Removing the targa bar?
 

Hi Folks,

My targa bar has been bugging me for some time, so I think it's time to get it powder-coated. I haven't removed one of these before, but it seems like it should be fairly straightforward.

I believe there are 4 10 mm. nuts under the fenders to remove, the rubber seal\cover around the back of it needs to go, and similarly the front seal needs to be removed.

Any little tips or unexpected snags I might see before I dive in? Thanks for the help,

ianc

If you have a build up of road grime, it might be a good idea to wash under the quarters first to make seeing the nuts a bit easier. Also once you have all the attaching hardware removed, it might be a good idea to have a buddy on the other side of the car to help lift the targa band evenly and to avoid scratching your paint.
Other than that it's not too hard to do.

Get ready to weld some new studs on it, the studs are not stainless and may break off.

Craig

Post some pictures when you get this off if you have a minute.

I agree, spray lots of WD-40 on the studs under the quarters and let soak for a a few day. Clean off as much of the grime/rust as possible. I ended up breaking most of mine off when trying to remove the bar.

Another option.
 

Unless you must have it powder coated, another option is to paint it in place. I was basically too lazy to go through the entire removal process. My bar was worn down to the metal on the curved portion. I used the Wurth Satin Black Trim Paint sold here on Pelican. I did a good job taping everything off and put a little vaseline over the Targa name that wiped off with the excess paint. I did clean the bar several times with soap and water and wet sanded the paint until it was smooth and even; not all the way to the metal but just until the surface felt smooth. The Wurth paint gives the bar a satin finish which I understand was the stock look. Just another option that may save some time and effort.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105767500.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105767589.jpg

I agree you should soak them before trying to remove the nuts, but PB Blaster will likely be more effective than WD40. YMMV.

Hi All,

Thanks for the tips indeed!

Autobonrun, I did in fact paint the thing just like you 3 or 4 years back, but my prep was probably not as good as yours and I'm afraid it just didn't last:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105818128.jpg

I will indeed take care regarding the studs as suggested. What about the largish plastic rounds with the phillips heads in them along the forward sides of the bar? Anything special about them?

I'll post further pictures as I go,

ianc

If I remember correctly, the platic plugs are for attaching a ski rack or something for the Targas. I don't recall any difficulty in removing them.

Frank

They WILL break off, but they are inexpensive and easy to get so don't fret it.

looks like the body paint is oxidizing as well. Where is this car?

audubonrun,

do you wet sand between coats of the satin black?

Not sure on the later cars but the early cars also had several metal screws behind the Targa bar to roof seal.

Hi Brother,

The paint is a bit rough, but overall looks pretty good:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105863022.jpg

Car lives in Marin county.

ianc

A red car in a blue county!:D

I'm interested to see the bolts that are needed to remove the bar when you get there.

I don't think you need to wet sand until the last coat is on, but I haven't done this myself.

I did wet sand between coats. It's been awhile but I think I used 320 or 400 grit before the initial coat then 600 grit between coats.

Well, here's an update. I was planning to do this tomorrow, but since my roommate bought a new stereo for his 911 and was out in the driveway installing it (and we had some sun for once), I decided to give it a whirl.

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105920899.jpg

Here's what the mounting point of the bar looks like when removed:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1105920951.jpg

Now just a little bead blasting then off to the powder coaters. Will post more shots as things progress,

ianc

If you have it sand blasted or bead blasted be sure to tell the blaster to use a lower pressure and a low angle of attack when they do the bar. Too much pressure or a high angle of attack will warp the part. Ask me how I know.
Also while your up under there you might want to spray a little rust converter on the rust thats stating to grow.

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the tip as I will be doing the blasting myself.

No rust under there, it's galvanized and a CA car. I think what you're seeing is just some dirt and leaves.

ianc

Do you guys wax your targa bar when you do the car?

Brother........good question

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

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1106022592.jpg

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1106023011.jpg

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1106024625.jpg

Will post more as it becomes available,

ianc

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....

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1106042015.jpg

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.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1106042660.jpg

Better view of the rear window seal:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1106042800.jpg

More to come,

ianc

ianc,

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

Colonel Mustard, in the study, with a SawzAll

http://vintagebus.com/howto/cab/rem-bar-1.jpg

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

ianc

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:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/199751-targa-bar-ss-finish.html

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

Frank

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

targa bar
 

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:confused:

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

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?

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

ianc

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

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