I have a coupe that was damaged on its roof and I also have the same year ( 88 ) sports roof car ..Does anyone know what the differences were structurally between these two and can I convert my coupe to a sports roof . I am planning an Ls3 swap and am going to fabricate some subframe connectors .
Is it possible to convert my88 mk3 coupe to a sports roof ?
- Thread starter coyote
- Start date
Sport roof cars have a lot of additional bracing in the chassis, cutting the roof off a hardtop would result in a wet noodle, bad enough with a factory car and the roof off..
coyote;1839004 said:
Seen a few half cuts and most is in the sills and A pillar.
Your narrow minded SF attitude is showing...emericaskater285;1839002 said:
NOTHING wrong with an LS swap if it's done right.. thought we were past this sort of bullshit..
coyote;1839004 said:
If you weld in a full cage, it shouldn't really be an issue, but you'll never have an OEM style tight fit..
Wouldn't want to even try as even the doors are used as stress members on the targa cars (unlike the hardtops). You'd be better off putting everything into the targa car if you want the targa.
Anything is possible with enough time and money. Whether it's WORTH the time and money... Well, that's another story.
What I know was added:
There is an additional pin in the doors to make the doors take some additional stresses. The bosses for those pins are present on hard-top cars, so there is probably nothing additional within the doors themselves.
There is additional bracing in the "B" pillar from the sills to where the pins sit. This seems to be just one additional layer of sheet metal. This extends back toward the seat belt mounts as well, and may extend upwards to the roof.
There is additional bracing along the door sills, which appears to be one piece with the bracing in the "B" pillar.
The kickpanels at the rear of the fenders have some additional bracing. I did not get a good look at the "A" pillars, but this is probably a part of this, in order to make the windshield frame stronger, since you can no longer count on any bracing from the roof. I believe that there is also additional bracing along the rear of the roof, or at least the shape of the headliner seems to indicate so.
I do not think that it would be feasable to implement the additional bracing in the "A" pillars. This would probably need to involve a cut/weld from the targa chassis. It may be possible to approximate the additional bracing in the "B" pillar area, and the additional bracing in the sills could likely be approximated with tube welded into the chassis.
Might I suggest as an alternative which would likely be easier, cheaper, lighter, and stronger is to implement a large sunroof instead? I suppose that it depends on the extent of the damage to the roof area, but this seems to make more sense to me. Either that, or what's wrong with the targa chassis that makes you want to swap the sport roof to the hardtop chassis? It may be easier to fix the other chassis.
What I know was added:
There is an additional pin in the doors to make the doors take some additional stresses. The bosses for those pins are present on hard-top cars, so there is probably nothing additional within the doors themselves.
There is additional bracing in the "B" pillar from the sills to where the pins sit. This seems to be just one additional layer of sheet metal. This extends back toward the seat belt mounts as well, and may extend upwards to the roof.
There is additional bracing along the door sills, which appears to be one piece with the bracing in the "B" pillar.
The kickpanels at the rear of the fenders have some additional bracing. I did not get a good look at the "A" pillars, but this is probably a part of this, in order to make the windshield frame stronger, since you can no longer count on any bracing from the roof. I believe that there is also additional bracing along the rear of the roof, or at least the shape of the headliner seems to indicate so.
I do not think that it would be feasable to implement the additional bracing in the "A" pillars. This would probably need to involve a cut/weld from the targa chassis. It may be possible to approximate the additional bracing in the "B" pillar area, and the additional bracing in the sills could likely be approximated with tube welded into the chassis.
Might I suggest as an alternative which would likely be easier, cheaper, lighter, and stronger is to implement a large sunroof instead? I suppose that it depends on the extent of the damage to the roof area, but this seems to make more sense to me. Either that, or what's wrong with the targa chassis that makes you want to swap the sport roof to the hardtop chassis? It may be easier to fix the other chassis.
Kai posted these a while back, but cant find his post so i uploaded them http://www.sendspace.com/file/3ft39g
that is the colision repair manuals for both hard and targa tops. personally i think id be easier to just fix the targa car than try to swap roofs, or atleast swap the roof section with anoter hardtop section.
that is the colision repair manuals for both hard and targa tops. personally i think id be easier to just fix the targa car than try to swap roofs, or atleast swap the roof section with anoter hardtop section.
At the start this was my plan, to rebuild the sports roof car. But after tear down I found lots of cancer inside of the sills and holes in the rear wheel wells as well as a big hole in the drivers floor board !The other car is very straight and had only 86,000 miles . And was my fathers car So I wanted to keep it around .
Personally, I've seen maybe 5 or 6 people on here with the patience and level of dedication required to pull something like this off. I say find another chassis that you like, swap in your LS3 (nice engine, cheap cam upgrade bumps them up to 480hp, check out Flyin Miata's website for more details), then restore your dad's old car.
I wouldn't convert it to a sport roof. I know there's over 100lbs of reinforcement on the targa model, and I still wouldn't be able to enjoy all that torque.
Um, more power, more of it sooner, all from an engine that weighs less? YOU should sell your mkiii, so you can stop giving the rest of us a bad name.
emericaskater285;1839002 said:
Um, more power, more of it sooner, all from an engine that weighs less? YOU should sell your mkiii, so you can stop giving the rest of us a bad name.
coyote;1839046 said:
Ah, ok, sentimental value.
In that case, I'd hunt for a hardtop car to donate sheetmetal from to repair the roof.
Disclaimer: Only do such radical surgery if you know what you're doing.
I can't even conceive such a project knowing how many MA70's were sold that are a sport roof model.
IJ.;1839005 said:
True sorry.
I believe there are much better candidates to use for a LS swap than a MKIII. I am against a V8 swap into a MKIII unless it is a 1UZ, but if OP wants to do it, it is his car. I would just like to see the outcome (build thread). I believe the I6 motors have enough potential for OP's goals (not knowing what they are, but just guessing they are about the same as most MKIII guys). The LS swap would be pretty unique tho, but also a challenge.
Back on topic.
OP your best bet is to find a shell/parts car, especially if you want a targa that bad. They are cool as hell, plus the ladies love them, but the down side is that they have no where near the durability of a hard top. Even with my car 100% stock I remember I had the targa wiggle bad, I also only had 7x,xxx miles on it when I got it so it, so it should still have been really strong.
If you do end up going this route, a parts car or a rolling chassis would really be the best bet for you, as it would all be there, and you would not have to try to fabricate a targa top, and bracing out of a non targa car. Also without the bracing they add on to the targa cars, I could not imagine how bad the chassis would flex.
Why do you think/feel a UZ is the way to go?emericaskater285;1839240 said:
An LS will be 2 litres bigger capacity, not much heavier at all, it's narrower and only 50mm/2" longer, it's also been done a few times, I had mine in the Mk3 with a T04z and even at 3psi it was a weapon.
Add to that cheap available and an enormous Aftermarket it's a no brainer, you can count the successful builds here over the last 5>10 years on your hands and feet, any idiot can assemble an LS they're NOT complicated
IJ.;1839243 said:Why do you think/feel a UZ is the way to go?
An LS will be 2 litres bigger capacity, not much heavier at all, it's narrower and only 50mm/2" longer, it's also been done a few times, I had mine in the Mk3 with a T04z and even at 3psi it was a weapon.
Add to that cheap available and an enormous Aftermarket it's a no brainer, you can count the successful builds here over the last 5>10 years on your hands and feet, any idiot can assemble an LS they're NOT complicated
Must be that "keep it in the brand" crap.