Thanks Programmatore, much appreciated. The TT bumper is OEM. The picture quality sucks-- the bumper looks a helluva alot better in person.

As far as clear sidemarkers, got 'em. I also lowerd the car since that pic by installing the x74 suspension. Next mod will be the B&M short shifter, which I have sitting in the box in my room waiting to be installed next week.

 

Here's a couple pics of my mashaw turbo front bumper... I'm really, really pleased with the fit and finish of it for sure.

I've dealt with some fiberglass bumpers (not for this car, but for others) that feel cheap and chintsy... not the case here. This is a nice, heavy, piece that seems like will take it's fair share of abuse.

 

and another shot...

 

Looks awsome. Do you have a side shot so I can see the relationship with the doors?

 

Hey mastermind, that looks good. Good color match too. You should get clear sidemarkers though. All the cool kids have them.

I know what you mean about cheap and chintsy. I've seen some crappy fiberglass bumpers. Earlier this summer (this summer was particularly hot here in Virginia) I saw a pony car with the fiberglass bumper sagging -- the heat had warped it and because of its weight it was sagging a good inch down!

I think Mike Shaw told me that his bumpers were made of fiber reinforced plastic similar in quality to OEM polyurethane (in terms of flexibility, durability, etc.) which explains the good fit. I asked him specifically if it will fit well and not sag with the heat and he reassured me it wouldn't. That's great that it worked out for you.

One question though...I didn't see a hole and plug for the tow-screw. How would you tow the car? Did it come with a hole and plug for the tow-screw and you just finished it flush?

.:programmatore:.

 

This one is really growing on me....
I like the blades below the hood and the way they breakup the big "Turbo" air intakes. It also seems to go well without side skirts (although its a boxster). I am going to search around for 996 pic and/or call them for one. It is pricey.

 

I spoke to the company and they pointed me to this pic:


I am really diggin' it. They can ship it painted and can fill the logo for me. Should I have it shipped painted and then if its not a perfect match, get it repainted? Or, just shipped as is? I think I'll go with Carbon Fiber louvers. Do you think the lip is too pronounced versus the rest of the car?

 

I would not trust a pre-painted part since they do not have you car to perfectly match. What is the price diff between them painting and not painting? You should be able to get the front done locally to you for 400-600.

 

he said $200. It may be worth the risk if local is $600. Can I get it redone?

 

Then it might be worth the risk. I would find a way to get a piece of metal, etc. matched to your car painted locally to you and then ship that to them as a guide to your color and include your paint code. Then if that doesn't work, then all you really lost is $200 since you were going to hav to get it prepped and painted locally.

 

a911driver,

I'm with Dell on this one. Get it unpainted. You have an Ocean Blue Metallic car like mine and both our cars are model year 2000. If our cars were fresh off the factory MAYBE they can get an exact match if they pre-paint the bumper but our cars have had 4 years of paint fading. Find a good local bodyshop and have them paint it to match. (Also, with the larger intakes more of the car's body will be visible. You might want to have the bodyshop paint behind the bumper -- either body color or matte black if it looks odd.)

Yeah, I like the Charactere bumper. I love the GT2 style vents on the top. The Ruf bumper actually costs less than the Charactere bumper but since I also had to get matching side skirts I ended up spending about $400 more. Like I said in my previous post, I think the Charactere bumper will work well without side skirts or with the OEM Cup side skirts. I like the plain mesh grills but the carbon fiber inserts kick ***! (And the bumper has the plug and hole for the tow-screw which is good. )

Dell,

Have you moved back to Vegas? The leaves are starting to turn in Skyline Drive -- we should organize a group drive if you're still in the area.

Cheers,

.:programmatore:.

 

Good advice. I can get a peice cut out of the old bumper.

 

good advice on painting behind. It is an expensive part, but I'm worth it.

 

Actually I am from MCLEAN but I am temporarily in the colorless dump called Las Vegas until next summer.....then back to NoVa fro good (finally). I will take you up on the drives as soon as we get back to the area. The CAB would rather be there as well. Keep a barstool with my name on it!

Cheers,
Dell

 

Hey guys,

I just moved to McLean four months ago and I'm looking for 911 folks for Saturday drives from time to time. This is the perfect time of the year in VA for windows down while driving the winding back roads...

Later,
Mark