[Cloud9...68]

I'm considering replacing my rear hatch glass with lexan (mine is starting to delaminate, and with its conversion to a mostly-track car, the reduction in weight would be welcomed), and I have a few questions:



- Does anyone by chance have a lexan hatch window they'd like to part with (I'll post in the "parts wanted" section as well)?

- Is there any difference between the 944's and the 968's hatch glass? I'm primarily thinking in terms of the 3rd brake light assembly.

- Any thoughts as to a fair price for the hatch glass? eBay has three, for 944s, ranging from $200 to $600.

- GT Racing sells a lexan hatch window that's 3/16" thick. Is this a good thickness for a track car?



Thanks.

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[Lear35A]

Do you realize what a slippery slope you are going down? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Cloud9...68]

Already halfway down, and I ain't go no brakes!

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[MC968CS]

Hi, as input i have a 5mm thick toughened plexi-lexan rear hatch, plus quarter windows, plus my driver and passenger wind up wind down windows (all still functional) are also lexan. I found this company fabulous, the toughened lexan quality is brilliant. It even comes with the option of the oem black edging. Worth investigating. The toughened finish is great in that it doesn't seem to scratch like others.



www.plastics4performance.com

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[Cloud9...68]

MC968CS,



Thanks for the tip - it sounds like they make a quality product, but between the pound-to-dollar exchange rate, the VAT, and shipping, their rear window would set me back nearly $700. I looking to find a used one (or possibly one that somebody bought, changed their mind about installing, and is willing to part with). Considering that the weight savings are relatively modest, and the work to install it is pretty difficult, I'm looking to pick one up as cheaply as possible.

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[Eric_Oz_S2]

[quote name='MC968CS' timestamp='1329636580' post='122019']

Hi, as input i have a 5mm thick toughened plexi-lexan rear hatch, plus quarter windows, plus my driver and passenger wind up wind down windows (all still functional) are also lexan. I found this company fabulous, the toughened lexan quality is brilliant. It even comes with the option of the oem black edging. Worth investigating. The toughened finish is great in that it doesn't seem to scratch like others.



www.plastics4performance.com

[/quote]

Mark,



Did you use a spare frame to mount this to? I hear the only way to get the old frame off is basically break the glass. I have been contemplating getting a lexan rear for a while now. I guess the saving for the rear glass alone is about 20kg?



Do you still have the stock bonnet, or have you gone fibreglass or CF?

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[MC968CS]

Hi. I purchased another frame sans glass and fitted the lexan hatch to it. It is about the heaviest hatch of any car made apparently, so the lexan saves quite a bit of weight high up too.



I have a stock bonnet. Seen some pretty average lightweight fits. If there is a good quality one out there, and it saves me good weight, I am in for one. Tell me more!

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[Eric_Oz_S2]

Mark,



Not sure if you have tried these guys:



http://www.emcmotorsport.co.uk/parts-shop/

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[Cloud9...68]

I don't think the weight savings with a lexan hatch window is anywhere near 20 kg. The weight per unit area of lexan is a little more than half that of glass at a thickness of 5 mm, and the stated weight for a 5 mm thick lexan rear wndow is 20 pounds, so the weight savings equates to a little less than 20 pounds. But then some people add metal straps to the lexan to reduce the flexing, which eats into the weight savings even more. But it is nice that the savings comes from a very high point, so I may still want to do this. The work is pretty daunting, though...



FYI, the stock hood weighs just a shade under 40 pounds, and fiberglass ones are advertised at 15 lb (I'm a little skeptical of that, though), so the weight savings is a maximum of 25 lbs.

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[blau]

Have you thought about going the GT-Racing full hatch-replacement route instead of just the glass? They claim 55lb savings...



http://gt-racing.com/products-page/968-p...placement/



I just saw one sell a few weeks ago on Pelican for $200 used...

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[MC968CS]

Thanks. Will check out EMC. FYI the weight saving is massive in that hatch. Just try to lift one by yourself when it's off the car. It's very very heavy.

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[Cloud9...68]

I've talked to the owner of GT Racing (not about the hatch glass), and he sounds like a very nice guy. But that hatch replacement they've concocted is just plain fugly. I know, it's going to be primarily a track car, but I'd have to wrap the car in a paper bag if I hung that thing on the back, which would really mess up the aerodynamics...



Seriously, I like the concept of replacing the heavy hatch with something simpler and much lighter. Maybe if someone came up with a more aesthetically pleasing approach, I'd be interested.



Also, I'd take GT Racing's weight savings claims with a huge grain of salt. The owner told me he thought the hood weighs 60-70 pounds, and that their fiberglass one weighs 15, giving a weight savings of up to 55 pounds! So I weighed my hood using two different methods, and it's only 39 pounds. Large, bulky objects can give the illusion of being extremely heavy when they're actually not.

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[MC968CS]

does that mean we save 24 lbs just by changing the bonnet or hood?

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[Eric_Oz_S2]

The 944 hood weighs 41 lb, IFC racing FG hood = 18 lb. 39lb for 968 seems reasonable as it is slightly smaller. Looks like a good 22 lb/10kg saving tops.

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[MC968CS]

thanks, more than I would have guessed!

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[Cloud9...68]

MC968CS - You're very unusual (and I mean that in a good way!) in that you actually underestimated the weight savings from replacing a part with a lighter one. I've noticed most people tend to exaggerate the savings, probably because of the money and time they're sunk into the item. I once saw a guy at the track with a 911 with carbon fiber doors. I asked him how much they cost, and I don't remember the answer, but it was something staggering, like several thousand dollars per door. It sure would be cool to get a 968 down to, say, 2500 pounds, but that would require a major investment in somve very exotic, and in many cases custom, mods, including things like a carbon fiber hood, doors, and fenders, fixed headlights, mega-expensive carbon fiber racing seats, a lightweight rear hatch solution, lexan windshield, aluminum torque tube (I actually saw a discsussion of this on another forum), ceramic brakes, etc.

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[Dubai944]

Here's a 968 running that GT Racing hatch in Dubai. Not the best fitting piece.







I have lexan rear and side windows on my 944. The rear glass is very heavy compared to the lexan, certainly a worthwhile weight saving on a race car. Beware though, lexan scratches easily, after a couple of years it won't look nice on a street car.

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[Cloud9...68]

That thing is just hideous. Definitely a case of function completely pulverizing form. The poor fit doesn't help matters, either. The weight savings is dramatic, though. Sure would be nice if there were a nicer looking version of it available. It's about time Flash got off his lazy butt and produced something cool for these cars, isn't it? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



Regarding the lexan scratching, couldn't it be buffed out? Or could tint be attached to its outside? Or would that scratch as well?

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[Dubai944]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1329943494' post='122172'] It sure would be cool to get a 968 down to, say, 2500 pounds, but that would require a major investment in somve very exotic, and in many cases custom, mods, including things like a carbon fiber hood, doors, and fenders, fixed headlights, mega-expensive carbon fiber racing seats, a lightweight rear hatch solution, lexan windshield, aluminum torque tube (I actually saw a discsussion of this on another forum), ceramic brakes, etc.

[/quote]



2500lbs is achievable with just fibreglass guards, hood, doors, lexan windows and stripped interior. My 944 weighs 2508lbs dry and I still have steel doors (although thet have been lightened.)

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[Cloud9...68]

That's very cool. But doesn't a 968 weigh a few hundred pounds more than a 944 to start with? Never really understood why; other than the 6-speed transaxle and the Variocam mechanism, the cars seem so similar mechanically. OK, the 968 has airbags, cruise control, and I guess a heavier spoiler. What else?

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