Cary E

The tail on my 77 Carrera 3.0 was sold by the PO. The plan, I'm plan on taking the car to the look of the 911 SC RS ( 954 ) .
This isn't a show car so I don't need the factory tail. Which aftermarket company has a good quailty piece ? I don't want something that will take hours to prep for paint. Has anyone been down this path before ?
TIA

[ 06-16-2001: Message edited by: cary ]

Bill Gregory

Cary,

Virtually any fiberglass aftermarket tail is going to require prep. If you want to minimize prep time, why not get one of the factory kits - choice of carrera or turbo tail and mounting hardware. Maybe a little more expensive, $700-$800 VS $400-$500. Given the choice, I'd rather prep metal than fiberglass. The carrera kit part number is 911.512.909.00. The turbo tail probably isn't what you want, but it's number is 930.512.901.01. I'd call Hendrick Porsche at 800-315-8193 to check prices. They discount around 25% (no affiliation, just satisfied customer).

With that said, I got a carrera/RSA-style fiberglass tail from MA Shaw. Mike recommend I put it on and let it "bake" in the sun for a few days, to stabilize the glass before painting, or something like that. Well, a black unfinished tail doesn't look horrible on a white 911, so a year and a half later it's still mounted, unfinished, and it's on my list to prep and paint, one of these days....

Cary E

Bill, how does the RS America tail look on your car ? That's my next choice. If I go with the carbonfiber solid color bumpers front and back. Maybe a solid color tail would look better ?
Then finished with Ruff wheels.
I wish I was NERD enough to build a mock up of that in a Gran Prix white with an SC coupe body.
Playing wrench today and having a ball.

RBC

Check with MA Shaw. Extremely nice people, and they'll send you the parts primed and (almost) ready for paint.

Bill Gregory

Cary,

The RSA tail looks fine. When I get around to painting it, I'll paint it white to match, paint the grill black, and maybe paint the outside vertical edges, but not the back edge, black. In the meantime, as I mentioned. Black unfinished looks good on the white body. One of the catalogs...Automotion? showed an RSA tail on a 911 in a solid body color, which looked sharp.

Mike Shaws fit was excellent - it dropped right into the grill area, all I did was drill 5 holes to match up with those in the hood/grill area, and run some tape on the bottom portion that sits on the paint.

BTW, if you're going to track your 911, you might look at the weight of the RUF wheels. I recall they were on the high side.

Bill Verburg

Besides appearance, weight should be a consideration. The tails add weight in an unfortunate and sensitive spot. for this reason carbon fiber is the material of choice. The same is true of rear bumpers, unfortunately the puncture resisistance of carbon fiber does not lend itself to use for front bumpers.

JR

Best carrera tale? There was this time that I was driving my carrera and saw this really fine lady, oh wait you said tail not tale.
Never mind.

Joe Abbagnaro

I got a used OEM tail with Trunk lid for $650, another $40o to have it painted and installed.

George 911-V8

Cary I would use only porsche parts period. I have a turbo tail that I bought from one of those parts houses won't say no names and I never put it on the car due to it did not have the quality or looks of the REAL PORSCHE tail. I would spend the extra $$$$$ Cary and get the real deal you will be happy in the long run but if you like i will sell you my turbo tail thats in my attic taking up space $300 and it's yours just my 2 cents


George George's 911-V8

Greg-slant/cab

I have dealt with Better Bodies Motorsport in the past. Really knowledgable and helpful people. You might also try adismantler like Parts Heaven or L.A. Porsche.