Targa to cab conversion--crazy?

[s2per]

I been wondering--planning to paint my SC Targa this year, top needs new skin and headliner and several seals are leaking anyway, so why not find a manual top (KISS) from an 83-89 cab and get out the Sawzall? Has anyone out there done the conversion? I would also plan to add a roll bar for DE events and street chassis rigidity.
I don't plan to ever concours this car and I would not get hung up on the originality issue. I would keep the rest of the car looking stock, without spoilers, with maybe a Carrera front valance/fogs as the only other body change.
So...am I crazy?

[Tyson Schmidt]

Yes, you are crazy. In fact, anyone who attempts this is a complete whack-job. Nut-so, Freakazoid, Lunatic!

Seriously though, it's much more work than it seems. The process is simple, the work is not. It's one of those jobs that is fairly easy for a skilled craftsman, and overwhelmingly intimidating for a novice.

Also, make VERY sure that you get an '83-'85 manual top ONLY! '86 and later have different latches, and cannot be changed to fit the earlier windshield header frames. (Ask me how I know.)(Ok, I'll tell you. Bought a "83-'85 manual top that strangely must have transformed itsself into an '86 top during shipping! Bastards!) Oh well, that's all behind me now.

[widebody911]

The more I see this discussed, the more I wanna do it myself!

[Brian993]

Why not fix up the things that need attention and sell the car. Then go looking for a nice cab. The targa conversions cost $3000-$4000. So why not put it a nice cab? Just my thinking

[Tyson Schmidt]

Oh sure, and hey, don't send your girlfriend to the hairdresser. just dump her and get a new girlfriend that's already had her hair done!

[scedmonds]

I, too, have "Cab-envy" -- even though I love my Targa.

I've seen the work done at Autos International (Escondido, CA -- www.autosintl.com), and what they do is amazing.

They hand-build cab tops, customized for whatever car has been brought in by a wind-loving owner. I've seen 356s, 911s, BMWs, even an old woody (I think it was a '55 Ford) go under the saw, there.

Ask Tony Garcia there what's in store for a DIY'er. Then ask him the price (I believe it's close to the $3-4K kits cost). And, if you're serious, ask him when he can fit your car into the schedule.

I'm a big fan, have had lots of interior restoration done by these gents, and have no vested interest in their business.

I would agree -- fix/sell the Targa, buy a factory cab.

Cheers!

C.

[Brian993]

Oh sure, and hey, don't send your girlfriend to the hairdresser. just dump her and get a new girlfriend that's already had her hair done!

Ya, I guess he is right cars are like girlfriends. So you should piss the money into this car and drive a targa with a cab top thats worth less than all the money you put into it because its not what its supposed to be. I would do it to, seeing as they are like girlfriends. The girlfriend angle puts a whole new twist on things for me.

[Kevin Stewart]

I have a frame that is new but not complete if your interested, Kevin

[epbrown]

Originally posted by Tyson Schmidt
Oh sure, and hey, don't send your girlfriend to the hairdresser. just dump her and get a new girlfriend that's already had her hair done!

Well, this is more like cutting off your girlfriend's head and attaching some other chick's, just because you don't like her hair color. As we like to say on the board, "It's your car..." but I'd never buy a cab-conversion myself. I view it was the same slack-jawed awe I felt when I saw a 1970s Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow that had been converted into an El Camino-style flatbed truck at a cost of $40,000. (It's been up for sale on Collector Car Trader for months). I mean, if you changed your mind about what you wanted, why not sell the darn thing and get what you want?

Emanuel

[john walker's workshop]

hey, wanna sell that 66 rolls? i'm sure i could make a pickup out of it for way less than 40K.
seriously, you can do the cab conversion in a weekend if you're handy. Eurotek sells the brackets a lot cheaper than the dealer. 714.549.3211. the car would be worth at least what extra $ you put into it. there's a good market for a well done job, so don't let the naysayers scare you. they don't leak like a targa either.

[Joe Bob]

Anyone know anyone that has bought AND installed the do-it-yourself kit that is advertised in Performance Products and/or Tweeks catalogs?

[Kurt B]

I still think you're better off selling the targa and getting a factory cab.


Among the most gratifying aspect of Porsche ownership is the manufacturing number specifying its options: cab included.

Although, you'll have a whale of a time in a cab--they are delightful to look at. There is nothing quite as elegant and deadly as a factory turbo cab! Not track-car-mean, but lady-in-red-with-357 type mean.

[widebody911]

My logic is that I have so much time and money sunk (not "invested") into my targa that I can't sell it and get an equivalent-performing car for that much cash. Since my car is already modded seven ways to sunday, it is more cost-effective to do the cab conversion than to sell and buy a cab and *then* build up the cab.

There - having said that - anyone know of an 83-85 cab top for sale?

Originally posted by BigBpainta
Why not fix up the things that need attention and sell the car. Then go looking for a nice cab. The targa conversions cost $3000-$4000. So why not put it a nice cab? Just my thinking

[Tyson Schmidt]

The Targa is just a Cabriolet with a welded in roll bar, so I just don't understand the people who think it is butchery.

Christ, there is a factory manual on the conversion! All the parts are available, and it is indistinguishable from a car that left the factory that way, if it is done right.

Those aftermarket kits from Tweeks etc. are junk. And tacky looking IMO. Those would definitely devalue the car.

P.S. The girlfriend analogy was just me being a wise-ass. I can understand both sides.

Widebody911's situation is a very good argument "for" the conversion.

[john walker's workshop]

i second the factory top assembly. i did one kit from hunter enterprises years ago and even though the customer liked it, i wasn't happy with the quality.

[goat43]

Hey, there, John Walker, I just saw your new icon under your name; my already esteemed opinion of you just rose significantly. If there's one thing that I like more than old 911s, it's an old 911 with good ole JG coming out of the speakers. WALSTIB!

[john walker's workshop]

yeah, that's from an '87 poster in my office. "13 magical nights on broadway". that would have been a costly show, as i used to get tickets for all the shows if he/they were in town.
new bumper sticker to one up the born again guys, WWJD? what would jerry do?

[epbrown]

Originally posted by mikez
Anyone know anyone that has bought AND installed the do-it-yourself kit that is advertised in Performance Products and/or Tweeks catalogs?

The year before last at Tweeks' Porsche Funfest, I watched 2 guys from RKR convert a '74 Targa (the yellow one used in their ads) in around 2 hours. Looked like something that could be done in a couple days. Interesting to watch, but I still didn't care for it.

Emanuel

[Bill Douglas]

Why not go the whole hog and turn it into a Speedster!


I know getting/making/converting a top is more drama but a Speedster - oh yes.

Bill '79SC Coupe.

[s2per]

Hey, this is more than just a little food for thought, this is a buffet! Thanks for everybody's input, and I'm still thinking strongly about it. The Speedster idea is really a little more over the top (sorry, bad pun) than I planned and the chances of finding a windshield and top for one are slim, at best.

Yeah, selling this one as a Targa and buying a factory cab might be the best way (and keep the purists happier) in the long run. But since I know this car's history and the chassis is set up the way I like it already, if a good 83-85 top becomes available, it will be very tempting.

BTW, I put this subject on "that other bulletin board" and got 0 responses. Thanks guys, Pelicanheads rule!