Best Duck Tail to get

[htbetz]

Now that I've decided on adding a duck tail to my 74' I've found a wide varity of these tails in various price ranges available. Being that I'll be doing most of the work myself except for the final painting, what type fits the best with the least modification.

[Jeff Alton]

I recently bought a duck tail from MAShaw. Overall I am pleased with it. The fit is pretty good and the quality seems good also. Fiberglass parts will almist never fit as well as the steel factory parts so keep that in mind. You can see some pics of it in my owners gallery. I hope this helps a little.

Jeff

[Rot 911]

The Best? No doubt, MA Shaw. Having fit a GT Racing duck tail to my '86 and spending over 8 hours sanding and filling to get it to fit, it is well worth the extra money to get one that fits right.

[Lindy]

I purchased my tail from MA Shaw, and am very happy with it.

I also purchased front and rear bumpers from Shaw, and ended up spending a significant amount of time sectioning out and rebuilding both of the front turn indicator recesses, as they were both too shallow and narrow and were .700-.800 too tall for my (stock) factory indicators. The rear bumper required modification behind the rear wheel arches (on both sides) where the bumper meets the rear body panels (horizontal line).

Mike Shaw was super to deal with, shipped the parts on time, and overall the quality of the peices is very good.

[island911]

Huh! . .. I would have said OE Porsche would be best. ...being that the OE duct-tails are Aluminum!

[DonNewton]

"Huh! . .. I would have said OE Porsche would be best. ...being that the OE duct-tails are Aluminum!"

. . .And made of both "unobtanium" and "unaffordium". Check your local periodic table for the amount of Porsche dollars (not real money) required.

[geof33]

The reality, as I'm learning, is that fiberglass is fiberglass. It means one thing... sanding, fit, sanding, fit... check it, fit it, sanding, fit it...

Some fit better than others, but it's not necessarily the manufacturer but the mold. I've now done a piece (wing) from Getty Design and overall it went pretty well. The RSR rear bumper from GT-racing has been a bit more of a hassle. I plan to get the RSR front as well from GT-.

Good Luck and BE PATIENT!!! It's worth it. There is a good thread on fiberglass prep here somewhere...

[911pcars]

"I purchased my tail from MA Shaw, and am very happy with it.

I also purchased front and rear bumpers from Shaw, and ended up spending a significant amount of time sectioning out and rebuilding both of the front turn indicator recesses, as they were both too shallow and narrow and were .700-.800 too tall for my (stock) factory indicators. The rear bumper required modification behind the rear wheel arches (on both sides) where the bumper meets the rear body panels (horizontal line).

Mike Shaw was super to deal with, shipped the parts on time, and overall the quality of the peices is very good."

So I guess you were happy with the pieces despite the add'l fitting required.

Your description, "significant amount of time", "too shallow", "too narrow", "too tall" and "required modification" somehow don't go hand-in-hand with my perception of "overall the quality of the pieces is very good", although I have heard good things about them as well.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[Wayne 962]

We still have a few of these MA SHAW duck tails on special:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/dbsql/db.cgi?db=partsearch&mh=20&view_records=yes&uid=default&description=shaw

-Wayne

[Racerbvd]

Originally posted by island911
Huh! . .. I would have said OE Porsche would be best. ...being that the OE duct-tails are Aluminum!

Porsche also made a steel based tail, and I just happen to own a factory ally based tail

Depending on what you are looking to spend, the MA Shaw is the best all glass tail that I have seen. If you want to spend a few more bucks, Gary Stratton in Orlando bomds a glass tail to SC & later deck lids for the factory look & fit. I have on of these for my SC too.

[Jens]

I have compared a number of aftermarket ducktails. I had 4 different versions on my workbench and a perfect '73 and '80 911s to dry fit them on. The range of quality, shape, and fit varied wildly. I wasn't about to go out and test every one availlable, but, Mike Shaw's was by far the best of the bunch. No fitting necessary at all, just prep and paint and bolt on. I chose Mike's ducktail for my own car. It is featured on the R Gruppe's Member's web page. I'm certain there are other's out there that make a good one, but my search ended with Mike Shaw. (insert standard disclaimer here; no affiliation, etc.)