Porsche 911 Carrera Build

[Kirk]

If you haven’t seen my intro, take a look at it here, it gives some background on where I am going with this build:

http://www.ratrodsrule.com/forum/showthread.php?p=304116#post304116

The car is a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa. I have other cars that are pretty. The plan with this one is to make it into a daily driver that is comfortable, but that looks bad ass. But I want to go beyond the normal convention for Porsche 911’s and build something that is rough and raw with a bit of a rat rod feel to it.

I’ve had the car for a year and have sorted out all of the mechanical issues with the car. It’s pushing about 250 HP and with Porsche brakes and suspension it goes, turns, and stops very well. I’ve got the bits and pieces to install a new interior, which will be a two tone black and white look, but fairly conventional. I want something comfortable, so the interior will be reasonably nice. With an adjustable torsion bar suspension I can make the car low, no problem. I’ll probably drop it down to a ground clearance of 3 – 3.5 inches, the same as my other cars. The exhaust is already loud with a gutted cat and free flowing muffler. In fact, with the cams the engine has the exhaust has a really sweet rumble to it, almost sounds like a V8.

So I’ve got most things in order except for the exterior styling and that’s where I’m really looking for some input. I want it rough and raw, but realistically this is an ’86 so it’s not going to look as sweet as a 30’s rat rod. I’m thinking that rather than going retro I’ll go the other route and look at a modern interpretation of a hot rod 911.

So here’s what I’ve done in the rear – the car already has wide, steel turbo fender flares. I removed the 1980’s style intake louvers to give the vents a more modern look. The rear bumper is gone, but all it held was the license plate. The plan in the rear is build a custom license plate bracket and just hang the plate in the middle, right below the center “Porsche” reflector. I’ll use LED bolt lights to make the plate legal. Otherwise the engine and rear tires will be exposed like in the picture attached (not my car). The wheels fit the bill – HRE 19’s with 315 tires on them, good and meaty. The center Porsche reflector is back lit and will be wired to the parking lights. I may flip the reflector upside down (EHCSROP) just to kind of screw around.

I am thinking about using the stock bumper mounts to attach some 2 X 3 tubing that will wrap around (welded angle cut sections) the car a bit on each side, but will be open in the middle (kind of like the Plymouth Prowler front bumper). This will match what I am thinking about for the front. Bumpers would be either painted flat black or rhino liner coated.

Looking for thoughts and input…

Kirk

 

[Kirk]

The Front End

The front of the car is where things get a little more interesting and “out of the box” for a Porsche. The attached photos are what I have the car at now. I removed all of the AC lines and front AC heat exchanger/radiator. I think I could cut up and rework some front fenders to give this car the smooth, fenderless look you see in a lot of VW rat rods (attached photo). I would clean up the wheel wells and the front nose and paint them flat black. The interior will be a black/white two tone look, so I had planned on using that on the exterior too – flat black hood, window surround, targa bar, and rear deck/wing with the doors and rear quarter panels flat white.

The front oil cooler will stay, but I’ll cover the nose with a perforated metal and mount the front license plate next to the oil cooler on the driver’s side. The front bumpers would be like what I described for the rear, 2 X 3 steel tubing wrapped around the sides slightly like the Prowler. Headlights and turn signals mounted on the bumpers in hot rod style.

Kirk

 

[tattoodfreak]

Wow this is gonna take some thought, it can be done and I think it would be very cool. Guess I need to see some more pix- side shots ect to get a better idea of what you are talking about.

 

[rainman]

Need some pics away from the car, can't get a feel of what you have with those!!

Expanded metal comes to mind with the pics you have!!

 

[Kirk]

More Pics

Got it. I will get the car out of the shop and get some better overall pictures for a better view of what I've got. It will be a few days though as I have family flying in for a visit starting tonight...

Kirk

 

[Kirk]

I am still working on getting some better pictures of my car. I wanted to get it lowered first as I knew this would have a dramatic effect on the overall look, which is does. I've got it roughly lowered for now and will try to get some pics tomorrow.

For now though I wanted to share my vision for the front of the car and hopefully start getting some feedback as to whether or not I am insane or brilliant.

I think the car looks fairly modern, smooth, and streamlined, especially in the rear with the wide fender flares and brake cooling intake ducts. I don't think that a retro rod look will work. Instead I'm trying to make the car harmoniously flow with a bit of a rough and raw look while still being streamlined and modern, with maybe a bit of a steampunk flair thrown in. I think I can make this work.

Attached is a pic of the headlights that I want to use. These are from the naked street bike scene - angel eye halo at the top and projector beam at the bottom. These will be legal in my state. Also attached is the turn signal I want to use, from the Harley scene. I think that both are modern, yet have a streamlined look with a tinge of steampunk.

Also attached is a sketch of how I envision putting together the front driver's side bumper. The bumper will be made out of 2"X3" carbon tube with a bracket to hold it at the stock mount location, but it will be dropped down lower (like most rat rods). A bracket will then hold the headlight back higher and place it in front of the wheels. The passenger side bumper is just the mirror image of this. In the front of the bumper are three bezel rings (either brass or steel) bolted down with allen head bolts. The rings will cover holes with stainless steel mesh over them (think of the steel mesh in your kitchen sink strainer). The idea of the holes is to give me access to the bolts and wiring inside the bumper and to add something interesting. I may put lighting inside the bumper behind each mesh covered hole to kind of function as marker lights.

The rear bumpers would be the same except probably without the holes, brackets, etc. They will be mounted higher, directly infront of the stock mounts. All of the carbon steel will be painted flat or satin black.

There is more I may do to accentuate a steam punk feel to this. I may paint the brackets on the light a brass color. I may also use copper flex conduit or copper tubing to run the wire through to the headlight. I can also run copper flex/tube to the bumper for the turn signal and marker lights. Also may make the bezel rings out of brass. I have an oil cooler in the front with huge brass lines going to it along the top of the passenger side wheel well. I can clean the paint off of those to expose the brass too.

Thoughts?

 

[Kirk]

I think the sketch helps... I'm not sure I care for the turn signal stalk sticking up there by itself now that I look at it. I can always mount it directly to the car body or on the upper bumper mount.

Another option may be to put turn signals in the bumper instead of the wire mesh and bezel. I could go with a flush mount light like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Amber-2-9...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item20bef74556

Or a surface mount light like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amber-3-Round-15-LED-Surface-Mount-Turn-Signal-Lights-/400259155309

I'm just concerned that I'll give is a semi-trailer look...

Again, thoughts?

 

[Kirk]

I'm limited as to what I can do with "Paint" at work... But here's an approximation of the general layout. Imagine the headlights in the same position, but with the bumpers a couple inches lower on each side. I originally drew this with the bumpers in the stock position, but I would now like to lower them to more of a rat rod height. I am also imagining adding a light bar across the middle later for mounting some driving lights (expensive HID lights pictured here).

 

[Dirtyrat]

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[Kirk]

Photos of Rear

Okay, finally, here are some better photos. First the rear end. The plan is to build some small bumpers out of 2X3 tube to go on each side of the rear, just below the taillights, painted flat black. The muffler isn't mounted in this pic, down the road I will do something custom for that. I think the big question in the rear is whether or not to put the engine lid back on. The one I took off is pretty rough. I stripped all of the old, cracking Bondo off of it and will need to rework it. There was an ugly 80's style wing that will not go back on. I think for the engine lid vent area I will make a perforated metal cover. I will also probably use perforated metal to cover the "PORSCHE" red reflector that goes between the taillights. I like the look without the engine lid, but I think I would be afraid to park the car anywhere like that as there are folks that will hate you just because you have a Porsche. I'd be afraid that I'd come back to the car and find the wire from my coil missing...

 

[Kirk]

Front End Pics

Okay, and here's the front end. The big question here is whether or not to clean up and reinstall the stock fenders with a custom front bumper (2X3 tube, same as rear), some custom lights (not pop-up, but in the same location as stock), and LED turn signals. These are aftermarket steel fenders that give the car a "slant nose" look that Porsche used on their race cars.

OR the other option is to run without the fenders at all and leave the front wheels exposed. I would fab a custom bumper and lights with the steam punk look as posted previously.

I'd really appreciate some feedback on what you folks think I should do with this car. I'm pretty open to anything as long as it doesn't turn into an art car. I need something practical as I will be using this as a daily driver and will take it on tours.

 

[Neverdone]

Personal opinion is if you are going to run it open wheel in the front it needs to be open wheel in the back.

That being said, why don't you try and do a bullet nose in the front? Something like that? Ya know really round up the front and just leave the control arms exposed.......

 

[Kirk]

Personal opinion is if you are going to run it open wheel in the front it needs to be open wheel in the back.

Ah, I see what you are saying. I had not realized that this was a standard convention (which is not to say that this car could not be unconventional), but I have looked through the volksrod picture thread (the most comparable rat rod) and I see what you are saying.

I do see that some cars will run with a big fender in the back and a smaller fender in the front. The MG TC for example is pretty much enclosed in the back, but open in the front with a small fender cover. I had planned to maybe add small fenders over the front wheels later - the kind that wrap around the top of the wheel and move with the wheel.

What do you think of this, would that look more appropriate? If I had a rattier 911 to start with, I would not be afraid to cut the rear fenders off to make it open wheeled in the rear, but this car is too nice in the rear for me to do that, plus (like Sir Mix-A-Lot) I like big butts, I cannot lie....

Kirk

 

[Dirtyrat]

Honest opinion here: Minus the fenders you really ruin the great lines of this Porsche.

The 911 is a classic shape and classic lines, I guess I'm sitting here scratching my head as to why you would pick a solid car to "rat out" in the first place, but it is your car.

Personally, I think you have the makings of a beautiful car, not one I would enjoy ratted out.

 

[Flipper_1938]

For christ sakes, build it as a nice slope-nose! "ratting out" that car is a waste of cool parts.

 

[42chevy]

To me it really needs front fenders. That is a nice car and would look great with just a littl customizing and cheap shiny paint at least.

 

[Neverdone]

Now now guys. Play nice. If he wants to cut apart his Porsche who are we to tell him he cant.

I too would leave the front fenders on it, but I was just saying if I were going to take the front fenders off, I would take the back ones off too.

 

[Tim...Ok]

Not really what you were after, but I think it would be cool with radiused wheel openings..offroad tires and tube bumpers..kind of a baja 1000 feel to it..

 

[jfg455]

I would leave the fenders on it, round out the front and rear valance / bumper area. IE: instead of having a skirt that goes out and covers the front and rear of the tires curve it under so a bit of the huge tires shows. Then I would chop the top 2 1/2" so the whole thing is low and wide. Just my $.02
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[jfg455]

I know this is a trans am but it explains what I am talking about. The first pick shows the skirt covering the tire. The second (from the rear) shows the wide tire exposed.