[turbodunn97supra]

Hello All, I would like to post up a quick prequel of the new part that I am working on; a full carbon fiber targa top for the MKIV. This one has taken me a bit longer than I expected for a number of reasons which I will elaborate on later.

The pics that you see below are of the top resting on the car and it is not bolted down. Also, the skin is fresh out of the mold so I haven’t started any wet sanding yet to get the finish where it needs to be. And this part is already sold so it is not going on my car unfortunately but hopefully the next one or the one after that will.

I still have to do some stress testing on the part as well. If I cannot park on a steep drive way, with one rear wheel off the ground and without any failures then I will have to assess the failure and make another. The goal here is to make a stronger version than stock, nothing less.

As for weight savings, I did pretty well here. The factory roof if 11.6 lbs. stripped down and mine is weighing in at 6.5 lbs. That is a 44% reduction in weight!!!!

Again, this is just a prequel of what I have so far. I will be sure to post up finished pics here soon. Until then, enjoy!

-Jeff

 

[1A1]

Definitely an interesting piece. Looking forward to your testing.

Steve

 

[turbodunn97supra]

Definitely an interesting piece. Looking forward to your testing.

Steve

Me too! I haven't handled it gently and I must say, this thing is a tank!! You definitely do not have to be as cautious as with the factory panel, that is for sure.

 

[GinsengPwr]

Will this carbon fiber roof bolt on the same as as the factory targa? Can't wait to see the final result!

 

[FasTTurbo]

Cool project man, I commend your effort as I'm sure its a huge pain in the d*ck to make a part like this.

Look forward to the shiny finished product!

 

[Texas_Supra]

Subscribed!

 

[turbodunn97supra]

Will this carbon fiber roof bolt on the same as as the factory targa? Can't wait to see the final result!

That was a HUGE challenge actually which I will get into greater details with later on. There is more to the fasteners then what people think and I actually pissed off my vendor with all of the back and forth on their quality controls. Literally, pissed them off. Also, I didn't do the mounting points like I have seen others do on aftermarket targa tops for the Supra. I did my version of "right".

But in the end, yes, the roof fits the factory fasteners and mounting locations 100%.

 

[turbodunn97supra]

Cool project man, I commend your effort as I'm sure its a huge pain in the d*ck to make a part like this.

Look forward to the shiny finished product!

It can be. I have thrown away two targa tops so far because I wasn't happy with the way they turned out. Not cheep but doing things right never is.

 

[itsmeek]

Very nice, don't throw the next one away- i'll buy it

 

[Dan94TT]

Wow, what a nice piece! Do you still happen to be making the rear seat deletes?

 

[briankallaher]

Interested.

 

[ovey1]

Looks better than the one I have. Mine has a couple dips in the top looks hideous.

 

[KenHenderson]

Jeff,

I've never been a carbon fiber kind of guy, but your stuff is so bad ass, and of such quality, you could make a guy change his mind . Tremendous work, my friend, and I am sure the final product will be just like your rear seat delete....otherworldly.

Ken.

 

[turbodunn97supra]

Wow, what a nice piece! Do you still happen to be making the rear seat deletes?

I do but I have put that one on hold while I work through getting the targa top perfected. Only so many hours in the day but I do need to double back and make more for people who still need one.

Looks better than the one I have. Mine has a couple dips in the top looks hideous.

That is a bummer! These will be just as strait as factory. I haven’t gotten to wet sanding yet but here is a pic that shows just how even the surface is. There are a few small imperfections but all of them can be very easily addressed through wet sanding.

Jeff,

I've never been a carbon fiber kind of guy, but your stuff is so bad ass, and of such quality, you could make a guy change his mind . Tremendous work, my friend, and I am sure the final product will be just like your rear seat delete....otherworldly.

Ken.

Ken,
Thank you for the very kind words. I am glad to bring you over to the dark side  I am pretty sure that I have this one nailed and am going to gear up to make more. Of course, I am a one man band so the production will be very limited. That and I have another part that I would like to get cracking on which will be my favorite one to date. Stay tuned for that one!

-Jeff

 

[Dan94TT]

I do but I have put that one on hold while I work through getting the targa top perfected. Only so many hours in the day but I do need to double back and make more for people who still need one.

Please send me a PM when you jump back over to making those!

 

[turbodunn97supra]

Please send me a PM when you jump back over to making those!

Sure will. And if I forget to please don't be shy and feel free to ping me. Life is busy at the moment and I am forgetting a lot these days.

 

[turbodunn97supra]

And another picture that I would like to show. I always say that if you want to see if a part is truly carbon fiber, look at the back. Often time folks will make "carbon fiber" parts where they will do one layer of carbon for looks, the rest in budget fiberglass and then rattle can the back of the part with black paint. Then they will market the part as being "carbon fiber" which is the equivalent of calling something gold plated "solid gold". This is an important distinction because carbon fiber is a much stronger than fiberglass. Marketing it as anything else than a mix of carbon fiber / fiberglass is horribly dishonest.

Here is a look at the back of mine and as you can see, carbon everywhere. You can even see the back of the targa skin peeking through the latch mount. Nothing to hide with my parts just a ton of carbon fiber here:

 

[kingerm]

IN. Put me on the list if you ever make these.

 

[FasTTurbo]

Is it being made in two halves or all one shot?

 

[turbodunn97supra]

Is it being made in two halves or all one shot?

Great question! Just like the factory version this part is two parts; the skin and the frame. Both halves are bonded together using a structural bonding adhesive much like what you find on a monocoque chassis. The only difference in what I use is that it sets at room temp and doesn't require any baking.

I would have loved to have done it all in one shot with a foam core design but I would need a VERY, VERY accurate foam CNC to cut the core and position the fasteners. I am just not tooled up for that. And honestly, I don't think that there has been a single Supra part ever made like that before. Would be cool though.