Discussion
So I just got my carbon spoiler blade that I ordered from Knight Racer in Milton Keynes. There is one glaring issue with it - I ordered a satin finish blade and a gloss one has turned up! Well the photo they have on their website shows a satin finish so assumed that's what I would get. It took six weeks to arrive even though I was told three. That I can live with but it being the wrong one is very annoying. I could fit it and it would look very nice no doubt but then it wouldn't match the other carbon on the car. I have the third brake light panel in satin carbon and the lower tailpipes surrounds. Not to mention the side air vents and bonnet, mirrors etc.
I spoke to the company and they were apologetic and said if I return it they will have it lacquered for me. However I'm not sure I want it to be lacquered as it will flake off after a while. So I'm thinking of having it wrapped with clear film that reduces the gloss finish.
The quality of the piece is very nice apart from the wrong finish (although I'm not able to offer it to the wing yet to see if it fits perfectly.) If it does then it's a bargain part. This item was £350 inc VAT. And it's made properly (pre-preg) From Porsche it would set you back £3,500!!!
Anyone know a good vehicle wrap company in the North West?
I spoke to the company and they were apologetic and said if I return it they will have it lacquered for me. However I'm not sure I want it to be lacquered as it will flake off after a while. So I'm thinking of having it wrapped with clear film that reduces the gloss finish.
The quality of the piece is very nice apart from the wrong finish (although I'm not able to offer it to the wing yet to see if it fits perfectly.) If it does then it's a bargain part. This item was £350 inc VAT. And it's made properly (pre-preg) From Porsche it would set you back £3,500!!!
Anyone know a good vehicle wrap company in the North West?
Soov535 said:
UIf your order says matt and they've sent gloss they owe you a new matt one.
Don't take ant sh*t.
Well eventually they offered to accept it back and have it re lacquered for me. However I decided to have it done myself. I waited six weeks for it to arrive and I could have waited another six weeks to get it back. Also I couldn't be sure they would do it how I wanted it. As my car was already at Road & Race I took it in and asked the painter to make it look like the rest of the carbon already on my car. Don't take ant sh*t.
They also said they will update their website to reflect the options of having a gloss one or a satin one as I complained they only showed what looked like a matt one but were selling gloss ones.
Made a short video of my car for the purposes of hearing the exhaust. Video isn't the best as the camera was a bit loose on the on the mount but the audio is fine. I'm planning to make another, better video as soon as I get my car back.
Car has Kline Innovation exhaust with BMC air filter.
Kline Innovation exhaust on modified 997 Turbo - YouTube
Car has Kline Innovation exhaust with BMC air filter.
Kline Innovation exhaust on modified 997 Turbo - YouTube
BubblesNW said:
Saw the car last week at R&R, a really professional job. Obviously a labour of love with no view to recouping what you have spent and for that 
Glad you liked it. Interestingly the painter said they thought it was a GT2RS that had been in an accident and was in for repair. Yeah it's a keeper. No intensions of ever selling it.
Adam B said:
Was the whole car painted this get a match or just the new front and arches?
Well it has a whole new front end, flared wings, bumper and carbon bonnet so they blended the paint on the doors. But most of the car has had paint now. Rear bumper was changed as was the decklid. I'm putting a new roof panel on to remove the sunroof so only the rear quarters will remain with original paint. Was at Tech9 yesterday to see my car. It's nearly complete, just the bumper lacking some parts, so they can't fit it. Everything else is done. The wings are on the car and look fab. Unfortunately there are small parts that have needed to be ordered which need to come from Germany. They also told me there was a bracket missing that holds the washer jets in place and they couldn't find the part numbers to order them. I managed to find them on teile.com and called Wilmslow to place the order: £110 each! for this little bracket WTF???
Bracket for washer jets
Anyway they are ordered and will arrive Friday-ish. Also different are the side repeater indicator lights and connectors (not the glass part which I already bought but the inner light unit). Can't remember exactly what he said but they need to order some parts to switch these so they work. I think he mentioned replacing the connectors.
The bumper is sat on a table, tantalisingly close to completion - frustrating. And Parked right in the doorway was this absolutely stunning & slammed (real) GT2RS. Left hooker but gorgeous nonetheless.
And another boob on my part is that I ordered the wrong front tyres, so now I have had to order the correct front tyres, at £420 the pair! I could have left them but they are the wrong 'shape.' Yes they are round, but not the chunky side wall that I want. They have been ordered from tyreleader. So brand new 245/35/19 Michelin Cup 2 tyres up for sale if anyone wants a bargain.
Good news is Road & Race have done a great job on the re-lacquering of the spoiler blade. Richard, the chap who's doing the build on my car at Tech9 thought it was OEM. That's a testament to the actual blade as well as the finish. Like I said to him I'll be happy once it's fitted and it Fits properly.
So maybe I'll get it back end of this week or maybe it will be the beginning of next now. :sad:
Original finish and now satin finish
Bracket for washer jets
Anyway they are ordered and will arrive Friday-ish. Also different are the side repeater indicator lights and connectors (not the glass part which I already bought but the inner light unit). Can't remember exactly what he said but they need to order some parts to switch these so they work. I think he mentioned replacing the connectors.
The bumper is sat on a table, tantalisingly close to completion - frustrating. And Parked right in the doorway was this absolutely stunning & slammed (real) GT2RS. Left hooker but gorgeous nonetheless.
And another boob on my part is that I ordered the wrong front tyres, so now I have had to order the correct front tyres, at £420 the pair! I could have left them but they are the wrong 'shape.' Yes they are round, but not the chunky side wall that I want. They have been ordered from tyreleader. So brand new 245/35/19 Michelin Cup 2 tyres up for sale if anyone wants a bargain.
Good news is Road & Race have done a great job on the re-lacquering of the spoiler blade. Richard, the chap who's doing the build on my car at Tech9 thought it was OEM. That's a testament to the actual blade as well as the finish. Like I said to him I'll be happy once it's fitted and it Fits properly.
So maybe I'll get it back end of this week or maybe it will be the beginning of next now. :sad:
Original finish and now satin finish
Edited by Isysman on Wednesday 4th May 19:53
m33ufo said:
Nice job. Look forward to seeing the finished result.
One thing I've never liked are the chrome headlight washer covers. Get them painted black?
I've changed my covers to painted ones on my last 4 cars which I think looks massively better.
I've seen a couple of cars with shiny black washer covers. I thought it looked a bit odd. I actually like them chrome. One thing I've never liked are the chrome headlight washer covers. Get them painted black?
I've changed my covers to painted ones on my last 4 cars which I think looks massively better.
So just heard back from Tech9. They told me the carbon blade I bought cannot be fitted to the wing as it has warped on each end. So it doesn't fit. Extremely disappointing considering the time I waited for it and then having to get it re-finished in satin lacquer. If I had still had my car in the garage I would have test fitted it before having it lacquered.
Edited by Isysman on Tuesday 10th May 10:44
m33ufo said:
Surely they'll replace it?
Hope so. However it took six weeks to get that one, so now I'm not sure I want to wait that time again only for it to not fit again. Maybe they will have one in stock that they can fit onto a car before shipping out to me. This was my main concern about ordering non OEM parts. It's been hard with these kind of parts. On the few occasions I've tried they have usually been below standard.
OK chaps, thanks for all the positive feedback. I collected my car yesterday. Needless to say I am very happy with the results. Tech9 and Road & Race did a fantastic job. I bow down to you both
Toby (GT2 owner) if you are still reading can you tell me where you got your wing blade from? The one I bought doesn't fit, it's warped and actually too short.
Thought I'd put in a photo with the badges on so people can see how they look and get the negative comments out of the way!
Toby (GT2 owner) if you are still reading can you tell me where you got your wing blade from? The one I bought doesn't fit, it's warped and actually too short.
Thought I'd put in a photo with the badges on so people can see how they look and get the negative comments out of the way!
Digga said:
hem zorsts look boz eyed.
Stunning looking motor. Would love to graft the GT2 bumper vents (the one in front of the bonnet/frunk) onto my turbo, because it is the one area of its design that looks a bit plain.
Yeah I readjusted them later. Turns out they are very hard to get just right.Stunning looking motor. Would love to graft the GT2 bumper vents (the one in front of the bonnet/frunk) onto my turbo, because it is the one area of its design that looks a bit plain.
You could just fit a GT@ bumper! It's not a case of just the bumper however, it's quite a bit more work.
Long time coming
The journey to convert my car is nearing its end. It’s really been quite the epic one as well. The front end required the most parts of the entire job and it took me quite a while to get everything together. The GT2 bumper was stored in my garage for over a year whilst I collected all the other parts. But of course as with every other part of this build, there were quite a few other parts, which I had no idea I would need that popped up during the installation at the garage. Some parts were tiny and at the same time strangely expensive for what they are.
The vast majority of parts were as usual OEM bought either from Porsche Wilmslow or Teile.com in Poland. One rather large part that is not OEM in the Bonnet, which was purchased from LWS Design. At a cost of £1000 it was five times less expensive than an OEM one. Built to order it took almost two months to be delivered but on inspection it looked excellent. It would however require a slight modification to fit but more of that later.
The job entails removal of the bonnet, front wings, front bumper, centre turbo radiator, inner wheel arches and the ducting around all three front radiators. The DRLs and headlight washers would be transferred to the new bumper but everything else would be replaced with new GT2RS parts. This included:
The carbon, flared front wings, Bumper, Lower bumper winglets, Inner arches, Centre radiator and ducting Carbon bonnet, Wider side repeaters.
Parts laid out pre installation
All parts to complete the job
Parts ordered from Teile.com
997.505.901.80 GT2 Bumper x1
997.575.327.80 GT2 Blade Grill x1
997.505.563.81 GT2 Grill Left x1
997.505.564.81 GT2 Grill Right x1
997.505.541.81 GT2 Grill Middle x1
997.505.557.81 GT2RS Spoiler lip x1
Parts ordered from Porsche:
996.106.802.15 Parts of engine cooling x3
900.378.035.01 Hexagon-Head BO x2
996.106.802.17 996T/997T Retaining spring x2
999.591.882.01 Speed Nut x2
997.106.635.80 Water Hose x1
997.106.632.80 Water Hose x1
997.575.141.80 Air Duct x1
997.504.489.81 Air Duct x1
997.504.123.80 Wheel Housing L x1
997.504.124.80 Wheel Housing L x1
997.504.487.80 Frame x1
997.504.485.81 Retaining Frame x1
997.504.204.93 Wheel Housing Liner x1
997.504.204.93 Wheel Housing Liner x1
997.044.850.04 Wing Set Carbon x1
930.113.430.00 Mounting x4
997.631.033.90 Direction Indicator x1
997.631.034.90 Direction Indicator x1
997.505.366.A2 Wheel Cover x1
997.505.365.A2 Wheel Cover x1
Parts I had to buy during the time the car was at Tech9 that initially didn’t know about: Ducting for left & right radiators, Support panel, Air distributor, left & right.
999.591.882.01 Speed Nut x2
997.575.231.91 Air Distributor x1
997.575.232.91 Air Distributor x1
997.505.585.81 Support Panel x1
999.073.252.09 Oval Head Screw x2
997.505.560.81 Support x1
997.505.559.81 Support x1
999.507.696.00 U Clamp x21
997.341.483.92 Spoiler x1
997.504.303.80 Spoiler x1
997.504.304.80 Air Duct OSF Arch Li x1
997.341.484.92 Spoiler x1
996.512.987.00 Adjusting Screw x2
999.703.019.40 Lid x4
997.512.611.01 Gasket x1
Carbon Bonnet – LWS Design x1
Break down of front bumper assembly
I'd also be fitting Michelin Cup Sport 2 tyres.
Initially I was going to use the steel front wings and add the winglets as the carbon wings were so expensive (3500 each) I just couldn’t justify the cost. Over the time I was collecting parts (approx. 12 months) I would change my mind repeatedly on this but eventually Alistair, head of parts at Wilmslow brought to my attention that Porsche now offered the carbon wings as a set at the amazing bargain price of £3,600 the pair! Whilst still wildly expensive at half of what I was originally thinking the cost would be it seemed like a good deal and would look much better on the car. When the GT2RS was sold, the carbon wings were a cost option, however for reasons that are unknown to me, all the cars sold in the UK had the carbon wings as standard. And on every replica I have seen online or in person people go with the cheaper option of winglets (some just fitting the winglets to the standard turbo wings).
Winglet Vs Carbon Wing
A bare carbon wing
Even though I was fitting the carbon wings I would still need the lower winglets that fit onto the bumper. These are one of the items that get me mad, as Porsche charge an incredible £240 +VAT (£570 the pair). Some of the parts like the carbon wings are expensive but at least you can see what goes into them and that they are made from expensive material and go through a time consuming process. But these winglets or ‘Wheel Covers’ as Porsche call them, are just small, plastic strips. I was told you could buy the motorsport winglets and cut off the indicator blanks. So I tried to go down this route but was unable to get a pair in the time frame. If you were considering doing this and can get them, that’s the way to go as they are £150 each.
One of the lower Winglets I begrudgingly purchased
The car went in to Tech9 and the job started. I went to Road & Race independently and arranged the painting. I felt I could get the best deal this way as Tech9 sub contract any painting to them anyway. The car was stripped and the body panels were dry fitted to make sure everything fitted properly. They were concerned about the bonnet and a bit of fiddling was needed to line everything up but nothing major. The last thing I wanted was to send everything in for paint and then find something didn’t fit. Once the dry fit was sorted the car was transported to Road & Race in Manchester. There was quite a long delay as they had people off work and an issue with one of the paint bays but eventually the car had a slot.
Car being dry fitted of parts and Richard from Tech9 (right) explaining things
Road & Race do work for Porsche OPCs Bolton and Wilmslow, so you know the paintwork is going to be a high standard. Also because they are Porsche approved, the paint is under warranty. This means you could take the car to any Porsche approved body shop afterwards and have any warranty work done if it was required. They are also approved for other marques such as BMW and Mercedes. And my visit to their shop saw all kinds of cars in there including a Porsche Cup racing car that had been in a bit of a smash the previous weekend. They are also in the middle of a restoration project of a Porsche 924 Le Mans car for the Porsche Museum in Germany. This I find to the best endorsement for Road & Race as Porsche don’t let just anyone carry out work for their museum.
Road & Race shop floor
I was lucky enough to be there whilst my parts were being painted. The bumper and wings were on stands, but the doors needed to be blended so the car was also in there. The car had three coats of black paint and the job was completed with lacquer. Afterwards all the parts would be polished before the car was returned to Tech9.
Parts getting paint
Once back at Tech9 the assembly began. During this phase we realised there were various small parts missing. I was expecting this as it’s happened at every point of the conversion. This caused a few delays each time they realised they needed to order something purely because the parts had to be ordered and delivered from Germany each time. It’s all in the build process and you need to allow for it. It was just frustrating for me because I was so desperate to see the car. Some of the parts that needed to be ordered were such as a strengthening bar under the bumper & the brackets for holding the headlight washers in place. More crazy prices, the bar being £140 and the little brackets for the washer jets £80 each!
Support bar (33 on above diagram). A snip at £140!
Brackets for Washer jets
One thing that didn’t go to plan was the rear spoiler blade. After waiting for over 6 weeks for delivery it came with a gloss finish rather than the satin the advert showed. So it just so happened the car was already at R&R when it arrived so I took it with me when I visited and asked them if they could finish it in satin. ‘No problem’ was the response. Unfortunately because my car was already in the paint booth I could test fit it prior to having it re-lacquered. Once the car was back at Tech9 they told me it didn’t fit. It was warped on each plane and actually too short. The day I collected the car they showed me how bad the fit was. It has since been returned to Knight Racer for a refund.
Difference between standard Turbo and GT2RS front
So five weeks after my car went in I get the call that my car is ready for collection. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to the garage before they closed that evening so I would have to wait one more night before I could collect it. Phil from Tech9 sent me a photo to keep me going but I think that made it worse! Seeing the car looking so good I just wanted to see it for myself. Next morning I was up at the crack of dawn and got myself down there ASAP. The car didn’t disappoint, it looked fabulous sitting outside the workshop.
The majority of the conversion is now complete. Only one more job needs to be carried out which is removing the sunroof mechanism and replacing the roof skin. I’m also thinking about Lexan rear screen and side windows (but I’m not sure at the moment). That is the final phase of the cosmetic conversion. There is however a number of other changes coming. Suspension is on the list including an axle lift, a rear roll cage, RSS engine mounts, a clutch change (possibly LWFW) and eventually GT2 turbos.
Links
Road & Race http://www.road-and-race.com
Tech9 http://www.tech9.ms
Teile.com http://teile.com
Porsche Wilmslow http://www.porschewilmslow.co.uk/
Tyre Leader http://tyreleader.co.uk
Completed car
The journey to convert my car is nearing its end. It’s really been quite the epic one as well. The front end required the most parts of the entire job and it took me quite a while to get everything together. The GT2 bumper was stored in my garage for over a year whilst I collected all the other parts. But of course as with every other part of this build, there were quite a few other parts, which I had no idea I would need that popped up during the installation at the garage. Some parts were tiny and at the same time strangely expensive for what they are.
The vast majority of parts were as usual OEM bought either from Porsche Wilmslow or Teile.com in Poland. One rather large part that is not OEM in the Bonnet, which was purchased from LWS Design. At a cost of £1000 it was five times less expensive than an OEM one. Built to order it took almost two months to be delivered but on inspection it looked excellent. It would however require a slight modification to fit but more of that later.
The job entails removal of the bonnet, front wings, front bumper, centre turbo radiator, inner wheel arches and the ducting around all three front radiators. The DRLs and headlight washers would be transferred to the new bumper but everything else would be replaced with new GT2RS parts. This included:
The carbon, flared front wings, Bumper, Lower bumper winglets, Inner arches, Centre radiator and ducting Carbon bonnet, Wider side repeaters.
Parts laid out pre installation
All parts to complete the job
Parts ordered from Teile.com
997.505.901.80 GT2 Bumper x1
997.575.327.80 GT2 Blade Grill x1
997.505.563.81 GT2 Grill Left x1
997.505.564.81 GT2 Grill Right x1
997.505.541.81 GT2 Grill Middle x1
997.505.557.81 GT2RS Spoiler lip x1
Parts ordered from Porsche:
996.106.802.15 Parts of engine cooling x3
900.378.035.01 Hexagon-Head BO x2
996.106.802.17 996T/997T Retaining spring x2
999.591.882.01 Speed Nut x2
997.106.635.80 Water Hose x1
997.106.632.80 Water Hose x1
997.575.141.80 Air Duct x1
997.504.489.81 Air Duct x1
997.504.123.80 Wheel Housing L x1
997.504.124.80 Wheel Housing L x1
997.504.487.80 Frame x1
997.504.485.81 Retaining Frame x1
997.504.204.93 Wheel Housing Liner x1
997.504.204.93 Wheel Housing Liner x1
997.044.850.04 Wing Set Carbon x1
930.113.430.00 Mounting x4
997.631.033.90 Direction Indicator x1
997.631.034.90 Direction Indicator x1
997.505.366.A2 Wheel Cover x1
997.505.365.A2 Wheel Cover x1
Parts I had to buy during the time the car was at Tech9 that initially didn’t know about: Ducting for left & right radiators, Support panel, Air distributor, left & right.
999.591.882.01 Speed Nut x2
997.575.231.91 Air Distributor x1
997.575.232.91 Air Distributor x1
997.505.585.81 Support Panel x1
999.073.252.09 Oval Head Screw x2
997.505.560.81 Support x1
997.505.559.81 Support x1
999.507.696.00 U Clamp x21
997.341.483.92 Spoiler x1
997.504.303.80 Spoiler x1
997.504.304.80 Air Duct OSF Arch Li x1
997.341.484.92 Spoiler x1
996.512.987.00 Adjusting Screw x2
999.703.019.40 Lid x4
997.512.611.01 Gasket x1
Carbon Bonnet – LWS Design x1
Break down of front bumper assembly
I'd also be fitting Michelin Cup Sport 2 tyres.
Initially I was going to use the steel front wings and add the winglets as the carbon wings were so expensive (3500 each) I just couldn’t justify the cost. Over the time I was collecting parts (approx. 12 months) I would change my mind repeatedly on this but eventually Alistair, head of parts at Wilmslow brought to my attention that Porsche now offered the carbon wings as a set at the amazing bargain price of £3,600 the pair! Whilst still wildly expensive at half of what I was originally thinking the cost would be it seemed like a good deal and would look much better on the car. When the GT2RS was sold, the carbon wings were a cost option, however for reasons that are unknown to me, all the cars sold in the UK had the carbon wings as standard. And on every replica I have seen online or in person people go with the cheaper option of winglets (some just fitting the winglets to the standard turbo wings).
Winglet Vs Carbon Wing
A bare carbon wing
Even though I was fitting the carbon wings I would still need the lower winglets that fit onto the bumper. These are one of the items that get me mad, as Porsche charge an incredible £240 +VAT (£570 the pair). Some of the parts like the carbon wings are expensive but at least you can see what goes into them and that they are made from expensive material and go through a time consuming process. But these winglets or ‘Wheel Covers’ as Porsche call them, are just small, plastic strips. I was told you could buy the motorsport winglets and cut off the indicator blanks. So I tried to go down this route but was unable to get a pair in the time frame. If you were considering doing this and can get them, that’s the way to go as they are £150 each.
One of the lower Winglets I begrudgingly purchased
The car went in to Tech9 and the job started. I went to Road & Race independently and arranged the painting. I felt I could get the best deal this way as Tech9 sub contract any painting to them anyway. The car was stripped and the body panels were dry fitted to make sure everything fitted properly. They were concerned about the bonnet and a bit of fiddling was needed to line everything up but nothing major. The last thing I wanted was to send everything in for paint and then find something didn’t fit. Once the dry fit was sorted the car was transported to Road & Race in Manchester. There was quite a long delay as they had people off work and an issue with one of the paint bays but eventually the car had a slot.
Car being dry fitted of parts and Richard from Tech9 (right) explaining things
Road & Race do work for Porsche OPCs Bolton and Wilmslow, so you know the paintwork is going to be a high standard. Also because they are Porsche approved, the paint is under warranty. This means you could take the car to any Porsche approved body shop afterwards and have any warranty work done if it was required. They are also approved for other marques such as BMW and Mercedes. And my visit to their shop saw all kinds of cars in there including a Porsche Cup racing car that had been in a bit of a smash the previous weekend. They are also in the middle of a restoration project of a Porsche 924 Le Mans car for the Porsche Museum in Germany. This I find to the best endorsement for Road & Race as Porsche don’t let just anyone carry out work for their museum.
Road & Race shop floor
I was lucky enough to be there whilst my parts were being painted. The bumper and wings were on stands, but the doors needed to be blended so the car was also in there. The car had three coats of black paint and the job was completed with lacquer. Afterwards all the parts would be polished before the car was returned to Tech9.
Parts getting paint
Once back at Tech9 the assembly began. During this phase we realised there were various small parts missing. I was expecting this as it’s happened at every point of the conversion. This caused a few delays each time they realised they needed to order something purely because the parts had to be ordered and delivered from Germany each time. It’s all in the build process and you need to allow for it. It was just frustrating for me because I was so desperate to see the car. Some of the parts that needed to be ordered were such as a strengthening bar under the bumper & the brackets for holding the headlight washers in place. More crazy prices, the bar being £140 and the little brackets for the washer jets £80 each!
Support bar (33 on above diagram). A snip at £140!
Brackets for Washer jets
One thing that didn’t go to plan was the rear spoiler blade. After waiting for over 6 weeks for delivery it came with a gloss finish rather than the satin the advert showed. So it just so happened the car was already at R&R when it arrived so I took it with me when I visited and asked them if they could finish it in satin. ‘No problem’ was the response. Unfortunately because my car was already in the paint booth I could test fit it prior to having it re-lacquered. Once the car was back at Tech9 they told me it didn’t fit. It was warped on each plane and actually too short. The day I collected the car they showed me how bad the fit was. It has since been returned to Knight Racer for a refund.
Difference between standard Turbo and GT2RS front
So five weeks after my car went in I get the call that my car is ready for collection. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it to the garage before they closed that evening so I would have to wait one more night before I could collect it. Phil from Tech9 sent me a photo to keep me going but I think that made it worse! Seeing the car looking so good I just wanted to see it for myself. Next morning I was up at the crack of dawn and got myself down there ASAP. The car didn’t disappoint, it looked fabulous sitting outside the workshop.
The majority of the conversion is now complete. Only one more job needs to be carried out which is removing the sunroof mechanism and replacing the roof skin. I’m also thinking about Lexan rear screen and side windows (but I’m not sure at the moment). That is the final phase of the cosmetic conversion. There is however a number of other changes coming. Suspension is on the list including an axle lift, a rear roll cage, RSS engine mounts, a clutch change (possibly LWFW) and eventually GT2 turbos.
Links
Road & Race http://www.road-and-race.com
Tech9 http://www.tech9.ms
Teile.com http://teile.com
Porsche Wilmslow http://www.porschewilmslow.co.uk/
Tyre Leader http://tyreleader.co.uk
Completed car
v8ksn said:
A proper labour of love there and I dread to think of the final bill! 
Well done on building the car you want
I would recommend putting on some paint protection film on those gorgeous carbon wings and bonnet though.
Thanks, yeah really happy with it. PPF is already in the works. Just letting the paint settle. I'm going back to work soon so the car will be stored for a few months anyway. Well done on building the car you want
I would recommend putting on some paint protection film on those gorgeous carbon wings and bonnet though.
https://youtu.be/7vjsH3ixY2w
[size=18]What sunroof?[/size]
I only just got my car back from Tech 9 in June this year and I was going away again. This time I’d be gone for 5 months so any mods for the car would have to wait a long time.
In September even though I was still at sea I started collecting the parts and arranging dates for the car to go in for the next phase, which would be the sunroof delete and fitting of the polycarbonate windows. I had thought about fitting a carbon roof panel but had decided not to as I’ve been unimpressed by the quality of parts supplied by third parties. Pretty much everything I’ve ordered has been disappointing. However I decided to take a chance on a carbon roof panel made in Germany from DP Motorsports. I contacted them about a carbon roof in white (so it can be painted) and they came back and said they had a finished carbon roof that the weave had been slightly out and they would sell it to me at the same price as the white roof. We agreed on the price and it was shipped directly to Road & race, as by this time I had already contacted John Bradshaw El Jefe of Road & Race to arrange a date. The date would be 7th November.
Carbon roof panel
John told me it would require two days labour; it’s a big job, as I would later see when I visited the car once the work got underway. In the meantime I was still onboard the yacht in Monaco so was busy ordering parts. I needed a new headlining, roof panel (check), roof console and the roof rails and parts. I ordered the rest of the parts from Alistair at Wilmslow Porsche and also had them delivered directly to Road & Race. As they are the official repairer for Porsche Wilmslow they have regular shuttles back and forth delivering parts so this was done free of charge by Porsche.
I also ordered sill plates in carbon with RS logo on for the door shuts. I had wanted these for a long time after seeing them on Teile.com website but ended up ordering them from Wilmslow. I fitted these myself on the weekend before the car went in for the roof. What a nightmare getting the old ones off. I spent hours in my garage trying to use various different tools, heat guns etc. In the end I went with fishing wire underneath and just pulled it along. The second one came off easily but the first one I had done before I came up with that great idea so it came off very slowly and with a massive struggle. Removing the residue of the double-sided tape holding them on was another story. I used white spirits and elbow grease to get that off, but it took hours.
New sill protectors
Parts list as follows:
997.559.722.01 GASKET
997.559.721.01 GASKET
997.559.402.91 G2L ROOF EDGE STRIP
997.559.401.91 G2L ROOF EDGE STRIP
997.555.091.02 A14 ROOFLINING
996.559.405.01 ADAPTER
996.559.403.01 CLIP
996.555.557.11 A03 COVER INTERIOR
997.551.223.80 GT2 RS CARBON SILL TRIM
996.503.501.00 GRV ROOF PANEL, NON SUNROOF
I also needed the polycarbonate windows however from Porsche they were almost £3,000 so I decided to go with a company that makes them for racing cars Plastic 4 Performance in Manchester who were able to make up almost exactly the same windows for just over £500 for the three! Again these were shipped directly to Road & Race. They added a layer on top to prevent them from being scratched so easily; this is something they do for road versions of the windows.
Once home in the UK the car went in the following Monday. When I delivered the car all of the parts were waiting and I had a look at the carbon roof panel, although it was still in the box but it seemed fine. A few days later however John called me to say they had looked at the roof panel and there were problems. He said the panel was twice as thick (3mm) as an OEM panel and it was going to make fitting it properly very difficult. Also the resin they had used had bubbles in it and it would be problematic to paint. They said the glass would not sit properly and the rails on the roof would also be out of position. So I made the decision to use an OEM panel instead. John ordered it directly from Wilmslow. So another third party carbon part was no good!
Thankfully that was the last issue I had and the rest of the conversion went without a hitch. The other thing that didn’t really happen this time was I didn’t need to order a load of parts that I had forgotten. Only one part I had missed because I didn’t know about it was some soundproofing that attaches to the inside of the roof panel and sit under the head lining. Again Road & Race took care of ordering it. As I didn’t order it I don’t have the part number.
When I saw my car a week in to the project I was horrified. It looked like it was ready for the scrapheap. In fact it looked like a skip! It was covered in plastic but on top it was covered with old heavy rags to stop damage when welding. But it made it look a mess. I’ve only felt that was a few times during this build. The first was after I’d stripped out the interior to fit the RS rear carpets. The second time was when the car was at Tech9 and I saw it in the garage with the front end tipped off and then this time.
The car had been stripped right down. The upper interior fittings were out such as A post, B post trim, sunroof mechanism, headliner seats etc. The existing roof panel was drilled at the points where it was welded on at the factory, once they drilled all the points it just lifted off the car. I was impressed at how they were able to drill these points but not go through into the frame underneath that would receive the new roof panel, giving them a clean area to weld to. Once the panel was removed they immediately started fitting the new one. Bonding it first and then using a welder I’d never seen before to weld it by connecting on each side of the weld – very impressive.
Drilled roof panel
New roof panel
Welding
The car then went in for paint. I also noticed a scratch the size of a 5p piece on the driver side rear quarter after I’d collected the car after the last work was finished. When it had happened I have no idea but it was annoying enough but it needed to be dealt with. So I had the paint this at the same time. This means that almost every part of my car has now been painted. The only part of the car that has the original paint is the passenger side rear quarter. The quality of the paint is first class and the car looks new now – I’m very happy with the quality of the job.
Shiny
A few days later and I went back to see the car reassembled. First job was the front and rear windscreen going back in. One thing I had noticed was on the new rear plastic screen the PORSCHE logo was missing. I had contacted Porsche to see if I could order one but I was told they only offer it on the new screen. I can imagine how expensive it would have been anyway (the Porsche badge sticker on the bonnet was £50!) So I contacted a company mentioned to me on 911uk and they made 2 of them for me for £3.50! I fitted this the day the windows were due to go back in and it looks just like the real thing so I’m very happy about that. The devil is in the details! It was now starting to look like a car again and as parts went on I felt happier by the hour.
Most critical job of the day!
Prepping for windows
The roof rail strips were next to go on. At £500 for the set including the gaskets & clips they were one of those items you see and just wonder why they need to be so expensive as they are not much in terms of actual quantity. However like I keep saying it’s all about details.
Once the interior started going back in I was pretty much happy again. The car was looking great although the plastic windows still had protective covers on them. I’d need to wait a few more days before I saw the car without any of this stuff on it. But it was well worth the wait; the car was looking fantastic. Although I have to admit if you didn’t know what jobs had been done I think you would be hard pressed to see any difference. I showed my sister and she couldn’t see any difference and when I pointed at the sunroof she said, “Did it used to have a sunroof?” Mind you this is the same person who when she saw me in my new Boxster reversing off the drive didn’t actually notice it was a different car to my 911!
Reassembly
Roof lining going in
New roof and windows all done
Links
http://www.road-and-race.com
http://http://www.porschewilmslow.co.uk/
[size=18]What sunroof?[/size]
I only just got my car back from Tech 9 in June this year and I was going away again. This time I’d be gone for 5 months so any mods for the car would have to wait a long time.
In September even though I was still at sea I started collecting the parts and arranging dates for the car to go in for the next phase, which would be the sunroof delete and fitting of the polycarbonate windows. I had thought about fitting a carbon roof panel but had decided not to as I’ve been unimpressed by the quality of parts supplied by third parties. Pretty much everything I’ve ordered has been disappointing. However I decided to take a chance on a carbon roof panel made in Germany from DP Motorsports. I contacted them about a carbon roof in white (so it can be painted) and they came back and said they had a finished carbon roof that the weave had been slightly out and they would sell it to me at the same price as the white roof. We agreed on the price and it was shipped directly to Road & race, as by this time I had already contacted John Bradshaw El Jefe of Road & Race to arrange a date. The date would be 7th November.
Carbon roof panel
John told me it would require two days labour; it’s a big job, as I would later see when I visited the car once the work got underway. In the meantime I was still onboard the yacht in Monaco so was busy ordering parts. I needed a new headlining, roof panel (check), roof console and the roof rails and parts. I ordered the rest of the parts from Alistair at Wilmslow Porsche and also had them delivered directly to Road & Race. As they are the official repairer for Porsche Wilmslow they have regular shuttles back and forth delivering parts so this was done free of charge by Porsche.
I also ordered sill plates in carbon with RS logo on for the door shuts. I had wanted these for a long time after seeing them on Teile.com website but ended up ordering them from Wilmslow. I fitted these myself on the weekend before the car went in for the roof. What a nightmare getting the old ones off. I spent hours in my garage trying to use various different tools, heat guns etc. In the end I went with fishing wire underneath and just pulled it along. The second one came off easily but the first one I had done before I came up with that great idea so it came off very slowly and with a massive struggle. Removing the residue of the double-sided tape holding them on was another story. I used white spirits and elbow grease to get that off, but it took hours.
New sill protectors
Parts list as follows:
997.559.722.01 GASKET
997.559.721.01 GASKET
997.559.402.91 G2L ROOF EDGE STRIP
997.559.401.91 G2L ROOF EDGE STRIP
997.555.091.02 A14 ROOFLINING
996.559.405.01 ADAPTER
996.559.403.01 CLIP
996.555.557.11 A03 COVER INTERIOR
997.551.223.80 GT2 RS CARBON SILL TRIM
996.503.501.00 GRV ROOF PANEL, NON SUNROOF
I also needed the polycarbonate windows however from Porsche they were almost £3,000 so I decided to go with a company that makes them for racing cars Plastic 4 Performance in Manchester who were able to make up almost exactly the same windows for just over £500 for the three! Again these were shipped directly to Road & Race. They added a layer on top to prevent them from being scratched so easily; this is something they do for road versions of the windows.
Once home in the UK the car went in the following Monday. When I delivered the car all of the parts were waiting and I had a look at the carbon roof panel, although it was still in the box but it seemed fine. A few days later however John called me to say they had looked at the roof panel and there were problems. He said the panel was twice as thick (3mm) as an OEM panel and it was going to make fitting it properly very difficult. Also the resin they had used had bubbles in it and it would be problematic to paint. They said the glass would not sit properly and the rails on the roof would also be out of position. So I made the decision to use an OEM panel instead. John ordered it directly from Wilmslow. So another third party carbon part was no good!
Thankfully that was the last issue I had and the rest of the conversion went without a hitch. The other thing that didn’t really happen this time was I didn’t need to order a load of parts that I had forgotten. Only one part I had missed because I didn’t know about it was some soundproofing that attaches to the inside of the roof panel and sit under the head lining. Again Road & Race took care of ordering it. As I didn’t order it I don’t have the part number.
When I saw my car a week in to the project I was horrified. It looked like it was ready for the scrapheap. In fact it looked like a skip! It was covered in plastic but on top it was covered with old heavy rags to stop damage when welding. But it made it look a mess. I’ve only felt that was a few times during this build. The first was after I’d stripped out the interior to fit the RS rear carpets. The second time was when the car was at Tech9 and I saw it in the garage with the front end tipped off and then this time.
The car had been stripped right down. The upper interior fittings were out such as A post, B post trim, sunroof mechanism, headliner seats etc. The existing roof panel was drilled at the points where it was welded on at the factory, once they drilled all the points it just lifted off the car. I was impressed at how they were able to drill these points but not go through into the frame underneath that would receive the new roof panel, giving them a clean area to weld to. Once the panel was removed they immediately started fitting the new one. Bonding it first and then using a welder I’d never seen before to weld it by connecting on each side of the weld – very impressive.
Drilled roof panel
New roof panel
Welding
The car then went in for paint. I also noticed a scratch the size of a 5p piece on the driver side rear quarter after I’d collected the car after the last work was finished. When it had happened I have no idea but it was annoying enough but it needed to be dealt with. So I had the paint this at the same time. This means that almost every part of my car has now been painted. The only part of the car that has the original paint is the passenger side rear quarter. The quality of the paint is first class and the car looks new now – I’m very happy with the quality of the job.
Shiny
A few days later and I went back to see the car reassembled. First job was the front and rear windscreen going back in. One thing I had noticed was on the new rear plastic screen the PORSCHE logo was missing. I had contacted Porsche to see if I could order one but I was told they only offer it on the new screen. I can imagine how expensive it would have been anyway (the Porsche badge sticker on the bonnet was £50!) So I contacted a company mentioned to me on 911uk and they made 2 of them for me for £3.50! I fitted this the day the windows were due to go back in and it looks just like the real thing so I’m very happy about that. The devil is in the details! It was now starting to look like a car again and as parts went on I felt happier by the hour.
Most critical job of the day!
Prepping for windows
The roof rail strips were next to go on. At £500 for the set including the gaskets & clips they were one of those items you see and just wonder why they need to be so expensive as they are not much in terms of actual quantity. However like I keep saying it’s all about details.
Once the interior started going back in I was pretty much happy again. The car was looking great although the plastic windows still had protective covers on them. I’d need to wait a few more days before I saw the car without any of this stuff on it. But it was well worth the wait; the car was looking fantastic. Although I have to admit if you didn’t know what jobs had been done I think you would be hard pressed to see any difference. I showed my sister and she couldn’t see any difference and when I pointed at the sunroof she said, “Did it used to have a sunroof?” Mind you this is the same person who when she saw me in my new Boxster reversing off the drive didn’t actually notice it was a different car to my 911!
Reassembly
Roof lining going in
New roof and windows all done
Links
http://www.road-and-race.com
http://http://www.porschewilmslow.co.uk/
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