Targa top side seal problems
 

I have found Targa top side seal purschased from most sources are incorrect.
1. sized to long by 1/4" need trimmed at rear 1/4"
2. made so that holes that screws go through don't line up to where they need to go.
3. When installing side seal they must be as far out as possible, back as far as possible.
4. trimmed under front knob by 1/3 of rubber.

Translated they aren't made properly.

Targa tops
 

Hi Dan,
Several years ago you restored my 86 Targa top and also convinced me NOT to rip out my factory original seals. That was great advice. The top was completely redone and that made all the difference. I still think targa tops will spill a little rain on your lap when turning corners but that's another story. Wind noise was reduced and water entry was cut down significantly.
I would highly recommend (and have actually) that anyone looking for Targa top recovering to send it to Dan.

Dan,

Would you be willing to throw out a ball park figure of what a targa top "re-do" would run?

Let's say it needs seals too, don't know if it does or not, but for the sake of preparing for the worst :)

Maybe a Low / High range?
You can PM me if you'd rather....

thanks,

-Chris

I made the mistake of replacing the side seals on my top. I did this along with the front seal and when I went to test fit the top it got unbelievably stuck (oversized side seals with a front seal that need MORE trimming). With a bit of vigorous coaxing I managed to crack 2 of the frame pieces. This was not one of my finer 911 moments.

Chris,
Dan did a "stage 3" resto on my top 2 years ago,

including replacing the side seals. $870 total.
As they say...Dan's the man !
http://www.carsincnj.com/targa.html

So how can we rectify this situation? I believe that Dan was making a statement. Almost a call to arms. What can be done to correct the seals at the point of manufacture? Is there an opportunity here for you Dan? Maybe some sort of Petchelization of the flawed model to make them usable for us?

Reflections
I. The Porsche Targa top is the single Porsche item that lacks true and correct information. Even PCA with all of it's Technical experts doesn't have a Targa top expert.
Here are Examples of situations
2. Front header seals are incorrect though part # is correct. No one has adressed this except me with cut down procedure.
3. There are reports of people being able to do top restoration themselves. Read the fine print, they have water leaks, air leaks and wrenkles. Even flyoffs.
4. Side seals being supplied are incorrect and no one has adrressed this except me cut down procedures
5. Most Rebuild Kits being sold don't contain proper inner reinfocement or webbing. Products don't have the strength and thus fail to keep frame tight after installation. Fames should snap shut.
6. Gone are the days of just putting a skin and headliner on a top. The inner reinforcement material is all wore out. Local shops lie.
7. Just because a local shop can do a conv. top doesn't mean they can do a Targa top. Putting a conv. top on a car is a 4 in difficulty. Doing a Targa top 3 stage restoration is 10. It is the most difficult Porsche task I do. This includes 911 engine rebuilds.
8. If you should break part on your targa top I have them. My price is 10% of what others charge on many items. Front frame pieces at $20 ea side rails $100. rear steel pins $35
9. My feeling, you must love the P car inorder to restore a Targa top. Too many minefields just to be a job. Ask others what year Porsches they own. Ask me.
10. Sorry too for being so wordy, off my soap box.

I did the trimming as Dan describes and it worked wonders on the fit. I would have never replaced the side seals given the issues, but the rubber cracked and fell off the frame.

I am still having issues with the rear portion of the window fitting up into the seal - any suggestions or recommendations?

If glass doesn't meet seal move seal outward at rear. This drops it down.

The glass meets the seal and if I push on the rear portion of the glass is fits into the groove. It won't fit into the seal if I close the door or roll up the window. The front part of the window fits just fine.

Dan,
Thanks for this thread.

I bought two new side seals some months back, as mine were self-destructing.
I have not been able to fit them properly, and was beginning to question my competence. Now I have renewed zeal to get it done properly...:cool:

I have had to learn all these trick and modifications needed to make the tops fit. There has been a really large void of info and thus the Targa owner has suffered. We can change that.

Dan:
What do you suggest? I think that there are a lot of us here that love our targas. I hardly use my top these days, as it is not really watertight, and since I started to replace the worn parts, it has gotten worse - as you are pointing out.

So Dan,

Where are you trim procedures published? Do you have them on your website? Have you posted step by steps here on Pelican? Thanks,

ianc

Targa top seal
 

I ask people to contact me so I can mke the issue the seal not the incorrect top or even a side seal issue. I have send side seals on backwards.

All stories I here about Targa tops are related to tops that have been worked on by someone, not by a factory top. Maybe when the top were 12 or 15 years old, you could throw a skin on, and there wern't many problems. Today with the age of the tops, lack of correct infomation, and lack of proper parts and lack of correct materials the job can't be done except by someone who does this full time. I have not seen one top done by a lacol shop or built by an owner in the past 5 years that hasn't been problematic. Some local shops requier the owner to sign a waver that they aren't lible for air or water leaks.