how hard is to fix the front spoiler vs getting a new one?
 

I am planning to take off the front spoiler, so i can straight it up a bit (i think that i gotta get new hydraulic mounts...have a bad feeling).

Now my idea was to bring it to the auto body shop to straighten it; the estimate made me think that either i am poor or everyone in CA that has a 911 makes more than 200K a year :P So I was wondering how hard is to take the spoiler off and fix it, replace the hydraulic mounts and put it back together (probably i will have to get also a lip seal since it is a bit out of shape).

The other alternative is to get the whole block and just put it on the car....or even go more adventurous and get one of these carbon fiber spoilers and put one of these on my car.

From your experience, what would you suggest? My experience is pretty limited, but i have the bible with me (the 911 repair manual; the big 800 pages one, forgot the name); so i hope that you can suggest me alternatives or give me an idea of how hard it could possibly be to do that kind of work on my front spoiler.

Thanks!

What year car?

Pictures?

I don't know of any "hydraulic mounts" on a stock front spoiler.

A stock front "spoiler" is attached to the valance on a 911. something like9-10 screws hold it in place.

The stock front bumper is held on by collaspable shocks, maybe this is what you are refering to?

Sounds like you might have an aftermarket 1 piece front spoiler. In which case it was a custom install. We need more info.

Hey Salichef

the year is 1980, same as the one in my signature :)

Indeed the mounts that i am talking about are the collapsable shocks (they look like pistons with a plate where you attach the spoiler).

I have the standard SC parts; with the spoiler, the lip seal and the fog lights; but my idea was to put a custom front spoiler (the one piece carbon fiber ones), if fixing my original one is too demanding

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1290720136.jpg

As you can see the front is not straight; the body shop asked for 1100 to fix it....a new fender and seal cost 500; just needs paint :)

that is a bumper not a spoiler ! and if you think a cost of 600 dollars is allot for labor you have no clue at all of the cost of owning a shop !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 600 dollars in labor is a gift ! even 500 dollars for parts and matierals is dirt cheap ! with all the bad gaps the hood has it looks to me that the car would need a little pull ? why are they going to replace the fender ? its 6.5 hour book time for a replacing a fender . that is with out paint time . to replace a front bumper its 2.2 hours book time and 3.1 to refinish it plus 1. for clear coat on a base clear color . over halling (removing and reinstalling ) all the parts from one bumper to the other is 2.7 hours . add another .5 to R and R the rubber filler panel from the body to the top of the bumper . replace the bumper impact absober (the shock looking things ) is .4 each = .8 . add in HASMAT removal .2 . what did they write it at 56 dollars an hour labor rate ? mt labor rate is a lot higher than that . if you want cheap go to macco !

My bad....bumper :) I was told that the part on the top is called spoiler, the bumper is the one in the back, thats why i have called it in that way:)

Indeed i do not know what it means to own a shop; i am a software engineer; i just compare prices between cars, and for that amount of money i can fix twice my corvette....

The most of the cost is the labor, like with everything else, so since i have 2 hands and can do the job on my own (not as good as a shop of course), my point was if is worth to get the original parts and fix them and put them together, or if is faster to just buy the parts and install them, or if is even better to get a plastic/polycarbonate replacement and use that.

From the amount of work that you describe seems that is faster to pull out an engine and replace a clutch instead than fixing a bumper :) I've seen my mechanic do the whole thing in less than 2 hours, change the clutch in less than 20 minutes and another 2 hours to put everything together back and fire it up...i guess that i gotta open a body shop and i will make more than what i make at my workplace :)

I just wonder why that price was a little bit off compared to a regular car; now from what i hear from you seems that is a deal :)

you think there is big money to do body work on cars ? i gave you book times on the repair . twice the money as the vett ? labor hours are the same no matter what make of car it is . if the shops charging 56 dollars an hour then it will still cost that if you own a vw or a vett or even a porsche . the fact is that a body shops labor rate is about 1/2 of what a mechanicl labor rate is per hour . mecanicl labor rates are over 100 dollars an hour . our shop running cost are the same . but we also have to pay a hasmat cost (becouse we have paints too) .

If you have even a little mechanical aptitude, you can disassemble and reassemble the front end. Nothing real technical in this part of the car and you can find plenty of helpful people on this board (and some grumpy ones, as you now know) You can also find good used parts at a reasonable price over on the classified board.

I would be concerned about what you will find once you start taking things apart. From your picture, I can see that the fenders/ hood are not aligned and it looks as if the front of the car took a hit at some time.

Grab your wrenches and your camera. Start taking it apart and post pictures of what you find. We'll help guide you.

Glenn

Its not a big job for a do it yourself type project. It could actually be one of the easier locations of the car to work on. I have a lot of photographs of that area allready taken apart. if you need help just ask. There will be plenty of people here to help.

The bumper is relatively easy.

You have to pull the rubber impact strip off of the front.There will be two large nuts holding on each shock. On the sides where it connects to the Bellows there are two smaller nuts to remove from each side. The smaller nuts on each end are the more difficult to remove because they are harder to reach.

962porsche

You have allways given advice freely, and I think everyone here appreciates it...........

But DUDE!!!!! lighten up a bit.

i don't like when people think that us shop owners are making BIG money from them ! my self like most shop owners work our butts off to make a living working on cars . we write our estimates by estimating guides set by the DMV laws given to us . i own a full service shop and the body shop side only gets 1/2 the hourly rate of the mechanicl side with more over head to pay for . just to bake a car or parts at 165 degrees for a 1/2 hour in the booth after some thing gets painted cost me 58 dollars in fuel . would you like it if people tell you your making to much money off them . hell no !!!! should i not get pissed off maybe ???? will i lighten YES and for that i am sorry !!!

I guess the question is. Do you want it fixed right? Or fixed so your not embarrassed to drive it?

As 962porsche said it looks like quite a bit to do. Look at where the hood lines up with the smile(the black thing). The hood and could be both fenders are out of alignment. I have a complete day into aligning mine and it still isn't right.

Plus a reputable craftsmen isn't/won't do half ass work. Its not in their molecular makeup.