Targa Top

[carsinc]

I have been contacted more than ever before by Targa owners about ill fitting tops. The problems seem to take this form
1. First are the people who just recently bought the car. Top looks good but very bad wind noise. I get pictures and e mail and it always seems the same. New owner needs thee top restoration of top because old owner just had a skin put on the top so it would look pretty.
2. Second, are the owners who thought they were doing good by replacing all Targa top body rubber. Now they have found out that the front over the windshield seal they installed make the top sit to high. This has lead to latch breaking and great wind noise. After many years of trying I have got the correct seal reproduced for the 70-89 Targa's. It is not visually correct for the hollow door seals cars but will work fine. I have these in stock. PS I have competed an installation guide for my customers
3. Last are the owners tried a local rebuild then were told by shop that the problem was in the seal. They now have a double wammie to fix.

4. Again I will repeat. Local shops can't do a full restoration, if they can't do how are you the owner going to do. There is only one source for the correct seal with installation instructions and I am that source.

5. There are two Roller latch Targa Top versions and they are not interchangeable. 86-89 side seal with holes 90-94 side seals no holes.

[Otis]

Just re-skined my '88 911 and while it took some adjusting ( and sticking my tounge out while I worked on it) It came out great. I did have to go through a learning curve on how to get the right curvature in the front and how to adjust the side rails while the top was on the car but like I say, it came out out great and has reduced the wind noise greatly

[carsinc]

I have not had any success in just with recovers. The wind noise lessens but still is there. Customers have told me they want near zero and the only this can be accomplished is by doing three stage. Congratulation it is a tough job and I am happy you are getting good performance and it looks good also.

Side note I have revised my over the windshield seal step by step install guide so for Owner who have bought a seal from me in the past, I have and can be e mailed.

[Otis]

I would love to see it. Might learn something to improve my top. Please e-mail it
jkmkkemp@ecentral.com

[KarlCarrera]

Dan, thanks for the info this afternoon. Sorry to call so late. Much appreciated. This is one of the last things for my car.

Thanks
Karl
88 Targa

[SVKarl]

Dan did a top for me last fall and I also got his front seal. The continue to learn just how much of a moron the PO was because it took hours to remove the quarter inch of adhesive he goobered into the channel when he replaced the front seal about four years before I got the car (then installed the wrong seal).

Anyway, with the new seal and Dan's fabulous work on the top there are zero water leaks, zero wind noise, and zero squeaks. I never expected the results to be so excellent.

Karl

[carsinc]

Thanks for kind words. We bring back the Targa Top Model one car at a time.

[JTL]

I have spent a lot of time fiddling with my targa top. Tried to save a few bucks 3 years ago and went to a local upholstery place. The vinyl was bulging upwards at speed. That was a total waste of $300. The new skin looked ok but the top sat much higher and produced a great amount of wind noise. The side seals didn't even touch the top of the vent window for christ sake!?
Right now I have a replacement original front seal. Got it off a -85 parts car. The right side of the top seems to latch down tighter; guess it's due to the locking lever placement, which is further out than the left side.
On th left side it looks like the curved plate under the vinyl has lost some of it's curvature. Does this happen a lot Dan? I have no water leaks but wind noise is way bad at >60mph.
Dan, could you please tell me what a 3 stage restoration costs? What is your turn around time for this job?

Thanks, jt
-84 targa

[carsinc]

Your story sounds very familiar. The poor quality of work from local shops with not having proper material and know how has lead to these problems.

Three stage is $895 and I have a 3 day turnaround. If you like I have loaners and exchange tops.

Visit carsincnj.com for more info. Thanks

[alniki]

Originally Posted by carsinc

5. There are two Roller latch Targa Top versions and they are not interchangeable. 86-89 side seal with holes 90-94 side seals no holes.

Does that mean Targa tops from the 964 Targa cannot fit well on the Carrera 3.2 Targa?

[Zef]

Advertisement done....

[carsinc]

964 tops the second generation of rollers are 80% different that the 86-89 roller version.
1. All folding metal thin is different
2. side real are different
3. rain gutters are different
4. side seal are different
5. It is 1/8" bigger, has to do with front windshield pillar design.
6. Tops will go on but won't fit.

[SVKarl]

When work is performed to the caliber that Dan's is, "advertise" away.
Karl

[craigyirush]

"It is not visually correct for the hollow door seals cars but will work fine."

Dan - which cars are these? Is my '86 Targa one of them? Also, my top is in pretty good shape, but it's sitting too high on the passenger side (wind is noticeable above 80 mph). What are the chances that just replacing the seal will eliminate (or significantly reduce) the noise?

[ischmitz]

First off - I don't want to rain on anyone's parade here but I had my top redone at a local shop in SoCal and it came out just fine. The shop owner told me that he didn't want to guarantee perfect fitment unless I left him my car. I opted not to and took the risk instead. It wasn't the first Targa top he did and they guy took all the time to explain what the potential issues can be with an improper rebuilt.

I talked to the guy at length later and he explained that even though he was dealing with the original top from my car the only way to get it perfect is to have the car and adjust things on the car. He even drives the car over a curb to see if body twist tampers with the top (the hooks)

I went by there one more time and he showed me some of what he was talking about: One of the hooks that latch into the frame in the front of the top didn't alway engage. At speed it became undone and resulted in wind noise. It needed some tweaking. After that no wind noise whatsoever.

I wonder how Dan gets it right every time without having access to the car the top belongs to - that is a mystery to me. It is my understanding that the length between the windshield frame and the Targa bar can vary with older cars.

Ingo

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by ischmitz

I wonder how Dan gets it right every time without having access to the car the top belongs to - that is a mystery to me. It is my understanding that the length between the windshield frame and the Targa bar can vary with older cars.

Ingo

I think Dan has some kind of a jig that he fits the top into while rebuilding it. Maybe that jig is just another car of his own, but he did mine 4 years ago and I'm still very happy with it.

[911 tweaks]

Dan, please email me the updated seal install.
Thanks, Bob
bobf@design-associates.us

[arbita1]

Dan,

I got a stage 3 top from you a few months ago. It was done through the insurance, due to a cat tearing my old one.

While it looks great, and the leaks are 90% gone...I still get a lot of wind noise.

What should I do next?

[ischmitz]

Originally Posted by VaSteve

I think Dan has some kind of a jig that he fits the top into while rebuilding it. Maybe that jig is just another car of his own, but he did mine 4 years ago and I'm still very happy with it.

How would a jig account for different cars?? That doesn't make sense, sorry...