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Last year not long after I purchased the Targa I showed the car at the San Diego PCA Concours and took second place in show and shine. Show and shine doesn’t include the engine, wheel wells or undercarriage.
This year I’m going to show in full concours and I’ve started my prep in earnest. Last weekend I had the undercarriage and wheel wells steam cleaned and it looks 100% better underneath. I’m starting my engine detailing and will spend the next few weeks prepping. Here’s a shot of the engine bay after some time cleaning up and treating the rubber with 303.
Nice work. Considering it is very hard to clean in such a confined space. I am planning on doing the same next year, but I'll drop the engine. A few maintenance jobs at the same time. Keep posting pics.
Nice work. Considering it is very hard to clean in such a confined space. I am planning on doing the same next year, but I'll drop the engine. A few maintenance jobs at the same time. Keep posting pics.
No kidding on the confined space! Funny your comment about removing the engine, my mom is visiting and she was asking what I was doing to the engine. I explained the detailing process and mentioned most people do this when the engine is out. Unfortunately the previous owner didn’t think cleaning the engine bay was that important and only paid to have the engine resealed/rebuilt. At least the shop that did the work did a great job with the repairs and replaced all the soft parts that typically need replacing on old cars. I’ll be sure to post more pics when it’s done.
Originally Posted by Dingo
Man these engine bay photos look like they belong in a sales brochure! Awesome!
Thanks! I still have some odds and ends to get her ready for the show including a new seal for the Targa Roll Hoop.
When the previous owner rebuilt the engine the fan must have been refinished....I think. The car has 70k miles so I have to believe it was redone, it’s way too perfect to be original.
I also wipe the fan down with quick detail spray and microfiber after every couple of drives. It’s amazing how much dirt accumulates on the blades in a very short amount of time. Yeah I’m a bit **** but I enjoy detailing and it’s relaxing so...
I have made a couple attempts at cleaning my fan with out much success, just wondering if you had some secret method other than refinishing or replacing. Looks great.
I’m a week away from my second concours and I’m wrapping things up. This past weekend I finished cleaning up the wheel wells and touching up the front brake calipers.
Earlier in the week I also received the rebuilt Targa top which was redone by Dan at CarsInc. Unfortunately my top was in fairly bad shape due to a previously botched restoration so most of the top except the frame itself is new. It now fits very snugly and no more wind noise.
And now I'm going to pester you with roof questions, Afshin.
Would it be possible to get more pics of the roof? What was the total cost on refurbishment (since 964s are more costly per his site)? Did you go with stage 3 or 4? Were the side seals (over door glass) replaced?
I may need new latch assemblies on mine as the portion that immediately surrounds the shaft have a split on each - no idea if that is how it's supposed to be. I'm keen on having Dan Petchel handle mine as well, and want to see how much gets done with his servicing. I do have a new pair of covers for the rear locating pins incoming to hopefully alleviate a roof rattle.
And now I'm going to pester you with roof questions, Afshin.
Would it be possible to get more pics of the roof? What was the total cost on refurbishment (since 964s are more costly per his site)? Did you go with stage 3 or 4? Were the side seals (over door glass) replaced?
I may need new latch assemblies on mine as the portion that immediately surrounds the shaft have a split on each - no idea if that is how it's supposed to be. I'm keen on having Dan Petchel handle mine as well, and want to see how much gets done with his servicing. I do have a new pair of covers for the rear locating pins incoming to hopefully alleviate a roof rattle.
Chris no problem with answering questions, that’s the point of these forums. Total cost was $1700 to rebuild my top but I had a somewhat unique situation. The previous owner had the targa top rebuilt by a local convertible top shop in New Mexico to address an air leak and sagging interior liner. Apparently that shop damaged the connection points for the rain rails which prevented the webbing from connecting to them. The webbing was also never connected to the top which ultimately caused the top to bow outward and allow air to leak . Fortunately my frame and front/rear connections points were all in perfect condition and while the frame was missing one of the plastic bushings it was damage free. Dan mentioned that was rare but he said he can repair it so if yours is damaged it shouldn’t be an issue.
In the end Dan redid the webbing, new rain rails, new liner and foam inside, repainted the frame, installed new bushings, redid the window seal, new top vinyl and he installed new caps on the rear pins. It literally looks and functions as new. Sadly the new top now highlights the worn side Targa hoop seal, it’s the only thing that still looks old on the car. I’ll try to get some more pics later today. Let me know if you have any other questions.
A few more updates since my last post. I entered in full street class at the San Diego Concours in September and took first in class with a score of 238.5 out of 240. Really not bad considering I’ve only had the car a year now.
I also decided to preemptively change out the bushings in the shift linkage as I wasn’t sure of their condition. Turns out they were fine but I had it replaced anyways since everything was already apart. I also had the AC recharged as it wasn’t blowing cold. One bottle filled it up and she’s blowing cool again.
I also made the trek to Rennsport in the Targa and I have to say it is an absolute blast and pleasure to drive long distances with it. The shocks do a great job of damping the bumps, the Targa top is now sealed and quiet (relatively speaking), AC works great and with the top off it’s an entirely different experience. We drove PCH north and south and also had the fortune to drive route 33 in Ojai on our way up. We also did the snake on Mulholland. Needless to say this Targa has seen some incredible roads over the past year.
Nice, that last pic looks like 17 mile drive. RRVI was great and we were surprised how much we enjoyed Pacific Grove as well.
Good eye, that was on the 17 mile drive. That day was epic, after spending most of the day at RRVI a few friends decided to run the 17 mile drive. It was perfect topless weather,
07-22-2018, 11:08 PM
. Fortunately my frame and front/rear connections points were all in perfect condition and while the frame was missing one of the plastic bushings it was damage free. Dan mentioned that was rare but he said he can repair it so if yours is damaged it shouldn’t be an issue. 
