Vert Guys

[punkncat]

I posted up a few weeks back about some issues with my 94 Vert Z32. I am pleased to say that for the most part I feel like I have the cars issues nailed down on the mechanical side. When I got her she wouldn't idle right, had CEL codes, bad alternator, brakes, tires, and other assorted monies later I have what seems to be a good running car, getting 20MPG around town. I have a RMS to fix and a steering rack to rebuild in the near future, but am close enough to start considering taking care of some of the cosmetic issues.

First and foremost, what are folks doing about frame repair on the top rails? I have seen a few posts around, read something some years ago about someone having something fabbed up and nothing, and another reference made to someone having the dimensions/CAD of the part in question. It would be awesome if there is some good info to follow up on with that.

Aside from that I have a door skin to repair which is luckily just a throw money at a body guy thing, as I think I have that nailed down to a coupe door skin.

The last, has anyone read anything regarding someone attempting to make a home brew targa for the car? My intention is to use this car as a toy and much like my motorcycle. I don't "intend" on driving in the rain, but having a bit of coverage in case or, or just a pop in sun shade would be nice.....well, that's easy to say "pop the top". In my case, and apparently many others as well, that is a study in folding up a top that has hinges where it isn't supposed to while keeping from ripping ANOTHER top because of that, in the rain...and it's STILL going to leak. The quick solution would be to rob the top frame for parts and a template to work from but would love to see some other persons take and dealing with some of the challenges involved.

[RubyRed300ZX]

Read your post; however, I'm not sure i understand your problem with the convertible top. Was your top damaged somehow? Does it leak water? If so, where does it leak? I have a 93,which I've owned since it was new; and, it has never leaked. I haven't driven it much in the past few years in the rain. But early on when I owned it (first 10 years or so), I got caught in some truly monumental downpours on a few very long cross country trips. Never had any problems with leaks. Still has the original top with windows; and as far as I know, it has no problems.

[punkncat]

You will have to forgive my not knowing what the parts in question are called. In the middle of the top's steel frame there is a "diamond" of sorts that is a flat piece sitting on top of the "roll bar" when your top is up. As I have read in other posts it is a commonly broken part of the top frame and was at least at some point a dealer replaceable item, if costly. There was mentioned a solution, of sorts, where people were simply welding that section together by whatever method they could find. I saw mention in a post where someone said they had the actual dimensions of the part that breaks for those that either wanted to fab a part, or just make sure the welder stayed in tolerance. The issue being that with the break in that part, or if you weld it too long or too short it causes leaks from a poor seal, as well as the infamous top fly open from not latching properly.
My passenger side is completely snapped in half and was the subject of dubious repair. The driver side is weakened to a point I can tell it will also have to be repaired. The top rips on the stich line at that break, as well as being in danger of being pierced by the broken edge. In essense, I have no top until I can confirm some measurements for those parts to be put back together by a skilled machinist and or welder.
At this point I am trying to figure out whether spending several hundred dollars on having frame repairs made to a known weak design, plus another new rag top on top will be the better way to go that just paying someone to fab me a targa using the frame locks from my old top as a template.