Decklid trade out

[rbuswell]

I'm thinking of buying an SC or Carrera Coupe or Cab but it seems many of them have whaletales which I'm not fond of. Is the existing whaletale decklid able to be retro'd or is a different decklid, A/C hardware and grill, etc. in order? Also will this cause any aerodynamics problems if the front spoiler remains. Thanks.

[stormmaster]

The lids are the same....the whale tale will have holes for the tail to mount to....all other items will mount right up....as far as the front spoiler is concerned...it is reccomened by Porsche to run both or neither as high speed handling will be affected adversely if one is used without the other....let me know if you want to get rid of your front spoiler when the time comes...

[rbuswell]

Thanks, Stormmaster. Is the standard front piece difficult to come by?

[stormmaster]

you can just unbolt the spoiler from the valance
and keep your old valance in place

[rbuswell]

Thanks again. Would you guess that the covered spots by these parts will be OK or would a repaint be needed?

[stormmaster]

I would suggest getting a replacement rear lid and having it painted to match and selling yours as a unit....unless you know a good body man...either way you are going to have to paint the deck lid....you will also be able to sell your tail easier as an assembly....as far as the front valance in concerned you wont need to fill the holes.

[rbuswell]

I noticed a used assembly just as you described in the Pelican Used Parts sections so I must not be the only one who's thinking this way. I actually do know an excellent body man who speciliazes in restorations and isn't afraid of painting Porsches. If I'll have to pay to paint the lid anyway, would you think it would make sense to do the lid that came with it since it would be the same color? Or is the spoiler a pretty valuable part?

[KCinBR]

I had a similar situation when I purchased my 88 Carrera about a year ago. It had an aftermarket tail that did not fit well at all. Fortunatley the PO had the oringinal decklid and I was able to change it out and did not have to repaint. Decklids are not hard to find the biggest expense will be painting.

Also you will have no trouble selling your tail (pun intended) here on this board or on ebay

[raceman]

l think you should drive your car at it`s top speed with and then without the lip and whaletail. lf you`re just going to cruise it there won`t be much change but at top speeds and on track there is a HUGE difference.lf those are factory parts you`re taking off and not repro`s they are worth some $$$$,especially the tail.l`ve seen the tails go for up to $800.00 on Ebay.l sold mine at Pomona for $500.00 but l didn`t want to kart it back to Santa Fe.

[stormmaster]

The problem is filling the holes left by the lid mounting bolts and dressing both sides of the deck lid to the repair isnt noticeable....If you sell your led and tail it keeps somebody from having to drill holes in their tail....and you having to fill yours....Lids are available all over the place....ebay...here....rennlist...porsche dismantlers....and lids are not that expensive...and yes...your tail is the most expensive part of the deal.

[rbuswell]

You are all gentlemen and scholars. You all make perfect sense and I appreciate your input very much. My feelings are couched in the love for the classic lines of a 911. Since I don't expect to race the car or run much over 120 MPH, I felt appearance was the overriding factor. If I buy one with a whaletale I will definitely think in terms of finding another decklid and selling the assembly.

[Dantilla]

Find another deck lid, then keep yours in storage. If you ever do a club Driver's Education day, you'll be hooked on track driving, and you'll want to put your tail back on.

[rbuswell]

Another excellent idea! But it may be hard to pass on $800 or thereabouts on eBay, etc.

[Dantilla]

Caution!

I attended a track day a few years ago, and now I have a Porsche with big numbers on the doors!

[Scooter]

Originally posted by stormmaster
....as far as the front spoiler is concerned...it is reccomened by Porsche to run both or neither as high speed handling will be affected adversely if one is used without the other....

I don't believe this statement to be true. Everything that I have ever read indicates that running a chin spoiler without a tail is just fine, but one should not run a tail without a chin. Before I accept either pieces of advice as true, I would do a little more research prior to taking off your chin and selling it.

[Rutherford]

Good questions , I did know that you couldn't run a whale tale with out a chin spoiler, but I was wonder how would the car handle with a Ruf yellow bird bumper and no whale tale on the car? I have looked at alot of pictures and it seems the thing to do, if knock off Ruf bumper has a nice lower flange would be to rivet some aircraft engine baffle to the the lower chin portion a create a flexible chin spoiler.

[stormmaster]

There was an article in excellence regarding lift reductions and inbalances created by using one without the other....that is where I got my info from...although I don't remember which issue it was in....simply stated...tale alone induces push....chin alone induces over steer...Ducktails were not included in the mix.

[89911]

Buy a used one and sell your old one. I've seen piles of old deck lids for sale at Hershey for less then 50 bucks. A good tail can bring 10 times that easy.