oh my god help

[944 man]

Id like to add that my first 944 was a company car and I was only just out of short trousers. []

 

[MartinRS2K]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

ORIGINAL: MartinRS2K

MK2 Escort new old stock wings go for £600-1000 each so the price of a 944 wing is good value for new stock, but appreciate that £1500 on wings when the car may only be valued at £4-6k is a high proportion of the cars value.

But I also argue that fitting new panels will increase the cars value especially if they are genuine Porsche items. []

No! Thats terribly flawed logic Martin. Ive been involved with these cars for longer than many and I remember when a new 951 wing cost £230 plus VAT and an original pattern wing cost £245 plus VAT.

Porsche are now charging well over three times the price for the same part less than twenty years later. That doesnt represent value and overpriced Ford Escort parts dont have any bearing on it. If that somehow suggests that its a good price then good for you, but for everyone else Porsche are taking the piss.

I'm not saying that the price is cheap, just as a comparison against a Ford wing and probably plenty of other cars of the same era (BMW E30, Audi Quattro etc.) I expect the pricing to be similar.

If we are to continue valuing these cars at £3-6k then they will be scrapped or put back together on the cheap. There will be no logical justification to put on a pair of £1500 wings until the cars value makes this sound a financial thing to do. I cannot see the 944 ever commanding £20k as a regular price except in very rare circumstances but when we are constantly telling people that they are rotten and to look out for rotten sills and wings we are doing ourselves no favours and make 'our' cars look like rot boxes.

We should be promoting the quality of the engine, transmission, handling and overall build quality.

This is not a dig at anyone, but if you buy a Sports Car/Super Car (which is what a 944 Turbo is) then you need to accept that the running and maintenance costs are going to be higher than a family run-around.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Hi Martin,

I agree, but also think that a wing repair isn't necessarily inferior to a complete wing replacement. The same as not needing to completely replace the rear quarter if there's a bit of corrosion on the wheelarch, or cut ou an entire sill section to deal with a bit of rust in one corner, a localised repair is perfectly good in most cases.

A new wing will rust just as badly as a repair in the future, if not treated regularly. That's the difference with the cars today, I think: we know the weak points, so look after them differently to the owners over the first 20 years of their life.

 

[robdimond]

I was reading an article about an early Jaguar E-type that was bought for £109k recently. The article was describing how the restoration (being carried out with no expense spared at a specialist) was going to preserve the original panels as much as possible rather than fitting new ones.

Back to the practical details... any advice on what to use to refit the wings. There seems to be some butyl stuff on the top edge and some crumbly yellow underseal stuff where the wing meets the pillar.

 

[Hairyarse]

Hi Rob, I think people tend to use seam sealer on wing flanges to help get the panel seating right and of course, to help seal and stop water ingress between the flanges

 

[robdimond]

AAAAGGGGHHHHHH

 

[T3rra]

Sorry to see this. Got a little crust on the lower lip part that's needs some attention.

Do you have a b4 pic?

Must admit your getting pretty good at this so it all be worth when completed.

 

[robdimond]

Nobody is going to like the before picture.

Yes this is the same car, a couple of months before I started work!

The reason I put the grinder to it is there was a tiny scab at the top of the wheelarch, and the shape wasn't quite right which screamed out 'filler bodge' (I only noticed because I got to know the rear quarter inside out fixing the other side).

 

[robdimond]

T3rra, there you go, I took one after going at it with the clean and strip disk but before starting to cut...

After this experience I would strongly advise anyone looking to buy a 944 to get a tatty but original car compared to an apparently flawless one that had been repaired to an 'MOT standard' rather than properly restored.

Poor previous repairs (usually patches welded over rot and then lots of filler) are a real nightmare to put right.

Really starting to lose the will!

Elliot... don't suppose you have any back ends of 944's that I can come and chop bits out of later this week!

 

[Paul190H]

Stick with it fella, fantastic work and really admire your patience! Mine looks like your nice shiny photo, had it booked in before Christmas for the lower front wing and a general tidy up around the bottom.

On the face of it mine looks like less work than yours but once the paint is off who knows. I love messing with the mechanics of the car but don't have the tolerance for the body work hence the body shop for mine!

Look forward to seeing yours complete and will post some photos of mine during and after.
Happy new year mate!

 

[Hairyarse]

Hang in there Rob, you're doing great and will soon get to the end

 

[Monkeythree]

This photo is a beautiful example of the why i bought a 944. The lines are great, the proportions are great and the overall vista of the car just seems "right".
I'm about to embark on a similar journey of discovery with the bodywork on mine. I believe it just needs new sills and wings but won't be surprised if it ends up needing more. Thankfully mine was a cheapo ebay special so the ends justify the means.
M3

 

[robdimond]

Nice weather today so a bumper update for all you rust enthusiasts...

Removing underseal reveals inner wheelarch grot

Outer is OK here, shouldn't be too bad to repair

All the rot cut out! Nice view of my feet through the boot well. It's not quite as bad as the other side was.

 

[robdimond]

Temporarily fitted the door and wing today for a bit of a psychological boost and check everything still lines up. Need to make sure those beautiful 944 lines are preserved! Needed just a skim of filler on the front wing as there was a bit of welding distortion... pretty happy with how it turned out. Had to fabricate the 'hangers' for the trim and also the little bracket that holds the wing bottom.

Just after a decent rear quarter section now...

 

[Hairyarse]

Looks good Rob, nice to see it back together - if only temporarily!

 

[T3rra]

At least you caught it earlier rather then later and while there painteork in that area

 

[colin944]

Rob keep at it your doing a fantastic job. As I have said to you before ,loads of people bleat on about how good their car looks and how original it is. But with these cars you just don't know until you clean off the under-seal etc with a wire wheel on a grinder. and then low and behold your solid looking car is full of holes and you feel like crying. Show me any 944 even a show winner and I'll find you some rot. And anyone who doesn't believe me feel free to bring your car round or wait till you see me at a show, and I'll show you the rotten bits on your car.

 

[J4CKO]

Just nipped in, miss my 944 a bit but don't miss rust !

 

[J.C944TurboMan]

Hi this chap had some original parts and was open to offers , you could split the sills and sell them on . I sent him a msg before auction finished , so I can send another see if he provided a contact number .
Keep up the great work and just think at the end of it you will have a mint 944

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Porsche-944-turbo-s2-rear-quarters-and-sill-repair-panels-/291035601490?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&nma=true&si=u7BfGWlI7SPeOHT0MzvKdzFgg20%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[Frenchy]

Colin, you would be pushed to find any rot on my 86 car, it has spent most of it's life garaged though, the black car has had sill and front wing repairs though which are still good after about 5 years since repair.