Targa Top Latch Adjustability? | FerrariChat

Targa Top Latch Adjustability?

Discussion in '308/328' started by Alex308qv, Nov 12, 2018.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. Alex308qv

    Alex308qv Formula Junior

    Jul 1, 2016
    379
    PA
    Full Name:
    Alex
    The lever stops (ie, the rubber ends) of my 308 targa latches are not centered in the recesses on the roll bar. They are off in the left/right direction by about 1/8". It latched OK before, but now with new lever stops and a new compartment seal the interference makes the top very tight to latch.

    Is there any left/right adjustability either with the clamps on the targa panel, or the receptables on the roll bar? I do not know what's under them and if perhaps the design allows either part to slide left/right or rotate slightly to get things to line up.

    (If not, I guess my option is to widen the holes on the latches and rotate/slide them that way, perhaps in combination with a spacer plate underneath?)
     
  2. Crowndog

    Crowndog F1 Veteran

    Jul 16, 2011
    7,042
    Fairfield,Pa
    Full Name:
    Robert
    Curious if you measured the distance between latches and compared to the distance between latching spaces. Possible mis-alignment rather than spacing maybe caused by bent pins at the front, sitting too high because of new gasket which happened on mine. Eventually it compresses some making latching easier. Also make sure the front of the top is all the way forward which is also difficult with the new gasket. Lastly you might try reversing the latches. Your results may vary.
     
  3. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    The plates that hold the latches to the roof are not really adjustable. They are bolted such that they sit flush against the rear interior roof liner, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch behind the rubber seal, and the plate that the four bolts go into has holes, not adjustable slots.

    You might be able to unbolt the two plates and move them slightly, but I don't know that you can move them enough to make a difference.

    No harm in trying it though. Just use an allen wrench to loosen the bolts. They might be very very tight, so be very careful not to strip the heads with your wrench. Do not remove those bolts completely. Can be taxing to get them back in the holes and aligned properly.
     
  4. Alex308qv

    Alex308qv Formula Junior

    Jul 1, 2016
    379
    PA
    Full Name:
    Alex
    Just to update and close out my initial question. The receptacles that the lever stops fit into ARE adjustable (they are on my '85 anyway). Each receptacle's 4 Torx-head screws go through oversized square holes in the roll hoop and then into a threaded floating plate behind it. The floating plate allows ample lateral and longitudinal movement of the receptacles to get things aligned. (Note, there is no adjustment in the targa top latch mounts.) My issue turned out to be with the fabrication or installation of the interior panel that covers the roll hoop. It has "cut outs" that the receptacles recess into, but these cut outs leave no room to adjust the receptacles laterally! It was clear when I removed the receptacles that my interior panel was forcing them toward the passenger side of the adjustment range which was causing my alignment problem.

    The best fix is probably to remove the interior panel, then re-work and re-fit it so that the cut outs are properly centered. This would probably necessitate re-covering the panel as well. In lieu of that I was able to slightly elongate the holes in the latches and slightly modify the underside of the receptacles such that everything could be nudged and cajoled into fitting without lever stop interference.
     
  5. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    Hey Alex - yes, there's a tad bit of adjustment wiggle there; I just meant it's not a full-blown "put it wherever you like" situation.... as the targa latches need to line up with the catches, and the interior roof liner (made of sheet metal) doesn't give you many options for where the catches can go. The rear interior panels really are a tight fitting puzzle, so take lots of pics if you choose to start disassembly. (And prepare for window removal and replacing rivets).

    Sounds like you're on the road to success, though - good luck :)
     

Share This Page