Targa Top?, has anyone done it? Options

[NOVAKx17]

Hey guys, been curious as of today..
I've been missing my del sol lately and been thinking alot
about turning my new celica into a targa top.. have any of
you ever done it or seen it done before?


all inputs apreciated, love hearing from you guys.. thanks

(:

[Fate]

Simply put, no.

Due to our cars having a unibody, it would require some serious reinforcement if a section of the roof were to be cut out. No reinforcement = *crunch*. But, like every other idea, with enough cash/time it could be possible.

search "targa top" under exterior styling and you will be bombarded with similar posts.

[richee3]

I've thought about it before and I simply don't think it would look good. Check out a Supra with a Targa top. There's virtually no roof behind the targa top. For a Targa top on a Celica, you would (I assume) line the rear cut up between the front and rear window. That still leaves the other half of the Celica's roof back there, hanging out and looking awkward. Our cars simply have too much surface area on the roof as opposed to a Supra or a Del Sol. Plus, as Fate said, you'd lose a LOT of structural rigidity. The car wouldn't handle so well at all. And if you're ever in an accident...

But that being said, I would LOVE to be proven wrong about the looks of it. If someone was to do it and it looked good, you bet I'd be having the same done to my own car.

[mgnt232]

not the same question, but can non-sunroofer's (me and like 3 others lol) put in a sun roof? how hard would it be exactly?
Just cut out the same size hole, and plop it in? With some wiring and weather striping of course...but is it realistic?

[windowlicker]

http://jalopnik.com/291340/the-ultimate-ca...tick+on-sunroof

[Batman722]

If I get another Celica without a monnroof, I'm cutting it up and I will targa top it.

[njccmd2002]

easy.

get two celicas...

one must be a convertible. right! Its already reinforced.

get a wrecked coupe. cut the roof off and then reinstall only the back portion of it on the convertible. Finish the middle removable part with fiberglass or with


done easier, than the hatchback

[NewOrleans]

above idea seems the best. getting the vert and making it into a simi vert!! do it

[95CelicaST]

except who wants a targa coupe? Not I. I'd rather have a Targa hatchback so it at least resembles a Supra.


But Targas are for sissies. T-tops is where it's at.

[richee3]

See what I mean? The Supra has a much smaller back seat and as such, a smaller rear window and almost no roof over the back seat. The 6gc, on the other hand...



As you can see, it has a much larger rear side window and a lot more roof over the rear seat. So to follow the Supra's design and make the cut in the roof straight up from the front of the side rear window, you would have a lot of extra roof left over on the car, and it might look a little unusual. Another issue is where to put the roof when it's off. The Supra allows you to stow the roof in the trunk. The Celica's trunk isn't wide enough to accommodate the roof. But as I said earlier, despite the possibility of cosmetic flaws, the biggest issue I see is support. The section of roof would have to be reinforced to keep it from flexing when it's out of the car. The rest of the car itself would have to be reinforced. It's nothing that can't be done, and I would love to see it done. It's absolutely one of my favorite features of the Supra. So get to it!

Edit: Another design flaw I just noticed.. You would be buffeted with wind and beat to a pulp if you put a targa top in a Celica. Look at the roof line on my Celica in the picture I posted above vs. the roof line on the Supra. The obvious place to cut the roof in the Celica is somewhere between the windshield and moon roof, but the roof is still climbing on the Celica. Meaning the roof at the front of the car would be lower than the roof at the rear. Meaning wind would be blowing straight into the car, and it would be blowing in pretty hard. The Supra, on the other hand, the windshield and rear roof section are nearly level with each other, so a lot of wind is deflected. A good wind deflector would be necessary on the Celica. Again, nothing that can't be done, but it's something that will need a lot of research.

This post has been edited by richee3: Jul 15, 2010 - 12:35 AM

[95CelicaST]

The Supra has a wind deflector that rises up when the targa top is removed.


Much like how I have two deflectors when the t-tops are removed... Granted at 50mph they are pushed down by the wind, but it is in their design.


Another thing to think about - Latching mechanism? Water runoff channels? Weatherproofing? You would need custom rubber seals to replace the door seals, because obviously you wouldn't be able to reuse them.

[NOVAKx17]

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses guys.. but yeah i was thinking about trying to build it on my 94 parts car first since its just sitting there in
my yard... and i mean, if it doesn't work out, i can always junk it as planned anyways! ha...

but definately agree it doesn't look anywhere near the same as the supra because of how the back is so much bigger.. but who knows, maybe with enough time spent in it, it could look pretty decent.. Only one way to find out!