Positioning 'type designation' S4/GT raised lettering on rear (Pedants only)
10-02-2007, 05:04 AM
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Positioning 'type designation' S4/GT raised lettering on rear (Pedants only)
For those S4 or GT owners interested in correctly installing the raised 'type' lettering on the rear bumper cover. I did mine last year.
I bought the lettering parts from 928 Intl. As supplied they are bare plastic and I painted them with a rattle can. The characters are genuine Porsche parts with official part numbers. They are all separate and each has its own separate adhesive mounting.
Top is the 'as-built' picture.
img_0179s.jpg
This is my 89GT of course but the same layout would apply to the S4. It does not necessarily apply to 928s of other series some of which had the lettering arranged differently and/or in different locations.
I have been unable to find out whether the type designation was an option or a delete option or indeed during which years it was offered. It becomes confusing, one of the general option codes lists (non-928-specific) shows both option 302 "Type designated on rear end" and option 498 "Without rear model designation" Go figure, as one would say in the US. If anyone could shed some light on this I would be very pleased to hear it.
Anyway. I didn't attach the letters at first because I couldn't find out their precise positioning from anywhere, then fortunately I spotted a 928S4 with the raised letters and it looked very 'factory'. I took some measurements. I also read a post with a pic (IIRC from Gretch who had recently done it on the advice of DR) and that looked the same. Finally I remembered that the same lettering appears on the cover of my owners handbook and I was able to get the correct character spacing by scaling them. (bottom image).
img_0006s.jpg
However, even with all that info I was still too clumsy to get it exactly right but having only one set of adhesive mountings I wasn't going to R&R it.
Had I done it correctly the positioning/spacing would have been as follows.
1. Vertical space between bottom of the PORSCHE indented lettering on the bumper cover and the top of 928 G -5mm.
2. Vertical space between bottom of G and top of T -2.5mm.
3. Horizontal space between 9-2-8 -6mm.
4. Horizontal space between 8 and G -12mm
Now it gets to be a little more by eyeball.
5. The right-hand end of the T has to align vertically with the right-hand end of the PORSCHE indented lettering.
6. The left-hand end of the T has to align vertically with the left-hand end of the 'crossbar' of the G.
NB. On an S4 you couldn't do this but as you can see from the owner's handbook pic the centre-line of the left-hand upright of the 4 is positioned right-of-centre to the S. The S is 50mm wide. Scaling the image reveals that the centre-line of the left upright of the4 should lie 31mm from the left side of the S.
So, if you've read that carefully and are hoping to avoid my mistakes you will realise that you have to mark out the body first, I did it with masking tape, and start by positioning the T (or 4). I have slightly too large a gap above 928 G which results in the leg of the T sitting partially on a curve of the bodywork but it's hardy noticeable. As the perceptive will perceive my T ended up 1mm too far right. If I was doing it again I'd first temporarily attach the letters with transparent "Sellotape" and eyeball it.
Colin
89GT.
I bought the lettering parts from 928 Intl. As supplied they are bare plastic and I painted them with a rattle can. The characters are genuine Porsche parts with official part numbers. They are all separate and each has its own separate adhesive mounting.
Top is the 'as-built' picture.
img_0179s.jpg
This is my 89GT of course but the same layout would apply to the S4. It does not necessarily apply to 928s of other series some of which had the lettering arranged differently and/or in different locations.
I have been unable to find out whether the type designation was an option or a delete option or indeed during which years it was offered. It becomes confusing, one of the general option codes lists (non-928-specific) shows both option 302 "Type designated on rear end" and option 498 "Without rear model designation" Go figure, as one would say in the US. If anyone could shed some light on this I would be very pleased to hear it.
Anyway. I didn't attach the letters at first because I couldn't find out their precise positioning from anywhere, then fortunately I spotted a 928S4 with the raised letters and it looked very 'factory'. I took some measurements. I also read a post with a pic (IIRC from Gretch who had recently done it on the advice of DR) and that looked the same. Finally I remembered that the same lettering appears on the cover of my owners handbook and I was able to get the correct character spacing by scaling them. (bottom image).
img_0006s.jpg
However, even with all that info I was still too clumsy to get it exactly right but having only one set of adhesive mountings I wasn't going to R&R it.
Had I done it correctly the positioning/spacing would have been as follows.
1. Vertical space between bottom of the PORSCHE indented lettering on the bumper cover and the top of 928 G -5mm.
2. Vertical space between bottom of G and top of T -2.5mm.
3. Horizontal space between 9-2-8 -6mm.
4. Horizontal space between 8 and G -12mm
Now it gets to be a little more by eyeball.
5. The right-hand end of the T has to align vertically with the right-hand end of the PORSCHE indented lettering.
6. The left-hand end of the T has to align vertically with the left-hand end of the 'crossbar' of the G.
NB. On an S4 you couldn't do this but as you can see from the owner's handbook pic the centre-line of the left-hand upright of the 4 is positioned right-of-centre to the S. The S is 50mm wide. Scaling the image reveals that the centre-line of the left upright of the4 should lie 31mm from the left side of the S.
So, if you've read that carefully and are hoping to avoid my mistakes you will realise that you have to mark out the body first, I did it with masking tape, and start by positioning the T (or 4). I have slightly too large a gap above 928 G which results in the leg of the T sitting partially on a curve of the bodywork but it's hardy noticeable. As the perceptive will perceive my T ended up 1mm too far right. If I was doing it again I'd first temporarily attach the letters with transparent "Sellotape" and eyeball it.
Colin
89GT.
Last edited by ColinB; 10-02-2007 at 06:47 AM. Reason: Correct image links and typo. (5 times! Thanks Aryan)
