Brad d'Alessio

I can't take it any more! My '79 911 SC TARGA
(street car but driven hard) has too much chassis flex. The big problem areas seem to be at the front and rear door seams where I feel movement with my hand. I believe the suspension has enough travel, thanks to raised front spindals, and I don't think the chassis is absorbing excessive shock. My options so far are a custom roll bar with diagnal side door bars, or a full roll cage. I'm not fond of either option because they compromise the interior. I don't want to weld the roof on! Has anyone delt with this specific problem and found a way to re-inforce the chassis in a minimally obtrusive manner? Please help! Thanks!

Tony'z911

I'm also wondering about this. I'm in the market for a 78-83 SC and although I would like a Targa, I plan to attend many DE events and in a year or two start racing the car. For this reason I have been looking for a Coupe, but if a Targa can be reinforced "in a minimally obtrusive manner" then I might return to wanting a Targa. I wouldn't mind installing a bolt in, but removeable roll bar, but only if it was removeable and would not too intrusive.

74911s

i have a 74 targa that finds it self on the track quite often.

i have added the das sport bolt in roll bar. this alone has tightened up the car dramatically. my mechanic has suggested going to rs door panels and having an additional bar fabricated from about shoulder heigth on the das sport roll bar angled down to the front of the door on the floor. this side brace could even be made to bolt in and out if desired. i think this would be the best compromise for a car that remains street driven.

jim
74 911s targa 2.9

Thom Fitzpatrick

Do you have any pictures of this setup? Does it interferewith the operation of the top in any way? Price?

Thanks!

Bill Gregory

You can look at the DAS rollbars here:

http://www.das-sport.com/data/dassportnew.html

I have one, they are strong, don't fit well with SRD's, and sit entirely on the sills (which is good). I have a coupe, and can't say I noticed any chassis stiffening. They are pricey, so if you can buy one during one of the Performance 20% off sales, it's more reasonable.

In fact, the one I have fits 74-89 targa's and coupes. If someone wanted to buy mine, I could go get a rollcage to weld in. If interested contact me via private note or email.

Tony'z911

So is a bar the only way to stiffen up a Targa? If I were going to attend DE events then how would a Targa handle compared to a Coupe? I really like the open roof on the Targa, but don't want a car that is going to be sloppy out on the track! If the avg. lap for a track took 1 min. 45 sec., how long do you think it would take for a comparable Targa w/ the same driver? Would the Targa loose 1 or 2 seconds/ lap, more, less, ...? Even if you added the bar, with all the extra weight for a) being a Targa and b) the weight of the bar itself, how much would that make a difference in terms of "seconds/lap"?
-T

JMPRO

I have designed and am ready to produce the Targa struts.These light weight and easy to install {uses seat belt mount holes}add chassie stiffness without getting in the way.
contact me for info and pics.
Jerry 911 SC targa

Chris Martin

I have seen quite a few targa's fly around summit point. Although I dont have any hard fast numbers, I wouldnt worry too much about the car being a limiting factor.

I actually would rather have a targa on the track, being 6'2 or so in a sunroof sc with a helmet is tricky!

Best of luck!

Chris

Thom Fitzpatrick

Any more details or pix?

JMPRO

I would like to post a picture of the bars but being a caveman at this computer stuff I just can't figure it out . For info and pics e-mail me , that i can handle
Jerry

Ed Bighi

When I used to autox in Miami, there was a guy there by the name of Alan Alesi that used to kick everybody's rear end hard with a 79 euro targa. Nobody could beat him unless the car had open wheels. And the funny thing is that the car was ragged out. That sealed my confidence in targas. When looking at his car on a course, it seemed to absorb the bumps better.

Thom Fitzpatrick

Here ya go!

[IMG]Targa Brace[/IMG]

davis911s

Where do you buy these braces? Are they worth it for a mostly street driven car? And you must still be able to attach seat belts right?

Thanks
Shawn

Thom Fitzpatrick

Ok, now that we have a picture, I have a couple of questions.

1) I'm assuming you'd use 2 of them
2) Do you have any metrics on it's effectiveness?

It seems that it would have to extend further into the door to be really effective. Also, I don't see how it could do much, if anything, for longitudinal flex. If one was going to tie into the seat belt mounts, I
think you'd have to make something to go across the car, tieing the seat belt mounts.

Thom Fitzpatrick

Also: are these based on the principle of compression or tension? From the pic, it doesn't appear that the mount is perfectly straight at the upper end.