[kramermic]

A few months back I had a hit and run on my front bumber in a parking lot. I was considering a GT Racing fiberglass replacement. Does anybody know what the fit and finish is like on this piece? My experience with GT racing is that their pieces are hit or miss. Certain parts on the Carreras are great while others are lacking. Any help is great.





Thanks

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[flash]

i've not heard that the 968 parts are any different in that respect - the one car i have actually seen that had their parts showed they were not street quality, but would have been fine for a race car

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[Eric_K]

I have their rear bumper cover and it is actually pretty nice but as you said it is hit and miss. I would go with a stock PU front bumper cover. It will hold up better. With all the drama my front cover has been through I can't believe it is still holding up.



Eric

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[PorscheDude]

For the front bumper cover try german auto dismantlers. I think it is www.germanautodismantlers.com



They seem to pick up a bunch of wrecked 968's.



I have had good luck with them and they have resonable shipping prices.

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[kramermic]

Thanks guys. I figued it was not street quality. I have spoken to the GAD guys. I just have a hard time buying a used bumber without seeing it first. Especially when it's not installed on the car and it's just sitting around, the PU can get so bent out of shape.

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[PorscheDude]

[quote name='kramermic' post='36803' date='Jun 11 2007, 03:13 PM']Thanks guys. I figued it was not street quality. I have spoken to the GAD guys. I just have a hard time buying a used bumber without seeing it first. Especially when it's not installed on the car and it's just sitting around, the PU can get so bent out of shape.[/quote]







If you calll them back ask for MIke. Have him call you when he has a new arrival and to send you a couple of pics. That way it will not have been sitting around long.







Also, have you tried the others?







DC automotive in North Carolina







Oaklahoma Fogien

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[flash]

they are actually failry inexpensive new from sunset - i paid less than a grand for mine

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[kramermic]

Flash, my thoughts exactly. I can get a new one for less than $900. Still hard to swallow, especially when you consider what happened.

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[flash]

when you factor in the stripping and prep to get a used one to work like a new one, i think it gets pretty close



and yes, hard to swallow - nature of the beast though - lol - try owning a race car - those were some head-shaking-give-me-a-drink days

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[Jason Judd]

I have the GT Racing products...hood and both fenders.



Guess I was lucky, because they fit like OEM...maybe it's because all 3 pieces are same compound?



Jason

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[kramermic]

Flash, I've got that (race car) pain in the a$$ too. We're in the process of turning it (check sig) into a widebody RSR and trying to keep it under 2,000 lbs wet. The coolest piece we've ordered from GT Racing is the Fiberglass roof which includes the windshield frame, A pillar, roof, B pillar, and C pillar all in one. Very cool piece.

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[Cloud9...68]

I'm afraid to ask, but any idea what (no idea what it's called so I'll do my best to describe it - belly pan maybe?) that big black plastic piece that attaches to the bottom of the front bumper costs? I've banged mine so many times (I could NEVER have a splitter <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/blink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ) that it's looking pretty shabby. Anyone replaced one lately? I have a terrible feeling it will come down to a choice between that an an RS Barn cat back... Thanks.

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[flash]

the front one is about 300 - don't know what the intermidiate one is - i think the tin one in the rear was about 120

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='flash' post='36895' date='Jun 12 2007, 11:00 PM']the front one is about 300 - don't know what the intermidiate one is - i think the tin one in the rear was about 120[/quote]



Oh, that's not too bad. Not sure what you mean by the intermediate one, though. I only have the big one in the front. And what's the technical term for these things so I don't sound like too much of a dummy when I start calling around for them? Thanks.

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[flash]

the one in the front is called the "lower cover" or "lining" and is part number 944.505.075.01C - there is also a seal to go with it and is part number 944.505.523.00



the intermediate one goes from there to the oil pan and is called "protective plate" and is part number 944.504.167.03



the rear tin plate which goes from the intermediate plate rearward is also called "protective plate" and is part number 951.504.069.00



the first 2 are essential to proper cooling - many people delete the second one for ease of maintenance, but do so at the expense of cooling efficiency



the third one was deleted fairly early on in the production run, but after adding it to my car, i have found to be very effective at improving cooling, as well as what appears to be a reduction in drag and lift, though i have not tested it fully to verify that, but it does follow basic design principles

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[Cloud9...68]

Thanks for the clear description of these peices, and for the part numbers. My intermediate plate is definitely missing. When you say proper cooling, it sounds like you're referring to cooling of the oil due to air flow around the pan, right? Not that I doubt this conclusion, because you've collected so much data on this kind of thing, but I'm curious, how can you quantify the degree of cooling the intermediate plate provides?



Just trying to gauge the relative importance of replacing it as compared to other things I want/need to do to the car. I don't have an oil temp gauge, but, just for reference, my car's water temp never gets very high, i.e. it has never hit the upper white line (10:00 oclock), though I never drive it in stop-and-go traffic. I am always amazed how cool it stays during DEs, even in the middle of the Texas summer. The air flow to the radiator at speed must be very efficient in these cars. But if the intermediate plate improves cooling even more, I'm all for it. Does it also reduce turbulence underneath the car? Thanks again.

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[flash]

no, i was actually referring to the radiator cooling and general engine cooling



airflow is managed by zone pressure management as much as directing the flow - creating a low pressure zone in the engine bay by reducing extraneous air entry into the engine bay is key to optimal cooling - it creates a higher pressure zone in front of the radiator and forces all of the air to go through it



yes, it does also seem to reduce turbulence under the car - i haven't done any formal testing, but the buttometer says yes at very high speed, as does design principle



have you seen the bottom of any of the new performace cars?

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[Cloud9...68]

OK, I'll add it to my list of things to do to the car, but given that mine never gets too hot, and that the highest speed I can reasonably attain on the track I go to is only about 100 mph, this probably isn't a huge priority.

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[flash]

it's good for about 5 -10 degrees or so - not huge, but could be the difference between too hot and not

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