Porsche 911 Air-Cooled Targa Top Restoration

I made this video because I wanted to watch a video like this when I first got my car and couldn’t find one! I searched rennlist.com and pelicanparts.com and kept hearing about Dan Petchel. “Dan the Targa Man” from www.carsincnj.c... . He had a business out of his home where he replaced and restored Targa tops. I never heard anything bad about him so I found his website and sent him a message. The process was great and I’m very happy with my top. I was not paid for this video but simply wanted to do it to help other enthusiasts. I hope this helps other Targa owners! Please comment/like/subscribe if you like the video!
To find out more, go to:
linktr.ee/Drky...

[@bernardmauge8613]

Kyle the targa top with a broken arm. That was me 10 years ago. Small world. The arms are made of magnesium and are brittle. I could have welded it for you. I used to work for Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach as a production welder. You went to the right guy. The other top notch guy is in Colorado. I sent my top to him paid around $800 that was ten years ago. He did a beautiful job. The issue with the wind noise is mainly due to the top front portion sitting too high and picking up wind drag. Now if you have the original front seal you are ok as they tend to shrink with age which prevent the top to sit high. If you ever change that seal you are screwed. The new seals Porsche sells are from a different rubber and are fatter. Sooo your top will NEVER sit right on the front. The trick is to trim the new seal with a razor to bring it down until the top sits down in the groove. The only way is to take the car and let the guy who does the top to fit it for you. I ended up paying a guy on PCH HWY to do it for me. I still get wind noise. The real solution is to get a solid fiberglass top. Porsche made them only one year in 73. In 74 they changed the master cylinder in the front trunk and the non folded top would not fit because of the lack of clearance caused by the brake booster. I had a small company make me a carbon fiber one and not only no more wind noise but increased rigidity. In order to fit it in the trunk you need to remove the master cylinder. The only guy I know who does redesign brakes on old Porsches is Richard Tuthill in England. Welcome to the rabbit hole. Bernard

[@dr.kylestanley]

really great summary. Who made your CF top? I've also heard that there is some water reservoir (I could be mistaken) that can be relocated in order to allow an unfolded top to fit in the trunk. Thanks for watching.

[@bernardmauge8613]

@@dr.kylestanley Todd at Helion Composites.

[@bmxcanada]

Great vid. All of us Targa guys have heard of Dan, nice to see an in depth review! Keep making these vids!

[@dr.kylestanley]

Thanks. Yes more to come!

[@Ernesto19G]

Great Vid. I heard about Dan when I was in New York with my '74 Targa, funny I'm in California now too. Good to know Dan is still out there doing his thing for us Targa guys. And thanks for sharing the photos, really cool to see the top bare.

[@bnallc]

wonderful vid. thank you so much for sharing your experience getting your targa top refurbished

[@dr.kylestanley]

glad you appreciate it! I was looking for a video like this and couldn't find one.

[@csdginc]

Great review thanks! I have talked to Dan and just recieved his shipping instructions. Your "double the price" issue has me nervous. Once he has it your kinda at his mercy. My mechanic always says with a smile "If you have to ask how much, you shouldn't own a classic 911" :-)

[@dr.kylestanley]

it’s so true. you are at his mercy at that point. this was a must for me so k had to bite the bullet! these cars aren’t cheap!

[@bnallc]

@@dr.kylestanley @brian jones honestly you had no option with that broken arm on your top frame. I seriously doubt it's a common failure, and honestly I think it's not really fair to think a base repair charge will covering everything.

[@dr.kylestanley]

@@bnallc I knew it would be more but I didn't expect double the stage 4 price. If you look on the website, it shows stages 1-4. I figured stage 4 was the worst but apparently, mine was a stage 12 =). I'm very happy with my purchase but it was a difficult pill to swallow. Thanks for watching!

[@jekutube9]

Had ours repaired by Targa Dan years ago 2013 only vinyl and headliner, cost was what he advertised back then, 1000 ish. I’m a fellow wuss, I don’t fold it either. I store in a 42” flat tv box when not in car. Also use THICK foam on either side of tranny hump so targa top edge doesn’t crease back, when I do want to have top with us. Our car came with the temp top with suction cups, use it all the time, protects from sun mostly.

[@dr.kylestanley]

Wuss's anonymous here!

[@evank.4715]

I’d suggest you consider installing the plastic sleeves over the rear Targa Top Pins. I got mine from Pelican Parts a few years back. The are a very tight fit so I heated them by dipping the outside into a mug of hot water to soften and expand them and then worked them on. Did I mention they’re tight? They’ll help the top align correctly and reduce/ eliminate any metal on metal squeaking.

[@dr.kylestanley]

thanks for the tip. Do you have a link? I'd love to reduce squeaking!

[@sc-no8lq]

My top is with Dan now, hopefully getting it back next week! So excited after seeing yours.

[@DrKyleStanley]

Awesome. I'm sure you'll be happy with it!

[@scottstevenson426]

Thanks for posting the video. I've had two tops rebuilt at Dan's shop. One was a 81 911 SC Targa which turned out pretty well and most recently a 88 911 Carrera Targa. The most recent work doesn't seal at the front in fact the front lip appears too short so I get wind noise that is really annoying. I paid $2000 for the repair and actually sent the top back to Dan to fix the lip. It came back exactly as it was when it was sent back into his shop. So, I have a Targa top that looks good on but when you drive the car get loud wind noise because the front lip doesn't seal at the targa bar. I'm in the process of trying to find someone who can fix it and get rid of the wind noise. I'm assuming that'll be another $1500 - $2500. Argh!!

[@dr.kylestanley]

argh! the joys of a targa

[@marklapid6244]

Thanks for posting your experience and the full review. I too have broken arms so i am not looking forward to paying for that. Also i did see the $7K price tag for one

[@dr.kylestanley]

Thanks for watching! $3.5k is a steal when you compare it to $7k haha. This is how I justify my excessive spending on my Porsches

[@marklapid6244]

😂😂😂 For 3.5 my top is looking quite beautiful and the arm doesn’t swing and hit my temple so I’ll tolerate it a little more and monitor my hearing loss I will sustain from all the wind noise.

[@marklapid6244]

😂😂😂 For 3.5 my top is looking quite beautiful and the arm doesn’t swing and hit my temple so I’ll tolerate it a little more and monitor my hearing loss I will sustain from all the wind noise.

[@dr.kylestanley]

@@marklapid6244 😜 tape and earplugs are a much cheaper alternative😜

[@autotrap2370]

Excellent video.

[@davidmorais2394]

Just settling in with my recently acquired 86 911 Turbo look Targa. The top fits well but wind noise upwards of 40mph is noticeable. Has similar gaps to yours pre-repair. Seals are in good shape. Let me see what can be done to reduce the gaps before sending it for restoration. Dan is a possibility but I’m in Kuala Lumpur and would obviously prefer a local option. Let’s see what I find out! Thanks for this. Good to know there are other owners with similar levels of technical knowledge as me! 😉

[@daverph]

Great video, thanks so much for sharing this!

[@dr.kylestanley]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gillesaranda2843]

Thanks Kyle!!! Excellent review…honest and restablishing the truth… I love 915 gear box as well… I love 3.2 engine as well.. to me… probably the best engine… best engine sound from 2.4 to 3.2…. 3.6 is already another story and another sound…. I wish you to get a bit more of soundproof with new seals… let’s say up to 80 to 85 mph…. (Max speed authorized in Europe usually ☝️😁🥴😎👌) PS: please change the 2 « black eyes » ☝️😂headlights remaining on your spot on Targa… I know… it’s a classic US thing… you are used to see them since back then….they are 🇺🇸 period correct… but your targa deserves a much nicer european 👀 look✌️😁👌

[@dr.kylestanley]

Yes I plan to change my lights in the next two weeks actually to the H4 look. Thanks for watching!

[@tycotoys]

When you send your Targa top to Dan for repair he sends you a jar of Vaseline if this is any indication of cost.

[@alexmestas2128]

How do you store it when not in use?

[@dr.kylestanley]

I just lay it on its side against the wall but I'm sure there is a more elegant or better way of doing it. I'd love to hear what others are doing. Maybe there are some special hooks to make it better. Would love to hear what others do.

[@garrisonmanne6410]

You got bamboozled! Wow. I thought $1200 was steep. Tho, I wasn't missing anything either. Everything Porsche has gone up in the past few years....just the pleasantries of owning such a great vehicle. 👍 🔝📈💰💸

[@carltonryleigh1772]

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