Targa top latch spring and hook

[drsnemann]

The spring on my targa top latch broke. I found the following items for the repair:

Spring. The diameter of the wire is close to the original. The diameter of the spring is a bit bigger, but did not cause and problems:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

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Rivet. M5 x 28mm Aluminum Flat Head Semi-Tubular Rivets. The diameter is correct, but I had to shorten the rived 3mm with a file.

50 Pcs M5 x 28mm Aluminum Flat Head Semi-Tubular Rivets Silver Tone - Newegg.com

Buy 50 Pcs M5 x 28mm Aluminum Flat Head Semi-Tubular Rivets Silver Tone with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

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I later noticed Midwest Bayless is also selling the rivets:

Targa Top Latch Rivet PAIR (Fiat Bertone X19 All) - NEW

Targa Top Latch Rivet PAIR (Fiat Bertone X19 All) - NEW

www.midwest-bayless.com

5mm rivet tool made for an air tool, but works great with a hammer:

9.2US $ 8% OFF|[bkx-m5] Free Shipping 5mm Semi-tubular Rivet Gun Head Pneumatic Riveter 5mm Half-hollow Rivet Clincher - Rivets - AliExpress

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Latch after repair:

The driver side, rear corner of my targa top was a bit looses, even after adjusting the hook receiver as far back as it would go. The hook was somewhat chewed up:

This moldable rubber has a 30 minutes working time and cures in 24 hours. It was easy to work with (says my wife).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074XFLBXW

I had my wife do the work as she is artistic and I am not. She shaped a wire by bending it inside the hook receiver in the car to know the limit of how much material she could add:

I am quite pleased with the result. The cured rubber has just the right amount of stiffness, and it is somewhat slippery so it easily enters when putting the top on. The top fits snugly. Time will tell if it is also durable.

 

[beezee]

Nice job on the “fiddly” bits, and thanks for posting.

Brian

 

[7982X]

VERY WELL DONE......Thank you for such detailed info! Pretty cool.

 

[NEG]

Never knew mouldable rubber/glue/whatever existed! Could be very usefu!

 

[PaulD]

I used a paste made from acetone and PVC shavings. (or was it ABS? ... the black stuff)

Repair to targa top hooks

I am trying a method for repairing targa top hooks that might work. A ways back Hussein was talking about PVC "welding" using acetone and pvc "sawdust" to make a paste for filleting glue joints on PVC sheets. It suddenly occurred to me that the PVC surface may be hard enough to hold up on a...

xwebforums.com

 

[Dr.Jeff]

Great job.

I've considered that "Sugru" product before. I really did not have a particular need for it, but I read about it and thought it would be handy some day. However I never got around to buying or trying it. So I'll be very curious to hear how it holds up. I'm hoping for the best, but somehow my intuition tells me most products like this often don't give satisfactory results. Let's hope this works because others have tried various repairs for those clips - which seem to always wear out.

I need to install some rivets like that on one of my vintage motorcycles. Please tell me more about the process of installing them.

 

[kmead]

Great job! I have this exact job ahead of me to replace the spring on one of my clamps.

Embedding images of the parts for posterity:

 

[Dr.Jeff]

Looking at the pieces and images it appears the rivet is simply backed up on one end and the other end is smacked with the tool/hammer to flare it. As mentioned I'll need to do some of these for another project so hoping to gain as much insight as possible first. Are there any tricks or tips to doing this, for the most effective result?

 

[drsnemann]

Looking at the pieces and images it appears the rivet is simply backed up on one end and the other end is smacked with the tool/hammer to flare it. As mentioned I'll need to do some of these for another project so hoping to gain as much insight as possible first. Are there any tricks or tips to doing this, for the most effective result?

There is not much to it. I drilled the head off the old rivet on a drill press. Set the head of the new rivet on an anvil, hold the rivet tool straight on top of the rivet and give it two to three wacks with a hammer. They came 50 rivets in a bag, so I did a few dry runs to get a feel for the force needed and to figure out how much I had to shorten the rivet.

 

[fiatfactory]

nice neat repairs on the roof hook and the latch.

Good to know the parts are available via hardware outlets, definitely simplifies the job.

SteveC

 

[drsnemann]

Update. The Sugru did not last long. It does not adhere well to the old rubber. The tip fell off. For the second attempt, I am making the tip much shorter, so hopefully there will be less stress on it. Broken off tip and the second attempt: