Like all new owners I immediately started thinking about a convertible hood for my Mk1. Then, as an ex. X1/9 owner, I thought about a targa top. Has anyone tried this? Splitting the hardtop across a line between the line of the rear of the doors. The removable pannel I think would reside behind the seats when removed.

Any one got a surplus hardtop?

I think the difficulty would be sealing it so it's waterproof. Admitedly the rear part with window could be premanently sealed or bonded on. Could be interesting to have a targa hood, take it off and roll it up and tuck behing the seat.

Frameless doors and no roof gutter don't help either.

Regards,

Allen

This wouldn't be that hard in reality. Take a look at a TVR chimeara for a bit of inspiration. The rear fold down bit of the TVR would in effect be the fixed part of your conversion and the front end would need the top of the screen bodywork having a groove cut along it's length for a tounge of the targa roof to fit into and then a ledge in the rear "roof" bodywork for the targa to fit onto with over centre locking catches on the rear to pull it down tight to create a seal.

My thoughts exactly, either over-centre clips or those with a threaded shaft and a press-down lever/cam type of tightening action (don't know the technical name)

Across the cut line I was thinking of moulding a U-shape in the fixed(rear) portion to act as a sort of gutter.

Just need that second hard top as I'm not that confident to experiment on the one I've got

Sounds like it could work. Were you thinking at the rear of having a u gutter and an edge to stick on something like the boot seal rubber edging?

Regards,

Allen

Yep, and these are the clamps I was thinking about but with just a threaded shaft that would be hand screwed in the clamped tight. I think these would provide rigidity similar to conventional bolts and better than over-centre clamps.

Interesting, where do you get these over-centre clamps from?

If you've lifted a hard top, what we need is a carbon fibre targa top.

Regards,

Allen

And bonnet and engine cover.....

Give me a chance guys, I've only had the car a week and have a list of very basic jobs just to get it on the road. As has been said, "The difficult we do now, the impossible takes a little longer"

The latches were found at http://www.wixroyd.com/search.php?query=compression+latches&x=18&y=9 although my son works at Protex Fasteners http://www.protex.com/ so there may be something yet in their range. I think they made the MGF hood clamps.

Wixroyd fittings look good, any suggestions on alignment pins/fittings to line up front of hard top?

P.s. Don't hold your breath but I might get round to making a mould of the removable section one of these days (months).

Regards,

Allen

On the TVR the alignment of the front of the roof is taken care of by a central locating vertical dowel at the top of the screen and a corresponding cutout in the front lip of the roof.
Something else to ponder if this is the method you are going to go down and that is the TVR "pushes" the targa piece of the roof forward "into" the screen by means of the two bracing struts at the rear, therefore you may need to ensure that when the rear locking mechanism on your system is secured that it actually pushes forward as well. Not that difficult as you could form a small slope forwards in the rear section of the roof and have a corresponding slope on the targa piece so that when the catches are locked down the targa piece would tend to "slide" forwards a fraction. It is necessary for this to happen so that the targa doesn't try to lift up and flex at speed with the consequence of you loosing the targa piece.

On the X1/9 the rear of theTarga to overlaps the flat "Roll-bar" section which has two slots into which the top slides in a forward direction. The over-centre clamps then pull it forward and tight against the windscreen surround.

I was thinking to still "screw" the top to the windscreen surround with the Wixroyd clamps providing the final tighteneing with the lever action. I like the idea of an angled mating surface at the rear. That should weather seal it as well as provide rigidity.

More hints and tips all welcome.

Does anyone have drawings and part numbers for the front fittings on a hood - which I believe can also be used on the hard-top?

Came accross these on ythe web http://www.barchettaparts.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1

Which I thought might do.

Regards,

Allen