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I have a clear targa top on my torch red C5. But the condition it’s in at this point is terrible, the tint looks more blue, and has what looks like spider webbing or hazing cracks all over it. Was wondering what some of you all may have done with yours and what your thoughts are?? I was considering either getting a glossy carbon fiber vinyl wrap for the top OR a gloss black vinyl wrap for it, but if I went the gloss black route I’d possibly consider wrapping the halo also. The targa top seems easy enough I could do myself, but if I went the next step to do the halo also, I’d probably have to pay someone to do that so it looks professionally done.
Just curious what all your thoughts are on it and maybe if some of you have done either of those two ideas I mentioned, if you have pics I’d love to see them to get a better idea.
I think the tint always looked blue, either that or mine is just as blue as yours!
Personally, I like the heavily tinted top. Mine, too, has the weird patterns of hazing/webbing/whatever it is, maybe from a previous owner's cleaning attempt, maybe from the sun, maybe from age. I just sorta shrug and ignore it, costs $$$ to replace. As is, you can get some light through it, which is nice, but it feels pretty opaque at night.
If I was to wrap it, I'd first consider doing body color, or matte black, though carbon fiber could look good too. Not sure about gloss black, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What color is your car?
I wouldn't wrap anything other than the targa top, unless you really need to, just because I think the contrasting targa top is a pretty good look but surrounding stuff, eh.
I think the tint always looked blue, either that or mine is just as blue as yours!
Personally, I like the heavily tinted top. Mine, too, has the weird patterns of hazing/webbing/whatever it is, maybe from a previous owner's cleaning attempt, maybe from the sun, maybe from age. I just sorta shrug and ignore it, costs $$$ to replace. As is, you can get some light through it, which is nice, but it feels pretty opaque at night.
If I was to wrap it, I'd first consider doing body color, or matte black, though carbon fiber could look good too. Not sure about gloss black, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What color is your car?
I wouldn't wrap anything other than the targa top, unless you really need to, just because I think the contrasting targa top is a pretty good look but surrounding stuff, eh.
Mine is the torch red color. I like the clear top, but the imperfections it has, be it from age or from maybe out in the sun although mine is kept in garage, it’s just unsightly to me at this point. Would like to replace it with a new clear top but I don’t feel like paying 500 plus dollars for one. Rather that kind of money go towards the performance of the car.
I think the tint always looked blue, either that or mine is just as blue as yours!
Personally, I like the heavily tinted top. Mine, too, has the weird patterns of hazing/webbing/whatever it is, maybe from a previous owner's cleaning attempt, maybe from the sun, maybe from age. I just sorta shrug and ignore it, costs $$$ to replace. As is, you can get some light through it, which is nice, but it feels pretty opaque at night.
If I was to wrap it, I'd first consider doing body color, or matte black, though carbon fiber could look good too. Not sure about gloss black, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What color is your car?
I wouldn't wrap anything other than the targa top, unless you really need to, just because I think the contrasting targa top is a pretty good look but surrounding stuff, eh.
A good paint shop can restore the targa top for you. I had mine done 8 years ago and it's still good.
This has been discussed in the past and I remember some negatives regarding the ability for the vinyl to stay put.
The remarks were that the plastic are always in a state of off-gassing and can cause bubbles. Apparently a few people on this thread have done it and have had no problem. A very good friend of mine had his done about 6 months ago and has had no trouble either.
I have the ‘clear’ blue top, not the solid painted one and found it to be very hot in all but cold weather. It had the insert available from Mid America but it started rattling and I took it out. As an experiment, since I don’t like the clear top, I bought some black gloss vinyl and applied it to the INSIDE of the targa top. That has worked out very well. I’m now thinking of doing the outside with some type of interesting color.
I’ve done some vinyl work and have a familiarity with the material. Make sure you use vinyl intended for Automotive use.
Di-Noc is very attractive but designed for flat interior walls, not compound curves. I learned this from 3M directly.
My friend has a very nice carbon fiber look on his and I’m now encouraged to do it with mine since I also have some surface scratches.
Lastly I would urge you to avoid plain black GLOSS vinyl. It will develop spider webs no matter how wet your cleaning rags are.
When I did my top I originally tried in carbon, although it looked ok it wasn’t perfect. The material was a bit thicker and harder to lay down. I ended up switching to a 3M that matched the carbon flash, it was easy to lay down and still looks good a couple years later.
Quik, glad you mentioned that. DiNoc is twice as thick as typical automotive vinyl. You’re job looks great. Did you apply wet or dry method?
Dry, I thought it was much easier. Heat and not being afraid to stretch it helps too, especially in spots where you know it wil wrinkle. Once I realized I could heat it up pretty good and stretch it quite a bit, laying it down went so much faster.
If you do a search for, My Targa Top Refurbish, you'll see that it's a pretty easy process to make it look like new. If I can do it, anyone can. That being said, I wrapped my other top with acarbon fiber look that's held up really well. I also did my mirrors, rear fascia, and threw a couple hash marks on the fenders. I don't know why the words carbon fiber are highlighted, and a short cut to Amazon. I tried to delete the highlight but I can't. Not trying to push a product. Anyway, Amazon isn't where I purchased the carbon fiber wrap.
Thanks for all of the replies guys! Think I might try a glossy carbon fiber like 4d or 5d carbon fiber on the targa. If I don’t like it I’ll just peel it off and go with the gloss black idea or try refinishing it.
Anybody know of what the good brands are to try that will stick well and be somewhat easier to work with??
3M1080, Oracal, Arlon, Avery are the ones I’ve worked with and liked. KPMF and Hexis I’ve only had samples from so I can’t evaluate as an application. I also will go on record that I don’t like Vivid.
The better ones have air channels to help with smoothing. Get extra, take your time and practice on something else, that’s smaller. The targa does not have dramatic compound curves, so the challenge is to get the vinyl smooth with nice finishing at the ends.
If I had to pick one, it would be 3M.
Prep, prep and more prep. The surface needs to be very smooth and very clean. I did my C5 Targa because the glossy finish was peeling up in places. I did not prep it well enough and initially it looked great but when it got into direct sunlight and got hot it bubbled up . I'm in the process of doing it again now with some advice from some pro's. I loved the way it looked and will keep trying. Going with the carbon fiber because it fits the white car well.
Excellent! Thanks for the advice guys! Think I’m going to see if I can find a 4d or 5d carbon fiber vinyl from one of those companies you had mentioned and give it a try over my holiday break next week.
So I just bought a 5’x8’ piece of the Avery Dennison High Gloss Carbon Fiber vinyl for the targa top. This will be my first real attempt at doing a “professional” job wrapping something. Last time was like 10 years ago when I did a childish hack job on my cobalt ss lol.
Are their any specific tools I need to look into buying to make sure it comes out as good as possible?
06-27-2019, 09:44 PM
Thinking of vinyl wrapping targa top?
