Has anyone thought about doing this, I think the cost would be minimal compaired to what we spend on the cars.... A roll cage might need to be implimented to keep chassis stiffness. Any thoughts? anyone ever done this?

heres a picture that i just made of what it could possibly look like:

 

hmm just found some old threads with convertable fd's and i thought i was so original

oh well... any thoughts on cost of a conversion like this?

 

Just take it to California, they have a ton of custom shops!

 

You would lose the great handling and lightweight of the car doing this. I'm sure there's quite a bit more fabrication than just taking a Sawzall to the roof too. Probably better off to buy a Miata and drop a 13B in it.

 

i dont like the way convertibles look with the top up... and FD with top down reminds me of a sebring *shudder*

i want to make my FD a t top... now that would be nice...

 

a convertable adds so much weight... and i think it ruins the look of the fd... but to each their own.

 

Targa...I've always wanted a Targa top FD, since I was like 9 and my two neighbors had an FD and some sort of Porsche Targa, I have imagined the FD targa... I bought an FD, so now I just have to widen out my sunroof and I'm there.

 

A targa top like the supras might actually be pretty cool. (pondering) im looking at a buncha pics of convertable fd's, and one of them made me think.... dare i say it.... "miata"

 

I like the targa idea alot, but unfortunately I am operating on a $00.00 budget right now, so all plans are prioritized based on what will do the most for me, and using that theory...targa will NEVER happen for me. See if you can photoshop up a targa. I wanna see if it looks like I picture it. (I don't have photoshop or anyother similar programs)
Ryan

 

targa

 

maybeeee....mabey not...I dunno, i would have to have less overhang from the back windshield/roof onto the cabin somehow. I guess the removable part would have to almost touch the top of the hatch...you know, make it larger so that the door pillars are almost vertical instead of the 45 that they make above. (... hmmmmmmmmm this is pointless but fun, I should be doing an English paper right now, but my ADD is keeping me on here and away from it.) I guess t-tops would be the next best thing. I don't like convertibles because I've never ridden in ONE that didn't have some horrible wind noise/ leaks. I prefer to have a metal roof over my head in time of roll over too.

 

I can see the T tops thing happening but not a convertable, it would be hidious for me to see...

 

Ugly, useless, and killing the cars strength. Time to find a new car.

 

i imagine it would be something like a supra on the atkins diet...

i'll photoshop maybe tomorrow if i have time away from christmas shopping!

oh i guess i was slow... well i was going to do one that included the stuff in the background to make it look realistic... but thats good

 

"ugly"- hell yes. "useless"- depends on what you are using it for. "killing the cars strength"- roll bars and incorporate some bracing and that takes care of that.

*the above description refers to the convertible idea* I think the targa is not ugly...kinda useless but very unique... and just as strong with a cage, and since I'm dreaming I may as well dream like i have a cage (or have the power to warrant one)

 

thats the reason we're all here

 

targa looks nice, wish they offered that in 93-95...

 

I feel sorry for this FD... and any that under go the sawzall for this process....

Jonesie -

 

A year or two ago, someone on the big list was finishing off a W/O 3rd gen and had to get rid of the body. He had the same thought, "what if I could make it a convertable". Sooo, he cut the "A" piller to see what would happen. The body sprung so much just from the first cut that the roof wrinkled.

Conclusion:- no, you would have to add a TON of bracing to make it a convertable. The roof is a stressed member of the body.

 

All convertables r ugly. No matter what the car is. As for an FD convertable, might as well as scrap it b/c u killed it. I don't know why would someone take a perfectly good car, and then ruining it. What did the car every do to you?

 

I think the Targa is cool.

 

with the targa top you would barly lose frame support cause you could put frame bars on the sides to connect the roof.

I wonder what cost on something like this would be?

 

I dunno, but if you find out lemme know. I'll bet the cheapest and best way to do it would be to take it to Cali. ( Or a sawzall... I'm damn good with one of them things)

 

They call that a sunroof.

 

im talking like 1.5 in diameter bars on the sides.. that would be coverd by the targa top when on the car. The targa would be MUCH larger than the sunroof. hell when im driving in my car with the sunroof open i can barely notice its even there...