Expert counsel sought: 996 to 997 conversion

[tracer.smart]

The prospect of executing a Porsche 997 facelift conversion on my 996 is quite tempting - I'm swaying between keeping it as Porsche intended or executing to the newer, purer look which I prefer but not for upwards for 50k which is the ballpark list price.

Browsing yesterday I came across the following, which due to the exchange rate makes carrying out the conversion look very tempting:

www.prestigebodykits.com/products/product_info.php?currency=GBP&products_id=181


(1) Have any of you come across or heard of 'Prestige Body Kits' based in the US and if so would you recommend their products/services?

(2) What should I be looking out for pre-purchase to ensure I am not disappointed with quality or fit?

(3) Will fibreglass parts stand up to extreme temperatures as well as original steel/ABS parts, e.g. 40 degC parked in Australian sunlight?

(4) Will the paint finish on the parts wear as well as on steel and factory ABS plastic parts or will it be prone to stone chips and stains from dead flies, or stress marks from flex?

Lastly:

(5) Can you recommend a panel/paint shop in the London area who is used to working with Porsches and fibreglass, with whom I can trust my P&J and who will not break the bank?

And of course if any of you know someone who has carried out a similar conversion I would be interested to hear of their experiences.

Thanks for your help!

[gibo993]

Post this on the Porsche forum someone did this brilliantly last year using real 997 panels, full write up on the forum with pictures, just do a search

[968ant]

Hello, it was me that converted my car using all original Porsche parts, depending on how far you want to go with it, it can actually work out cheaper with original Porsche parts than with fibreglass copies!!!! if you send me you email adress I'll send all the info over.

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