fiberglass body pieces

[kholm]

Hi all, This my 1st time posting here, I'm working on a ' 74 911S which is in need of some rust repair etc.. I recently read an article in "Excellence" about an early 911S that used extensive fiberglass body work to lower weight, and I wondering which manufacturer has the best reputation for quality of fit etc.. Thanks, Ken

[Jack Olsen]

Welcome to the board.

Up on the pale blue menu bar there's a search function, where you'll find many discussions of this topic.

[laughac]

Interesting topic but I can't search from this Blackberry so it would be great if you could bump the good threads you find about fiberglass and carbon fiber panels.

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by kholm

Hi all, This my 1st time posting here, I'm working on a ' 74 911S which is in need of some rust repair etc.. I recently read an article in "Excellence" about an early 911S that used extensive fiberglass body work to lower weight, and I wondering which manufacturer has the best reputation for quality of fit etc.. Thanks, Ken

Hi, I am the kid with the Excellence car whom you emailed through PCA.

Welcome to the board. You will find a lot of information here and some cool 911 project cars.

As my Dad said in the email reply, we used GT Racing. All fiberglass parts will need fitting and finishing but GT Racing seems to be very good and require less work. Stay away from AIR, as you can see here:Wider is better

You get what you pay for with fiberglass and carbom-fiber composite parts. Someone who may be good to talk to is Dave Bouzaglou at TRE Motorsports www.tremotorsports.com

If you search "rust repair" "IROC" and other terms related to your project, you should find some good threads. Here is a search result: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/search.php?searchid=2952335; The best threads usually mention a car and the words "hot rod" or "restoration"

Merry Christmas and I hope your project is as fun to work on as it is to drive. Please post photos when you can.

[dondarnell]

I used GT Racing bumpers and an engine lid on my 911R project. Very pleased with thier products.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Getty Design has a big PDF catalogue, and their quality is tops. I've used several of their pieces, and the fit and finish are excellent. Stay away from the companies--can't tell you which ones they are--that excuse the poor quality of their parts by pleading that they're "just for racecars, where it doesn't matter," which some of them do say.

[Zeke]

Bear in mind that a lot of these companies don't actually make some of their own parts, if any. With a little time spent here, you'll be able to sort that out. AFA using a Blackberry to acquire info to build a car, I think you're shorting yourself. At this point, I think I have 3 feet of printed matter on a shelf devoted to the 911 and not much of it is duplication.

[RWebb]

If you do searches, this might be a good place to list the links you find. That will help organize things and assist others in the future.

This is a topic that comes up frequently and it would be nice to have a comprehensive thread to point people to.

Here are some additional resources on light wt.

Spreadsheet with wt.s of many items:
http://www.penaltykicker.com/911/data/

MS Word *.doc file with comparisons of factory and selected aftermarket light wt. cars; links to Jim Calzia's wt. data; citations for further reading:
http://www.penaltykicker.com/911/data/

thread on my efforts to lose wt. via FG Bodywork - early longnose type car:
Yet Another Boring Hot Rod Rgruppe Car - Part V, Exterior & Paint

Shakin' Joe also carefully documented wt. loss efforts on a bumper car - think it had the heavy G-50 trans in it.
438 lbs gone in 5 days - My Build Story

Thread on Early 911S bbs re the 911R with some 356 kibbitzing:
http://www.early911sregistry.org/forum/showthread.php?t=24160

some abbreviated ideas on how light a 911 can be made:
Enlightenment

the RS saved some wt. by using thinner sheet metal and glass:
Thin Metal on RS Models


Beware of mere cosmetic lipstick on a pig efforts...

[roadrelic]

Over the years, I've fitted quite a few of Hank's GT Racing pieces and some others. They GT Racing parts usually fit great, you have to understand that fiberglass/carbon fiber parts are only as good as the molds they come out of. Also what type of materials are used; resins, gelcoat, and the cure times.
I've had a few parts (not from GT) that looked like they were taken out of the mold only half cured (still rubbery). None of the contours lined up correctly, we had to trash the part in the end....

Don't think I've ever had a mass produced fiberglass part that just bolted right up to the car, without out any minor tweaking/fitting. That's why the mounts, and or holes are not generally put in for you from the factory.

[kholm]

Thanks to all who have responded to my inquiry about fiberglass body pieces.

Ken

[Ole Petter]

Rwebb - thanks a lot for posting all the threads
Really nice to have so much information available at once!