Composite Targa Top Development

[hydrocrust]

Excellent, glad to be a beta tester if you want to see how it works on an 82.

[toddc]

Thanks for the bump.

yep, works on an '82. Right now looking for a few local volunteers for test fit to make sure that our sample size is greater than 1 before going to production.

Are you in metro detroit?

[gtc]

Looks great.
Will these use the stock side seals?

[toddc]

Thank you Graham,

the tops will be manufactured in such a way as to accept factory seals, guide pins and j-hook latches, we're dedicated to providing a turn-key factory type product.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by toddc

Thank you Graham,

the tops will be manufactured in such a way as to accept factory seals, guide pins and j-hook latches, we're dedicated to providing a turn-key factory type product.

How are the j-hook latches coming?

[gtc]

Originally Posted by toddc

Thank you Graham,

the tops will be manufactured in such a way as to accept factory seals, guide pins and j-hook latches, we're dedicated to providing a turn-key factory type product.

Very cool. Seems like this is what the factory should have done.

[hydrocrust]

Thanks for the bump.



yep, works on an '82. Right now looking for a few local volunteers for test fit to make sure that our sample size is greater than 1 before going to production.



Are you in metro detroit?

Sorry, Santa Cruz CA. Sort of an outer suburb of Detroit.

[toddc]

Here is where we are at.....

J- Hook Prototype is finished and ready for test fit/installation. You can see the latches in the pics.

Keep in mind when viewing the pics, this is not the final product rather the prove out for fitment.
That said, we're really close.

[porwolf]

toddc, your hard top looks excellent. Hope it will fit really good. Just one question: What about the center 3rd guide pin on the rear section of the hard top? Should there not be at least a thread so it can be installed as an option?

[toddc]

Originally Posted by porwolf

toddc, your hard top looks excellent. Hope it will fit really good. Just one question: What about the center 3rd guide pin on the rear section of the hard top? Should there not be at least a thread so it can be installed as an option?

Now THAT is a great question....

I considered that option during the design of the J-hook frame and quite frankly I dismissed the need for a center rear pin based on the real world testing that was done on nineball's car with our original hard top.

The carbon tops are so stiff that there is no need of a center support in the rear. The original carbon top has demonstrated it's ability to resist deformation at track speeds exceeding 100mph and I have no reason to think the J-hook version will not perform the same way.

Regards,

[einsteiger]

Watching this whole project come together has been a real treat...and I don't even own a Targa!! BUT, knowing that a replacement for an old, leaky top may be available, I'd consider one now.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by toddc

Now THAT is a great question....

I considered that option during the design of the J-hook frame and quite frankly I dismissed the need for a center rear pin based on the real world testing that was done on nineball's car with our original hard top.

The carbon tops are so stiff that there is no need of a center support in the rear. The original carbon top has demonstrated it's ability to resist deformation at track speeds exceeding 100mph and I have no reason to think the J-hook version will not perform the same way.

Regards,

Great comments, Tod. Just that when I do engineering projects I always think of building in extra safety if reasonably feasible. So, would not the 3'rd pin thread in the frame be an easy addition, just to be extra sure?

[toddc]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Great comments, Tod. Just that when I do engineering projects I always think of building in extra safety if reasonably feasible. So, would not the 3'rd pin thread in the frame be an easy addition, just to be extra sure?

Good thought.
At this point, adding in the third pin is not really an option without considerable rework of the frame.

Keep in mind, the factory only did this for a short period of time on the folding tops for the early targas. They never did it on their own fiberglass hard tops that were available for the '75 model.
I suspect they also deemed the extra support unnecessary.

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by toddc

Good thought.
At this point, adding in the third pin is not really an option without considerable rework of the frame.

Keep in mind, the factory only did this for a short period of time on the folding tops for the early targas. They never did it on their own fiberglass hard tops that were available for the '75 model.
I suspect they also deemed the extra support unnecessary.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the 2-pin factory Targa tops were the early versions. My, all original, '79SC certainly is a 3-pin version. I think Porsche started the 3-pin version with the SC models, and all the way up until the end.

[toddc]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Correct me if I am wrong, but I understand that the 2-pin factory Targa tops were the early versions. My, all original, '79SC certainly is a 3-pin version. I think Porsche started the 3-pin version with the SC models, and all the way up until the end.

I offer no correction whatsoever, I am not intimately familiar with what folding tops the factory offered for what years.

We're comparing apples to oranges.

My carbon hardtop is a clone of the factory hardtop that was offered as an option in '75 that has been modified to allow the use of factory J-Hook latches that were used in all variations of the folding top from 74-86.

The beauty of this hardtop is that allows someone to install it as they would their original folding top with no modification required and the added benefit that items like latches and guide pins are serviceable without the destruction of the top which is something that is not possible with a stock folding top.

I truly hope this helps clear up that we are not making a comparison between vinyl tops and hard tops.

Regards,

[ScottT80]

The tops look great! Thank you for all of your hard work on this.

Are you planning to sell them ready to install on the car, or will the buyer have to source latches? Any idea on pricing yet?

[toddc]

Originally Posted by ScottT80

The tops look great! Thank you for all of your hard work on this.

Are you planning to sell them ready to install on the car, or will the buyer have to source latches? Any idea on pricing yet?

Thanks Scott,

I'm going to offer both a complete top and a bare top.

Idea being that a buyer may have his/her own hardware left over from another top and want to use it and save some dough. Or perhaps want a complete top allowing use of the hard top while preserving their folding top.
Either way, OEM latches and guide pins are available from our host and others and we can provide as part of a package or end user can source themselves.

Right now pricing is being dialed in and not confirmed but should be right around the 2k mark for a complete top and less for a bare top.

[mfiazzo]

I can test it on a 1978 if you like

[ScottT80]

Thanks for the quick response. Will the fiberglass tops be primed and ready to paint? What sort or pricing difference are you looking at between carbon fiber and fiberglass?

[toddc]

Hi Scott,
fiberglass will certainly be available and they will be delivered in primer ready for paint.