924Board.org

[Disco Stew]

Call me weird but I prefer the look of the earlier cars with no rear spoiler. My new '81 has the big rubber spoiler attached to the rear hatch unfortunately. Before I just go out and rip it off has anybody else done this and is there anything to watch out for?

My eventual aim is a mild custom look with as much excess trim removed as I can.

[gohim]

Without seeing which rear spoiler your car has, I can't comment on whether it looks like it should come off the car or not.

BUT, IMHO the factory spoiler looks just right on the 924. The factory 924/931 spolie is only about 4 or 5 inches wide, and by all means does not look out of proportion. And removing it from the car will low the top and stability at higher speeds.

If a PO (previous owner) installed the rear spoiler and glass from a 944, then I agree, the tail is too big for the car, and looks out of proportion. If you car has the 944 spoiler, then handling may be a little werid at higher speeds because the 944 rear spoil was designed to be used with the front spoiler/air dam on the 944, and without the front, the rear 944 spoiler is too much.

You cannot just remove the factory rear spoiler because there are holes involved. BUT, I am sure that there are board members out there with the standard plain rear glass who would be happy to swap rear hatches with you to gain the rear spoiler. To be fair, make sure that the hinges have not separated from the glass on your hatch (glue bond failure uaually starts at or near the hinges), and they have not separated from the hatch that you are considering trading for, because once the glue bond between the frame and the glass seperates, the glass will shatter one day. Reattaching the frame to the glass is a task that is seldom successfully permanently performed, and the most common cure for the hatch frame seperating from the glass, is a replacement rear hatch.