Installed new targa bar rubber seal - step by step...

[jfw834]

Well, this was easier than i thought it was. I shall give a step by step account to help others attack the project. My old targa seal was weathered and torn and grey from material peeling off... plus daylight was coming through a small crack on the pasenger side reminding me that i am a targa owner! so i got together the stuff needed to replace it:

1) new seal
2) 4 rivets and caps
3) 3M weatherstripping glue
4) flatblade screwdriver/exacto knife
5) paper towels
6) rubber hammer
7) vacuum

This task gets harder and more annoying as time progresses but the whole thing can be done in a couple hours for sure. First you peel off the old seal and the rivets should come right off with it. This was MUCH easier than i thought and took approx. 30 seconds.


Next, you have to clean out all the crap that is left behind in the channel which is the use of the flatblad screwdriver and a lot of scraping! Use the vacuum to clean out your car and the channel of all the debris once finished.

and this is what i looked like after it was clean:


Then if you read the directions on the back of the glue, you apply a small amount to the rubber AND the surface you are sticking it to.....let it dry (about 10 min) cover the whole lenth of the targa bar.



After it is dry....apply a bit more to the rubber seal and it will stick in place very quickly. I started with the drivers side pin hole, then worked the seal into the channel down the drivers door side. Then worked it accross the top and was careful to line the other side up with the pinhole as well.....and finally down the passenger side.


I let the seal dry for about 30-40 minutes and then went at the rivets which are the most annoying and least important part of this project. From what i see, they really do NOTHING at all to hold the seal in place as it is very firm without them. None the less, i used a rubber hammer and have read that a little grease on the shaft of the rivet helps, and pounded them in..(two are in better than the others which got bent.....but who cares they look fine)

About an hour later I tested the fit of my top which was much more snug and HALLELUJAH...i no longer could see daylight coming into my interior on the pasenger side! what a wonderful sight.

Anyways hope this helps and i encourage other people with "not so great fitting" targa tops to replace this seal as it's very easy.

I will report back with any windnoise and or leak reduction when I get a chance to drive it later on.

With that, time for me to grab a cold one. CHEERS!
p.s. next up is a 3rd LED brakelight to fend off those tailgaters

[azasadny]

Congratulations! I've been too scared to try this, but you've given me hope. Thanks for documenting the process, that will help alot of us!

[JonT]

Nice DIY thread! This is a common problem for Targa owners. Q--who makes the highest quality seal? How much ? where?

[jtratza]

Thanks. I did this about 7 years ago and forgot how easy it really was. Good pics. Back then I didn't have a digital camera.

[stealthn]

Thanks for posting, I didn't know the sides were integrated to the whole seal.

Good write up

[JP911]

The front seal is the real pain in the a$$. I'd do a writeup, but I still haven't gotten it to fit the way I'd like it to. The problem is that the seal needs to be trimmed to fit properly and allow the roof to sit flush.

[jfw834]

Originally posted by JonT
Nice DIY thread! This is a common problem for Targa owners. Q--who makes the highest quality seal? How much ? where?

the seal is a porsche part. pelican has it to order i believe although i received my new seal along with the car from the PO as part of the deal.....the current one was so nasty looking. Not a bad throw in cause the cost of that 5 ft. piece of rubber is $257! The seal i got was a very tight fit and good quality. I'm sure you could get it at the dealership as well, although it will be more than pelicans price for sure.

[Muf]

I have bought the seal from vertex for about 150 USD. Fits fine.

BTW: JP911, Please post the info on the windshield seal. PLEASE. I have contacted Dan Petchel from Carsinc, the real pro in targa stuff and he sent me a page full of instructions how to trim the front seal. But, no pictures, though. So if you could document this process, I would be very grateful...

[Dan Owens]

MUF,

Do a search in the archives as there was a very good thread about the front seal and how to trim it along with pictures. It was about a year or more ago that it was posted.

[JP911]

I reviewed the post that Dan O mentions, and it was helpful. However, it is still a trial and error process. The seal fits fine when you lay it into the track, but when you put the metal plates where the roof locks attach and then the roof you will see that the roof does not sit flush. I tried driving the car like this before gluing the seal in and the wind noise was horrible. So, I started slowly trimming (actually, I used a grinder) and testing, trimming testing, etc. When I finally thought I had it perfect I glued it in. I ended up using too much glue and there was a slight gap that allowed lots of wind noise. So, I pulled it out, cleaned up the glue, trimmed some more, re-installed and its better but still not perfect. I used the Porsche factory seal.

[jfw834]

Originally posted by JP911
I reviewed the post that Dan O mentions, and it was helpful. However, it is still a trial and error process. The seal fits fine when you lay it into the track, but when you put the metal plates where the roof locks attach and then the roof you will see that the roof does not sit flush. I tried driving the car like this before gluing the seal in and the wind noise was horrible. So, I started slowly trimming (actually, I used a grinder) and testing, trimming testing, etc. When I finally thought I had it perfect I glued it in. I ended up using too much glue and there was a slight gap that allowed lots of wind noise. So, I pulled it out, cleaned up the glue, trimmed some more, re-installed and its better but still not perfect. I used the Porsche factory seal.

ouch...that doesn't sound fun....hopefully i won't have to do this one very soon!

[fiminod]

The plastic rivets stop the squeaking. A pain to get in, but much needed.

[jshape]

Thanks so much for documenting the procedure. I was planning to do this early next spring and am now actually looking forward to it considering the apparent ease!

[Muf]

Thanks, Dan Owens, did you mean THIS thread:
Pics of proper targa seal required.