Duck tail, I think it's time

[Snitzler]

I want to change the whale tail on my 1988 911 to a duck tail. What's the best way and who has the best fitting duck tail?
Thanks

[Busta Rib]

As someone that recently did this on my 911 and has done so several times before, go Getty/MA Shaw or go home. Best bang for the buck and fitment has never let me down.

[tirwin]

I just did this last month. John Holt at Hot Wheels here in Marietta, GA worked with MA Shaw on mine. John took the outer fiberglass part from Shaw and mated it to the steel frame of an original decklid. You get the fitment of steel and it is lightweight. John has a "mule" he uses to do the test fit. He will paint and ship.

[gliding_serpent]

I am waist deep in my ducktail fitment. My Getty is light, but fitment... needed work. Everything is in the eye of the beholder, and I have no comparisons, but mine has needed ~10 hours at the bodyshop to get a satisfactory (not perfect) fitment, and we are not there yet. Getty quotes 2.5 hrs fitment in in their manual... and this may be true for a good piece (not all are equal), and for someone experienced with both fiberglass and ducktails. For the rest of us...

If money is a concern, and you are risk adverse, I would get a Stratton (Sanjay) tail. The extra money and wait upfront, will be paid back in spades with easy and excellent fitment. Down side is weight (not a huge difference), and losing an original decklid.

[tirwin]

Just to be clear, I still have my original decklid. John will provide one.

[grizzfan]

+1. Ducktails rule!!

Tom

[nvr2mny]

If money is a concern, and you are risk adverse, I would get a Stratton (Sanjay) tail. The extra money and wait upfront, will be paid back in spades with easy and excellent fitment. Down side is weight (not a huge difference), and losing an original decklid.[/QUOTE]

+1 on Gary's (Sonjay) ducktails.

[doublebuffle]

TRE. 8 hours of fitment? No. I think it needed two rounds of sand/primer though. It is fiberglass and very light.

[will hung]

Originally Posted by tirwin

I just did this last month. John Holt at Hot Wheels here in Marietta, GA worked with MA Shaw on mine. John took the outer fiberglass part from Shaw and mated it to the steel frame of an original decklid. You get the fitment of steel and it is lightweight. John has a "mule" he uses to do the test fit. He will paint and ship.

If you don't want to post it, I understand, but how much does this service cost?

[Jesse16]

Stratton ducktail will still need fitting before paint, my experience. As someone else said, the look of the fit is very different and you may want to see it before finishing. Also remember you cannot use the lift cylinder with ducks. (Again my experience and mentioned by others). The push to hard all the time and lift one side.
All that and I still love the old school look and won't go back. Nothing but positive comments.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by will hung

If you don't want to post it, I understand, but how much does this service cost?

Best just to give John a quick call. I'll PM you his contact info.

[RichardNew]

If it's fiberglass it's trouble. They all need work. I know.

I really like the idea of mounting the fiberglass on an original metal lid. I would do that in a heartbeat.

Richard Newton
Buying a Porsche at the Monterey Auctions?

[Jesse16]

Last point so people understand is that I notice on my Stratton ducktail, most of the flat decklid metal is removed leaving essentially a "picture frame" of metal to which the f'glass is attached. That picture frame provides some but not all of the original fit because its not nearly as rigid or heavy, thus still needs to be verified before paint.

[Josh D]

Another vote for the MA Shaw. It might not be perfect, but neither am I.

[Ferrino]

Originally Posted by tirwin

I just did this last month. John Holt at Hot Wheels here in Marietta, GA worked with MA Shaw on mine. John took the outer fiberglass part from Shaw and mated it to the steel frame of an original decklid. You get the fitment of steel and it is lightweight.

Does John retain the complete steel decklid and bond the fiberglass duck on top of that. Or does he peel away the outer skin and glue onto the lower frame? i.e. when looking at the underside of the finished product, do you see the fiberglass or does it appear just as the underside of a steel decklid. Thanks.

[tirwin]

Originally Posted by Ferrino

Does John retain the complete steel decklid and bond the fiberglass duck on top of that. Or does he peel away the outer skin and glue onto the lower frame? i.e. when looking at the underside of the finished product, do you see the fiberglass or does it appear just as the underside of a steel decklid. Thanks.

It is the outer shell of the MA Shaw fiberglass tail mated to the inner shell of the steel decklid. The advantage is that is only marginally heavier than all-fiberglass tail, but retains some of the rigidity of the steel frame.

I'll try to snap a picture later if that helps but since it's all black it's hard to see the detail.

And sorry the pictures I posted earlier aren't that good -- I have been too busy lately to get some good shots with the car in the sunshine.

[zl0ca]

I have the mashaw and couldn't be happier with the build quality


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bavaria911]

Welcome to the duck club !

[gerber28]

Bought mine from Rennspeed, no problems with fitment but the paint shop had a lot of hours in finish, mostly small pinholes.
[IMG][/IMG]

[RSBob]

It is way past time....