Refinished Targa Bar Cover

[AirCooledExcellence]

Hi All,

Just thought I'd post some pic's of my targa bar project!

Cleaned up cover, I used at least 10 coats of paint stripper!


Bar after painting, I used 3 coats of Tetrosyl Etch Primer, followed by around 5 coats of Satin Plasti-kote enamel paint.


A close up of the finish. I didn't sand the primer and this helped achieve a nice textured finish.


Can't wait to get it back on the car now!

Cheers,

Tim.
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1983 SC Targa

[89Targa]

Looks great!

[Leland Pate]

Looks great!

I can't wait to do it (again) on my bar.
Mine looked nice but on the bottom of the right side it chipped off a bit.
So I need to do it again.

[Eric Coffey]

Looks like it came out pretty good. Nice work! One question though: What kind of adhesive are you going to use (did you use) to put the rear seal back on? I am probably going to tackle this project myself this spring.

[LeeH]

Tim,

I'm glad someone has actually finished this project. My last attempt was about 90% nice. I was painting in my garage to cut down on dust, but the lighting was poor. The finish looks great, except I didn't quite overlap my last wet coat so the bar is striped in the right light! I had about decided I could live with that when I noticed a big sag on near the bottom of the driver's side. That I can't live with.

I did manage to keep the dust down. I used a new 9X12 plastic sheet and walked very carefully and slowly so I wouldn't stir up anything.

So, even though I swore this was my last attempt, I think I've learned enough to give it one more shot.

One question I have: Should/Can the satin finish be waxed after it cures?

Leland: You say your paint is chipping off... what kind of paint did you use and how did you prep it?

[AirCooledExcellence]

Freefly,

I will be using a general contact adhesive for the seal, but I believe in the USA there's a product called 'Weather strip adhesive' made by 3M.

Lee,

That dust is a real pain! I coverted my study into a paint shop at the weekend, rigged up our hoover so it was sucking about 2 feet above the targa bar (Please don't tell the wife! ). This seemed to do the job.

As for waxing, I'm not too sure either but I guess the paint should be left for a couple of weeks to cure.

Cheers,

Tim.

[Olivier 3.0]

BTW, does somebody know how to fill holes in the Targa bar? My car used to have an ugly 80's "electronic" antenna that I removed, but holes are still there...
because it's aluminium, I do not know how to proceed...If possible without removing the bar from the car !

[LeeH]

My cover is going back on today. The sag got better and better as it sat in the AZ sun. I can still see where I didn't overlap the wet coat, but only in just the right light. I'm going to stick it back on and give a couple of weeks to cure.

After that I'll try a light coat of wax to see if that evens things out. The front Targa bar seal looks like it will stay on place without adhesive. If I decide I can't live with it it won't be too bad to remove and start over again.

I think if I had to do over again I would not have used the Rustoleum paint. It just takes too long to dry (2 hours later it was still quite tacky) allowing the dust particles to find there mark.

[Eric Coffey]

Olivier-

To do it right, you would need to take the area down to the bare metal, build up the holes (weld), and grind flush/smooth. Also, I believe they are formed out of stainless steel, not aluminum. If you are thinking of tackling something like that, you may want to see if you can find a good used Targa bar cover to swap instead. It might be cheaper in the long run (no painting, welding, etc.)

[Olivier 3.0]

yes , I'm on the way to find a bar cover on a crashed car of a friend of mine ... Is it easy to remove/install ? his car is (was) a '86... is there any difference in the shape through the years?

[Eric Coffey]

Olivier-

I am fairly certain that the cover from the `86 is the same, and will fit your car. The only discrepancies should be the finish (matte black instead of satin stainless), and maybe a different "Targa" script color. If the script is different, you can just swap the emblems from the old cover. The cover is a bit of a pain to remove, with a few "hidden" screws. Not that difficult, just time consuming. The hardest part will probably be the 2 wheel arch nuts on each side, and the screws behind the seal. I would email Tim since he probably has a little more insight, having just done it.

[Olivier 3.0]

thanks, Freefly ... The color is not an issue, because on the Carrera 3.0 , the cover is already black (it was not the same for '76 2.7), and the "Targa" is also black (pretty sure it's stock)...

For the arche nuts, it is possible to remove them with just the wheels off ?

[AirCooledExcellence]

Hey Olivier,

I'm Tim! (I created this thread).

Apprently some have removed these wheel arch nuts without removing the wheels!, don't know how they managed it, it's pretty tight in there.

I jacked up the rear of my car and removed both wheels before I started.

Cheers,

Tim.
____________
1983 SC Targa

[Leland Pate]

Hey Lee,
I painted mine over two years ago and can't remember the brand of paint I used. It was a satin enamel with a compatable primer.

I fudged when I reinstalled the bar cover.

You know that bit of trim that wraps around the base of the glass and continues along the bottom of the targa bar cover?

Well, when I pushed the bar cover down I wasn't paying enought attention because it was hanging on that piece of trim and caused nickel sized amount of paint/primer to come off.

I was pissed and just touched it up with some brush on paint, but now it's starting to bug me and I'll just end up doing it again.


For the record, I too do not know how anyone could get to those nuts without first removing the wheels.

[Eric Coffey]

Olivier-

Ahhh yes the Carrera 3.0. Great car! To quasi-answer your question: Yes, you can get the nuts off without even removing the wheels (I have done it before). It is a complete pain. You need a 1/4" ratchet, and a couple LONG extensions. It takes quite a bit longer, as you are going completely by feel alone. The right side is a bit more of a pain due to the charcoal canister being in the way (have to remove it first). The easiest way would be to do each side at a time. Jacking up the car, removing the wheel, and removing the fasteners. That 1/4" ratchet w/ extensions will come in handy for that method as well. Also, if your friend is not so equipped, you will want to bring a set of screwdrivers, and a flashlight. Have fun!

[LeeH]

Leland,

I saw that piece of trim as being a problem and pushed in on the bottom of the cover before it did any damage to the new paint. I also was installing the cover alone and feared the bolts hitting the paint. I took a small towel and crammed in the vents (those under the cover, not those that are part of the cover) and let it drape over the paint for protection.

The only thing that was worse off after the installation than before was the trim piece you mentioned. I had a little brass showing when I was done. But that is what a Sharpie permanent marker is for, right? Anything that should be black, but isn't gets the Sharpie treatment. It works great!

I really don't see what the big deal about getting to those nuts with the car sitting on the ground. I guess if you had huge arms or a lowered car it might be a problem. I just used two 4" extensions on my ratchet. Getting the nuts back on was a little more of a challenge since I had to get my hands all the way up in there to get them started, but still... I know I was able to get it done faster with the car on the ground than if I'd had to jack up the car and remove the wheels. Besides, my lug nuts would have needed another permanent marker treatment!

All told, I'm very happy with the results. Concourse? No, but it really did turn out nice. My neighbor who had been watching me work on the cover from across the street came over once it was installed. I could tell he was a bit skeptical, but he gave it a serious double take and a "Wow" once he saw it up close.

[AirCooledExcellence]

Hi All,

I got my refinished bar back on the car this afternoon, looks pretty good!

The only problem I had was getting the new seal to stick to the targa bar cover, I got around it by doing this:



Leland, before you chime in, yes this is only temporary until the glue dries

Cheers,

Tim.
____________
1983 SC Targa

[LeeH]

Tim,

Did you consider just popping the top back on to hold the seal in place? I can't decide if that's a good idea or not! I've put my top on with the seal loose and it seems to be in the right place.



Any thoughts?

[AirCooledExcellence]

Lee,

Yeah I tried just putting the top back on, but it seemed to pull the back of the seal away from the targa bar a bit, hence the masking tape and plastic bags!

Seemed like a good idea at the time!

Cheers,

Tim.
____________
1983 SC Targa