Making a targa top, How would i go along making it Options

[Hambone217]

Yea have had this idea a wile but haven't found the right pics or even help to try and talk abought it, So hear it goes i want to make a targa top in me celica i thank it would look sweet i have found a pic on google of a gen 7 with it done and it looks kick ass but no gen 6s so i put my hope in you all care to help me work threw this project

[Tigawoods]

first off, a warning.

you would ruin the rigidity of the frame and therefore would be making the car pretty unsafe.

I would suggest welding in a cage that could somewhat make up for that loss.

that being said go ahead and tackle it. this is something I have talked about for years but would never actually do

This post has been edited by Tigawoods: Sep 30, 2014 - 5:49 AM

[richee3]

A few things to think about. The Celica is a unibody car and the roof is part of the frame. Cut the roof out and the only thing connecting the front end to read will be the floor. Targa cars come from the factory with extra bracing to make up for this, and are designed to take an impact with no roof. Cut the roof out of a car where the roof is designed to be attached and you'll lose a lot of handling and I'd hate to see that car get in an accident. Then you have to worry about weather seals, water drains, etc. It won't be a cheap or easy thing to do. There are several threads on 6gc covering targa tops, but nothing more than speculation. I'm sure other forums have a lot more information on how it's properly done.

[Hambone217]

well its my DD so i don't thank i could do it any time soon but maybe when i get another car i could posable get a doner celica that i could work on and see what all i could do to keep the integrity of the car up to par maybe put in some braces across the back seat to the roof and under the seats and up to the dash brace inside

[SwissFerdi]

If you were to do this, I'd say the most feasible is a t-top type, where the drain rails are extended and re-routed along the new edges. The small part of the roof will give some structure, as well as a place for extra bracing as mentioned.

[igpx12]

Like the idea of the rollcage set up, another additional option is to look at the frame design of the convertible version of the 6gc and see what extra bracing came from factory. This would be a tough build up as everyone else mentioned of the rigidity being lost once you take away a main support in the car (the roof). Another car to look at of course would be the Supra with the targa option and see how the tops are made and drainage is done, last thing you want to do if you get that far is to have your roof rust out or cause you to have a damp interior full of mold

[njccmd2002]

Beating the dead horse are we. I have answered this countless times.

You will need 2 cars. A convertible and a coupe. The convertible is already reinforced. Cut the roof from the coupe, and weld to vert. Cut to desire. Get t-top from any car. Mix and match,.

Cant do it on a hatch, without serious under bracing it. Sorry, cant be done easy.

Do a search, you are not the first or last....

[yellowchinaman]

Id actually would like to know what extra reinforcements the vert has over the hatch.

[njccmd2002]

Ill post a pic tomorrow

[Batman722]

Id actually would like to know what extra reinforcements the vert has over the hatch.

If you go to the parts diagrams (on toyodiy or partsouq) you can get a good idea.
I know the 96+ has more bracing overall than the 94-95 (liftbacks).

This post has been edited by Batman722: Oct 16, 2014 - 10:45 AM