Targa bar finish ... your mileage may vary ...

[jeffbottman]

I re-did my Targa bar in black lacquer, polished and waxed to a mirror finish. I really like the look compared with the low gloss, pebbled original. Kind of "mirrors" the '80s blingy over the top look I associate with Targa. Another good Targa word is "baroque" ...

[SunnyWay]

Very cool


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[DRACO A5OG]

That sure is purty

[inaminit]

Beautiful! What color is the car?

[DanielDudley]

Needs more pictures.

[GothingNC]

Looks great !

My Targa bar is painted the same and I like it.

[OsoMoore]

It looks great!

Could you provide some more pictures and an overview of what you did? I am thinking about freshening up my Targa bar.

[jeffbottman]

Originally Posted by OsoMoore

It looks great!

Could you provide some more pictures and an overview of what you did? I am thinking about freshening up my Targa bar.

Pretty straightforward procedure for painting, with a few caveats:

• Remove Targa bar cover. There are good threads here that cover this subject. Not too hard, although you do have to remove the rubber seal at the front edge of the bar.
  
  
• Strip old paint. I used "aircraft" paint stripper which is about the best you can get. BUT DO NOT USE A HEAT GUN TO ASSIST PAINT REMOVAL. I did, and it caused a warp in the stainless steel. I mitigated the defect by applying high build primer and block-sanding it into oblivion.
  
  
• Prime and paint. I used a pretty standard primer spray can, followed by glossy black lacquer spray I picked up at the local auto parts store. Apply multiple coats of lacquer to build the thickness. DO NOT apply clearcoat lacquer ... I did, and for some unknowable reason it never hardened properly, after more than 6 months. Same brand lacquer, by the way. I had to repeat the whole schtick again; pull the bar, strip, repaint. This time I only used the black lacquer, no clear coat. Anyway, let the paint cure for a week or so, then wet sand with a block and 1000 grit followed by 2000 grit. Then polish, using good stuff like McGuiars 105/205. You can do this by hand or else carefully (for best results) with a rotary polisher. DO NOT apply wax or sealant at this point.
  
  
• Install (carefully) your gorgeous targa bar cover. In 3 months or so, apply wax or sealant and you're done.

Per request, here are a few more pics from yesterday, just after I clayed and sealed the paint, and before it rained (this is Seattle after all):

[DRACO A5OG]

Haute Damn, that looks good