[flash]

since i have had some down time between projects, i find myself starting at the blue car, looking at the chips and scratches, and thinking it's about time for another complete tear down and repaint



that started me thinking about the body lines - i have never liked the hard edge on the top of the fenders, nor the line down the middle of the door, nor the concave quarterpanel caps - i would really like to smooth those out - i would also like to incorporate the lower panels into the body, and eliminate the rubber gaskets all around



these would all be easy to eliminate in fiberglass, but not so much in sheet metal - the doors are pretty easy - the rear quarter caps would be new plastic panels - the front wings though are the problem children - to do it in sheet metal, you would have to cut out the offending material, and weld in new material - i'm not sure that this could be done without a lot of problems - but, i see shops do it on custom cars all the time, so i thought i would give it a whirl and see if anybody knows a really good shop - i'm going to pop over and see chip foose next week, but i would like to see if somebody else is up to the task too



if i stick with the 968 front end, while i'm at it, i'll open up the center grille like the turbos had, and since i already got rid of the horizontal divider in the lower grille, and have a one piece splitter, that should look pretty decent up front



the other option would be to opt to change it to a 996 turbo front end - this would shorten the front and give me better driveway clearance, as well as eliminate the pop up lights - much more involved project though, and i'm not sure i want to go there



could be cool though



lol - this is what happens when i am not drinking

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[White968]

I for one would love to see the final result.

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[flash]

lol - me too



first though, i have to find the right guy to do the work - it won't actually be that tough as long as i don't go the 996 front end route, but i think it could really transform the car into something i would really like



i'm really torn though on which way i want to go - on one hand i really like the idea of front end weight loss, and cleaning up the lines by means of getting rid of the pop up lights and all that - but, this is a LOT more work, and a lot of custom fitting to make it happen - on the other hand, i also like the idea of keeping some of the 968 characteristics, and would like just cleaning up the lines and getting rid of all the things that look cobbled together and basically just stuck onto an earlier car

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[ds968]

When I got back home, after you tuned my 968 stereo last week, I noticed a bunch of MARBLES on the floor of my car. They're definitely yours... SURELY, YOU MUST HAVE LOST THEM.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> Or, as you said, it's the pause from drinking which may have caused you to take leave of your senses ; even thinking of tinkering with the 968 lines which ( with the possible exception of the Ferrari Dino and the Aston Martin DB9 ) are an unmatched work of art creating one of the the most beautiful and classic auto designs ever, is a sign of stage 4 OCD <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



That said, this would be an improvement, so I suppose there's always room for that <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

that's sort of what i was thinking for the front end if i go with the 996 thing, and definitely what i was thinking about in eliminating that ridge that runs down the corner of the fender - i wouldn't go quite that busy up there with all of the duct thingies, but not far off either



i just hate the hard edges and rubber body gaskets, and would prefer smoother and uninterrupted lines - on top of that, on the cab, the rear hips are stuck on plastic pieces that actually stick out a bit, and between that and the ridiculous concave profile, it makes me nuts and looks like stuck on box flares like the 924GTS

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[biotechee]

Integrating the rocker panel pieces and eliminating the gaskets would be a serious plus- ever since Phil did his black coupe with the Strosek pieces, I can't stop thinking about doing the same if I ever get a coupe. Not sure whether a rectangular or circular brake duct hole looks the part though. I think, to be honest, the choice of hole style would be color-dependent.



As for the 996 headlights - please, for the love of all that is sacred in this world, do not graft 996 headlights to a 968 body in any way, shape or form... Stick with either 993 type (bonus for Litronics) or 997 type. If you want to get really unique, then perhaps look into 987 type headlights. Drop the 996/986 lights and step away from the vehicle with your hands up...



I agree that the glued on plastic pieces for the rear of the cab detract from the lines of the body.



The horizontal "crease" on the sides actually looks proper to me. If they weren't there, it would look just like a new Toyota Highlander side - a big, huge expanse of lifeless steel - fugly.



But, that's just my opinion.



I'm sure Foose could sketch up a wonderful concept.

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[flash]

i am targeting the previous body jag lines as a model - smooth with no edges anywhere - even the ridge in the front bumper cover bugs me - i don't want any ridges anywhere, and just compound curves - i'm old school, and like the sports cars of the 60's



as for the 996 lights, i actually think the 996 turbo is the best front end they ever came up with - i hate the 993 and the 997 - i just don't like the big bug eyes - remember that i detest the 911, and anything that looks like it - the 996 was the only one to depart a bit, which is the only reason i even consider that at all



as for the rockers, no holes for me - not needed, and detract from the lines - i am going to avoid any sort of duct on the side - i just want the smooth curves



we'll see

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[rxter]

You are insane. Makes me think of that commercial "this is your brain on drugs" Without a project clearly your brain catches fire. The car looks great.

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[ds968]

Or, you could save yourself a lot of work and heartache and just buy a Lamborghini Miura. Should pretty much have all the lines you're thinking of..

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[flash]

lol - yeah - if only they made it in a ragtop - well, they did make a total of 1



http://www.lambocars.com/new/one_of_a_ki...r_sale.php

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[Kim]

why not just buy a 996 and the modify it to be a 968? Might be less work.

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[flash]

could have done that when i got this car - still could - don't like the car though

car is too heavy

the cab looks goofy in the rear

engine at the wrong end

don't like the inside of the car at all

can't carry 2 sets of golf clubs, 2 cases of wine, a weekend of luggage and the wife



changing the body is really not that much work

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[968Syncro]

I have one perspective, not sure it meets your goals. Sometimes the 968 doesn't look powerful/cool enough, looks a little milk-toast to me. When I see a well dressed 944 Turbo, I can get the feeling of "wow, that looks like a powerful car, bet it is a great racer". Sometimes with the 968 I feel "wow, that must be a fast cruising car". So any mods that make it more aggressive looking would be very interesting.



The other thing that came to mind is some fix for the saggy front bumper cover. I have a couple of malformed, sagged areas, usually only visible in certain light situations. Probably the same with the rear bumper covers, especially in the concave quarter panel area; sometimes these parts of the rear cover seem like they have lost their shape. So if you project included some way to address these problems, it would be very welcome. This sagging may be a problem that grows with time to affect more and more 968s.



Roland

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[flash]

i feel the same way - the front end of the 951 is much more aggressive looking - were it not for the square pop ups, and the fact that they never brought the cab version here, i would have gotten one of those instead of the 968



as for the sagging, i have already worked that design out - that was an easy fix as designs go - i may put it together in a kit - not sure yet

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[pure&amp;simple]

+1 for 993 or 997 lights - I hate the pop-ups. I believe there was a company in sweden that was working on this, but I don't think it ever came to market. They discovered they had to make different fenders to accomodate the mounting angle of those 993 lights, which won't fit in the OEM 968 fenders. There is a thread elsewhere about this.

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[Cloud9...68]

"There is a thread elsewhere about this."



lol - yes, and it's almost as long as the D1R supercharger threads <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



A practical fixed headlight conversion is one of those ideas that never made it to prime time. A few people have produced some examples, but imho, if they don't use the gorgeous 993 lights, they just don't look right on the car. And as you said, 993 lights require modification of the fenders, which knocks it right out of the "practical" realm.

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[flash]

we have gotten way off track here, but to put these things to rest and get back on topic:



i HATE 993 and 997 lights - in fact, there is nothing about either of those cars that i like in the least



NO single bulb lights - i might as well leave the 968 lights if i was going to do that - i'll either keep the 968 lights, or go with 996 - i like the larger lens and dual fixture look, but not the cheesy home made insert ones that i have seen so far



this is also not going to be any kind of a kit for anybody else - this will strictly be a one-off - absolutely ZERO chance of a fixed headlight kit coming out of this



lol - so, everybody can stop making suggestions of what they think i should do - i just want to know if anybody knows a good body metal worker - i don't even want a paint shop - i just want the body guy

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[EEZATOY]

Subtle front end mods - easy on the photo shop - just playing....    

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[flash]

the lights don't suck - what did they come from?



my lower front end is similar, but without the 2 verticals - it's just one big opening

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[link517]

What about headlights from a Maserati 2002-2007 coupe? The cars seem to be rare enough that people probably won't be able to identify where the headlights are from.

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