Highway T

OK, story so far. I am going back to the UK and decided to take the Porsche with me. It is slowly dawning on me what I have to do.

First I realised I needed new headlights, hopefully sorted (thanks adie).

Thankfully the tires are the correct 'V' speed rating.

The 'sidemarker' lights should be easy to disable/convert.

Then I realised I will need to add a rear fog light and side repeaters for the indicators - not too bad except for drilling the fenders. Parts are freely available though.

Then Luis pointed out (thanks Luis) that UK cars have clear parking/side lights and cute little rubber bumper pads where as the US cars have big *** rubber bumper pads. In other words I can't fit the parking lights in there. Here are some photos to illustrate:




I borrowed the second photo off a Rennlist members web page, Adge I hope you don't mind but it's the only one I could find. I know it is not a UK car but the bumper is the same style. I'm hoping I won't have to repaint because it's a common colour - fat chance right.

Since my front valance is cracked I will try to replace both. I am already in a long e-mail thread with the remarkably patient Simon of Porsch-Apart but please suggest any other sources to try.

Since the Euro bumpers are prized in the U.S. I am guessing they are expensive and I should source in the UK?

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. I will cross post to the UK forum.

944S2NUT

Wow what a pain. You think if its good enough for the US it would be ok there. Seeings how US have stricter rules.

K27

My father imported his Dodge van conversion back to th UK and only had to adjust the headlamps and take it for MOT and that was it.

Luis de Prat

'Fraid not, 944S2NUT. The U.S. rules are only fairly strict when getting models of cars DOT approved for import by a manufacturer. Once the car is in the country, you can pretty much do whatever you want to it, as long as it passes VET, i.e. vehicle emissions testing only.

In Europe it's a completely different story. MOT inspection in the U.K. or ITV inspection in Spain really pore over the vehicle, and test everything including lighting, tire rating, suspension, etc. Your car really needs to be up to Euro specs to pass inspection these days.

As for K27's remark, it's possible that the parking lights for the truck were associated with the headlamps. In the case of a 944, you're SOL to do that. Your only option are the bumper-housed parking lights. I had holes drilled in my U.S. spec assemblies and lamp holders inserted to make white front parking lights and passed inspection. Amber front parking lights won't pass. Period.

My suggestion to Highway T is to source a Euro front bumper in the U.K. or elsewhere in Europe (e.g. Van Zweeden) to save some headaches with a straightforward bolt-on replacement.

Conversion is easier with turbo nosed cars, but unfortunately this is not the case with the early NAs and 944S.

Good luck with it. I'm sure a breaker will come up with a bumper for you soon enough!

Highway T

Thanks again Louis.

Funny, I just came across Van Zweeden from another Rennlist thread. I am definitely going to give them a try.

Chris

adie

Just what exactaly are you after, I'll look in the garage, my friend says that he doesn't have the lights so they will definatly be in the spares section (boot) for my road car as I was selling it at one point with all the parts.
I have a front bumper on my race car that will get you out of trouble but i's not pretty as it covers the one man towing system, I'd need that back, the fog light can be external and just remove it once you MOT (not sure you will need to for an import as there are a few chevy's ect floating around from that have the side marker's and not converted the lighting system but it may be due to the age of the car). Any how, my race car needs rear lights (side/brake and indicators) as I use them as the lighting board, if you need to swap bits around your welcome to do so as I don't think I'll ever put it back on the road as it's just too violent, that may sort out your rear light problems. The 924 bumper is the same as the 944 or at least it fits without any problems. The front bumper mounts mean the bumper sits back a little giving it better panel fit. For spares you just have to look in Loot.com or try 911 & Porscheworld classifieds in the local newsagents, if your lucky there may be one down south as generally parts from places like Bournemouth/Somerset are much cheaper. Now the clincher, I've got the front bumper and the lights are going to be thrown and the small squares are floating around the gagage...............somewhere, if you can make the assembly fit your bumper it might be the way out, again your welcome to teh lights as I'll never use them, my road car will eventually come here and I'll swap the V8 over to the car here and put the engine here back into the UK car and send it back (loaded with parts of course) and sell it once it's back in the UK. As long as I get back what it cost for shipping I'll have got loads of spares and my conversion kit over here for free, plus all my tools. That will just leave the bike but I'm not to sure what to do about that one.
Do you have to enpty all the fluids from the car i.e. Oil Water and petrol to ship it, I just heard somewhere that they need a certificate stating this but it could be BS. I'll be landing in the UK on the 31st Dec and coming back on the 5th Jan so we need to do something in that time frame. I will probably be making a trip to see the outlaws in Glastonberry passing through Poole on the way to see my Grandmother en route. So that may be a possibility. Hope that will help a little, thats if you could bear to have parts of a car with a V8 under the bonnet, I'd hate to contaminate your car

adie

looking at the front lights, the only difference is the lights are lower down instead of on the bumper so i don't think that will be a problem. the side indicators I can get from the suppliers (maccess) they supply all the manufacturs so there generally about 60% cheaper than the cheapest shops (cafco, allparts ect.) You would have to decide what type/colour as they come in anything imaginable.

Luis de Prat

Hi adie,

the foglights won't pass as front parking lights. Fogs always will be considered fogs by the MOT/ITV inspectors. They will require a separate, working pair of white front parking lights.

On the turbo nosed cars, this is a fairly straightforward conversion if you're willing to drill holes in the U.S. foglight assemblies to accept bulb holders for plain white lights.

On the early NA, unless you're willing to fit additional white lights on the spoiler, I don't see any other possibilities of complying while preserving the overall aesthetics of the car except with a Euro bumper.

As for fluids, I've shipped a 944 to both Europe and the Caribbean from the U.S. and the shippers just wanted the car to have the fuel tank in reserve.

Chris, Van Zweeden will surely have one, but they tend to be expensive. Also, I would refrain from doing any of the conversion until reaching the U.K. unless you can source parts locally, because they will ream you to ship a bumper.

I'll see if I can find someone parting out a Euro spec 944 on a Spanish forum. Perhaps they would ship to you from Spain, once you were back in the U.K., preparing the car for inspection.

adie

Is there no way you can graft the whole light assembly across from bumper to bumper, as I said, I don't need front lights and would just swap bumpers but you realy don't wan't mine as it's one that it drilled and modified to accept a tow bracket, the lights however are still there and I was going to replace them with small grills to save a little more weight so you are welcome to those.
Luis, what kind of figure did it cost to ship the car, was it per car or a container, if it was a container then I could make a frame to park the racer on top of the street car. Would I get away with Nos bottles as well? any leads or sites that you can recomend?

Highway T

Adie, I get the feeling you would give a stranger the shirt off your back. I appreciate you help. I will definitely take the headlights and the small squares and would like discuss the rest when you are over. I hope you will take something for them. All contamination welcome.

Porsch-Apart came back with GBP159 for a new bumper with used bezels (light fittings?) and rubber pads extra. I am guessing it would be in primer so paint cost and more importantly time on top.

I am going to buy a beater when i get back but apparently it "must be registered and licensed as soon as possible after it arrives in this country"; so I might, as you suggest, fix up something temporary and sort it properly with a euro bumper later. I am not a 'purist' on principle but this car is low mileage and completely stock so I am trying keep it that way as much as possible. My long term dream is to do a "roll your own" 911 for track days and then anything goes. That's a long time in the future though.

Maybe I misunderstood but I thought you were in Toronto only temporary? How many of your cars are in the UK, any chance to see one of the V8 conversions?

I have heard nothing from the shipping company about draining fluids, but it seems to be general wisdom that the fuel tank should be low.

Louis, I agree with you on the fog/parking light positioning. I also agree that the UK is my best chance of getting a bumper but the company has to pay to send me back even if they are laying me off and the 40ft sea container is nowhere near full. Finally yes please do keep an eye out for people parting out cars.

You gotta love Rennlist!

Chris

Luis de Prat

adie, I've shipped both ways. Roll-on/Roll-off to the Caribbean, and to Europe in a container. The first is the best way, by far.

With a container, it's cheaper initially, but the shipper won't send it until it's full, transit time is unpredictable and then the shipper's receiving office hits you with "unloading charges" at the port of arrival. With RoRo it's a flat fee and you collect the car with no surprise charges.

To give you an idea, shipping to Spain from NYC was $600 plus insurance in a container, and about $900 plus insurance for RoRo.

If you do go with a container, yes they do fit 2 cars and I can give you the contact for the shipper I used but be prepared for delays and unloading charges. PM me if you're interested.

adie

Luis, PM sent
Chris, I was going to see how it went and make a decission then, however 4 months later and I don't expect to go back home any time soon. I have the 2 V8 conversions and there sitting in my UK workshop, the standard is one I picked up for just under $2000 CAN and have been usinfg for the past week now the misfire has been cured and with that the e-test obtained. If your thinking of coming to London then your welcome to see, however the cars are buried under all my worldly possessions as I needed some where to store everything and at the time I thought I might just make a year before I came back home. doesn't look that way at the moment. I have never had to pay a lot for spares as I have just picked up parts on the way or have been given bits here and there, and when I started racing properly it's amazing what parts you no longer need when you don't intend putting it back on the road again, so i would rather give them away than end up breaking them or putting them on a shelf, while were on the subject, when you saya beater do you mean anyold car or a Porsche, I have an old rover 416 J-reg (cant remember what year) that was suposed to be left in a disused garage of my neighbours, however as usual it's not moved and now they will not be able to store it for much longer, it's still MOT'd and has a new towbar, Vauxhall alloys and is mega reliable, it's also got a new clutch (it's harder to change than a porsche 944's) and a new rad. the bonnet has apparantly peeled so is very matt now, it's got good tyres and regularly made the trip down south and back and is cheap to insure, I want the CD player back and there's also a leak by the back seat that I have never located despite sitting in the boot going through the carwash!! It has a vibration through the steering wheel at 60 mph but goes by 70 mph, stays at a steady 120mph (drove to Paris a few times) and is the most boring drive ever, but it all works and could be yours for a very few british pounds, if you wanted to borrow it then that would be cool as well but let me know ASAP as I'm about to offer it to a few friend soon (they don't need it but I reacon they will sell the wheels and engine/box. and scrap the rest, if you wanted the Kenwood stereo I'd want the £75 back that I just payed for it.

Highway T

Adie, you have mail. :-)

Cheers,

Chris

Caveman

Hi Highway,

We have several specialist breakers (who all advertise in 911 World) that could provide you with all the bits you need. To be honest, if your 944 is stock (your signature says so) why go to all the bother and expense when the amount that you'll spend doing this would buy you a nice UK 944 with the number plate on the correct side?

Just a thought.

Cheers,

David

johnjcoyle

I have been keeping an eye on your progress.

I dont know when you are due to get your car to the UK but let me know.

I am a Brit x-pat living in Belgium and am one of the people responsible for recomending v-zweeden, I am sure that if you want all the stuff needed to convert your car to Euro Spec, then I am willing to collect it and bring it to the UK on one of my trips next year.

I will be going to the UK on several occasions next year prior to my move to Canada, so I dont see why I cannot help you out.

Best regards, and let me know if I can help.