Which ducktail to buy?

Christien · Christien's Garage

Looking for recommendations on a ducktail, and where to buy from. I've narrowed it down to Rennspeed or TRE. Both seem to have comparable products, considering I fully expect to have to do a bit of sanding and shaping to get it to fit properly. The only difference I see between to 2 is about $120 after shipping costs. (MA Shaw would be another $100, probably more.)

Any ideas why one might be more expensive than the other? From searching through back posts here, I don't see much difference in terms of fit.

Thanks,
Chris

Jeff Alton · 02-21-2005, 09:15 PM

It seems you aren't interested in the MAShaw one, so this maybe of little value, but....... I have the Shaw tail on my car and it is very well made, but I think either the mold is mis sized a little as the edge gaps were close to being excessive. I have heard good things about the two choices you listed above.

Cheers, Jeff

Vipergrün · 02-21-2005, 09:23 PM

From reading some threads, it seems that a lot of vendors are "in bed" together when it comes to FRP parts. Meaning, that there are a few actual places who produce the product, and the others are the distributors. I recently heard or read that Shaw actually gets at least some stuff from Getty Designs, but I'd hate to start a rumor. On that note, I am looking at the Getty stuff for my next car. No matter who makes the stuff, you'll have to go back to the seller if issues arise. On that note, I'd go with someone reputable.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

I have an extra Shaw tail for sale - at $450. I think it's sold, but I'm still waiting to hear back on whether the shipping amount is okay (they have to be shipped oversized).

-Wayne

Christien · Christien's Garage

Thanks for the tips. Wayne, do you know if there's any other reasons than fitting that the Shaw tails are so expensive? From what I've read, most people seem to find they do fit better than other tails, but still not perfect. At $450, which for a Shaw is a really good deal, and a cheap shipping estimate at $25, it still comes to almost $600 CDN, not including border surprises. I was hoping to keep the whole project under $300, but that looks unrealistic. Still, $600 if really high.

Brad, I wonder if you might be hitting the nail on the head with what you say about several distributors, but really very few manufacturers, which would mean most of the tails would be the same thing. I totally agree about dealing with a reputable seller - I'm not the slightest bit concerned about dealing with any of the people mentioned in this thread.

Chris

Wavey · 02-22-2005, 08:00 AM

Christien, your basic question seems to be "how can the fit be that different, and how hard can it be to make it fit". Believe me, there are many ways the fit can be off on a cheap tail. The basic dimensions can be off, so that you can't get an equal or acceptable gap around the perimeter. If there's too much material it's not too hard to reim, but if you're short of material it's a giant PIA. They can be out of square, so that the gaps aren't parallel. They can be too thick at the edges to that you can't get them to fit flush with the surrounding panels. They can be twisted so they fit like a potato chip. The hinge mounting points can be off so that you can't get the top edge flush or square. The latch point can be off so that you can't get the latch to fit. They can have a ducktail that isn't parallel to the bumper or the ground when you get everything else to fit right. This stuff isn't such a big deal on a race car but it looks bad on a street car.