Roof tongues

[rtg]

I'm fixing and recovering the two targa panels - the material is ripped and the roof leaks. However, I've noticed that there's a hump appearing in the fabric above each fixing tongue. Most are minor, but one seems quite large. I'm assuming that these have rusted with age and the rust is pushing the fiberglass up. The large one may have been damaged.

How do I fix these? Sandpaper the fiberglass down until they are smooth? Dremel the steel inserts out, insert new aluminium ones? cut away from the top, remove & replace the tongues and then build back up with fiberglass?

Of course, the panels should be in the boot at all times, but for the odd occasion they are on the roof....

[mentall]

rtg said:

Sandpaper the fiberglass down until they are smooth? Dremel the steel inserts out, insert new aluminium ones?

This.

I used a Makita Multi-tool (other makes are available) to remove the tangs and reshape the pockets. Made-up new ali tangs (cross-drilled in the hidden part to hold the resin). Inserted with fibreglass and resin (a tin of coarse Isopon, OMAA). Refitted with the Isopon uncured to let the tangs adjust themselves, surfaces protected with thin poly bag material. Reshaped with fine Isopon.

I had previously removed the fabric covering from the hood hoop and panels, and fitted new covering afterwards, so your procedure may be different.

Good luck!

[mk1fan]

Dremel out the tangs and renew with stainless steel ones. Would be my fix.

[v8s4me]

Here's a coupe of related threads:-

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Alan Whitaker]

Just waiting for the new tangs to arrive, as I had all the material removed I decided to go the easy route. I just cut them out from the underside, be easy to re fix the tabs back in. Cleaned away all the old filler. Will sit the tangs in the sockets and just a dap of the old glass filler past onto the tang and just set the roof onto them and then re glass and sand over.

[v8s4me]

Not wishing to teach grandmothers to suck eggs but if you put a short self-tapper in the tang and leave it sitting proud the glass fibre will have something extra to bond onto and help keep the tang from moving.

[Alan Whitaker]

4 X m3 on each tang so I can set them up level with the top of the windscreen and hoop

[Deeman]

http://www.gbsportscar.com/Targa_tang_replace.htm

[rtg]

Many thanks all, now got the dremel to hand, work starts next week.