[Scott Collins]

I have got a rust spot the size of a mandarin orange in my driver's side door. It will cost $550 from a local body shop to repair and paint the door. I have located a door shell from an 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo, for $74.99. Here's the link:



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/88-Porsch...141wt_1082





Questions: 1. Will it work as a direct replacement? 2. Will the door handles, mirror, and other components bolt right in or will I need to drill any new holes?



Thanks for responding if you have any experience with this type of thing. The vendor says local pickup only, so I would have to find some way to have it shipped to NJ if it will work.





Scott

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[banditsc]

Going by part numbers, our door was only used on the 968. You should be able to find the door from dismantlers like DCAuto for half that price. But you won't really now how closely the paint will match, so you maybe looking at more money to paint it.

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[biotechee]

#1 - Will it work?



I believe the answer is yes.



#2 - Will original bits and pieces still fit?



Same- I believe most if not all will fit.



BUT...



Note the following:



- Have you ever put the guts back in a 944/968 door? It will be infinitely easier with the door laying on a bench, but it still will not be a picnic. If you're paying to have that done, it will be a fair amount of time. Installing a window regulator and getting everything to line up is quite short of fun. I've done it twice, I think I have permanent scars as proof somewhere!



- I doubt the paint on the 944 door will match the rest of the paint on the 968. Different degrees of weathering / fading, etc. Can you live with that?



- Expect a decent amount of time to get the 944 door to line up (hinges, shims, etc.). Pain in the ass.



- What if certain things don't fit? Like I mentioned, most will. But, not knowing the exact model year differences, you won't know until you try. So you sorta have to be prepared for the worst and assume something won't fit right out of the box.



If I were you, I would get my existing door fixed. Nothing (door) has to be removed save for the seals around the window (as far as I know) - just tape off the rest of the area to protect from overspray and the color match would be significantly better.



If you're still not sure, I'd do as Bandit suggested and try to locate a 968 door from either DC or the guy in PA. It will probably cost more than $75, but you know it will fit without issue (still will be a bugger to hang the door though...).



(I still wouldn't want to take off a door and put another on...)



No matter what, good luck and hang in there! I'd offer to help, but everytime I get near a door with the interior panel removed, I start to shake and convulse!!!! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

Almost forgot- check the auction. He won't ship, local pick-up only. So you would need to arrange for all that hassle too - how would you get it crate/boxed/palleted, etc. Finding something at DC or the PA dismantler would be more economical from that standpoint....

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[hryden]

Not sure about the fit, but you should plan on the paint not matching even if the used door is technically the same color (with the exception of black). If you go with a used door shell, you will need to paint the door and then most likely need to blend into the fender and quarter to get a really good color match. A good painter might be able to get a passable match so that you only have to paint the door. This really depends on the condition of your paint as well as your tolerance for color variation on the car.



If you go with the used door, I suggest you plan for painting the door and blending the fender and quarter panel. That being the case, it will start adding up in a hurry. You may actually end up close to the body shop estimate or even higher by the time you are done unless you are painting it yourself.

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