944 front wing panels

aporschefan · Jan 8, 2014

The front (RHS) panel on my 944 has rust in the usual area and needs sorting. Buying a new panel (or 2) is very expensive. But I don't want the rust to get any worse so need to sort the issue out. Jon is looking into helping me find a decent baody shop who can carry out the repairs.

But for the sake of discussion...

What are peoples thoughts regarding repairing/replacing front panels? Is it better to buy a set in good condition or to have a body shop cut the rusty area (usual areas on front panels) and add new metal etc?

I really like the look of these but not sure how/if these effect the value of my car or if fitting these would impact me being able to sell the car in the future?

These are also available for the same price but without the air intake. Does the air intake do anything other than change the look?

Your thoughts?

aporschefan · Jan 8, 2014

I think someone on here or TIPEC had fitted them and they looked great. Does the weight reduction really matter? It's a fast road car with occasional track use but definitely not a race car.

Also would be interested to know of peoples experiences from the seller in the above links.

edh · Jan 8, 2014

I don't see any reason why a good repair won't last you for years. The key is finding a body shop you can trust.

andy watson · Jan 8, 2014

Poprock's car yes they looked good and a nice individual look, can't help with he seller but I would have thought being German you should be alright.

If you like the look go for it

George Elliott · Jan 8, 2014

I don't see any reason why a good repair won't last you for years. The key is finding a body shop you can trust.

Agree

(Plastic wings belong on a lotus)

Frenchy · Jan 8, 2014

I saw some fibreglass wing fitted to an S2 last year...................shocking ! though probably not the same manufacturer as the ones you are looking at ? personally i do not like the vents but each to their own, get them repaired properly.
Just my 2p

bmnelsc · Jan 8, 2014

ORIGINAL: edh

I don't see any reason why a good repair won't last you for years. The key is finding a body shop you can trust.

I also agree. The key to having long lasting panel repairs is removing the panels for the repair so that both front and back of the welds can be properly cleaned and sealed. Leaving the back side of a weld uncleaned and untreated just creates a trap for moisture and dirt which inevitably rusts out much sooner than expected (the new panel doesn't rust so much as the joint). In NA some years ago, they started spot welding or riviting the repair panels and then finish welding with "plastic" welding rod - the assumption being that the plastic wouldn't corrode and would "seal" both sides of the weld. Because there is still a significant amount of body filler, etc. involved - this method doesn't seem to last significantly longer. My father had sills repaired on one of his project cars using this method and 10 years later it was all gone again - mind you my niece was driving the car in winter so cleaning and care were probably substandard. No - it wasn't a Porsche (or I would have rescued it myself).

Diver944 · Jan 8, 2014

The Teilcar GRP wings are the absolute best quality aftermarket wings you can buy, they are a light year away from the fibreglass racecar wings on the market. I saw them fitted to Poprocks car and they were almost undetectable to a genuine Porsche steel one.

Repairing a rusty wing is on the face of it a straight forward process and you will read many people telling you that done correctly it will last you many years. However you will also read an awful lot of repairs in progress where the owner finds a heap of filler and hidden rust from a previous botched repair. You need to find a recommended and trusted repairer who will give you a cast iron guarantee in writing or you will just be back every few years having it done again.

For me, I have been through this process with three wings on both my 944's and every time I bought a new wing from Porsche and know that they will be fine for the next 20 years. I am a cheapskate and a skinflint and hate spending more money than I need to, so prefer to do it once and do it right even if it means spending more in the short term

pauljmcnulty · Jan 8, 2014

ORIGINAL: edh

I don't see any reason why a good repair won't last you for years. The key is finding a body shop you can trust.

Absolutely. If replacing whole panels was the only option to repairing cars, there wouldn't be a British car from pre 1987 on the roads now!

I'd bet that you could put your vintage Ferrari in to their factory restoration programme, and they'd advocate repair over replace if possible.

Tony's car failed to sell quickly, or for a good price. I think the non-standard parts may have put people off, to the point where the plastic wings with the inset decals devalued the car beyond the cost of replacing them. Silly, but that's buyers for you and I guess his location was also a small factor. There is definitely a good argument for repairing the original wings properly over plastic replacements, unless the car is a track special, unless you can really justify or afford to fit two new wings.

I've seen very few wings (on otherwise sound cars) where the rot has gone so far it's not an easy fix for a decent bodyshop. The level of paint needed to blend the repair is more an issue if it's beyond the convenient stone-chip line, as mine was. Taking them off is ideal, as you can deal with any inner wing/lower A-pillar issues, but again it's a lot more money and on most cars won't be the end of the world if you don't.

robdimond · Jan 8, 2014

+1 on getting a proper repair done.

I would imagine fitting/painting the fiberglass wings would cost quite a bit more than a decent repair, and you've lost the originality of the car.

Removing the wing is a double edged sword, on the plus side you can make any repairs underneath as Paul says, on the negative side the wing is pretty well glued on by underseal and that seal does a good job at stopping water creeping elsewhere. Of course when replacing the sills wing removal is essential.

You need a proper classic car restorer who is going to cut out all the rot, butt weld in new metal, dress down the weld on both sides and properly paint/protect. I've seen some pretty terrible professional repair jobs, so choose wisely!

colin944 · Jan 8, 2014

What Rob said.

Also saw a car fitted with the vented wings and although the quality of the wings was really good I didn't like the view of the abs pump through the vents.

edh · Jan 9, 2014

A bit OT but on the subject of panel repairs...

Interceptor Resto Thread

Lovely..

JM1962 · Jan 9, 2014

Anyone any experience of removing the passenger wing with the ABS in place. Is it accessible ? Going in for a respray next week including sorting the rotten wings one way or another.

colin944 · Jan 10, 2014

Its not difficult in theory to remove the wings. But in practice it's a real pain in the butt. The bolts up the door pillar are usually buried in under-seal and are really hard to find and get at past the pump and its cover. The best way I found to do it is to get the car up at the front or on a ramp and use a strong light to shine up the door pillar and feel for the bolts then pick the under-seal off with a combination of finger nails and flat screwdriver etc.

George Elliott · Jan 10, 2014

If the wing's not going back on, air chisel the panel top to bottom, and take the flange that fixes to the A post off as Colin says above
If it is being repaired, its a fiddle for sure
good luck
George
944t

JM1962 · Jan 10, 2014

Both wings removed today. Drivers side was slightly easier due to less underseal on the screws. Took about 4 hours to remove both. I sharpened the edge of a wallpaper scraper and forced it between the inner and outer wings, then using a small block of wood on the wheel arch side forced it along the length of the wing. Good news was no nasty surprises when the wings were off. Should be much easier to weld new metal in now the wings are off and to get a lasting repair.

colin944 · Jan 10, 2014

ORIGINAL: JM1962

Both wings removed today. Drivers side was slightly easier due to less underseal on the screws. Took about 4 hours to remove both. I sharpened the edge of a wallpaper scraper and forced it between the inner and outer wings, then using a small block of wood on the wheel arch side forced it along the length of the wing. Good news was no nasty surprises when the wings were off. Should be much easier to weld new metal in now the wings are off and to get a lasting repair.

Now you've done it you will know exactly what I meant by fingernails etc [

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Eldavo · Jan 10, 2014

I took the indicator out and used a long-handled screwdriver to chisel the underseal from around the middle bolt through the hole in the wing.

aporschefan · Jan 11, 2014

Each to their own and all that but I do really like the look of the vents and the Porsche emblem on the wing panel.

That said, I'm not interested in devaluing my car so will continue as per the original plan and get the wing repaired properly.

944silverrose · Feb 10, 2014

Hi, I have 944 silver rose that has corrosion (a lot) to lower front wing panels. Rest of sills and rear quarter must have been replaced earlier as they are very good. Does anyone know of a repair panel/kit being available or is it a metal bashers only domain.[:-]

Regards