Ronald E. Jacques

My top started balking at me, very sporadic. It always went down with ease but getting it to close was hit or miss, kinda freaky when you can feel the first raindrops. The local Rx7 guy says the pass side motor has a bad controller and my choices are either find a used controller/motor, pay through the nose for a factory part, or just rip out all the electrics and use it as a manual top. He says people do this, I like the idea of a little more weight savings and knowing it can't stop working again, and I really don't mind if it takes a little muscle to operate. If someone doesn't tell me they have my part on the cheap, this is probably what I'll do. Anyone else done this?
If I do tear out the power, all the other parts will be for sale. The switch is brand new, only operated about twenty times.
Comments?

By the way, the car with a full tank of gas, but no spare or jack is down to 2770 lbs.

Tofuball

I'm sure you can find the part in the for sale section of anyone parting out a 'vert Just post a "WTB: Vert top motor"

What exactly did you do to reduce the weight?

Is it an S4 or S5 'vert?

kiyoshi

Yep I took my motors out. NP at all.

pmr2000

They probably only made the top power because of the weight of the targa top (which I never use), I've seen people lift them manually so it is possible.

There's a couple of motors for sale on ebay right now, a pair:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...940063206&rd=1

and a left:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...939445496&rd=1

gerbraldy

umm, how does your car weigh 2770lbs right now? A stock vert is suppose to weight at least 3000lbs. Have your actually weigh'd it before? And if you do the manual top, you won't beable to use the targa top, only a vert. The motors are what locks the top into place. So if you take the motors out you have to find a new way of locking it once the targa section is out. A friend of mine got his vert converted to manual, mazda wanted $650 per motor, he needed two. So he just doesn't use his targa, but I'm sure you can find a way to make it lock.

Ronald E. Jacques

I never use the targa top anyway. I think manual is what I'll do. Its an S5 (90)
Thanks to all.

Weight reducers if I can remember them all:
p/s+a/c removed
no trim in trunk, and all the metal tabs and brackets and the "spare tire wall" gone.
The cylinders and brackets that hold open the trunklid replaced with aluminum prop rod
SOME of the heat shields on the exhaust gone
No stereo, ALL wiring, antennae, amp, speakers gone ( couldn't hear it over exhaust anyway!)
I only take the spare and jack on long trips
Most of the under carpet **** is gone
Sparco Roadster seats (15 lbs each)
No wind deflector ( I could'nt tell if it ever made any difference)
No sun visors ( One was torn anyway and the sun is in your eyes with the top down anyway, thats the whole point!)
No dust shields on the brakes
The liner of the targa top I replaced with fabric
The spare tire mount is severely cut away
All the underhood sound deadener, and some minor pieces of rubber gone
Any bracket that only held one or two components was ditched and the components screwed directly to the fender
The RB exhaust and HKS intake weigh less than stock crap
Aluminum Radiator
Light flywheel
Lots of other little stuff, it all adds up.
To be clear, I actually weighed the car in on two commercial truck scales at 2820 and 2800 even, BEFORE the seats got swapped. Including the brackets I figured 30lbs saved on the seats. So It could be 2790, not 2770, or maybe both scales are horribly wrong. I had to drive about 20 miles to get to the scales after I filled it. And I just put sway bars on that probably add back a few pounds. I'll weigh it again somewhere else when I get it back. Aside from the stereo missing it doesn't look like anything is gone. Next step when I recover financially is 16" Volk TE37's, at a claimed 12.3 lbs each, plus of course the vert motors gone.

introVert

You better build up them arm muscles to pull that bastard over your head when the rain starts- the targa is a heavy beeyatch! I would say you can pretty much forget about operating the top from the driver's seat.

But hey, if the lightness factor is key, then party on. I am just a lazy ***, I guess.

beamer242

yeah my motors dont work and i bought it already manual let me tell you its not fun to put it up but it doesnt take me more then 30 seconds. enjoy your new manual top.......

kiyoshi

You don't need it in Indiana? These days it rains alot. I use it a lot even in the summer here.

beamer242

wow didnt know there were so many verts in indy. im on the north side.

Ronald E. Jacques

I'm in Greenfield but you wouldn't know mine was here this year, Its been in the shop for almost the whole season.
In the past twelve months Ive done most of the stuff on that list, plus a 4.3 diff and painting it pearl white. You'll know it if you see it, I've got a non-standard hood scoop on the opposite side as usual and a wing on the back.
Its not my only car, so when I drive it, 99% of the time the roof is all the way down. I've gone months without ever putting it up in the garage.
After the light wheels I want a headlight conversion, then when the motor is on the way out, I'll do a street port and an extrude hone and pretty much call it done.

gerbraldy

the targa sections not heavy, it's easy as hell to take it off. Takes about 1 min to take off the targa section, and put it behind the seats. Manually pulling the top up isn't that bad, I've done it before on my buddies car. You do have to put some work into it though

Jaguarx7

I have a manual top, don't regret it in the least. It takes a good bit of effort to put up from the driver's seat, but I've done it many times. It's also very nice to not have to turn the ignition on whenever I want to put the top up.

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

Just out of curiosity, how does the Targa top work?? It may sound stupid, but I have a miata, and I'm trying to figure out what happens? does the actual roof only come up to the back seat, then there's a removable section? (I've never gotten to play with a vert 7 )

Ronald E. Jacques

The back half is fabric with a metal armiture. The targa part is a fiberglass panel with the same fabric over it and a headliner panel. The latches are on the front two corners and there are two hinge/ clamps at the back corners that attach it to the rear roof. There are two plastic trim pieces that cover the hinges, but if you take the targa on and off frequently most people leave the trim off. There are two little orange tabs, when you press them they open the hinge and the roof panel comes off in your hand. Easy. To reinstall you just push it back and the hinges snap around it again.

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

Interesting idea.. Do a lot of people take the targa section down and leave the other top up? I couldn't see myself doing that too much, I'm sorta all-or-nothing

Ronald E. Jacques

Yeah me too. If I want the open air thing, I put it all the way down. Without any trim in the trunk I would scratch mine up anyway. And if you get caught in a sudden rain, you have to park, put the roof down slightly, get out and get into the trunk, snap the roof back in, get in the car and put the roof back up again, which could take a minute or too. As opposed to about 20 seconds with the whole top down. Not worth the hassle for me.

jhammons01

If the weather is cold but sunny, you would take the targa off and not freeze.

Ronald E. Jacques

I've driven highway speeds for about forty miles at about forty degrees with the top all the way down, heat on full blast, with a scarf and a hat. Its a good thing I arrived at my destination because that was all I could take. I just wanted to see how cold I could go. I'm not trying to prove anything here, If its too cold I just leave the top up.

pmr2000

I find the targa section off to act like a giant air scoop, too much turbulence to drive with it off. It's also a pain like to take off and on. I think if the side windows were larger (no fixed vents) it would work better like t-tops.

While the targa was probably a great marketing idea (rememeber the Lancia Scorpion?) I would have preferred a simple lighter manual top like the Miata.

pmr2000

While the targa was probably a great marketing idea (rememeber the Lancia Scorpion?) I would have preferred a simple lighter manual top like the Miata.[/QUOTE]


Correction-it was the Lancia Zagato that had a targa and convertible top.

WonkoTheSane

iTrader: (2)

This is where the Miata's heater core is nice.. my general rule of thumb: If it's >40 and not raining, the top is down. I hear raising/lowering tops when it's less than 40 can cause some accellerated wear. But with a hat and gloves, I'm fine, temperature wise.

slidingsky

parting out my turbo vert. If ya want my working motors Ill sell them.
slidingsky@yahoo.com