1986 body mods ?

[Ramp]

I have an 86.5 and may want to add the side skirts from later models and was also wondering if the later cars front and rear bumpers fit without or with minimal modifications

Thoughts ?

Thanks

[Mrmerlin]

if you want to the look of a later model then just buy one the cladding on the S4 is not back date able the front and rear PU covers take major modding to fit and then you have a ruined period correct machine

[Ramp]

All you needed to say is they don't fit . . .

Have a happy holiday

[Mrmerlin]

others have done the swap and depending on how talented the body guy is a good deal of metal has to be modded on the OB chassis to do it properly.

But as you suggest.

The parts dont fit.


Thanks, Happy holidays to you and your family,
Stan

[JK McDonald]

Hey Ramp- I've seen the work involved in trying to update or freshen up the lines of a 928 by adding body kits and/or newer bumpers. The time, labor and money you'd invest would not only be virtually impossible to recover - you would probably actually devalue the original car. Just my opinion but appearance wise to make your car stand out in a crowd - tires and wheels do more for our 928 and will give you the biggest bang for the buck. The only other mod that would be more impressive than a low slung 928 is a 959 rear spoiler at full snort going around curve 4 at the Porsche Experience Center track in Los Angeles.

Mr Merlin is only suggesting that it is much simpler to buy the model you want.

Good Luck with your project - Michael

[Linderpat]

Originally Posted by Ramp

All you needed to say is they don't fit . . .

Have a happy holiday

Nice response. Geez. The fact is, in short answer to your question, they do fit, but it would have been wrong for Stan to be so simplistic. They fit only with a lot of work and modifications. It seems to me the whole point of a technical forum like this is to get good, accurate information in response to one's questions. That's what you got, and you got it from one of the best in the business. Too bad it pissed you off. You might not get the benefit of Stan's wisdom in the future, when you most need it. (although Stan's a good guy and does not hold a grudge)

[Mrmerlin]

BTW if infact you do have an 86.5 VIN over 1000 machine,
these are very rare cars as they incorporated the new arrival models S4 suspension and some interior parts to proof test the updates.

Thus modding a rare half year car is really a great way to reduce any intrinsic value that a new owner might be looking for.

Now if you had an early 86 go ahead cut away,
the 86.5 is by far the most desirable machine,
and will bring the most return on investment if its kept stock,
wheels are easy to swap out ,
bodywork not so much

Thanks Ed and Michael for the kind words.

[Ramp]

So, a couple of things without trying to get into an argument -- something I try to avoid on the forums since there are so many 'opinions' on what's best . . .

I'm generally on the 911 forum, and as most of you know, there are very heated debates on keeping them original vs mod - as well as the air vs water debates. I have kept my 3.2 all original (other than some unseen performance mods that are easily reversed. And, I try and stay out of these arguments as to each his own.

When I saw Merlin's response " ... then you have a ruined period correct machine ..." it immediately brought me back to those overly hyped discussions. So, Merlin, no offense taken and none meant. Often, it's hard to interpret context and tone on a forum.

The comments from all have been helpful - thanks for that.

Some background on this car, may be helpful . ..

Although I've always liked the 928, I never seriously went looking for one. This one happened to fall in my lap through local word of mouth. It's all original, one owner, 40k miles. My name was given to a local widow through a mutual friend and I offered to help her sell it. She tried selling it and had low ball offers from people trying to take advantage. Unfortunately, she has no records but keeps looking for me as she goes through her husband's stuff. I did no research on the model other than a quick perusal through some of the forums.

I did no PPI and basically agreed to just take it off her hands as she wanted the car to be taken care of. I'll be showing her the car when it's done and she loves the fact that my 13yr old is helping me bring it back to life.

As to the body mods, I do like the cladding on the later cars and thought if its bolt on, maybe I would do it when it's ready for that. It was simply something to add to the maybe list of future things to consider as I move through the sorting process and build a large list of things to get done.

I'm well underway with the electrical sorting as I wanted to get all systems functioning as a first step. Then move to basic deferred maintenance (fluid and filters) and then to the 2 bigger jobs - the TMB and Top End refresh.

As to wheels, I originally thought I would put that off but turns out that while the tires have tread, they are hard as a rock from age and need to be replaced but since I would like to move to 18", I need to do that now. I like the deep dish look so any advice on a good set of rims and sizes would be helpful.

Again, thanks to all for the assistance and no hard feelings.

[Linderpat]

your car, your preferences. I always looked askance at those who put plastic covers on their couches, to "save" them for whatever future fate, but deny the present pleasure. Anyway, looking forward to following your progress on it. Also, the rennlist 928 site has a substantial amount more on the these cars. While Pelican is great for 911s, renn is great for 928s. Just tossing that out for you.

Welcome to the shark tank!

[Danglerb]

All sorts of mods have been done to the 928, engines, wheels, paint, body bits, interiors, and about 1% turn out well with a net gain. 80% die from project creep, budget, time, or realizing what a mistake it was in the first place. The other 19% exist in some limbo between expectation and reality.

Rolling the dice with a very nice low mileage early car because it fell into your lap will irk a few, so what.

[Mrmerlin]

for your car the 17 inch wheels look to have the best fit and a pretty wide selection of tires .
The 18 inch wheels fit the 87 and newer cars better than the 17s.
That said the best fitting new er style wheels are either 17 in GTS cup 2 wheels or the 18in 4S Carrera wheels

[harborman]

Originally Posted by Mrmerlin

for your car the 17 inch wheels look to have the best fit and a pretty wide selection of tires .
The 18 inch wheels fit the 87 and newer cars better than the 17s.
That said the best fitting new er style wheels are either 17 in GTS cup 2 wheels or the 18in 4S Carrera wheels

Nice looking car. Is the color stock??

[Ramp]

I had the 4S wheels on my 996 - nice wheel.

I was thinking something like this - perhaps in a gunmetal shade

I would like as wide as possible and fill the wheel wells without having to do any mods other than adding spacers if needed

[JamesSmith40]

They won't be a direct fit. You'll need to do some modifications. Personally I think it would be a weird mismatch since you are using different parts confusing a well designed car. If you want a different look, try looking for an aftermarket body kit made specifically for the car.

[5l32v4c]

Something I do not particularly like about my '85 are the tail-lights. To my mind, they look almost home-made and are too small when viewed directly from behind. I would consider trying to graft some later lights into a second rear bumper cover like the one I already have, keeping the original for if / when I sell it. Would be a cool project although I'm not sure what [flexible] material you'd use to reshape the openings.