TT 225 Quattro Six-Speed Targa
11-15-1999, 03:19 PM
#1
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TT 225 Quattro Six-Speed Targa
All right, everyone's been asking what wild new modification I will do with my TT.
Increased displacement?
New transmissions?
Wild bodykits?
Engine swaps?
Nope. I don't really like everything about the TT Coupe (before you flame me, read on)... the one thing I don't like is the lack of a sunroof. The curvature of the roof doesn't allow for blah blah blah. Okay, whatever. I don't like ragtops, so the spyder was out of the question... the car will occasionally be on the track and I'd prefer not to witness the ragtop "tin can effect" from inside the car.
Ahh... what to do?
I've always loved Targas. Not just Porsches, but all Targa-style designs, the NSX-T, the Del Sol, on and on. And so I started calling a few friends,
"How much time and money would it take to make my TT into a Targa with a light pop-off top panel made from carbon fiber or another lightweight material that would stow nicely under the hatch and be light enough that one person could easily install it quickly in case of a rainstorm?"
Both the time and money numbers were acceptable, and I'll be sending a 50% deposit against the projected cost in the near future.
When my TT arrives, it will spend its first two weeks at Vortrag Motorsports for instrumentation changes and Alcon brakes with Vortrag bracketry. It will then spend another three months out of my hands undergoing a comprehensive Targa conversion.
More information to follow, design for the Targa top and latching system will be finalised within the week. Deposit and point of no return on the project is in two weeks.
Cameron
Increased displacement?
New transmissions?
Wild bodykits?
Engine swaps?
Nope. I don't really like everything about the TT Coupe (before you flame me, read on)... the one thing I don't like is the lack of a sunroof. The curvature of the roof doesn't allow for blah blah blah. Okay, whatever. I don't like ragtops, so the spyder was out of the question... the car will occasionally be on the track and I'd prefer not to witness the ragtop "tin can effect" from inside the car.
Ahh... what to do?
I've always loved Targas. Not just Porsches, but all Targa-style designs, the NSX-T, the Del Sol, on and on. And so I started calling a few friends,
"How much time and money would it take to make my TT into a Targa with a light pop-off top panel made from carbon fiber or another lightweight material that would stow nicely under the hatch and be light enough that one person could easily install it quickly in case of a rainstorm?"
Both the time and money numbers were acceptable, and I'll be sending a 50% deposit against the projected cost in the near future.
When my TT arrives, it will spend its first two weeks at Vortrag Motorsports for instrumentation changes and Alcon brakes with Vortrag bracketry. It will then spend another three months out of my hands undergoing a comprehensive Targa conversion.
More information to follow, design for the Targa top and latching system will be finalised within the week. Deposit and point of no return on the project is in two weeks.
Cameron
11-15-1999, 04:12 PM
#4
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Or better questions for CraigB (more)
Any websites (Honda fan sites?) that would have Honda NSX and Honda Del Sol weights for the lift-off tops. Just wondering for comparison, hoping to write an article on the conversion and it would be neat to have a little chart like:
TT ... top weight (kg) top dimensions (cm)
Del Sol
NSX-T
911 Targa
914
Diablo VT Spyder
Etc.
so people can see what differences in materials, latching systems, etc. result in. I tried putting the top on a Diablo once, absolutely impossible as a one-person job without scratching the car unless you're a lot taller than I am and never find yourself in a hurry.
How is the Z3 doing? Do you have a hardtop for it in the winter, or is the Quattro your hardtop?
Cameron
TT ... top weight (kg) top dimensions (cm)
Del Sol
NSX-T
911 Targa
914
Diablo VT Spyder
Etc.
so people can see what differences in materials, latching systems, etc. result in. I tried putting the top on a Diablo once, absolutely impossible as a one-person job without scratching the car unless you're a lot taller than I am and never find yourself in a hurry.
How is the Z3 doing? Do you have a hardtop for it in the winter, or is the Quattro your hardtop?
Cameron
11-15-1999, 04:17 PM
#5
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Re: TT 225 Quattro Six-Speed Targa
Cameron
I am curious as to the instrumentation changes you are making, and also any reduced rigidity that may be imparted on the car without the roof structure in place...knowing the roadster was beefed up considerably to prevent scuttle shake.
Regards
Graham
I am curious as to the instrumentation changes you are making, and also any reduced rigidity that may be imparted on the car without the roof structure in place...knowing the roadster was beefed up considerably to prevent scuttle shake.
Regards
Graham
11-15-1999, 04:50 PM
#6
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Posts: n/a
More information re: instruments and sturdiness
The entire instrument pod will be removed and replaced with an aluminum and carbon fiber pod with digital readouts and only one analog gauge (tach). There are eight digital readouts and two other displays that can be toggled between more than thirty different functions including:
outside temp, oil temp, oil level, boost level, coolant level, coolant temp, temp warnings, shift warnings, ice warning, radio settings, wheel speed, fuel level, radar level, laser level, radar and laser direction, etc.
Dash is from Vortrag Motorsports.
As I understand it, supports will be fashioned to run from the top of the windshield (where the attachment will be) down to the door supports (at the end of the engine compartment's latter crumple zone limit) and then further down to the chassis and triangulated between the lower two supports and the forwardmost of the passenger cell bulkheads. This was their provisional plan, though there will refinements made through the week, I'm told. The hatch structure is apparently very strong and is said to only need a "secondary hoop" reinforcement at most.
This same shop constructed a T-Top in a 550 Maranello for a friend, so I'm interested, but not concerned, with their engineering prowess. I have been informed, however, that for any serious driving (>130kmph) the additional rigidity of the roof structure is always recommended. During long trips at those speeds, I would have the top on anyway to reduce wind noise... in addition to increasing safety and structural rigidity.
I'll release the name of the shop doing the Targa work when I write the article...
My email is enclosed here if you have further questions you want to ask offline... not that this forum couldn't use a little filling-up :-)
Cameron
outside temp, oil temp, oil level, boost level, coolant level, coolant temp, temp warnings, shift warnings, ice warning, radio settings, wheel speed, fuel level, radar level, laser level, radar and laser direction, etc.
Dash is from Vortrag Motorsports.
As I understand it, supports will be fashioned to run from the top of the windshield (where the attachment will be) down to the door supports (at the end of the engine compartment's latter crumple zone limit) and then further down to the chassis and triangulated between the lower two supports and the forwardmost of the passenger cell bulkheads. This was their provisional plan, though there will refinements made through the week, I'm told. The hatch structure is apparently very strong and is said to only need a "secondary hoop" reinforcement at most.
This same shop constructed a T-Top in a 550 Maranello for a friend, so I'm interested, but not concerned, with their engineering prowess. I have been informed, however, that for any serious driving (>130kmph) the additional rigidity of the roof structure is always recommended. During long trips at those speeds, I would have the top on anyway to reduce wind noise... in addition to increasing safety and structural rigidity.
I'll release the name of the shop doing the Targa work when I write the article...
My email is enclosed here if you have further questions you want to ask offline... not that this forum couldn't use a little filling-up :-)
Cameron
11-15-1999, 05:57 PM
#7
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If memory serves...
...I believe the del sol roof panel is ~24 lbs; it's made out of aluminum (funny thing is, that I just threw out the owner's manual the other day). The 914 panel was lighter than that, since it's fiberglass. The del sol has a really nice bracket system in the trunk to hold the roof panel. It lifts up out of the way on hydraulic shocks (like the trunk lid). They were both easily handled by one person.
The Z3's great! I'm anxious to ski, but with this unusually dry, warm weather, I'll just have to settle for some top down driving. 8^) I thought about trading it for an M Roadster (mine's a 2.3), but I pretty decided to do suspension and a supercharger instead; that'll save me $10K and give me more power anyway. No hard top for the Z3; quattro rules!
CraigB
The Z3's great! I'm anxious to ski, but with this unusually dry, warm weather, I'll just have to settle for some top down driving. 8^) I thought about trading it for an M Roadster (mine's a 2.3), but I pretty decided to do suspension and a supercharger instead; that'll save me $10K and give me more power anyway. No hard top for the Z3; quattro rules!
CraigB
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11-17-1999, 11:20 AM
#10
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Cameron, a suggestion, would like your comments (more)
Obviously, you don't have much of a budget limitation when it comes to mods. Not a dig, I think that's really cool.
Therefore, have you considered getting some sort of HUD for the car? If you're already getting custom instrumentation, why not have a HUD fabricated so you never have to take your eyes off the road? Have it display RPM, MPH, radar/laser detection and fuel status on the windscreen. You might as well also try to undertake fabbing a full remote setup for a V1 radar detector. That would be really cool- have the front antenna integrated into the top of the windscreen, back antenna integrated into the top of the backlight, with the speaker interfacing with the stereo system and the display integrated into the instrumentation. You would do Mike Valentine proud by accomplishing this.
Do you have any plans to upgrade the power output of the engine or do any interior mods beyond the targa top and custom dash? How about a full carbon fiber dash with Alcantara covering? Talk about lightweight and non-glare. That would be very nice.
Regards,
TM
Therefore, have you considered getting some sort of HUD for the car? If you're already getting custom instrumentation, why not have a HUD fabricated so you never have to take your eyes off the road? Have it display RPM, MPH, radar/laser detection and fuel status on the windscreen. You might as well also try to undertake fabbing a full remote setup for a V1 radar detector. That would be really cool- have the front antenna integrated into the top of the windscreen, back antenna integrated into the top of the backlight, with the speaker interfacing with the stereo system and the display integrated into the instrumentation. You would do Mike Valentine proud by accomplishing this.
Do you have any plans to upgrade the power output of the engine or do any interior mods beyond the targa top and custom dash? How about a full carbon fiber dash with Alcantara covering? Talk about lightweight and non-glare. That would be very nice.
Regards,
TM