Good Idea, Is there Interest Targa Strut bar:

[FlikRacing]

AI haven't seen many Targa top strut assemblies. They are out there, not as many I think as there should be. What do you guys think about titanium targa strut. I am reviewing my plans here and I think i may make some, not to many but some. I wanted to stay with a durable material, and someone that will do more good then " weight "

We all know the Targa top Supras without them on are unstable, and lose many performance gains, like body flexing. Let me know your thoughts guys thanks again.

 

[Facime]

a couple have been made and there is still probably a market for them. Alot of guys seem to want one that stays in place when the targa is on. I never came up with a solution to that problem, if you can then Im sure it would be a hit. Good Luck.

 

[FlikRacing]

Yeah that is a huge problem most want it in place, but with the top on, The only problem I guess I would run into is that if I did get one to fit, the targa would be " raised " slightly , which I am not sure if people ant that, the aerodynamics of the car would create a draft on top of the car like that.

Many people might think the bars would be a round type, but I have done some thinking and pressing it down to make a more oval shape is very strong and does not lose it's rigidity as strut bar.

Again thanks for your comment.

 

[gaboonviper85]

i think makeing them out of titanium is kind of a waist of money....stainless steel would be much cheaper and would do just about the same job...titanium as much stiffer then most stainless metals but the weight saveings would be worth the extra $$$ in my opinion.

 

[FlikRacing]

Well I am truly making these these for some solid reasons. I am not going to make much money I know, i only expect to make abut 50.00 on these. Also I to offer Supra owners a great piece, I am just trying to give a nice touch to these machines. I do feel you though brotha it would be a hella lot cheaper.

 

[gaboonviper85]

yeah im not saying its dumb or anything.....but i know you would sell more if they where stainless cause Ti will be like 4x the price lol.

but i fully support the idea of makeing them out of ti just to say you did.....if you can do it then awesome....bling factor is always fun lol

 

[A-to-the-J]

hey, as long as it fits, is functional and we can leave the targa on, there will be interest.

 

[FlikRacing]

Well time will tell. There are a bunch of problems when creating a new item, that will fit under the targa so I will just take small steps and hopefully make it.

 

[starscream5000]

The first poster to your concers made targa braces for a long time, he dubbed them "WeezLWings". You may want to consult with him on these to get a good idea on what to expect when fabbing them up and how well they actually sell.

 

[Facime]

Wasnt Jayhall recently talking about doing a targa brace as well? He owns a WeezLWing but I think he too wants something that fits in with the top on.

The so called "X-Brace" (of which I believe only 4 exist) was made so that it was installed under the targa. It required some amount of trimming of the interior pieces that covered the targa mounts, but did not make the rooof sit up at all. It was essentially bolted to the bottom of the mount if I understood correctly.


As I said, you arent the first person to have this idea, and I know there is a market however small. If you are a fabricator yourself there can be potential profit even. I would say for the 25 or so that I made and sold I MIGHT have broke even. I didnt keep the best records of my costs back then, but I can tell you, R&D will eat you alive, lol.

EDIT: I still have the jig that was used to create my brace and I wouldnt mind selling it....

 

[starscream5000]

Better hit him up on that offer, a shit ton of time and effort went into making that piece. His version of a targa brace is the best I've seen thusfar.

 

[Doward]

How about subframe connectors? If you strengthen the bottom of the chassis enough, you eliminate the vast majority of the flex associated with not having a top on.

 

[Kckazdude]

Not that subframe connectors wouldnt help , but I think we would have to add more weight under the car to get the same results as the targa brace.

 

[IwantMKIII]

Aluminum should be plenty strong with the right design, and its considerably lighter than steel though a bit more pricey, either way its a good inbetween from the titanium idea.

 

[Facime]

I thought about doing sub-frame connectors back when I was doing targa braces. But wouldnt they need to be welded in for maximum effect? That would exclude it from a do-it-yourselfer job. It would be a good discussion item but I dont want to derail his thread.

 

[IJ.]

How about subframe connectors? If you strengthen the bottom of the chassis enough, you eliminate the vast majority of the flex associated with not having a top on.

A70 is a hard chassis to design effective connectors for as the floorpan/rails are so low/shallow right where they need to be to work.

A combination under the seats and across the driveline tunnel could work well though.