great work,I'll be keeping an eye on this one!!

I have to ask,How did you come up with the ideal of removing the bellhousing from a FWD transaxle?
I must confess, this idea is NOT original...
I found it where a guy was building a RWD corrado, using a 944 or 924T transaxle: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2979430

[Dawgz83948]

I must confess, this idea is NOT original...
I found it where a guy was building a RWD corrado, using a 944 or 924T transaxle: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2979430


Who do you think gave him the tranny? Well it wasn't me I did that for a friend of mine in Modesto, Ca. He finished his Corrado a long time ago and sold it already....

[p-talk]

I've been wanting to do this swap to my '84 944, haven't found the time to do it yet (too many other projects). I'd seen the Audi 5 cylinder swaps before, but not the VR6 - the motor makes so much sense in these cars. Keep us posted man, you're a trailblazer! :cool:

[damian]

I'm impressed with this one too! I have a LS1 944 and just recently picked up another dead-engine 944 that I'm trying to decide what to do with. A VR6 would be cool / I was thinking about the DOHC VR6 and later adding a supercharger. The problem I was worried about was the intake manifold getting into the brake booster...

As I've considered engine options here's the things I think are important (in no real order):

- has anyone mounted one of these to the torque tube??
- can you keep the brake booster?
- hows does the engine weight compare to original?
- will you be able to close the hood?
- if you need to modify the front clip will you have to:
- remove the popup headlight bar (you CAN keep the popups without the bar / some dude did this by using two electric motors - I think one from a 914)
- remove the hood latch?
- lose the popup lights entirely?
- can you get an air filter to fit without sheetmetal mods?
- can you get the horsepower you want?
- what about gauge hookups?
- can you get an a/c compressor and p/s pump on the engine and under the hood?
.
.
.
.


Anyway - I like the VR6! It's got great potential. Thanks for taking the time to do the writeup.

Damian

[ChadTanner]

Vonov ,It really must be a small world,even on the WWW .I just now realized who you are....bet you know alot about 4.9L cadillac swaps;)

Thanks......
Chad

[Vonov]

A little, lol...so where do I know you from? Pennocks?
Ok, I confess...below are pics of my last DD...the way it looked when I sold it; and one from the day after I got it. Now that I think about it, I've done (or bought them with) swaps in quite a few of my cars...first was an AMC Gremlin which I put a 360 Javelin motor in...then my '71 Camaro, which I put a warmed over 307 truck motor in to replace the anemic 6 cyl w/Powerglide auto...and of course, the Fiero, which got a 4.9 V8 w/overdrive to replace the 2.8 V6 w/3spd auto. On the Fiero, I paid Ed Parks to do that one; I wasn't sure about my skills with the electronic tranny (4T60E), etc. My current DD is a 1992 Mk II Jetta, w/VR6 swap which I bought that way, but needed some serious sorting before it was safe to drive.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to work on the 944, and be able to give you the answers to most of the questions above.

[ChadTanner]

I lurked around Pennocks for years,I remember you having a fiero with the 4.9l caddy.Over the years,I have picked up a ton of info on that forum.

I did'nt know if you were aware of my current project?,I've been working on for a couple years now.:D


Thanks....
Chad

[p-talk]

Any updates on the VR 944 project? Some guys over at motorgeek.com took notice, and they approve :D

[Vonov]

Finally...had time to work on the 944 this weekend...Grandaddy's in town, which means my little one is monopolizing HIS time (not that he objects, lol) and freeing me for other things; even the weather is cooperating---gotta love a sub-80 degree day in Nashville during the month of August! Got the heater box/core out, and it appears modification of that component should be fairly easy, simplifying the mod necessary to the bellhousing/TT tunnel; I *may* lose floor heat, but I rarely use it anyway, and proper insulation of the floor panels should make it unnecessary unless I move to Alaska, and (tongue firmly in cheek here) Sarah Palin's already married, lol...

EDIT: Meant to ask...those of you who've had your heater box/core out...are they always so FILTHY?? Mine was seriously nasty...took me a half hour with Bleche-Wite, a brush, and a garden hose to make it something I'd put back in the car...

[Vonov]

I'm impressed with this one too! I have a LS1 944 and just recently picked up another dead-engine 944 that I'm trying to decide what to do with. A VR6 would be cool / I was thinking about the DOHC VR6 and later adding a supercharger. The problem I was worried about was the intake manifold getting into the brake booster...

As I've considered engine options here's the things I think are important (in no real order):

- has anyone mounted one of these to the torque tube??
- can you keep the brake booster?
- hows does the engine weight compare to original?
- will you be able to close the hood?
- if you need to modify the front clip will you have to:
- remove the popup headlight bar (you CAN keep the popups without the bar / some dude did this by using two electric motors - I think one from a 914)
- remove the hood latch?
- lose the popup lights entirely?
- can you get an air filter to fit without sheetmetal mods?
- can you get the horsepower you want?
- what about gauge hookups?
- can you get an a/c compressor and p/s pump on the engine and under the hood?
.
.
.
.


Anyway - I like the VR6! It's got great potential. Thanks for taking the time to do the writeup.

Damian
Okay... I'll try to answer your questions, in order...

TT will mount to the VR6 bellhousing using a steel adapter plate fabricated for the purpose.

Jury is still out on the brake booster, but should not be a problem.

Weight of the block is about 50 lbs heavier than the original...the Porsche block is aluminum, but it is also considerably larger than the VR6 block, which also has a good deal of its internal volume as empty space (cylinder bores).

I've done some preliminary test fitting which indicates modification to the hood will likely be unnecessary. NO modification to the front sheetmetal is planned at this point...there will be so much space in the front of the engine compartment, I could probably stand between the front of the block and the front sheetmetal, were I a good deal skinnier, lol...

Horsepower is anticipated to be 400 - 500 with the setup I am planning.

Gauges will be VDO, but other than that, not sure how we're going to tackle that yet...Speedo should not be an issue, since it's mechanically driven.

A/C and PS should be fairly easy, since they come from the VW/Audi parts bin and mount to the engine itself, and are more or less the same setup (remote reservoir, etc) as the original.

[reclaimer]

I was looking at a Jetta last week, it was a 97 with the AAA. It looked like the starter was in about the nine or ten o'clock position when viewed from what would be the rear in a rwd setup. The slave cylinder was near the one o'clock spot.
Then I looked at an early 944. The tunnel area near the throttle pedal angled away from the pedal, so there's room to be had there for the starter.
I also understand pulling the climate control assembly to make working room. I realize the slave cylinder looks as if it's going to cause the most problem as far as actual sheet metal work at this point.
But something else caught my eye as being a potential problem. I think it might be wise at this point to consider trying to borrow the rear timing chain cover and the coolant pipes/housings that bolt on the rear of the engine.
After looking at numerous pictures of other rwd vr6 setups, I noticed all of the ones that I could see had simply made u turns at the inlet and outlet pipes with hose and then made the run back to the front with pipe.
Should you need additional room at the rear of the engine to make these same u turns, now would be a good time to make that room with the climate control removed.
Depending on how much more the engine needs to be moved rearward to mate properly with the center shaft, and your options with the coolant pipes... Simply cutting one hole for the starter and then another for the slave cylinder may not be enough.

I look forward to your findings. I've been looking at engines other than the GM unit myself. I also want to keep it in the family so to speak. I'm not a fan of the 2.5 lump, and while the vr6 may not be the best thing sense sliced bread, I think it would be a good engine for the 944.
My only reservation is the amount of firewall modification that might be required depending on engine final placement.
Please post more pictures as you solve the coolant pipe issues.

[Vonov]

I was looking at a Jetta last week, it was a 97 with the AAA. It looked like the starter was in about the nine or ten o'clock position when viewed from what would be the rear in a rwd setup. The slave cylinder was near the one o'clock spot.
Then I looked at an early 944. The tunnel area near the throttle pedal angled away from the pedal, so there's room to be had there for the starter.
I also understand pulling the climate control assembly to make working room. I realize the slave cylinder looks as if it's going to cause the most problem as far as actual sheet metal work at this point.
But something else caught my eye as being a potential problem. I think it might be wise at this point to consider trying to borrow the rear timing chain cover and the coolant pipes/housings that bolt on the rear of the engine.
After looking at numerous pictures of other rwd vr6 setups, I noticed all of the ones that I could see had simply made u turns at the inlet and outlet pipes with hose and then made the run back to the front with pipe.
Should you need additional room at the rear of the engine to make these same u turns, now would be a good time to make that room with the climate control removed.
Depending on how much more the engine needs to be moved rearward to mate properly with the center shaft, and your options with the coolant pipes... Simply cutting one hole for the starter and then another for the slave cylinder may not be enough.

I look forward to your findings. I've been looking at engines other than the GM unit myself. I also want to keep it in the family so to speak. I'm not a fan of the 2.5 lump, and while the vr6 may not be the best thing sense sliced bread, I think it would be a good engine for the 944.
My only reservation is the amount of firewall modification that might be required depending on engine final placement.
Please post more pictures as you solve the coolant pipe issues.
I've already noticed the issue you've mentioned, and I'm planning to have a 90-degree aluminum block machined to handle that issue; the fitting you're speaking of is sort of like a junction box for the cooling system---there is nothing critical at that point regarding the engine, which cannot be routed differently. Since the back of the cam cover actually extends slightly rearward of the block itself, we can utilize the clearance that affords to make that possible. The thermostat housing will likely be incorporated into the aluminum block I'm having fabricated (nice to have friends who are machinists!), or it can be moved elsewhere, according to my VW guru. At any rate, the idea is to have the coolant outlets the stock fitting provides coming out the side of the engine. I will, of course, post pics when that is done; my idea in doing this build is to hopefully blaze a trail for others to follow and maybe improve upon. Someday, I'd like to see this swap become as common as the LSx swaps are now. (And maybe give the LS guys a run for their money...we won't mention what the Porsche purist guys will be doing, lol.)

[Vonov]

Okay, finally have pics from trans tunnel modification. I used a knockoff version of a tool similar to the Fein Multimaster...the blades used with the knockoff are inferior to those for the Fein, as they're a bit soft, but the control the tool affords when cutting metal is amazing...For those doing this, I recommend using a step drill to make a good-sized hole for the blade to bite into. The tool WILL make plunge cuts, but the blades last longer if you have an edge to bite into...also, LIGHT pressure is the best way to go, you MUST let the speed of the tool do the work.

First pic is from the engine bay...

Second one is taken from right next to the driveline tunnel; the intrusion into the footwell is minimal. The red plastic piece is the throttle pedal mounting base.

Third one is taken from about where the driver's seat normally is...modification to the heater box and A/C will be unnecessary, even with the starter elevated to the operational position (approx 1/2 inch above and slightly to the right of where it is in the photos. I will use some emery cloth to smooth the edges, prime, seal, and cover the opening. I've not decided whether to make the new panel which will cover the starter removable or not.

Last one shows the throttle pedal mounted...as you can see, there is roughly an inch to 1 1/2 inches of clearance between throttle and starter...again, the starter will be approximately 1/2 inch up and right of position shown in the picture.

[reclaimer]

I think a removable access panel for the starter would be the best option. I think pulling the carpet back would be a lot easier than removing the engine just to replace a starter.

[Vonov]

I think a removable access panel for the starter would be the best option. I think pulling the carpet back would be a lot easier than removing the engine just to replace a starter.
I agree...but it will be possible to remove it from beneath the car...the damn thing almost gave me a concussion when I took the bolts out (note to self---support starter when face is beneath)...but I'm going to keep the access removable, to make sure I don't have to unbolt exhaust and similar tedious things.

[reclaimer]

Have you started looking at oil pan and cross member issues yet? Looks like you have solutions for everything else.

I was looking at an adapter plate that mates the vr6 to the 016/01a/01e transmissions. The 924 is an 016 pattern. I was thinking I could have a steel flywheel spacer machined and hardened to push the flywheel back the distance of the adapter plate and use a 924 bellhousing to keep from cutting my firewall.
I don't have a 924 bellhousing, but I'm guessing there's enough room inside it to use an internal slave cylinder, or room could be made anyway. If not, then maybe some sort of short cable from the stock clutch fork to a remote slave cylinder. Either way it's something that can be solved without throwing money at it.

Either an adapter plate or half a transmission case will get it bolted to the torque tube, I'm just wondering what it's going to take for the oil pan and cross member now. Any ideas?

[Vonov]

The crossmember drops about 3 1/2 inches from the frame rails; the crank center on the VR is actually up inside the lower part of the block. If it weren't for the crank throws, it would be possible to cover the bottom of the block with a piece of flat plate. As it is, the front part of the pan only extends 1 1/2" or so below the bottom of the block. Right now I'm preparing to suspend the engine and move the crossmember back underneath the car to test those clearances to determine what alterations may have to be made. It *may* be necessary to use spacers a la Renegade Hybrids, to drop the Xmember slightly. In any case, we are planning to use a modified oil pan with a deep sump behind the Xmember, to ensure adequate clearance and a plentiful supply to the pickup tube.

[Vonov]

Have you started looking at oil pan and cross member issues yet? Looks like you have solutions for everything else.

I was looking at an adapter plate that mates the vr6 to the 016/01a/01e transmissions. The 924 is an 016 pattern. I was thinking I could have a steel flywheel spacer machined and hardened to push the flywheel back the distance of the adapter plate and use a 924 bellhousing to keep from cutting my firewall.
I don't have a 924 bellhousing, but I'm guessing there's enough room inside it to use an internal slave cylinder, or room could be made anyway. If not, then maybe some sort of short cable from the stock clutch fork to a remote slave cylinder. Either way it's something that can be solved without throwing money at it.

I like the idea of the steel flywheel spacer. I'm also seriously considering the use of a hydraulic release bearing rather than an external slave cylinder.

[reclaimer]

I look forward to the pictures of the cross member and oil pan. Sounds like it might clear without lowering the cross member. I would much rather mod the pan than change the roll center.

I was thinking about the 924 bell housing and flywheel spacer while cutting grass today and realized that it would not work. Not easily anyway.
The 924 mounts the starter on the engine side. Also, the 924's engine is at an angle like the 944.
The torque tube would need to be cut and the flange rotated and welded back on to straighten the engine up.
That may or may not be a bad thing. If the center shaft was a little on the short side it could kill two birds with one stone. Provided there was enough room between the engine and firewall.
But then there's the flywheel issue. Maybe use a 924 flywheel drilled to match the vr6 crankshaft? Then drill the flywheel to use a vr6 pressure plate?
You may be on the right track by using half a transmission case and cutting the firewall. I really didn't want to cut mine, but that may turn out to be the easiest way.

[Vonov]

Pistons for the new motor have arrived (we're building the motor while clearing shop space for the car)...JE 8.5:1, with ceramic skirt coating. 1200 bucks for the set, I'm pretty sure they'll be worth every penny.