The Targa Hardtop Install

[M.D. Holloway]

The Targa Hardtop Install




The idea of having a removable hard top for the Targa always seemed like a cool idea. It took some time to find a suitable Targa frame. I guess if your vinyl one is trashed you could use that but mine was in good shape.
I bought the fiberglass top on the Parts Catalogue here.



Here is the underside of the fiberglass top. Notice the 4 steel clips. They are ‘bonded’ to the top. This becomes a matter of concern later. There is a ridge along the sides the take screws. The edges offer a nice spot for glue.



Here is the frame:




Actually fits really well! I found the frame on-line. It is from a 73 but it fits great.




The clips line up nicely.




As do the edges.

[M.D. Holloway]

I decided to make the holes a bit bigger to accommodate a 10x ¾ screw.













Fit like a champ!

[M.D. Holloway]

So I installed it, put it on, buckled her down and took a snap. Good and done! NOPE…
After about a minute I hear “CRACK!”. One of the steel brackets gave way. The glue they used must not have been JB Weld! I took off the top, disassembled it and found this:



JB Weld to the rescue. A 2 part epoxy with good set time and at 3960psi I am hoping it will be enough. A paper plate and a few plastic forks are all you need to mix it up.





I lifted the other bracket as well. Both were on the front piece. The back ones seemed solid. Applied JB Weld to both and let set.



I noticed under the clip there was a gap between the frame and the top. I had some clear 2 part epoxy and a few pieces of aluminum so I made some spacers and glued them in.






I put the epoxy around the edges of the frame, secured it with some clamps, and screwed it on. I let it set for 24 hours. I popped it on, snapped it down. No creaking sounds. Fit tight. I took it for a ride and there were no rattles or squeaks. Pretty solid.



I like the black but I have thought about maybe a black carbon fiber wrap? We shall see.

Hope this helps anyone who decides to put a hard top on their Targa.
Maybe Wayne will publish this?

[javadog]

You should ask a moderator to move this thread over to the 911 technical forum, so more people might see it.

You could always ask Wayne to add it to the technical articles that are also stored on the site.

I'm surprise that when the top was made they didn't glass-in those tabs. Hopefully, when you used the epoxy to repair the two that you fixed, you removed all traces of the previous adhesive. I would be a little worried about that top peeling off at some point in the future, while whistling down the highway at a decent rate of knots.

[LakeCleElum]

Thax Mike.....Price is attractive. How is the wind noise at speed?

[widebody911]

I still have a real targa hardtop I got at a junkyard years ago - I got it cheap because they didn't know what it was.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

So I installed it, put it on, :::



I like the black but I have thought about maybe a black carbon fiber wrap? We shall see.

Hope this helps anyone who decides to put a hard top on their Targa.
Maybe Wayne will publish this?

Nice work. How would that top look wrapped in white to match the rest of the car?

[kach22i]

Nice.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Nice work and a fun project. Good result too!

[M.D. Holloway]

So far no noise. I thought about wrapping it in white. The contrast looks cool IMO. I have to redo the window side seals. I will have them re-vinyl-ed. Then the wheels will be power coated.

[MBAtarga]

So no lube was required for installation?

[Khal]

Looks nice and for the price it looks like a great deal. Too bad I don't have one of these god cars because the prices whent crazy when I finally got to the position to buy one.

[daepp]

What do you see as the main advantage of the hard top over OEM?

Or, to put it another way, what were you going for? A different look, or something more?

Nice work BTW - thanks for sharing it!

[fanaudical]

Nice project. I like the contrast.

I've got a factory Targa hard top and it has tons of rattles and wind noise. I keep thinking about changing the seals, but am having a hard time shelling out $$$ for a couple pieces of rubber...