Question on aluminum decklid

[Shaun 69 E]

On the early S decklids, was it just the outer skin that was aluminum, or was the subframe also aluminum?

Did Porsche ever make ducktails based on aluminum lids?

[Zeke]

I have an AL deck lid here that belongs to another. It is 100% aluminum. My understanding is yes, the factory ducks were FG over the AL frame.

[Eric911S]

Hello: I've seen the underframes for the ducktails made out of aluminum and also steel. The ones that I have seen mostly were steel including the 74 ducktail and some on original RSR's. Thanks Eric

[Shaun 69 E]

Thanks Milt and Eric. Please bear with me. Is the underframe identical in design to the steel lids?

Were they bonded together? crimped? TIG'd?

[Eric911S]

Hello: Yes the underframes are the same for the aluminum and steel. The fiberglass is bonded to the underframe. There used to be someone in Florida making copies maybe you can find out if they still are. Remember the top is fiberglass and the bottom is metal. There are some good fiberglass ones out there. I've used M.A. Shaws and Getty designs and they both fit very well. The Tweeks or whatever there called now doesn't fit at all. Hope this helps. Thanks Eric

[72targa]

I've seen two hand-built, all-aluminum ducktails advertised in the past. Pretty cool stuff.

[sithot]

And I know that you can buy a nicely "made" new steel frame one from Germany for about 400 euros or at least you could last week.

Tom

[911kiwi]

Hi Guys,

I have a genuine alloy based ducktail on my '72S. Original owner (German gentleman) )who I purchased the car from returned the car to the factory in 1973 requesting them to fit a ducktail - he liked the look but didn't want to buy an RS. This is what the factory fitted.
He retained the original engine lid - the undersides of each are identical in construction, apart from the metal used of course.
My understanding is that they used the '71S aluminum lid & bonded the fibreglass "ducktail" on top of it. Can't verify this as the lid has never been stripped down to bare metal.
The early RSs got this construction lid, later the construction changed to all fibreglass.
Anyone else know more?

Hope this helps,

Gary
reg # 306

[BOYER73S]

No the early RS cars got an aluminium frame with fibreglass but the alloy kept breaking around the latch area so they went to steel frame with fibreglass, I think at around number 870 something, around the same time as they dropped the internal gearbox oil pump. I have never seen a real RS fibreglass only lid and I am pretty sure they don't exist.

There are many stories of later numbered RS cars having alloy based ducktails from the factory so the real truth may never be known. I suspect previous owners have sourced and put them on later numbered cars perhaps

The alloy lids ,are as Zeke stated, are all alloy and light as hell.

[real550A]

Just to add to Clyde's accurate info, the later '73's were steel base with license plate lights recessed at the rear. The '74 factory Carrera tail was steel base with no lights.