Targa top rebuild without a jig

[florio]

So, why another sad targa top rebuild thread? there are several out there that explain the steps very nicely, and most of us who can would much rather send their tops to Dan and have him work his magic.
I didn't really want to risk sending the top across the atlantic, mostly thinking how much it would cost in transportation and maybe custom charges. Unfortunately, the top that came with the car was in a mess, and did not fit properly. Here, you see how things were to begin. Sadly, it was the car that did not fit the top, not the other way round


After some work with an improvised jig, the car had once again found its original, upright position and things like doors and targa tops fit much nicer.


If you want to see more on the build, just follow the link in my signature. The top was disassembled as described by others, essentially to the bare pieces for sandblasting and painting.


Here is the foam on top, in relatively good condition.


Unfortunately, the tensioning bands on either side were all in pieces. This made locating the parts based on their previous position impossible. No way to build a jig based on this...

[florio]

So, here is what seems to have worked for me: After putting the frame back together, I mounted the plates on the frame with their little c-clamps. After some tweaking to adjust them so that the plates were centered and correctly positioned, this is what I had:




On the front, I had a gap of some 5mm, which seems good. If you think my seal is a bit chewed up, that's called shaving to fit. Yes, a correct new one from Dan is in the mail...


however, the back is much to close:


I'm guessing a 5-8 mm gap is what you need to fit the bead between the end of the plates and the frame. Careful measuring shows that the frame is less than 1mm off on each side with respect to the manual, so I'm guessing my plates are too long.

At this point, I grinned the plates to shorten them so that they would be the right length. Of course, all this should be done with all the trim and seals in place.


Ideally, one would have a jig that has all the measurements for this. In its absence, I cut two 2'' strips of metal and riveted them to the plates.


This, along with the c-clamps and targa top frame, makes everything very rigid. You can take it off the care, turn it round, nothing moves. With this, I could finish up with the covering.
I went with the offering from a supplier in belgium, which looked to be good quality and close to original in terms of material finish.


The bands were glued using two-component neoprene glue, front:


and back:


Rivets were applied and hammered in:

[florio]

And here it looks like now, with the braces removed:


The burlap was glued to the top,


Intermediate trial fit shows promise.


The top was glued on after installing the 3mm foam. Since this is covered elsewhere ( ), I'll skip the details.


Front fits,


As does the back, I wish I had had more courage and shortened the back a little more...:


On the inside, I decided to add some cheap insulation. This is 3mm of urethane foam covered with Al foil. It's used to cover your windshield in the sun and I picked it up for about 3$...


It's not thick, and allows easy folding without wrinkles. Does it help? No idea!

[florio]

Finished product! Looks good, except for the front seal which makes it ride a bit too high in the front. The pencil marks were for centering the plates during the initial fitting.


thread



Here is a link to a thread that I found useful. If you intend on tackling this, I would suggest you read up on how they glued in the material.

Targa Top Rebuild

Finally, I am happy with the result. The real proof will be when the car is finished and out in the rain on the highway. Then, I will wish I had taken it to Dan myself.

[Discseven]

Bonjour to you in Bordeaux Florio. Creative path you took with straps instead of jig---tres bon!

I looked through your build on the car. You've got stamina! Huge project to say the least. Impressive. Add all the effort you made to take & post photos here... bravo!

[florio]

Merci beaucoup Karl! Yes, it's been a long journey that is now in it's final stretch. I can't wait to get it running, but will miss the endless challenges of figuring out what goes where and how. Fortunately, I still have a butt-load of work to do before cruising through the vineyards!

[Discseven]

Originally Posted by florio

...will miss the endless challenges of figuring out what goes where and how.

... I do the same!

[Bill Douglas]

Good skills. It looks great.