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911 FRONT A/C CONDENSER GUARD
By Steve Grosekemper
As this year's summer weather has forced the use of our air conditioners, I have seen an overall increase in total system refrigerant loss. The most common reason for this loss this year seems to be
front condenser damage from bottoming out of the car.(Up to a $750 repair) 911s from ?í '78-'89 have an additional condenser (removes heat from A/C refrigerant) in the front of the car which has a
small horseshoe shaped guard on it. Under normal conditions these guards seem to work fine. If like most of us you do not live in the normal world, a little extra protection may be needed. If you
look under your car and find that the front toe hooks are smashed into unrecognizable wads of steel, you may be a candidate!
The first step in fabricating this bar is to replace the toe hooks if they are badly damaged. If your car is earlier than 1984 you will have to use the late Carrera style hooks. (You will see why
later.) They are a bit expensive so try to find them from a junk.......oh, I mean Porsche recycler.
After these are installed you will find that they are bent outward slightly. Use a large pry bar and/or hammer to persuade them into a vertical position. Once this is done you will find that the distance between them is exactly 281/4". That is the length of bar that we are going to bolt onto the car, between the newly installed brackets.
THE BAR
This is where lots of options come in, mostly involving cost! I have made bars of 1" steel pipe all the way to 11/2" stainless .064 wall tubing. The stainless unit with all stainless
hardware cost about $100 in materials alone. The steel pipe version runs about $10 (wholesale price of course). It is also 4 pounds heavier for all you racers! For purposes of simplicity we will
discuss the one-inch steel version.
Cut a 1-inch steel pipe to 281/4 inches in length. The outside diameter will be 1.315 inches. Weld a 9/16 nut into each end of the bar. The nuts fit loosely into the bar so weld them offset on both
ends of the bar. (See figure 1) Complete the weld and grind the end of the bar flat. (See figure 2) Using two 9/16" bolts 11/2 inches long and 2 washers, bolt the bar in place. In some
conditions a small amount of grinding (of the hooks) will be needed to complete the fit as well as minor reshaping of the mesh grill. (See figure 3)
FINISHING THE BAR
When installing a stainless bar, it can be left bare or painted black. However, when a steel bar is used, a little extra care must be taken for its protection. If it is painted or powder coated, these
finishes will chip off as the bar hits the ground, resulting in a rusty bar. The best protection I have found thus far is to galvanize the bar then paint it. The galvanizing actually bonds to the
metal instead of just coating it, therefore road damage is all but eliminated. The galvanizing is very shiny! A little too shiny in fact, that is why I then paint the bar black to match the rest of
the suspension. One of our local club members, Lewis Wise, introduced me to the wonders of galvanizing. He just happens to own San Diego Galvanizing and is discounting galvanizing of all 28 1/4"
steel bars for all PCA members! Just don't ask him what a duplex system is, you have been warned!
The finished product installed on a car with no front spoiler is hardly noticeable. (See figure 4) On a car
with a front spoiler it can not be seen at all. The new A/C condenser bar also protects the front rubber spoiler from damage when bottomed out.
GOOD LUCK
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