924s_owner

BTW porche orinal parts are just macihine laminated ****.... not strong or light. They should be priced to 100 € inc shipping

924s_owner

Just a little more on strenght ....

Glasfibre comes in many different qualities. The laminate they use in carbage bins and boats is just terrible. It is sad that his is the guality of most industrial glassfiber products.

Wowen fabrics and handlaying make huge difference on weight and strenght. Also remember to use afterheat (one night in oven (60 deg celcius) or hot place in mold after 10hours from laminating) to make it stiff.

I have this kayak that weights 8 kg and i can stand on it without destroing anything. It will just take huge beating and tearing to break it apart. I dropped it to concrete from 3 meters still in one piece . This is my 73 € euro construction.

I would also leave the gelcoat off I needed to real light and just paint with normal carpaint and lack it is real good for shiny surface.

For attachment points etc. there is need of reinforcing just add few layers of fibers around those areas and they will be fine.

savage944

I posted the listing in the forum cause I wanted to hear other peoples thoughts a few people posted, more emailed and messaged me.

So now I guess I am seriously considering going into partnership with my friend and start making some hoods. Still I have my reservations, but I guess maybe I should shut up and just make the cheaper hoods since no one else is doing it....

I am trying to decide if it is worth it to go into production, first the hoods, then fenders, and then spoiler and wings, if their really is a fair market for the parts, in other words, if I can get my cost (R&D) back and break even that would be a good thing!! Heck I don't really care, if I decide I want my own hood, it will cost me either way.

Because I can not stomach the cost from the current suppliers I know I will have a hood at least made up for me.

I mean LIGHTER IS FASTER< BUT THE PRICE FROM THE PEOPLE DOING THOSE PARTS JUST ISN'T RIGHT!!!

Lets see I think every 100lbs lost equals like a tenth in the quarter.

So Fiberglass is the way to go. That being said its still a cost thing!!

My friend is willing to do the mold, I pay for the R&D as far as that goes, He will make a mold from my Hood (STOCK PRODUCTION HOOD). He will produce 2 hoods from that mold for the R&D Cost.

I know about supply and demand, but the companies doing these pieces have been doing it for years, and they are still getting to much for the pieces. IMHO

So I wanted a custom hood and I will get that, First the OEM style hood, then I will mold in the custom touches I want.

So I will have one extra I can sell, plus the mold and he is willing to do more for me. But I just don't know if anyone would want them

If I sell the extra hood, I come out in the same price range as the hood would have cost me if I ordered it with shipping, of course my friend is only 3 hours away so I can just drive up and get the hood no shipping and I can bolt it to the car when I get their and that is WAY COOL.... (insert wicked grin here)

nine-44

Well, when I called TRG, I aked if they could put any vents or scoops in the hood for me, they aked if I have called earlier that day, I said no, Why? They told me that some other guy called and was looking for the same thing... I beleive there is a demand for venting and scoops, if I found one that I liked when I was looking, I'd have it right now. If I were you, I would do some designing on the scoops and post to see who likes what. Then go into production. There have been threads like this, about this, it was the furthest they went. I'd say there is a demand tho. Check the Turbo forum also, there's a few racers there.

savage944

Ok all you people who want to know how much it would cost I am including the info I got from my friend in this Post

The hoods are light, tough, multi-layer hand laid with gel coat and darn good looking. I have enclosed another picture showing the back side of an unfinished hood with the reinforcement.

So I see a few people posted a few comments on prices different prices they paid, have seen or what they think it should cost to do it yourself and I got a lot of private messages so I called my friend for more details:

So far looks like $285-300.00 end cost to buyer for a Hand laid Fiberglass hood with gel coating and reinforcement. The reinforcement is a nice touch. On the porsche hood it would follow the OEM hood shape.. in other words it would trace around the hood just like the underside of your hood.

Total lift off hood, requires Hood pins. His hoods are fantastic. I was at his shop we spent a few hours going over the details of what I want just so I could get an idea of what he can really do and he will do a one off for me, but we agreed that the best thing is to do a OEM mold and then add what I want. SO.....

Ok so three styles of Hood:

(1) OEM look Race (lift off) hood requires hood pins front and back
(2) OEM look Semi Race Hood, requires hood pins in front but is setup to use of Stock Hinges. Little more work and materials required than 1 above
(3) OEM look Semi Race Hood, setup for Stock Latch and Hindges. Little more work and materials required than 2 above.

So the Costaverage)
Style 1 285-300
Style 2 320-335
Style 3 365-385

He also tells me there is a way to facilitate a lift off and hinge model in one hood. The rear Hood pins could be mounted to a piece of metal that matches stock hinges and then you have a hood that will lift up with hindges or pull the pin and the whole hood lifts off.

Oh yea he tells me He has a special agreement with FedEx and they ship all his hoods Air Express thats like a 3 day delivery time and no trucks, no mis handling no freight, etc... from his factory in a reinforced box, to the plane hand loaded with care and onto destination... all 50 states, dont know the cost to each zip but I will get that info. He gave me an example:
he said to Chicago from his Shop is like 70-80 dollars, rough estimate. Freight might be cheaper but the handling wouldn' be better. So he ships only FedEx Express...

So I guess thats pretty reasonable all and all. I just dont know. I know I could get a volume discount on the cost as well if I had enough people buying them or something... Or maybe just do them as people got interest.

I gave him the money to do the Mold and get my hood.

I am not a sales guy, so not my thing. I would however like to recover my costs... but just dont know if other people would be interested??

Maybe I am just chasing my tail on this... I want to hear other people pipe up on this.

So What does everyone think?? Well speak up or email me if it worth it... would you buy one?

I guess if you want the Carbon Fiber look you could have the carbon fiber sheet added by a shop that does that, good article on that in one of the recent magazines... any my friend doesnt do Carbon Fiber, but carbon fiber sheets can be bonded to the hood once you got one.

Picture is off a Mustang with a Style 2 Hood

savage944

Nine-44

On the hoods and scoops, just about everything ever produced my friend already does in the way of scoops, so as far as that goes a hood and scoop could be combined as I am doing with my one off.

So it would be a simple mater of taking a oem hood and adding the scoop/ molding it in.

I Mean their is always the Turbo Scoop, but the scoop itself from other people is like 100+ so yea guess that is another direction I could go.

Dont get me wrong I am serious about doing my hood, the thing in question is production and sales of other hoods.

I know based on what my friend says for the price I could seriously undercut the market and be producing a quality product, but Sales isnt my bag, wrenching, tuning, and driving is...

I will post a different Topic with a link to this one in the Turbo section and see what I hear. I have heard plenty of responses on what kind of cost, so I posted that.


He tells me you can have him mold it in and all that, but you pay labor plus cost of scoop.

You can get the Scoop and then have a shop set it up for you.

He does tell me that if I find a hood and scoop combo and it is in demand we can set it up on a OEM hood then do the mold and produce the hood in that configuration.

savage944

Ok people, I got plenty of emails and PMs for the information and its up, I posted it to a few other forms here but havent seen or heard a word... Doesnt anyone have anything to say?

tazman

This sounds interesting! I would consider it if all I would have to do is paint it and it would bolt on like the factory unit. A scoop to help vent the heat from under the hood would be cool but to have it look tasteful and actual work would probably be difficult.

savage944

Tazman

doing a hood with a scoop is a possibility, but their is always a question of what kind of scoop, what matches the lines of the 944.

Myabe some other people will post ideas.

Im not in the fiberglass buisness, but my friend is and he says he can do anything.

As far as bolt on thats easy... Like a style 3, you bolt up your latch and bolt the hood to the hinges, of course their is no setup for the hood shocks.

So that is do-able, so is the hood scoop. But their is the setup and all that...for the scoop, which is more time and money, I already am getting what I want and I will be adding louvers to help vent the hot air, havent decided if I will add functional scoop, just not sure what would look good, of course their is always the stock style setup.

shortyboy

to me 2 NACA ducts would look great! and a 968 TRS scoop right behind the intercooler.here are some pics.

savage944

K I looked at some of the pictures on the Cooling scoops and the 968 inter-cooler setup, it is possible something like that could be done for the 924/944. Anything is possible. Guess it would be a matter of demand.

First thing on the board is the OEM hood in the three styles I mentioned in the other posts and I posted to the Website:

Your Basic Website

Once and if I got those going, I could work with my friend to develop something like the 968 setup. I am sure their are other versions people have in mind. Just have to figure out what enought people want.

Look I am one guy working with a friend who owns a shop To do my hood, so I need the comments coming. Once I get a feel for what people want I can go in other directions.

So KEEP POSTING IDEAS AND COMMENTS!!

Email if you wish at savage944@yahoo.com

tazman

I think no hood shocks would kind of suck but I guess I can deal with it. I like shortyboy's idea with two NACA ducts and the scoop behind the intercooler but now we are probably talking a lot more money unless most of the hoods are the same. I think you are going to have to just decide which hood would sell best for the money. I would guess a modified one considering if somebody is going to be changing their hood they would probably benefit from the added vents. I don't know but that is my opinion on it. Good luck with it

savage944

tazman,

you are right about deciding. Thats what I am hoping to do with the help of all the other members. Sales & production arent my thing.

I just wanted what I wanted for my car and decided only way I was going to get it was have someone make it. Even if I could live with someone else's price I could handle paying those prices for something they decided was all that would be offered.

I am fortunate enough to have a friend who can give me what I want.

I spoke with him a little while ago, he is down for what ever I want to do. He still feels that doing the basic mold and hood setup is the best start. Sell a few of those if thats what I want, then post some possible options, let people vote and get a measure of what they want... but thats a lot of time and effort. Not something I am really out to do unless people want it. Cause this sure isnt going to be my bread and butter, its just a way to share and hook up some fellow Porsche people.

After I finish the touches to my hood and get it on my car. I can show pictures of what I did, plus in the mean time let everyone weigh in on the subject. I was supprised to see so many emails an PMs but not a lot of posts, course the email and PMs were mostly for more details and prices.

What I need is more on what people want. I dont give a darn about profits, I mean if I can find what people want and get some lined up I can proably get my friend to do a volume discount and that means even less for the hoods. Everyone wins, my friend and the people here.

Bottom line for me is I am getting what I want, money is already spent and if I sell the one extra hood, then I am going to be close to what ordering one with shipping would have cost. Done Deal.

Anything more is purely to help my fellow reenlisters out. So if I am going to do something for them, then I need to know what people want.

Cant make everyone happy, but I can make some of them if they want a hood.

As for the others, well yea having a hood customized would cost more if it is not part of what is already offered.

Same thing could apply that applied to doing my hood, you modify one hood then set up a mold and could go into production, as for options I suppose its a matter of money and desire. If someone wants something bad enough I am sure I could get it done.

I like the 968 Turbo RS hood. Not sure how that style of vents and reverse scoop would look on the 924/944, but would definately help in venting and I am sure the scoops could be routed to a cold air box for either the turbo on a 931/951 or just the NA.

In fact I have been playing with the idea of a Seat metal Cold Air/Ram Air Box the seals to a scoop, all you need is sheet metal a filter and plumbing.

Modify the box to drain any water and then run the Cold air pipe from the filter to the intake.

The Ram Air I have sketched out... not sure what the performance gain would be like. I am sure would be better than just a cold air setup and a heat shield. The restirction of the stock intake and throttle body is still their, but when the car is in motion, it would be getting some serious Air.

shortyboy

TAKE A POLE!

savage944

Yea I guess I will tomorrow...