Fiberglass hood for 968?

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Permalink Reply by Ray Starbird on March 19, 2011 at 2:45pm

My previous 968 track car sported a custom-fabricated fiberglass hood, and I hated it. Not only was it clipped on -- a pain to open and close -- but it was so flimsy I had to duct tape the leading edge to the front clip and the sides to the fenders to prevent the hood from waffling in the wind. Tech inspections were a pain, checking oil and such was a challenge, etc.

When I sold it among the first changes the new owners made was re-installing the original hood. Not to talk you out of shedding weight, but take care that whatever hood you choose is rigid. Another thing to consider as you enjoy the track more are potential racing series (PCA, SCCA, NASA, etc.) and rules they might have regarding required stock components. The new owners of my track car had to replace the Lexan rear hatch with the original one to meet the regulations of their series.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

-Ray

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Permalink Reply by Cloud9...68 on March 19, 2011 at 5:29pm

Ray,

 

Thanks for the response.  Yes, the things you mentioned have crossed my mind, especially the consideration about racing class rules.   I've never raced (only done track days), but once I get my car put back together and am tracking it again, I suspect I will eventually want to move into some sort of competitive racing, and I am concerned that a modification such as a lightweight hood might be a problem.  Good food for thought...

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Permalink Reply by Ray Starbird on March 20, 2011 at 8:59pm

Ah, the bug has bitten you HARD!  That's excellent!

 

For all the mistakes I made, one of the smartest things I did was purchase a track-prepared car rather than modify my street car.  It seems easy to fix up your street car -- a few mods here, a few changes there -- but it can be horribly expensive.  I saved loads of money and ended up with a much better prepped car by buying a 968 racer from a gentleman whose track days were behind him.

 

Such cars aren't terribly hard to find, and the seller will never get out of it what he put in it. So often guys experience life changes (new child, move, new job, wife finally puts foot down, etc.) that force a sale.  First, figure out what series you might want to tackle, then read the rulebook.  Look for racecars that meet the regs for that series.  If the cars are already racing in that series, you can see the results (podiums, etc.) for insight into how well the cars are set up.  

 

Used trailers, two vehicles, and wheels can also be bought on the cheap, especially at the end of the season.

 

BTW, my old racecar is still in Atlanta with the folks who bought it from me, and they would likely sell it if anyone's interested.  :-)

 

-Ray

 

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Permalink Reply by Cloud9...68 on March 20, 2011 at 9:37pm

Ray,

 

Sigh... You're probably right, I'm probably going about this all wrong, but I'm past the point of no return - I've got the engine out of my car, with the head at the machine shop, and 951 connecting rods on the way to deal with the high rpm use the engine will be seeing in the near future.  The problem is that I can't afford, nor do I have space for, two 968s, and my current one is worth so little (the leaks alone, which any PPI will quickly discover, would cost thousands to repair, rendering the true value of my car well south of $10K, probably closer to $5K), which doesn't go very far toward a race-prepped car.  Plus, I'm not even sure I want to race competitively anytime soon;  my immediate goal is to just have my car go faster on track days.  I'm planning to keep it fully streetable;  I don't want to get into the whole trailering thing anytime soon.  

 

But you make a very good point - maybe I should have just looked for a track car, but, as I said, it's too late, with my car in pieces at the moment.  At least I'll have the, uh, satisfaction of doing everything myself.

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Permalink Reply by Ray Starbird on March 20, 2011 at 11:43pm

Nope, I think you're doing it right. Given its value as a street car is low, and you're obviously one who enjoys the building phase (which never ends, for better or worse), you're absolutely on the right track.

One of the cool aspects of mod-as-you-go cars is that you can make a change, test it on the track, then figure out the next aspect to tweak. And I love prepped cars that still look stock, if only for the session in the pits after your run when those you blew by stop by to check out your 968. Many guys are crestfallen when they learn they were passed by a four cylinder (albeit a big one).

It would be great if you could post photos and such as your build progresses. Have fun with it!

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Permalink Reply by Cloud9...68 on March 21, 2011 at 1:10am

Ray,

Thanks for the encouraging words. The way I see it, my car has been a lot of fun as a street car, and as a great car to learn the early stages of track driving (it's lightly modified, so it holds its own on the track better than a bone stock 968 would). But I don't drive it a whole lot - I commute to work in a vanpool, so I don't drive much of anything during the week - so its natural evolution seems to provide me enjoyment as it morphs into more and more of a track-ready car.

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Permalink Reply by Ron McKinney on April 12, 2011 at 3:31pm

i live in colorado springs where gt racing is located, and the owner is a great guy. I bought my front splitter from him for my 968 and it is very durable. When I took my splitter to the paint shop while i was getting my car painted, the guys figured it was gonna be cheap and break off. Actually the owner of the shop has a 928 and he always replaces his splitter. GT racing already told me that they hit their splitter on their race car at 130mph and it didnt damage it. Its made out of carbon kevelar!! im in the military and we use this stuff.  I was sold on that and can say that my splitter has been hit and no damage at all except paint chips.  So if you want to purchase from them I say go for it!!

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Permalink Reply by Cloud9...68 on April 12, 2011 at 8:05pm

Ron

 

Thanks for the positive comments about GT Racing.  I'll look into it.  I have heard, however, that fiberglass hoods, from GT Racing as well as others, are notoriously difficult to get to fit correctly.

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