Replacing a whale tail?
- Thread starter Guest
- Start date
Marcus, I' ve done it on my coupe. Basically you have two choices :
1.) Use the existing engine lid. This means you will have to get the mointing holes for the whaletail welded up and buy a grille to go in the aperture (£80 new I think ?). Then you will need to get it sprayed.
2.) Buy a second hand spoiler-less engine lid (try the various breakers or small ads in Porsche Post or 911& P.W.) This is what I did - it cost me £150 inc. grille, I then had to have it sprayed and fitted (another £150 ish).
IMHO the second option is the best as it will allow you to keep the whaletail and original lid if you eventually sell to a stickler for originality, or you can sell the whaletail and lid to defray the cost of the replacement. (I' ve kept mine for when the ' 80' s stockbroker look has a revival !)
Jamie
ps You will no doubt have lots of people telling you that you shouldn' t take the spoiler off as it will upset the aerodynamics and you will inevitably hit a tree and die !! In reality it does seem to make the car marginally more suceptible to instability at speed (90mph plus) in strong cross-winds - but these days the chances you have to exceed this speed are relatively few and far between and IMHO the sacrifice is worth it for the cleanness of lines. Remember, spoilers were only ever an option on the 3.2 - it is quite happy without them !
1.) Use the existing engine lid. This means you will have to get the mointing holes for the whaletail welded up and buy a grille to go in the aperture (£80 new I think ?). Then you will need to get it sprayed.
2.) Buy a second hand spoiler-less engine lid (try the various breakers or small ads in Porsche Post or 911& P.W.) This is what I did - it cost me £150 inc. grille, I then had to have it sprayed and fitted (another £150 ish).
IMHO the second option is the best as it will allow you to keep the whaletail and original lid if you eventually sell to a stickler for originality, or you can sell the whaletail and lid to defray the cost of the replacement. (I' ve kept mine for when the ' 80' s stockbroker look has a revival !)
Jamie
ps You will no doubt have lots of people telling you that you shouldn' t take the spoiler off as it will upset the aerodynamics and you will inevitably hit a tree and die !! In reality it does seem to make the car marginally more suceptible to instability at speed (90mph plus) in strong cross-winds - but these days the chances you have to exceed this speed are relatively few and far between and IMHO the sacrifice is worth it for the cleanness of lines. Remember, spoilers were only ever an option on the 3.2 - it is quite happy without them !
The thing is, plain engine lids with no holes are rarer than hen' s teeth - Jasmine Motorsport had one for sale recently and wanted £300!!! [
] I think you may be able to get a fibreglass one but quality could be a bit suspect - I wonder if Simon at Essential Styling could help?? [8D]
] I think you may be able to get a fibreglass one but quality could be a bit suspect - I wonder if Simon at Essential Styling could help?? [8D]
Guest
New member
I imagine that you will struggle to find a fibreglass decklid for less than £300 - so paying £300 from Jasmine for a metal panel doesn' t seem too bad.
I think that fibreglass is not a bad option though. It must save a few kgs in weight - which is a good thing. You could go the whole nine yards and get a carbon lid from GT Racing (or similar) - guesstimate of USD700 plus shipping and tax.
Have you thought of getting a ducktail? I rather like the look of a 3.2 with ducktail - very 74 RS. I will try to find a picture. It would be interesting if Simon can chime in with some prices.
Richard
I think that fibreglass is not a bad option though. It must save a few kgs in weight - which is a good thing. You could go the whole nine yards and get a carbon lid from GT Racing (or similar) - guesstimate of USD700 plus shipping and tax.
Have you thought of getting a ducktail? I rather like the look of a 3.2 with ducktail - very 74 RS. I will try to find a picture. It would be interesting if Simon can chime in with some prices.
Richard
Excuse my ignorance, but if you buy from the US (for example) what import duties do you have to pay (if any).
The reason I am asking is that you can get a supecharger kit from TPC Superchargers for $6,495 - this equates to approx £4,059. If you bought it from the UK distributor you would have to pay VAT on top ie an extra £710 - which could go towards fitting it.
Too good to be true????
The reason I am asking is that you can get a supecharger kit from TPC Superchargers for $6,495 - this equates to approx £4,059. If you bought it from the UK distributor you would have to pay VAT on top ie an extra £710 - which could go towards fitting it.
Too good to be true????
Guest
New member
Yes too good to be true (IMHO). My experience is that anything that pops above the radar attracts VAT and sometimes duty. My first set of Porterfields came from the US and attracted VAT and custom duty. A recently purchased camera mount however attracted nothing - it was only about £60 though whereas the brake pads were closer to £200.
With regards to superchargers, perhaps you should talk to Colin Belton at Ninemeister. I suspect that around £5k would see the whole deal done and installed. Personally I would look at MOTEC for £4,300 installed giving 260-270bhp on an in good health standard engine. If you were able to have your car off the road you could look at sending the engine to Australia or New Zealand and get the same work done for about two thirds of the price (including the shipping) - there seems to be a premium for everything in the UK! I' m happy to chat about superchargers/MOTEC etc at length but maybe we should start a new thread.
RIchard
New thread it is then......when I have some time
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