924Board.org

[8trdrvr]

Hey guys,

I picked up the 944 hatch today in Allentown!!! I cant wait to install it! it looks great, real nice condition. It will live in my apartment somewhere while i get it cleaned up then i'll install it after the car gets back from the body shop (door & paint work) the week of the 24th! Im really excited to put it on!

I'll post a picture when its all squared away.

should be getting the car back today from all the head work too. cant wait to drive it.

Well, i'll post the picture soon enough once i get it on. Just happy i finally found one.

If anyone needs a 924 hatch with no spoiler and good glass drop me a line chances are i cant get much more than $10 bucks for it. (if that)

Pictures soon to come, feel free to post any installation tips. although it looks pretty easy.

Kevin

_________________
ATR-42 Driver (EWR) -Runs on Jet Fuel
1982 Porsche 924 -Runs on mogas
First time Porsche owner

[ This Message was edited by: 8trdrvr on 2002-06-15 03:42 ]

[D Hook]

Kevin: A little tip on that hatch install; when you take off the old one, there's a gasket material that surrounds the bolts on the hinges. If by some chance you happen to damage it, I found that rubber washers used in garden hose is the exact same fit and will seal nicely and completely hidden. Cheap, too. Maybe a buck for 10 of them.

Also, check your hatch struts, too. If they need replacing, be sure to get ones made for the 944 hatch so you don't get the dreaded window/frame separation problem.

Good luck. I think you'll like the look. I just tossed my old one in the dumpster yesterday because I couldn't GIVE it away.

[8trdrvr]

what causes this dreaded window/frame separation problem?

Kevin

[D Hook]

Someone else may have more info on that than I do but in my case, I put some incorrect hatch shocks (too stiff) on and when I went to push down on the hatch to close it, the glass on the drivers side near the hinge seperated from the frame. (Glass moved, frame didn't.) It was kinda' on it's way out and this just finished the job.

In the FAQ there's an excellent article on how to repair these. Never tried it but I will if my 944 hatch does the same.

[gohim]

There are a number of reasons that the glue bond between the glass and the frame deteriorates.

#1 Improper opening and closing of the hatch. Use two hads to support the glass whe you open and close the hatch. Do not open the glass supporting only one side, this cause the glass to twist, placing unnecessary stress on the glue bond.

#2 Wrong Gas Struts, or unbalance lifting force. When one hatch shock dies, immediately replace both. Otherwise, the uneven force on the glass will cause twisting and break the glue bond.

#3 Imcorrect adjustment of the lock pins. The rubbber seal ages, crushes down, and starts to aqueek. The Cheap Owners try to eliminate the noise by cranking down the latch pin adjustment, instead of replacing the worn-out seal. Again, this places uneven stress on the glue bond, and causes twisting which will damage the glue bond.

Over the years, many have tried to renew or re-attach the glass to the frame. Some attempts have been more sucessful then others. None of the bonding methods have proved to be as strong as the original factory bond between the glass and frame. While deterioration of the bond betwee the glass and frame may be inevitable over a long period of time, careful use of the hatch when operating it, and prompt maintenance when required will get you the longest service life.

[dwak]

I just took the old deteriorated 931 spoiler off my 931. It had no mechanical fastenings. Just rubber adhesive but it actually was very difficult to get off and, for this reason, when I attach my new spoiler (944), I'll use adhesive alone. Completely adequate if as well instead as the last.
dwak

[larso]

Once the glass separates from the frame it's very tricky to get back in. I had it pop out while changing a shock. Was very alarmed when it happened as it took me a full 4 hours to finally get it popped back in. Unfortunately, I can't remember how I got it back in. I think I used several screw drivers with padding (to not scrape the glass) and gently snapped it back in place, but with all the shock pressure it's very hard to do.

One reason that it pops out of place, is if you lift the hat too high...or sometimes if you hit your head on the hatch. Don't try and lift the hatch any more than it is supposed to go. Probably why the stiff springs caused problems. Also, objects in the way of the shocks...could cause a problem. If you leave some luggage or whatever inside, and the shocks hit them, this can cause problems.

That's a great tip about those seals around the catches. I was going to adjust my hatch catch, but that's a stupid thing to do and would be masking the real problem. After years, the rubber seals get crushed..but the metal latches will not change in any way. Common sense would lead the average 924 owner to adjust the latch...common sense is what gets 924s into trouble!

[numbers]

Well guys, after several unsuccessful attempts at re-gluing the glass to frame, I decided the solution was to pin it. I got a glass bit, and started to drill a hole through one corner of the frame and the glass and poof, I had a pile of glass fragments all over the rear carpet. I was supposed to play golf with my insurance agent that weekend, but after I called the hatch into his secretary, and she told me how much it was going to cost, I cancelled the golf match.

[Smoothie]

Well, that's not too great. My guess is it's laminated glass? I was thinking of drilling my 924 hatch to install a rear wiper years ago. I didn't feel too confident in my glass drilling abilities, so I got a small pickup truck window from my brother to practice on. It happened to be tempered, not laminated glass. I started drilling gently and within about 5 seconds the entire piece shattered into a thousand almost equal sized little square pieces. With that it was decided I didn't really need a rear wiper after all. All these years I've been wondering if my luck drilling laminated glass would be any better... probably not.

[ This Message was edited by: Smoothie on 2002-06-25 08:38 ]

[Rick MacLaren]

Numbers: Ya can't drill that glass. Sorry man. There are guys who've said that it can be done, and some who say they have done it, but I've never seen it. That's too bad. But if you like, I have a 931 spoiler and rear glass for REAL cheap - like, selling for less than I really believe it's worth. I need to sell off my parts car before I go to Greece. If Charlie, my winter car mechanic, doesn't buy it, I can sell the spoiler to you.

This is what I don't understand about putting spoilers on these glass pieces: Why is it that everyone wants to spend $150 on a plastic spoiler, when there are perfectly good 931 or 944 spoilers with the whole window out there for $500 CDN used? Or less?

I don't get it. Do they look better if they're aftermarket?



[ This Message was edited by: Rick MacLaren on 2002-06-25 09:00 ]

[8trdrvr]

numbers,
i feel for ya man. its time to start the witch hunt. I searched high and low and landed a spoiler for a 944 (entire rear hatch) about an hour away. It will take some digging but im sure you'll find one. EVERYONE wants 150 for a 944 rear spoiler with good glass spoke with about 8 folks, all the exact same price

Good luck and let us know how you make out. for now, enjoy your new flow through ventalation system.

My explorer was broken into about 5 years ago, they shattered two of my side windows, TILL about last year every now and again id find a little square piece of glass to remind me of the ordeal. you'll never get them all out

let us know how you make out!!
Kevin

[Rick MacLaren]

Yeah $150 USD for a 944 rear glass with spoiler is a good price. I paid $500 CDN for a 944 rear glass with spoiler about 5 years back.

The real trick to buying one is making sure the rubber has been properly maintained and treated. There's a Poly solution from Porsche, in a blue and white container, that works wonders on spoilers to protect them from heat and sun.

The only drawback I found for the 944 spoiler is that it's very big, and probably not optimal for the 924 or 931. It always looked out of place, which is why when I bought a 931 parts car a couple of years ago I put the 931 spoiler onto the car. It just looked more original, IMHO.

[dwak]

I re-iterate: Just use a good adhesive to attach the spoiler and forget using mechanical fasteners. I know it works because I just removed one attached this way.
dwak the iterator

[D Hook]

Numbers: Here's one in Evans, CO that's goin on ebay. Might be able to email the guy and ask him if he'd rather sell outright. Since you might be able to pick it up, it would save him the trouble of shipping, which can be a major pia.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1839569511

If you don't have an ebay account, let me know and I can email him for you to get in touch with you.

[ This Message was edited by: D Hook on 2002-06-26 21:45 ]

[8trdrvr]

that is WAAAAaaaaaaayy too much $$$

no way that wiper assembly is worth an additional 150 beans. i think it looks better without it anyways, theres a plug from porsche that fits right into the hole. i still need to get that.