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here is a shot of the dry fabric tacked into the clear gelcoated tool getting ready for infusing. it shows how tight we have to have it to the mold surface in critical areas like the rain gutters and edges.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0487.jpeg |
For those of us with the new cars are planning to provide templates for cutting into the wind shield frame to accommodate the hardtop-type latches?
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Any hope of these for the 964 Targa??
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maybe at some point but as of now we can't supply that. my car is an 83 so i have them already. i'd suggest re-reading this thread as i know someone posted they modified their 84+ car to accommodate a factory top. conversely if you purchase a top when we have them ready it would be relatively easy to loosely install it on your car and mark the hole areas and then further detail it with the provided escutcheon plates as you will not only need the hole for the latch but for the screws to hold the plate in place. the plates are needed for added strength for the latch areas. Quote:
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Please share your experience with the level of noise after fitting one of these tops. I have a rebuilt fold-able top and the noise is really bad over the passenger side of the car. I'm interested in the hard top largely to make driving in the car at speed with the top on more bearable. |
i will once we get back from hershey. since it's approximately 6 hours each way i should have a good opinion. that being said i know my seals are 30 years old and i plan on buying a new front seal from dan at hershey, so my results may not be typical.
getting ready for the infusion.... http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0488.jpeg |
bagged and curing
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0490.jpeg bagged removed after infusion. those are some sexy lines todd has created http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0491.jpeg my car is getting more and more excited by the day... |
bottom is bagged
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0493.jpeg and the bag is removed http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0495.jpeg so we have both halves of our prototype sitting in their molds and soon they will be trimmed and bonded. he would never say it but i will... todd has done all of this work left handed only, and he is a righty. poor guy sprained his right hand on saturday but still puts out this amazing quality one handed. somebody better buy him a beer or three at hershey :) |
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Gee I did'nt mean to piss off all you newbies. Just asked the question. As for your creation, go for it and see what flies.
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No, not at all. We're just so happy that someone is showing the Targa owners a little love:) Tired of all the coupe guy purists giving us a hard time about our need for some fresh air and sunshine!! We try all we can in Northeastern Ohio.
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Makes me want to buy a targa just to put that top on - looks awesome - and I know how hard CF is to work with.
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Hi Nineball,
I been watching your work on this thread and it's very excellent. My question is in one photo where you have what looks like 4 longitudinal 2-3 inch wide carbon strips...that's there for reinforcement of the outer skin, correct? |
Karava,
no, those strips are my resin distribution lines. As you see in the following picture, they get removed after the resin is drawn completely through the skin. The top skin doesn't need any additional support due to it's laminate structure. |
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K, sort of. It's a semi rigid very porous material that allows resin to flow quickly.
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Isn't vacuum bagging great? One of my favorite clamping methods.
Looks great gents. Looking forward to the final product. Hope I can afford one. -C |
Thanks for the compliment Charles,
What I like about the infusion process is that we can tack all the laminate in dry, then suck it down tight to the tool ensuring no voids or bridging, then use that vacuum to pull the resin through the fabric. Very slick and a lot less messy than typical open layup/bagging. |
Slick! I'm guessing you already know about the bag material that the boat guys use. Can withstand up to 300º or so. That lets you use a slow hardener, hit it with external heatlamps to get it to set faster. I get it at West Marine, as I recall, or maybe West Systems.... My favorite resin these days comes from System 3.
Ciao! -C |
Love the continuous updates. Again great work Todd!
I'm hoping the price and finish of these are so desireable (as im sure they will be) that they kill the market for the factory tops. ;-) |
Wow! excellent work!
Have you weighed the finished top yet? I'm guessing it is around 15 lbs. Shane |
I've been watching this come along...
Can't wait for them to be available...my top is the '78 original and I am not dropping the coin it costs to refurb it. This will be a fantastic substitute/upgrade/weight saver!! |
Shane, tops not done yet, so no. Bit so far the skins feel light and stiff. Im guessing that we will be under 15lbs
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comparing a folding top to our version is not a fair comparison. while they both serve the same general purpose they are completely different. it would be like comparing a 2.2 to a 3.6 - yes they are both porsche engines and they both move 911s but that is where the similarities end. that being said purchasing a refurbished top from dan at cars inc runs in the $2600-3000 range (last i heard) for a point of reference. of course it would be cheaper to send him a top and have it refurbished but again that is not a fair comparison to our version as ours is the entire piece and we don't convert or refurb folding tops into what you see in this thread. add to that the fact that we not only have to make the top but have all the pieces made that are NLA like the plates (front and rear), guide pins, side seals, latches, etc etc and the difference becomes even greater. more updates.... front guide pins are done http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0496.jpeg bottom being trimmed and fitted to the top http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0500.jpeg top skin removed from the mold http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0503.jpeg |
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As a point of reference the factory hard top (mine!) weighs 28 lbs. My folding top, 22. I ride around with the hard top and autocross with the lighter, folding top (needed for bracing). An even lighter top sounds great, as long as it provides the structure the Targa requires.
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That is BEAUTIFUL! Does the top come out of the vacuum bag with that wonderful gloss / sheen or did you have to go thru a sanding / polishing process? Oh and the BIG question; are you guys getting ANY sleep? I hope so but I have my doubts. This thing is looking amazing and might make me think twice about painting my CF ducktail rear lid. Also, I have some kind of fiberglass (1 pc) targa top on my car. I guess I should weigh it for comparison sake.
Great job guys! cd 82 911SCT |
Thanks CD,
That pic is straight out of the tool. No sanding or clear coat work has been done yet. Sure does provide for a good starting point for post process work. |
Wow that is amazing.
Make me want to buy a Targa just so I can buy one those. |
Holy crap that is one awesome work of art! You guys are really outdoing yourselves on this! Too bad I won't be able to be at Hershey to see it if you guys have the prototype done by then. My trip got derailed for this year, but I hope to see lots of pics!
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our new reproduction side seals and eustachian plates are here!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0505.jpeg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0506.jpeg |
Wow those look perfect! Awesome work!
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What are the front and rear guide pins made out of? Are they just plastic covers over threaded studs? They look durable.
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front guide pins are a threaded stud covered in a high density urethane, the rear are made a little differently, it's a steel pin centered in a tube and that tube is filled with epoxy. The tube is tig welded to the mounting plate. The pin itself is covered in the same urethane.
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talk about coming right down to the wire....
bottom is bonded to the top and being trimmed as we speak http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3.../IMG_0509.jpeg |
How is it secured to the car?
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