I bought a second turbo! Why? Because I can! But actually, these oil cooled KKK(Kühnle, Kopp & Kausch) K26 turbos, as with most period turbos, are oil cooled predominately. Without the addition of water cooling or proper shutdown procedures, these things wear out prematurely. About 50,000 miles is the typical lifespan for one. The 951/944 Turbo solved this with the aforementioned water cooling, but this is one of the 931/924 Turbo’s Achilles Heels.
At nearly 54,000 miles, I figured it was time for a rebuild. But rather than remove the current turbo and leave the car siting for who knows how long, I bought this used one for $275 as a core to ship out for a full rebuild while I continue to drive the car! That way I’ll have one factory fresh and a spare I can tinker with myself. The swap should ideally only take a few hours when that time comes.