Carbon Fiber Roof!!
 

I have never heard of it.. Seen it.. Etc.. You know the M3 2009 I believe has it.. You know!! CARBON FIBER ROOF!! So one of my project Supras just so happens to be a Sport roof.. I wonder if I could have someone put together a carbon fiber replacement. That way I could trim some weight (in a place I doubt it is needed since it is not connected to the car anyways) and get a cool look..

What do you think?? CARBON FIBER ROOF to replace my SPORT ROOF??

:wavey:YES!!

No weight to be saved at all... just get a hard top if weight is your primary concern. Someone in Colorado Springs had a one-off made (for a couple thousand dollars)..... the thing was still almost as heavy as a stock roof. But hey, if you've got the money to spend on the development and fabrication, go for it.

targa tops arent all that heavy.. and the weight is a good thing.. drive the car with the top on.. than take it off. notice a difference? a tad wishy washy, car feels like somethings missing? yea its your roof.

Ahh, I just wish is where all one piece. I hate that mine is a targa.. I just wanted something different that would do something more.. such as weight reduction. Though it would seem that it makes no difference. So it would end up being for looks only.. :(

yea i was flipping through my midwest motor catalog for corvets and they have clear targa tops for their cars..

wish we had a parts catalog like corvett does.. customized as all get out.

i love my targa top..

Darn.. Wow, clear.. That would be weird.. ::Looks up as bird poops above::

well clear smokey colored. you can see through it but offers protection from the sun like a sun roof / moon roof does.

So put a sunroof in the targa.


It's possible to have a lighter targa top that's lighter than stock... CF or FB with an aluminum skeleton... it's just going to cost you a TON.

As for rigidity when the top is out, a lot of people have built X braces to mount in place of the roof piece for additional support.

I seen a carbon fiber targa top on eBay and some other site for like 300-400$

Link or DEATH.

well ill be..
looks ugly tho :(

Doesn't look nearly as robust as the one I've seen.... No cross member for rigidity, steel frame vs aluminum or 100% CF = heavier than it needs to be noodle (still better than having the top off, but I'll pass).

From the top it lookas a little thick... you sure they didn't just laminate a stock roof panel?

+1 for posting that!

Putting some aluminum bracing should be easy enough if you have the materials.
I am going to ask them how much they weigh and if any
structural framing is or can be done since they build individually.
I'll post their reply when I get it...

American Carbonfiber and Fiberglass

Ya I would like to hear their reply. On a black painted supra. I think this would be very nice looking.. I will FOR SURE be picking one up!

Not to change the subject in my own post but I also found this CB fiber guy from the same company..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/86-92...Q5fAccessories

Sweet! I overlooked that in their store, I think I'll have one of those...

Here's the message I sent and his reply...

:umno:

Hi guy's this is from the UK, I bought my targa toped MK3 In Germany TAX free, and I still have it here in England, I once had the idea to lighten the roof, over here it was made of thin steel, in the UK the targa top wasn't sold other than a persoonal import vehicle. I had had the car for a year when I went to work for Toyota in Holland as a freelancer for a while, I got into some heavy talks with Supra specalits engineers there at the time over weight reduction. There answer was that the removable roof constituted about 60% of the strength of the car, which is why the don't recomend exceeding 100 MPH unless you have strut bars, front and rear. As an alternative they did sugest that the roof coul be cut and fitted with a sunfoof, this they said (I didn't do it so basicly dont know if it was true or not) that the sun roof aftermarket would shave a few pounds off the roof but because of the way they were fitted then it would stiffen the roof too even if the glass was removed? Ian

You nearly shattered my hopes and dreams with that one.. 60% is a lot! However, I'm going against the weather man (Toyota mechanic) on this one. I'll get the umbrella but I won't wear the rain boots (Get front/rear struts). I just gotta have that carbon fiber roof (FOR ONLY $200)! It will go perfectly with my black mk3 project car..

Sometimes, weather men.. Are wrong! If it where a weather woman.. I would probably listen.. Well, at least "Watch". :p

Roof
 

I am not saying you shouldnt do it, just be aware that the roof section provides a lot of fore/aft stiffness. if you have a front and rear strut brace it should provide a lot more stiffness. An dplease don't forget that carbon fiber is lighter and stronger than steel. I am sure that those companies that make these things have considered this and engineerd the roof section to accomodate this. to be honest I think it look's the dogs bollo*k's. have fun and go :outahere: get it. Ian

ian is absoluty correct.. much more vibration in the cockpit with the top off and the car is more prone to "wobble." thats what happends when non roadster designed cars, chop their tops off.. your left with a feeling of something in the support is missing. cause it is. the car is less ridged. but its really not a big deal. I dont have the bars across my targa. but i don't drive above 90 either.. 80 if im paying attention.

YEAH!!!! Rice ruleZ!!! :uh:






Ugh... anyway, the roof doesn't take 60% of the vehicle's torsional load... I don't buy that for a second. It does take a significant amount though and to offset that additional bracing must be added elsewhere... there's a reason the targa models weight ~150lbs more than hard top models. ;) The floor pan has a lot of extra material.

Like I said before.. I ain't going with the weather man this time. He said it would rain yesterday and look!! 90o clear skys! I think I will carry the umbrella (front and rear sway bars). I WILL NEVER WEAR THE BOOTS (especially since they are made for walking)! :nono:

WTF are you talking about? Not speculation. Just a fact. Targa's have a lot of wiggle to them and close to 150 extra pounds of reinforcement to make up for it....

... weatherman? WTF is wrong with you. :crazy:






:outahere:

I don't care if the targa is 150lbs more with top off the supra looks bad ass

Who said I wouldn't have it reinforced with some heavy materials? I get that.. Whatever the case is. The sway bars will help.. Still sunny and not a cloud in sight.. :p

I bet that's nice in Baltimore..! Wish I still lived there with my Supra!

I purchased my Supra in January of 89. Spent three months finding a 5 speed hard top turbo. No regrets.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with owning a "sport roof" MKIII... Just saying that they're soggy enough and if you're going to drop some coin on another roof you'd do well to get one that's reinforced... sheesh. :dunno:

PS: Sway bars have NOTHING to do with twist.

What sort of reinforcing can I do to my Supra? Been feeling like a real dolt lately of course the roof is part of the structure and the car is even more soft without it. First blowing out my rack in pinion steering and power steering pump, then all of the minor leaks after fixing the main ones. One of these is in the rear of the engine. :eek3:
I love driving my Supra :love: It is just that it needs some more attention and a paint job. The clear coat is peeling off of it.
So what can I do to stiffen up the suspension? I love driving with the top off.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...carpics007.jpg


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...carpics004.jpg

Short of adding a sunroof to the targa insert this it the most ridig you're going to get and still see skyline. I've seen a few different designs of these. Essentially you're turning the car into a T-Top model just with a far less obvious center bar. I saw one which was welded in place and the targa top fit over it.... and not much head roof was sacrificed. The owner used oval shaped steel to reduce it's depth.

I saw a thread on Supramania about those targa braces. Is there somewhere i can buy one without having to fab it up myself? I love taking my targa off, but if i hit a corner going more than 15mph the whole car turns into a Twizzler. lol

Sorry, I don't know of anyone making these right now. You could post up on the two busiest sites SM and SF and see if anyone is or is interested in making one.... Or perhaps we'll get a lucky break and someone will post one here... hell I didn't know anyone was making CF roofs. (I wonder if they make T-tops for 2's?)

I'm sure someone has done it. Is your targa glass?! That thing must weigh a ton!

How about reinforcing the underside of the car?

ohh cool headrests.. cre any more pics of that car? got a link to it.

You mean these things.. Simple matter to find the link.. heh!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e11/supraheroes

PS - Whom ever this guy is.. He loves him some random pictures of woman on car show day! DAMN~! Oh boy.. That Asian girl caught him too, luck she didn't tell her man.. He was obviously to into the HOT CAR action to even do anything but drag her around like cave man by hair. Come woman. Me look at more cars! Me use camcorder!

So say I was to get all buckered up with things to help stiffen up my car. You think I am going to truly lose a lot of car control vs a hard top supra? Ever since I found out I had less control, I been pretty sad because I have put a good amount of resources into my supra.

nice car cre, is that your stereo or afc mounted on the pass side?? and i like the idea of your top, any chance you can take pics with it off by a measuring tape? id be able to fab something similar.

another option to brace you car with top off is a brace between your seatbelts behind your head. sucks for people getting in the back seat though.