For all the people wondering about targa tops....

[whitesqual]

I think I'm gonna be buying this guys (made an offer)....I'll let you know how it goes.

did you photochop your top yet?????

 

[HankyGT]

Actually I did a long time ago...these are old; pre X2 stance/tint, but you get the jist:

This has been a LOOONG time coming

 

[whitesqual]

aahhh yes, I remember seeing those now! Hope you get it!

 

[94gtfreak]

Any news Hanky??

 

[cantbuytime]

i have seen one of these done personally and 1 that someone did in their garage.. There was a 94 cobra that was done by a reputable shop I worked at and the guy spent an extra 2k to stiffen the structure of the car and it still ended up leaking.

then joel did his 96 cobra at home in his garage during his spare time. i think it took joel 4 months and ended up doing a cage along with a few other braces under the car but he hated it cause it pretty much made the back seat impossible to get into....

i seen 96 V6 stang done but the windshield frame was warped the back window was cracking and the whole thing leaked like crazy.

i like it but be prepared to do alot of reinforcement. once you cut you are commited..

 

[HankyGT]

Any news Hanky??

Not yet. Trying to really weight this decision and find more pictures of finished cars. I found a few of that red white and blue car and it just looked tacky upclose. I was also told you need to fill the rear quarter windows for support and idk if I'm willing to do that. I was planning on a 6pt cage and tieing everything together..I don't mind the bars as I don't use the backseat.

Also, I don't drive my car in the rain, so I really don't care if it leaks so long as I don't have a in-car flood when I wash the thing

We will see. It's this or sell and use my stroker monies to buy a C5. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Chythar]

I remember something about a targa top discussion some time back. Why does the car become so weak once you cut the roof? Wouldn't you just be effectively making a convertible?

I believe I can answer my own question. Yes, you would be effectively making a coupe into a 'vert. But I believe 'verts have more body flex than coupes, since they do not have a roof. Maybe not much more, but a bit more. The convertible top is flexible and can handle this twisting. The coupe roof can withstand this bit of body flex to keep the body aligned. The targa top is not strong enough to resist flex, yet it is expected to. Thus, over time it warps and leaks.

 

[cantbuytime]

If u can get for $500 to $800. i would grab it myself.. I think if you fill the quarter windows and put the scoops in their place, that would set it off ....

It would be one of few, look cool and turn heads..

i think you could brace it really good inside the rear quarters with plate and the undercarriage enough to not need to cage it.. that guy joel ended up pulling his cage and going back with filler plates inside the rear quarters for a more rigid. then he took 1 1/4" tubing and reinforced the roof.. he hid everything under the factory panels.. So he did his twice.. LOL

the main part for concern is the stretch of chassis from the firewall to the rear quarters. which is where u get the twisting.. If you did all your bracing right from the front subframe to the rear then you would most likely keep it from flexing..

That cobra the shop did probably leaked cause of the teenager who drove the piss out of it.. i think he was jumping railroad tracks.

 

[Dan95-5.0]

i would do it just so i could pull a "Paul Walker" on the highway when ever i felt like it.

theres a guy with a new edge that has this done with no cage. Looks cool but never seen it up close

 

[94gtfreak]

News...updates??

 

[HankyGT]

Yeah....I do have news.

I had the car listed for sale prior to finding the targa thing and was on the fence the whole time. Well a kid that hadn't left me alone randomly called me saying he was going to be at my house around noon (Totally insane that you would make a 4hr trip without clearing it with the person you are visiting!!...but he seemed *was* very young and I guess he's new to these things).

So anyhow, kids show up w/ 'rents and everyone is in love with the car; just like everyone who sees it heh. Decide to take them for a test drive and all since they did just drive 4hrs.

I drove it around first and wailed on it a bit, showed them everything works etc. Then I let him drive it rather slowly through a residential. We switched off and I went to drive it home. Stopped at a Sheetz to grab some gas and got on the onramp to the hwy.

Now, I have had the 95 R hood on my car for @ 3 1/2 yrs now; and spent a LONG time making sure that sucker latched saftely. It's been countless 1/4 mile passes, over 130mph quite a few times and has never ever ever been an issue. Idk if it was because my car had 3 people in it and it was actually twisting? Idk if I somehow popped the hood latch with my pants. Idk if it was the steep incline.....

Anyhow. The m****rf****r came up on me just doing 40 rowing them casually with the three of us in the car. Blew out my windshield, junked the hood, and dented the roof up. I was stunned, awestruck, and plain confused as this has NEVER been an issue.

I was mostly happy no one was hurt; I kinda chuckled it off uneasily saying my car was mad at me for trying to sell it. Said 'well I guess you're not buying this one...sorry; at least you'll have a cool story'. Felt so aweful limping it home. Car is/was SO beautiful and now it just looked hit up as hell.

So, I told the family I was just going to proceed with the targa. I mean hell the roof is junk now, and the front would be easy to fix. I'd just eat my extra money towards the 'next' car (was actually planning on going to a C5 vette) and get a different hood maybe along with the targa.

Well; the parent REALLY liked it and wanted his kid to have it; so they've offered me MORE than my asking price just to have it fixed Talk about a WTF moment.

I'm really kinda dumbfounded. On one side, that is an offer that will NEVER happen again; and at the same time I swear it's a sign that that I'm supposed to keep it. This may sound extra stupid; but I purchaed my car 3/31/06, I can't recall exactly what day I first looked at it prior but today may actually be it's 'birthday'; and I pissed it off lol. Ever see that movie Christine?

I leave you with a question and a statement:

Would I be stupid NOT to take $11k for my car fixed; since it's quite high chassis miles 187k despite my $16k in reciepts, not including car or under the table work?


USE HOODPINS!!!!

 

[nmcgrawj]

that surely is a crazy story. Who made your hood?

$11k? That is a offer that is hard to refuse. Since i highly doubt you'll ever come back to this chassis once you sell your car....i say sell it. You probably wont have much regret.

 

[5.0_GT_kid]

Personally, I don't see what the love affair with these targa tops is. IMO they look like crap on this body style, severely hamper the structural integrity of the car and I've YET to find one that was properly executed.

Just seems like a waste of time to me.

 

[Adam95GT]

Sell it... NAOOOOOOW! if you want to get rid of it nows the time... and yea... ALWAYS RUN PINS ON A AFTERMARKET HOOD! this is like the 4th time ive heard this story... one on my friends car after it was freshly painted... i only have pins holding on my hood... i think i might look for a back up way as well...

 

[nmcgrawj]

Structural integrity?

Lol. Why would anyone want a sn95 vert? Or worse, a fox? Worse yet, a fox vert? Or a t-top vert?

 

[nmcgrawj]

T-top fox*

 

[whitesqual]

dude, if it weren't for bad luck, you would have no luck at all.

 

[Adam95GT]

Structural integrity?

Lol. Why would anyone want a sn95 vert? Or worse, a fox? Worse yet, a fox vert? Or a t-top vert?

Because its the only good looking vert ever made.

 

[revhead347]

Interesting tit bit of information a friend told me. Ford never made a Fox vert.

Kurt

 

[Adam95GT]

Interesting tit bit of information a friend told me. Ford never made a Fox vert.

Kurt

Nope just cut up notches