Cab conversion
04-19-2002, 12:02 AM
#1
Jane Bond 007
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Cab conversion
Hi
I just discovered this board today and it is chocked full of great info! I'm looking to do some upgrades to my 944. I'm REALLY interested in converting from a coupe to a cabriolet. Does anyone know if this is possible for less that my first and second born children? Any help would be appreciated.
I'm also interested in a 968 conversion for the rear. Does anyone know of a decent place here in the states that does this. So many questions....
I just discovered this board today and it is chocked full of great info! I'm looking to do some upgrades to my 944. I'm REALLY interested in converting from a coupe to a cabriolet. Does anyone know if this is possible for less that my first and second born children? Any help would be appreciated.
I'm also interested in a 968 conversion for the rear. Does anyone know of a decent place here in the states that does this. So many questions....
04-19-2002, 09:47 AM
#2
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Sounds like you have the wrong car...buy a 968 Cabrio. The conversion prices for the rear alone would be VERY expensive (read a few Thousand bucks). Even if you used aftermarket kits available (like from Van Zweeden),the prices of the kit plus international shipping, lights, and getting the parts professionally put on, etc. would run you some serious duckets.
As far as your drop-top conversion, just the top without ANY of the other necessary hardware is pretty damn expensive. Just call Porsche and ask them for the cost of a replacement top for "your cabrio"...WARNING: YOU WILL TURN SEVERAL SHADES OF RED WHEN YOU HEAR THE PRICE!
As far as your drop-top conversion, just the top without ANY of the other necessary hardware is pretty damn expensive. Just call Porsche and ask them for the cost of a replacement top for "your cabrio"...WARNING: YOU WILL TURN SEVERAL SHADES OF RED WHEN YOU HEAR THE PRICE!
04-19-2002, 10:10 AM
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I will second that. If you want a Cabrio then go BUY a Cabrio. The cost for a complete top [frame and covering] for the 944/968 Cabriolet (they use the exact same top) would cost you at lest $1500-$2000 used IF you could find it. If you bought it from Porsche it would run ~$3000 just for the frame and I don't think that includes the seals which cost ~$1000 to replace them all! AND when you were finished pouring money down a hole all you would have to show for it would a bastardized 944 that would rattle and squeak like there was no tomorrow.
Sorry for being so blunt and harsh but I am trying to make it clear that you would be making a huge mistake. So, if you really want a Cab then sell your car and start looking for a clean S2 or 968 Cab. That is honestly your best bet.
I'll shutup now.
Good luck,
Mad Max <img src="graemlins/icon107.gif" border="0" alt="[icon107]" />
Sorry for being so blunt and harsh but I am trying to make it clear that you would be making a huge mistake. So, if you really want a Cab then sell your car and start looking for a clean S2 or 968 Cab. That is honestly your best bet.
I'll shutup now.
Good luck,
Mad Max <img src="graemlins/icon107.gif" border="0" alt="[icon107]" />
04-19-2002, 03:39 PM
#5
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HI Michelle,
ok,
Converting a 44 into a cab, is difficult but not impossible. THe main thing will be cost (as jhas been pointed out). The main problem is not the parts or the kit, it's the ammount of strengthing you Have to do, to stop the body from folding in on itself. You'll also need a proper JIG to jkeep it all in one piece.
The weight of a 44 cab is a hell of a lot more than an ordinary 44, you'll also need an S2 powerplant to run it, so it will mean cutting up an S2, and you'll need to make sutre the bodywork is in good condtion as well.
Your best to buy a S2 cab or 968 cab, depending on your pocket and what you like, I have an s2 cab.
Converting cars is not impossible. Over in the UK, there were a few Ford Capri convertibles (the later mark 3's) which the club did, again I saw the spec's and it needed some very extensive strenhthening to keep it all together !
Good luck with what ever you decide to do
ok,
Converting a 44 into a cab, is difficult but not impossible. THe main thing will be cost (as jhas been pointed out). The main problem is not the parts or the kit, it's the ammount of strengthing you Have to do, to stop the body from folding in on itself. You'll also need a proper JIG to jkeep it all in one piece.
The weight of a 44 cab is a hell of a lot more than an ordinary 44, you'll also need an S2 powerplant to run it, so it will mean cutting up an S2, and you'll need to make sutre the bodywork is in good condtion as well.
Your best to buy a S2 cab or 968 cab, depending on your pocket and what you like, I have an s2 cab.
Converting cars is not impossible. Over in the UK, there were a few Ford Capri convertibles (the later mark 3's) which the club did, again I saw the spec's and it needed some very extensive strenhthening to keep it all together !
Good luck with what ever you decide to do
04-19-2002, 04:44 PM
#6
Nordschleife Master
[quote]Originally posted by my944:
<strong>And Michelle, you may want to drop the Bill Gates quote after the MSFT news yesterday...that company is no longer untouchable...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Ah, but look at good old MSFT today, rallying off the lows. It was a great buying opportunity yesterday. I wish I hadn't been out of the office.
<strong>And Michelle, you may want to drop the Bill Gates quote after the MSFT news yesterday...that company is no longer untouchable...</strong><hr></blockquote>
Ah, but look at good old MSFT today, rallying off the lows. It was a great buying opportunity yesterday. I wish I hadn't been out of the office.
04-19-2002, 05:00 PM
#7
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Mucking about with a unibody like the 944 is not a simple matter. The roof is part of the structural strength of the car; ie, it helps transfer loads (like cornering forces, the weight of the car, etc) from one part to another. There's no frame like under a van or pick-up to transfer the forces. The body is the frame....
Skilled (?) automotive structural engineers at the factory labor for months to design the added structural stiffeners that go into any convertable that's based on a hardtop; the result is still usually a road-test in a magazine that mentions "cowl shake," "chassis flex," "poor torsional rigidity," etc..
As mentioned, if you want a cab, and like the 944 body style, get a 944S2 cab; if you like the 968 body style, get a 968 cab. There were about 2500 of each (?) imported into the US, IIRC, so they're out there.
Jim, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"
Skilled (?) automotive structural engineers at the factory labor for months to design the added structural stiffeners that go into any convertable that's based on a hardtop; the result is still usually a road-test in a magazine that mentions "cowl shake," "chassis flex," "poor torsional rigidity," etc..
As mentioned, if you want a cab, and like the 944 body style, get a 944S2 cab; if you like the 968 body style, get a 968 cab. There were about 2500 of each (?) imported into the US, IIRC, so they're out there.
Jim, "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"
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04-19-2002, 05:15 PM
#8
Drifting
Michelle,
What you want to do isn't economically doable. The cabs have a second floor pan welded in for structual support, which is why they weigh close to 200 pounds more than a coupe. Then you hit the electrics and the trunk lid, the plastic moulding extensions on the reat, etc. If you are serious then mail me. I have a 90 944S2 that I just got had new drive axles, rotors and pads, flush, and timing chain tensioner replaced on. I was asking $15k, but with a $1700 shop bill I'll take $16000. It has lots of new part since Feb. 2000 as well (timing belt, water pump, tensioners, tires, carbon fiber dash kit, hoses, heater control valve, blah, blah, blah. It's a great little cab, but I have my eye on a 911 Targa and the wife says only one P-car in the garage.
What you want to do isn't economically doable. The cabs have a second floor pan welded in for structual support, which is why they weigh close to 200 pounds more than a coupe. Then you hit the electrics and the trunk lid, the plastic moulding extensions on the reat, etc. If you are serious then mail me. I have a 90 944S2 that I just got had new drive axles, rotors and pads, flush, and timing chain tensioner replaced on. I was asking $15k, but with a $1700 shop bill I'll take $16000. It has lots of new part since Feb. 2000 as well (timing belt, water pump, tensioners, tires, carbon fiber dash kit, hoses, heater control valve, blah, blah, blah. It's a great little cab, but I have my eye on a 911 Targa and the wife says only one P-car in the garage.
04-19-2002, 05:21 PM
#9
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I'd hate to see a 944 chopped up like it was some domestic car or something. Porsche did their research. The cab windsheild is sloped back an additional 2 degrees to help with wind turbulance. It's not just a 944 with out a top. It was designed as a convertible.
04-19-2002, 06:17 PM
#10
Jane Bond 007
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Wow!
Quite a few responses in a short time
Thanx guys. I guess I've been roundly spanked, but it's just the info I needed to know. I've had the car for 7 years and I bought it from a friend who owned it for 4-5 years before that. I don't want to part with it so it looks like I'll have to downscale my ideas. I'd rather put some $ in and keep it than sell it for a cab. I'll just add a 968 cab in the future <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" /> Thanx for the heads up and the wonderful info!
BTW - Long live MacIntosh!
Quite a few responses in a short time
Thanx guys. I guess I've been roundly spanked, but it's just the info I needed to know. I've had the car for 7 years and I bought it from a friend who owned it for 4-5 years before that. I don't want to part with it so it looks like I'll have to downscale my ideas. I'd rather put some $ in and keep it than sell it for a cab. I'll just add a 968 cab in the future <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" /> Thanx for the heads up and the wonderful info!BTW - Long live MacIntosh!
