Repaint Questions - Headliner & Ruf Bumpers

[Inniswhe]

I am doing a repaint on my silver 84 Carrera and have a few questions for those who have been there done that.

The car: 130k miles and shows alot of minor highway nicks etc. It has had some good quality minor body work to the fenders etc by previous owners.

The car is good working order and I plan on keeping the car for a very long time and taking it back to top form as time permits.This labour of love is my first Porsche (at 37yrs old). I will rebuild/upgrade the engine/tranny when they are due.

I am disassembling the car for the body shop. I know the owner well and they will do a quality job as I want to ensure I get the best paint job for long term.

I plan on taking most everything off and was wondering if the headliner has to be removed ? The doors are being disassembled and all glass/sunroof are coming out. I will see about getting the window frames powdercoated.

Also should the front fenders come off to do a proper job ? I was a little reluctant since they may be difficult to realign?

Also one final question which is really personal opinion. I was thinking about putting on the RUF CTR style bumpers. What is the general concensus out there . Do they look tacky or do they make the car look better overall. I have never seen a car in person with them only pictures on the web.
I really like the backdate look but that looks like to much work at this time

Thanks for any comments.

Ross

[4flyboy]

Hi Ross,

My opinion and a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee. I've been debating this same question forever. I really like the CTR Yellowbird look albeit with a Duck spoiler. My car has just under 100K and I debate constantly on whether to keep it stock or not.

To this end I've done semi-stock upgrades such as a Becker/Porsche 996 Stereo. I've also recovered some old school Recaros and will install those soon.

I've decided to stay stock/reversable for now and make it as nice and new as I can. That said when I have 130K and I'm facing a paint job I think I'll live out my alter-ego and go whole hog for my pesonalized version of a light modified 911.

My car is Iris Blue and doesn't look near as cool as a Silver CTR IMHO. There are several pictures of what your car will look like finished. I've seen this conversion live and it really comes down to the prep and quality of the paint. If you do a first class job I think it will look terrific. Go for it!

S.

[RSTarga]

I would not remove the headliner unless it was in bad condition. Personally I like the Ruf piece as it eliminates those ugly rubber bumper pieces, just looks smoother. Keep all your old pieces though.

[w21055]

I would pull the fenders. Just did this process myself and having the fenders off allowed us to clean the mounting area and repaint it. If the headliner is nice, leave it, I had to change mine and you will find out that it takes much longer than you think to do it right.

[Inniswhe]

Thanks for the comments. I am going to try and keep the headliner, pull the fenders, and still need to decide on the RUF bumpers but I am leaning towards adding them.

4Flyboy, I too like the ducktail look very much and am considering that as well when I repaint. Ducktail and RUF bumpers is a bit of a dog's breakfast of styles/eras but too me it just looks cool.

Ross

[PcarPhil]

Originally Posted by Inniswhe

4Flyboy, I too like the ducktail look very much and am considering that as well when I repaint. Ducktail and RUF bumpers is a bit of a dog's breakfast of styles/eras but too me it just looks cool.

Ross

I ran my old SC like this for awhile (Ruf bumpers, duck, and Fuchs). It is a mixed bag of styling but does look very nice together.

If I did another Ruf inspired car I'd go with an all fiberglass Carrera tail, Ruf bumpers, 934 mirrors, and some Fiske or Kinesis style wheels.

[Inniswhe]

Scott,

The photos of your SC on the RUF bumper thread were what inspired me to consider the RUF bumpers. Do you have any photos of the car side on with the RUF bumpers and with or without ducktail?
What was your preference ie. with or without the duck. It looks quite nice either way from the photos you had posted.
The car with the very clean look of the RUF bumpers and all silver might even look better with a carrera graphic so if you had a side shot of your SC I might try and play with photoshop to see what it might look like.

Ross

[PcarPhil]

Originally Posted by Inniswhe

Scott,

The photos of your SC on the RUF bumper thread were what inspired me to consider the RUF bumpers. Do you have any photos of the car side on with the RUF bumpers and with or without ducktail?
What was your preference ie. with or without the duck. It looks quite nice either way from the photos you had posted.
The car with the very clean look of the RUF bumpers and all silver might even look better with a carrera graphic so if you had a side shot of your SC I might try and play with photoshop to see what it might look like.

Ross

Ross,

I like my 911's both with a duck and with a non-spoiler lid. Though I prefer driving them with a duck (they do make the car feel more stable vs. a non-spoiler lid). Occasionally I swap lids just to change up the look.

I'll check on my home computer to see if I have any additional pics of my old SC. There may be a side profile shot in the Ruf thread in my sig...

[4flyboy]

Kaefer,

Ditto on the inspiration that Ross referenced. It was your car that I had in mind when I told him how cool I thought it would look.

The Duck is a mixed bag combined w/CTR stuff but I really like the look.

To further muddy the waters I think the widebodies with a Duck are really something fine stock or CTR. In both cases 993 mirrors finish it off nicely.

The 934 mirrors look amazing but I'd have to go with a full width inside mirror to make up for the lack of rear vision in everyday driving and I don't like them.

Also Ross are you considering a front oil cooler? I'd go whole hog and use that inlet if you do the CTR thing.

Wow I'm in trouble. I'm realizing that I've been giving this waaay to much thought.

Good luck Ross and let s know with pictures of course!

My wallet indicates that a vicarious thrill is all that's in the budget.

Scott

[F4 PLT]

I'm also about to do a complete re-paint of my '83 SC and do not plan to do anything with the headliner. I will remove all glass and the doors, front trunk hood, engine duck tail lid and most likely the front fenders as well as front and rear bumpers. We will also drop the engine. When re-assembling new rubber is the order of the day as well as new felt seal around the sunroof and new decals in the engine. It will not be perfect but a good start and I will have any rust corrected. I have a 997 but love the much modified Sc and plan to keep it until such time I pass it to my son.

[4flyboy]

F4 PLT as in Phantom pilot?

I like the tradition you've started and I'll bet your son does too.

First post? Introduce yourself we've quite a few pilots but few F-4 pilots.

Welcome,

Scott

P.S. Great looking car!

[PcarPhil]

Originally Posted by 4flyboy

Kaefer,

Ditto on the inspiration that Ross referenced. It was your car that I had in mind when I told him how cool I thought it would look.

The Duck is a mixed bag combined w/CTR stuff but I really like the look.

To further muddy the waters I think the widebodies with a Duck are really something fine stock or CTR. In both cases 993 mirrors finish it off nicely.

The 934 mirrors look amazing but I'd have to go with a full width inside mirror to make up for the lack of rear vision in everyday driving and I don't like them.

Also Ross are you considering a front oil cooler? I'd go whole hog and use that inlet if you do the CTR thing.

Wow I'm in trouble. I'm realizing that I've been giving this waaay to much thought.

Good luck Ross and let s know with pictures of course!

My wallet indicates that a vicarious thrill is all that's in the budget.

Scott

I too really like widebody cars with a duck...hence my current project!

I never added a front nose cooler to my Ruf bumpered SC. I did make blockoff plates for the front cooler opening and fog openings. The blockoff plates aided in the stability of the front end at higher speeds.

As far as side shots of my SC...here's what I've got:

[4flyboy]

Scott you must be my evil twin counterpart on the East Coast.

Do you still have the silver SC lightweight?

This might not be the proper venue (Ross's thread) but I for one would sure like to see that widebody project.

I've always loved the understatement of the widebody tailess or with a Duck!

Good looking car.

Scott

[PcarPhil]

Originally Posted by 4flyboy

Scott you must be my evil twin counterpart on the East Coast.

Do you still have the silver SC lightweight?

This might not be the proper venue (Ross's thread) but I for one would sure like to see that widebody project.

I've always loved the understatement of the widebody tailess or with a Duck!

Good looking car.

Scott

The SC was sold awhile back to a Pelican to help fund my current project. Click on the 1977 911S link in my sig and check it out!

[F4 PLT]

Originally Posted by 4flyboy

F4 PLT as in Phantom pilot?

I like the tradition you've started and I'll bet your son does too.

First post? Introduce yourself we've quite a few pilots but few F-4 pilots.

Welcome,

Scott

P.S. Great looking car!

Yes I flew the F4 including four tours in VietNam. Retired from the AF in '87 been driving Porsches since '68 Besides the '83SC we have a '09 C2S and my wife drives a Cayenne GTS. After I retired I have had a "V" tailed Bonanza followed by a Citabria and the last was an RV 8 (of course painted red white and blue as the flag) had to sell it and quit flying 18 months ago when I was told I had macular degeneration in both eyes. Miss going upside down but the roar of a finely tuned flat six (air or water) provides my excitement now. My son, who will be 40 next week will get the SC at some point but not real soon. It is just too much fun