Anyone done a 911R window conversion?

[Todd Simpson]

Since those window regulators weigh so much AND my winder hits the roll cage anyway I'm thinking a 911R style window conversion would be cool. Leather strap and a button to raise and lower the windows. Anyone done this?

Todd

[ErVikingo]

Yes I have. Fairly easy too. Removed the whole regulator and attached the leather strap with a rivet to the bottom edge of the new (lexan) window. Kept the factory runners (vertical).

It is not concours quality but for a race car is great, very very light too.

Email me if you need furhter info.

[74911s]

this is a project that i have been thinking about for a couple months.

i would like to do the conversion on my track car but would like to keep the original glass windows. i still drive the car on the street and to the track.

keep us up to date if you go for it.

[barlowdo]

Believe it or not I used this very method to hold up my 1986 Jeep Cherokee window that had a failed regulator. I was desparate as Jeep would be sitting outside all weekend while I was away . Of course the regulator had to fail when I had the window down and on a Friday afternoon. After repeated attempts failed to get the window regulator working again I decided to simulate the 911R trick on my Jeep. I pulled the door panel off dropped a string down thru the window casing, attached string to bottom of window. Pulled the string with window attached backup and tied it off on arm rest. "Jeeps have arm rests" . Of course a garage to put the Non German vehicle in would have been better but I doubt I would have thought of this solution if I had not read about the 911R method.

Wayne go ahead and delete this if it is not quite Porsche related.

-Don B

[Wayne 962]

No problem here...

-Wayne

[Todd Simpson]

Is the lexan window necessary or could it work with glass? Anyone have pictures of a conversion or the real thing?

Todd

[ErVikingo]

It could work on glass, as a matter of fact, Ruf made some lightweight Yellowbirds with them.

Lexan is ideal since in the end you are trying to reduce weight. Why not???

[emcon5]

I just stumbled across this in another thread. Best pic I have seen so far of a 911r window.



Tom

[tobluforu]

Any one do the rear quarters.?

[CamB]

So my question is whether you can lift the window using the strap or if the window lifting is done with your hand through the open door panel...

Cam

[TRE Cup]

you can lift the window with the strap, no problem. The rear quarters in lexan are no problem. You can go with either glass or the lexan, If you go with lexan , be aware that the door plastic windows get sucked out at high speeds!. You can use thicker lexan, but then it defeats their advantage of being light and they bind since they are not curved.

[82SC]

has anyone done this conversion?

I assume the bar in the picture is used to close the door...
(oops the bar is actually the lower edge of the window...)

how do you open it?

does anyone have this with OEM glass? Would that be too heavy?

MJ

MORE PICS???

[cstreit]

I have this setup as well, used snaps to secure the window straps. I don't have door panels so yuo can see it well...

I can get you some direct photos if you want, this one doesn't show it too well...

[II6]

I have a concern with using lexan for a street application (ie. no helmet). I believe the side window glass is supposed to shatter in case of an impact during an accident, so that your head doesn't get impaled on one of the sharp edges of a plastic piece... Otherwise why wouldn't manufacturers come up with plastic windows all around? (aside from a durability issue) Does this make sense? Any thoughts?

[82SC]

found this in an old Excellence

looks like the yellow is the inner skin of the fiberglass inside of the door, a trunk pull handle for the door, and there is a door pocket like part on the bottom of the opening

don't know if this is reproducible in a steel door...

I still would like to see details of the door...hoping one will be at the german autofest in a couple weeks

still wondering if glass would be too heavy to do this...

MJ

[TRE Cup]

Though it is extremely unlikely the lexan will shatter, it will scratch from repeated up/down use and cleaning. Then cars coming at you from the side will look a lot like a buffalo stampede of light in the night! (Remember who said " I see a thousand points of light!"- okay he didn't refer to lexan windows, but you get the visual?) Now add to this the strong tendency to blow outward at high speed and you can understand why plastic side windows did not last long on the race scene with R style installations. The real R windows were formed of a thicker material and they had the same curvature as stock glass. The curvature imparted the strength needed to keep them in the track at the car's top speed. When we attempted to use a thicker flat lexan , it caused a binding problem in the tracks and still wanted to blow out at speed!
Porsche used fixed windows on the later faster cars with sliding opening sections.

[Langers]

Originally posted by II6
I have a concern with using lexan for a street application (ie. no helmet). I believe the side window glass is supposed to shatter in case of an impact during an accident, so that your head doesn't get impaled on one of the sharp edges of a plastic piece... Otherwise why wouldn't manufacturers come up with plastic windows all around? (aside from a durability issue) Does this make sense? Any thoughts?

Lexan / Polycarbonate scratches very easily (ask anyone who has a radio controlled car), and after a few months of winding the window up and down on a road car it can become very cloudy. I would say that is the main reason manufacturers don't use them.