911 SC Targa fail safe?

[wreckah]

hi guys,

a couple of days my 1981 911 SC targa roof flew off at 60mph on a very bad stretch of road. Luckily it hit no cars, but one car drove straight over it. Everything was clamped down the way it should be, but probably due to the flexing of the chassis and the old latch parts, the J-hooks came loose.

the side frame bar on the driver's side was broken, but luckily i sourced it locally and fixed it. It fits better now, but still, i don't want to take the chance to ruin the roof completely...

I would love to make some sort of failsafe for the targa roof, because now i don't really trust it anymore.

Did anyone do this before? i'm thinking maybe longer locating pins in the front with B-clips on the inside of the car?

cheers and thanks,
Jan

[RDM]

Can you post pictures of the windshield header and the latches? It doesn't seem like this should be possible, and if it is I'd like to know what to look for in my car!

[wreckah]

i'll try to take some pictures later, but the window holes look very fine, not worn out at all, not rusty...

before:
the latches felt a bit loose when i closed the roof, i could always wiggle the handles, even when the roof is shut, and also the roof came off quite easily too with the latches open, no pressure whatsoever needed, just lift straight out.

now that i repaired the roof (provisionally until i get a nice new refurb kit), i saw that the latches were a bit bent, and that the second J-hook (safety catch) didn't really work when you turn the handles past it's normal 'open point'. I figured out how they work, bent them back straight and now the second J-hook opens a little when i turn the handle.

Also, now, installed in the car, the roof needs a good push upwards while turning the latches past the open point, so i might be ok now, but would like to hear from others how tight the roof mechanism feels and how easy the roof comes off...

cheers guys
Jan

[bobrestore]

...some people have all the luck ... so ...I have to ask... have you had your door fall off as well... because the door is more likely to fall of than the targa top... bob

[Last911]

Originally Posted by bobrestore

...some people have all the luck ... so ...I have to ask... have you had your door fall off as well... because the door is more likely to fall of than the targa top... bob

There's more than a few episodes of Targa tops flying off. Can you site one example of a door falling off?

[DRACO A5OG]

Oh my goodness, what a freakin nightmare.

The fail safe are those spring activated J hooks, it is suppose to catch if the pivot J hooks somehow fail.

May I ask what kind of front seal do you have?

Did the lip of the top sit in to the well or above it?

Please post a pic of the four receptacles/ports and the seal

You can build a body brace to insure against flex:




they are stealthy enough or you can get them powder coated to match interior like my buddy did:

[wreckah]

ok, here we go,

[wreckah]

i'm sorry if i broke anybody's screen

[beren]

I also had a fly-off while hitting some bumps at around 55MPH in my '88. Scary - but was lucky that no one ran over it. Just one corner was messed up and I straightened that out.

Seal looks pretty worn - could be there isn't enough left to keep pressure on the top.

[wreckah]

yeah, now that i repaired the roof, and read some threads on this forum, i know i need new (correct) rubber seal up front at least, and a full roof rebuild in the long run, because the roof 'comes up' at the front corners, and that should be a sign of worn burlap material.

After my repair, the latches are much more secure, and even the 'safety catch' works (2nd J-hook), but i added a bulletproof safetycatch on top of that: i added a simple bracket onto one of the latch bolts, and this bracket sits underneath the windshield frame. turn the bracket sideways, and take the roof off. This is OK untill i do a full rebuild sometime next year...now i can drive through winter without fear of damaging the more and more unobtainium roof

let's go out and try some speed runs

[universeman]

If those hooks engage the slots properly, and the seal is tight, I don't think it's possible for the roof to fly off,unless its unlatched. At least not on my car. You might have more flex in your chassis, you could try the "tape the seam of the windshield frame and jack up the car at one rear corner" to see how much flex you're getting.

If you buy a new seal, make sure you get the Dan Petchel one, the others are too big.