Cabriolet sills

[pauljmcnulty]

Any ideas? I've been told they're NLA, but have pointed the chap to PC Leicester to confirm.

If they aren't available, what's the alternative? Can coupe sills be modified, or it it a case of fabricating parts?

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Just to add, Rose Passion have them listed as NLA, but do have a "side member" listed. [link]http://www.rosepassion.com/en/cat/porsche-944-1990-944-s2-cabrio-manual-gearbox-5-speed/M451/bodywork/floor-and-frame-side-rail/B272[/link] Is this a strengthening piece?

 

[George Elliott]

Not sure Paul, but Cab floors are double skinned as you will be aware, and from an era where Coupe's had their roofs cut off and were stiffened in an afterthought fashion by a coach builder. Given that complexity I would imagine a good fabricator would be the best option to fix one properly. Would be helpful to have the outer sill panel to help him though. I saw one NOS Cab Sill on ebay recently. George 944t

 

[pauljmcnulty]

To update, 944 cab sills are NLA, but 968 ones are available. Would they fit? [8|]

 

[Waylander]

had a look at PET and they look different, the 68 ones are a completely different shape mainly due to the skirts 941 503 312 11 RH £311.86 Sill

 

[GlennS]

I was told about 4 years ago, in OPC Reading, that Cab sills weren't available at that time. Have they come back into availability and run out again or have they been unavailable all this time? I remember us getting all hot under the collar about coupe nearside sills a little while ago and then there was a new batch made.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Glenn, I think the difference is that there are an awful lot of 944 coupes needing the sills so there's money in making a new batch, but cabs are pretty small numbers by comparison. Add that I don't know if the sills were a Porsche part, or something fabricated by the American Sunroof Company who took 944 shells off the line and did the conversion? Not a criticism, merely saying that the conversion was farmed out to a different company, and I'm not sure Porsche would have had any input in to the work ASC did on the cabs. How many of the unique parts were actually Porsche, despite part numbers being listed when they were new, when Porsche could easily buy them in from ASC? George's post above makes a lot of sense. I'm surprised not a single cab owner has replied though. Have none of you needed any sill work, ever? [8|]

 

[wibble]

Last time I was at Reading Porsche warehouse they had new stock of sills - Reading OPC may advise or contact 924nutter who just sold his cab.

 

[944Turbo]

I cant add much ref availability, but I have for ages been meaning to show some of the differences and in a topic headed cabriolet sills here are some pics I nipped into the garage earlier, phone in hand, popped the grill and

I don't recall the coupes being double skinned here (looking down, passenegr side)

or those plates at the bottom

I then got this one looking forward before proceeding to drop my phone and spend the next 10 mins or so trying to retrieve it []

deciding there was more room on the drivers side (no pipe) I got this one

and this one

which shows you cannot see all the way to the front. I then got an underfloor shot but you cant really make out the normal floor above

The lower floor ends behind the sill trims (car and garage floor both need a good clean!

and finally a side view (paint looks awful in this pic! its not, I think it is reflections from the floor and a small amount of dust) I think the jack point locating diamond is lower than on a coupe

and a reminder that the windscreen rake is different on a cab

Tony

 

[GlennS]

This was a timely debate as I went with friend to have a look at at blue S2 LHD Cab being sold at a "dealer" in Chesham today. From what I could see it needed both sills, both front wing bottoms behind the wheels, one rear quarter was rusty in front of the wheel arch, a new hood and a new windscreen (big cracks). The bonnet was dented. The bonnet gas struts need replacing. The boot was badly scratched and needed painting, the rest of the paintwork was a bit "lived in". The interior was sodden (due to it being outside and the hood useless, mostly rags) with puddles behind the rear seat. It was on some replica 17" alloys (which needed refurbing) and shod with P6000s. The driver's door dropped noticeably on opening. Available paperwork ended in 2002. On the plus side, it had a formerly nice (it might dry out OK) blue "comfort" leather interior with 10 speaker system and cruise control. The battery was dead... the dealer did offer to have a go with a booster pack but we ran away at that point.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

You should have stopped in and picked me up on the way, Glenn! Sounds a perfect example of how not to buy a 944....

 

[GlennS]

ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty You should have stopped in and picked me up on the way, Glenn! Sounds a perfect example of how not to buy a 944....

It surely was... it was all very James Bond. "Meet me in the BP petrol station, I'll be in a 2010 Golf. Then you can follow me to where I keep the cars...". As advertised, if all the car needed was a new hood and battery (the disclosed faults), it would have been an attractive proposition.

 

[tobybanks]

Noticed this post with interest , as I am also looking for cab sills.I tried to get Reading to check if there were any available elsewhere in the world , but I'm still waiting for a response................. However I was over in India latter part of last year and met the guy from Porsche centre in Mumbai , who did a bit of digging and established that there are no sills available in Asia , and his contact said that there were non in Europe either.Apparantly there are no plans to remanufacture them either!!Not sure what the differences are between coupe and cab sills.Can coupe sills be modified to fit?If so how or what needs doing to them? Toby

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Hi Toby, Thanks for that. It sounds as though the cab sills are too small a number to warrant manufacturing a new batch. I don't think there's any issue with a good bodyshop fabricating replacement metal, but this could well be more expensive than the Porsche sills as it's time-consuming it the rust has spread to the inner sills. I've suggested the original enquiree speaks to a couple of the best-known bodyshops who know 944s, to see what they suggest.

 

[944Turbo]

The inner sills look very different, much, much more going on, and I think even the outers are different, possibly slightly deeper, unfortunately it is unlikely that I will get the cab and coupe together to compare any time soon. If Porsche cannot supply any then restoration of what's there is probably the only option.

 

[JaseGT4]

This is very interesting to know, I'm going to view a cab this week, a shame they are NLA. I can understand why Porsche won't be making these anymore or in the foreseeable future. Slightly off topic but when we decided to build a Mini 1275GT we were invited to the BMH factory in Oxford to watch the car bodyshell being built. At the time they were re-manufacturing TR7 sills for the last time. Apparently it took 12 separate tools to make one sill? They were then scrapping these tools as they had nowhere to store them (they were fairly hefty machines) Hope this hasn't happened to the 944.