Some questions about Lexan

[TheStig]

I am having rear hatch issues.......AGAIN. I'm on my second rear hatch glass that has separated. My first one is in my back yard awaiting a frame removal overhaul and the one on my car is starting to chip at the black trim on the passenger side. The separation is about 2.5-3" at the moment.

I have seen some talk on Rennlist about Lexan upgrades, but discouraging posts seem to show reasons why Lexan would be bad on a daily driver. My car is garaged religiously when I get home from work and school (pretty much the only places I go during the day with the exception of autocrossing with my fellow Porschephiles on here)

I was wondering about the benefits of Lexan over glass regarding stress. I would assume that it's probably less prone to separation from metal when compared to the tempered glass already used by Porsche. There is also a weight savings I am well aware of too

Anyways, a buddy of mine has Lexan on a Mustang he drag races with Race Legal (still a streetable car) and suggested that if I got a Lexan hatch, to tint the windows which would probably prevent it from yellowing. He's had his Lexan for 2 years, stores his car under a cover when he works, garage at home too.

Would Lexan be a 'not bad idea' to upgrade to if I keep my car in the shade or covered from the sun and maintain it with proper Lexan cleaning and polishing chemicals?

Many thoughts and opinions welcome!

[Jad]

I have had mine on the car for over a year. The car sits outside but is covered and well maintained. I have had no problems, but it is a very fragile piece now. The glass could be abused and the worst thing that happened was the glass could seperate from the frame. The lexan needs two hands to carefully close, the shocks are really WAY too strong, it twists and will scratch easily if you wipe it dry.

The biggest problem I had was with installation. I bought the lexan for ~$200, but had to spend something like $400 to get it installed and I was disappointed with the install even at that price. The install is a LOT of work, it doesn't just slip in the frame.

Given the above, mine is working great and very clear with fairly frequent use of Plexus - the best lexan cleaner.

[TheStig]

Hey thanks Jad. Where did you get yours installed? Do you know what type of adhesives were used to get it to seat right onto the metal frame? Here I thought glass would be harder to install to the metal frame. I haven't had the chance to see your car up close at Qualcomm, so I may take a glance at how the Lexan looks on the car. Even though you say you're disappointed with the install results, I don't think your rear hatch would look the least bit worse than my factory glass one right now

I had read a procedure on Pelican Parts a while back on how to reseal the hatch. This involved completely removing the glass off the hatch frame, scraping the old glue off, using a black primer on the glass where the glue will mate before putting it back on. Unfortunately I have no time for this DIY with school and work, so I definitely will have to get it installed

On a side note as far as retailers of Lexan hatches, I've found GT Racing and Lindsey Racing. Anyone else also know another vendor of Lexan rear hatches?

[Jad]

The lexan isn't really glued in. They took and cut the top part of the hatch metal so instead of a slot which the glass 'fit' into, there was just a flat surface. Next they drilled holes in the lexan and hatch every ~4" and put small bolts through to attache the lexan.

More background: I ordered the hatch from GT Racing and it showed up in a box 1' x 1' x 3'. I had no idea what it was until I opened it. It was just a roll of lexan ROUGHLY the right size and shape. It took a lot of cutting and trimming to get it even close to the frame size and shape. AFTER the 'install' there were 1/2" gaps in a couple of places(just to be fair, this was NOT done by Dieters). I ended up getting black silicon caulk and filling the gaps and sealing the window or it would have leaked a LOT. Also, once you get the lexan installed, you need to spend more money to get the supports added down the middle or the lexan will tear out at higher speeds.

So, I am certainly happy with the weight savings and lower cg, the cost and work involved keep me from recommending you do the same.

The glass really is much sturdier and easier to care for. What is the problem with yours? Is it just cosmetic of the black glue seperating or is there leaking or does it make a lot of noise?

[TheStig]

I can see why you dont' recommend the upgrade now. Sounded like a nightmare for you just to save a couple pounds.

Well both of my hatches are separating, squeaking and leaking. So I would have to answer all of the above This is obsurd! My '84 944 NEVER had a leaking or squeaking hatch! It's really frustrating. If Lexan is worse to install, perhaps I should just get the hatch repaired and resealed by someone. Trouble is, A glass guy was going to charge me about $400 in Chula Vista. There must be some good glass shops somewhere around here where I can get a reseal for cheap and still good quality.

Does anyone on this board know a glass shop that is fairly reasonable and also specializes in resealing too?

[Jad]

I just crawled under the house and guess what, I still have my old hatch. From my delutional days of keeping the parts so I could put the car back together

If you want to come check it out, I would sell it cheap. It is complete except for the spoiler which I moved to the lexan hatch. (I bought a complete hatch sans spoiler instead of cutting mine up at the time).

[TheStig]

I have a spoiler with side trim on my one in the backyard. Does the hatch show any separation around the trim on the top? oh also if you have the side trims on it too that's perfectly fine because I have a nice bb-sized hole on the driver side of mine. I love previous owners... And, since you're up in Del Mar, that's not far at all to check out! I have some maintenance to get done on Saturday morning, but I can probably cruise up afterwards depending on your availability that day.

I too have enough parts in my garage to put a 944 motor together

[Otto]

Andy:

I had a Lexan hatch window from GT Racing installed by Mind over Motorsports on my 944 Turbo and they did a very professional and solid installation. As Jad mentioned, it is a major and costly project so you have to carefully consider if you really want to do it.

[Jad]

There were no leaks or squeeks when I took it off about a year ago. There is no rubber spoiler as all of that moved to the lexan hatch.

I will be in and out on Saturday, I work from home so weekdays tend to be easier on me if they work for you.

email me direct or PM if you want to try to work something out