What is under the Targa Top Coating?

Mechanogeek

Mechanogeek

True Classic
I have seen a couple X's with a smooth painted roof. I think that is a look I want to go for.

I am trying to confirm what is under the black wrinkle coating on the top of the targa top? Is it fiberglass? And what kind of material is the wrinkle finish made from?

I know this is a rookie question, but I hesitate to dig in unless I know what is underneath.

I looked up on the site, and found answers for how to refurb, but not to strip back to smooth.

Thanks
 
It is a fiberglass material. It really takes a lot of work to remove the wrinkle finish on the roof. On my brown/gold X a bit has come off revealing the yellowy smooth fiberglass below. I will take a pic the next time I am over at my other house where it is huddling in the garage.

You really need to completely remove the material of coating or it will translate through the smooth paint.

Karl
 
I took my roof in to have it repainted before a car show and they decided without consulting me to rub it back smooth before repaint it. I "hate" it yes it looked good when I picked it up but it marks easily and shows up every speck of dust. don't do it.
 
I was going to say that I have an extra top and was debating cutting it up to either make a foldable soft-top or a color matching top... If you need, I can scrape it and figure out what is going on...
 
There were discussions about this awhile back. But trying to find them again, well.

I recall the experiences of others were like Karl's comment, the 'wrinkle' tends to reappear after being painted. Many years ago when the Porsche 914 was a popular car to customize (Orange County was Porsche heaven), it was the same issue; difficult to get all of the wrinkle removed and a good surface prep so the paint looked right. Being a fiberglass structure it will require a slightly different pre-paint prep process.


ecohen2 said:
cutting it up to either make a foldable soft-top
Click to expand...
This is another idea that I keep thinking about, and has also been discussed. I have a damaged top (fiberglass cracked and warped) that I'd like to experiment with some day. Not sure if it would be best to go "folding soft top" (ala Porsche 911 Targa) or a super-lightweight rigid top.
 
I sanded the top down on my first X before having it painted body color.
I would never do that again.
Just buy a later smooth top if that is the look that you want.
 
I used my orbital sander to get the wrinkle finish off my top so I could color match it to the car. You really do have to get the wrinkle all off but as noted, you will know when you get to the lighter base glass level. I guess the real down side is that the factory coating is much more durable than any paint you put on so trying to store the top in the front trunk and removing it gives amble opportunity to scratch the paint. When I remove my top I usually lean it against a tree in my yard since I'm doing mostly local trips!
 
I have an '83 that has a different textured surface. It's less of a wrinkled surface, more of a dirt in the paint finish. It's also painted with a kind of translucent sheen, not pure black. I think this was common on later cars. Maybe?
 
Gold top came with '78. Not sure when it was painted. It's been hanging out in basement. Ended up buying and liking black top refinished at MWB. Let me know if interested in gold one.
Top.JPG
 
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My '85 has a smooth finish top, body color. I don't know if that was original or if someone refinished it. But I believe it to be original judging by the condition and comparing it to the rest of the car. That is the top with damage that I will be cutting up (some day) to experiment with either a "superleggera" version or a folding soft top version.
 
Dr.Jeff said:
That is the top with damage that I will be cutting up (some day) to experiment with either a "superleggera" version or a folding soft top version.
Click to expand...

Yeah Jeff, I think you should do that !! i've seen it done years ago by some chap in Australia if I recall correctly. His solution was elegant yet beautifully simple.

Basically...he cut with a saw the front 3" or so, and the back 3" or so, off an original top. That way he could use all the stock mounting points on the top and the body. He then simply joined those pieces with 2 - one on each side - folding rods that clicked into an open position. Kinda like the folding braces you see on a folding table or a tent. And covered the "erect" assembly in vinyl. That way - of course - when the rods were folded he could just roll up the top and stick it in the rear trunk.

Simple and light and cheap. No mods to the body needed. i think it was brilliant. I'll try to find you a pic, but I'm sure you get the idea.

So get on it !!! We expect to see your prototype shortly LOL......
 
That's the basic principle I've been thinking about, like on the old Porsche 911 Targas.

And your comment of "like on a tent" just gave me another idea option. Use flexible fiberglass poles like those "pop-up" dome tents have, with sockets for each end mounted onto the front and rear roof sections. The poles would run from front to back. To assemble it you stick the poles into the sockets; with the poles slightly longer than the fabric, they have enough 'give' to allow them to bend while inserting, and the fabric to be slightly stretched and remain taunt when the poles are in place. This may prevent the fabric from flapping about while driving. Then for disassembly the poles are removed, with the fabric still attached to the front and rear sections, collapse the two ends together and lay the poles along their lengths, all slipped into a narrow sack for storage.

I'm referring to these type of poles:
61j5Yj9uxkL._SY355_.jpg

Available in any length. They are very flexible but return to straight when released:
kjhlgk.jpg


Cut the front and rear ends off the top:
818557883.jpg


Add poles along here (red lines), secured into sockets (blue boxes):
16462_4_.jpg

This approach might be much easier to design than a folding metal frame.
 
Yes...yes...yes....you get the jist of it. And yes, your idea should work too !!!

i did find some pics of what I was talking about. See below. First things first - I would like to give credit where credit is due. I purloined these pics off the web. I think this was the brainchild of one "John Black" from Australia. I think he is a member here too. although not too active lately. Perhaps he would like to chime in with his thoughts after living with this top after all these years. And take a well deserved bow....

Anyway, look at the pics. Looks pretty good to me. And certainly at least food for thought...

But I do feel bad we seem to have waylaid the OPs thread. Perhaps we should start a new one, or perhaps the mods could somehow move this folding top discussion to it's own post.

Cheers, Doug
folding roof 1.jpg
folding roof 2.jpg
folding roof 3.jpg
folding roof 4.jpg
folding roof 5.jpg
folding roof 6.jpg
 
That one was very well done. That was my original concept, with folding metal arms.
I won't be touching this project for a VERY long time (if ever), so no need for me to get too involved in discussions now.
 
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