Removing the targa bar?

[cactusdtd]

Brother........good question

[ruf-porsche]

Only if you want the Bar to have a glossy shine to it, otherwise NO.

[Brother]

Well, it is already satined. Do you think it would really make it glossy looking. I'm just wondering from the protective qualities perspective.

I waxed the underside of my hood yesterday so I wondered what was keeping me from doing the targa bar.

Someone want to try and tell us all how it comes out?

[autobonrun]

Brother, as RufPorsche stated, if you have a glossy shine on your bar you could add wax. I think the wax would add a protective finish.

However, if you have the satin finish as in my photo, I would not add a wax coating as it will change the look and add a glossy shine. I'm not sure what you can put over the satin finish to add protection without the shine. I just live with the paint by itself since I prefer the satin finish. It's been awhile since I painted mine and the look has not changed at all even with no wax.

[ruf-porsche]

Get a scrap of sheet metal, paint it with the satin paint and let it dry. Afterward, wax it and if you like the look go ahead and wax your Targa bar, if you don't like the look, leave the wax off.

[stealthn]

Ianc,

So is your rear window just sitting there by itself? I'd love to see more pictures of the whole removal, or perhaps a tech article.

I'm lazy so I'm thinking of the paint on car approach, but if it can be done with little effort.....who knows....

Cheers

[ianc]

Hi Guys,

Here are some more from today's progress. I took the bar over to my roommates' shop in Berkeley because his partner told me they had a bead blaster. Get there and there's no way this bar is fitting in it. I decided to strip it instead. I used Kent Automotive gasket stripper and decarbonizer. Ate through the paint in a couple of coats and cleaned up with water. I used a plastic body filler application tool to scrape it with, to avoid scratching the aluminum of the bar. The paint pretty much lifted off after 15 min or so though.

Here is the stripped bar. You can see the worn curved section shown in an earlier shot, which was down to metal.



The circular holes in the front side are for the ski rack plugs I asked about earlier. I was able to get new ones from Porsche, along with clips for the targa emblems, and the small plastic plugs that go through the seal on either side of the outboard tubes which receive the rear targa top locating pins. You can see the cutout for this tube in the forward edge of the curved section. The smaller holes on the front side are for sheet metal screws which hold the forward edge to the roll bar underneath. Overall, the bar is a very light and flimsy piece of aluminum when detached.

Here's a shot of the car without the bar, but with the top on. The seal is just tucked back into the groove. You can see the holes for the 10 mm's on either side of the drain hole at the base of the bar. The forward one is a slot for lateral adjustment. That black gunk is some kind of factory sealant. It's on both sides. Couple strips of foam at the top to cushion the bar; I had to glue one back on.



As you can see, the window seal is actually under the targa bar and between the roll bar and the glass. The rubber strip at the rear edge of the targa bar is just cosmetic and comes right off.

Here are the targa emblems. They were originally black. About 3 years ago, I painted them with silver model paint, baked them, coated with an acrylic clear and baked again. Looks like the top one could be recleared. Below them on the left are the plugs which go next to the targa top pin tubes. On the right are the ski rack plugs for the forward sides of the targa bar. At bottom are the emblem clips.



Will post more as it becomes available,

ianc

[stealthn]

Wow, this is good stuff, I had no idea the bar could come out leaving the glass and everything still in place. Learn something new every day.
Great, now another project to do....

[ianc]

Glad you like it Stealthn. Since I'm just hanging out at present, here are a couple more that may make some things clearer.

Better shot of the targa bar mounting stud holes and the central drain hole at the base of the roll bar.



Targa top locating-pin tube, the plastic plug holes on either side of it, and a hole for one of the sheet metal screws securing the forward edge of the targa bar revealed under the seal.



Better view of the rear window seal:



More to come,

ianc

[cactusdtd]

ianc,

Nice work.......its like i am watching CSI Miami or something. By the way, in which episode is the murder weapon identified?

[widebody911]

Colonel Mustard, in the study, with a SawzAll

[ianc]

its like i am watching CSI Miami or something. By the way, in which episode is the murder weapon identified?

Ha! Give a man some beer, a camera and a computer and the result is havoc!

ianc

[frankc]

Ianc,

You mentioned something interesting - that the bar was Aluminum. In a thread earlier this month, I mentioned that I thought my black Targa bar was Aluminum and not Stainless when I replaced it years ago. Here's the thread:

Targa Bar- SS Finish

However, people there said *all* the bars were stainless, even the black ones. Hmmm, are you pretty sure it is Aluminum?

Frank

[ianc]

Hi Frank,

I cannot answer definitively. From the color, texture, weight and flexibility, I would say it's AL.

The lab results are not in yet though...

ianc

[speedo]

thanks for the direction to the thread Ian. I removed the targa bar and rear glass for painting....the rear window is dicey...gotta watch for the wires to the defroster. Fortunately no rust, and I didn't bust any bolts. My rubber was trash...so I have to drop the big $$$ for replacement rubber. I may need to replace the front also as it is part of the door seal also. If anyone wants pics of the before....and after I'll post them. Car looks pretty nasty right now with no fenders, bumpers, hood, targa bar, glass, or rear lid. But it is ending up with '74 RS front and rear bumpers, huge fluidyne cooler,SSIs, sport exhaust and a tail....scored a sparco and corbeau race seat today, and a sparco 5point cam lock harness. A couple more days and he hits the painter....I'm thinking black, as the handles and window trim are already anodized back...and the targa bar will be satin....with early black rectangular mirrors. But, then again...signal yellow...hmmm

[ianc]

Glad to be of help. I haven't posted anything in this thread in awhile because I sent out the bar to be powder coated in what the guy described as a 'Satin Black'. Got it back and it was so shiny I could see my reflection in it. Plus, he dropped it while bringing it back and scratched one side to metal, and the passenger side was all orangey peely. Damn...

Well, I've sent it out again, and should have it back this weekend. Update then...

ianc

[wowzer911]

I've been pondering chrome plating my SS Targa bar. Has this ever been done? Can this be done? I've only seen one picture of one, but not sure if it was chrome plated or just polished. can you polish stainless that well?

[ianc]

Don't see why it couldn't be plated, although it would be hell trying to keep the thing shiny!

ianc

[Neilk]

Originally posted by ianc

It actually wasn't that bad to get the thing off; took maybe an hour and a half. I got very lucky with the 4 10 mm.s, they all came off nicely without breaking, and after removing the front 10-15 sheet metal screws and a bit of tugging and tapping, it finally came off.

Here's a shot of the 4 10's underneath. They're the ones closest to the sidewall, the others hold the trim piece on.



ianc

Does anybody know the part number for those nuts? I looked in a certain software program buy couldn't find anything.

[ianc]

Neil,

The two closest to the side of the tub here are just standard 10 mms, like you can find anywhere else on the car.

The outside two are the small squash nuts that hold on the trim piece around the outside of the rear windshield. Don't know the part #, but they're cheap at the dealer,

ianc