TARGA PANEL LOCKING MECHANISM

Stig,

I have a similar issue on the folding back panel on my cab, I have had to use a screw driver to push the clip in when releasing the hood. I found a little squirt of WD40 helped.

Jon

Hi Stig @stigmoltu-jacobsen

This will be my first attempt at a response to a question- so we’ll see how it goes!
The release handle is connected to two rods which are then attached to the spring -loaded catches. Each “catch” is contained within a metal housing. You will have to drill out two (I think) rivets. Once inside the metal housing the chances are that a rod has either broken, or pulled out of the catch.I have repaired two of these on my own car by – first-straightening the connecting rod as much as possible to gain more length, then, using red Locktite, insert rod into catch, and use a center punch and hammer on the catch to once again retain the rod. Don’t worry about the missing rivets, as the metal housing will stay together when re-assembled anyway.
Dave Wardale aka Dave The Limey.

Hi Stig,
Mine was broken and they are really hard to find. I ended up buyer a new/old stock item from BlackCountryjaguar for a high price of £71. I resisted paying this price but I am a bit obsessed with sorting Issues out. I still have my old one so I will try repairing it, so will get back to you to if successful.
Regards
Alan

 

 

 
To separate the assembly I had to chisel off the securing heads and then drill out the remainder to gain access.
The issue is that the rod has separated from the plunger so it looks as if these 2 pieces need to be brazed together.
Joining them needs to be good as the spring has a lot of tension.
Joining the plates back together could be done by some bonding compound as rivets might make the unit stand proud of the targa roof. Also the 2 securing screws that hold the catch to the panel would help keep things in place.
I need now to get someone to braze these 2 parts together to see if it works.
Regards
Alan

Hi,
More feedback…
Just taken the catch to my engineer friend and his thoughts are..
The rod is broken off in plunger and are of 2 different metals.. the plunger being the softer metal.
In his view you cannot braze these 2 parts together. The manufacturing of these parts looks as if the plunger was probably moulded/cast on the end of the rod and in this case the rod has broken half way into the recess.
This is not easy to repair as my friend is going to drill out the rest of the broken rod and if that is successful look at ways such as remanufacturing a new rod. In my view I think these get broken by not retracting the catches whilst fitting the targa covers to the car.
Alan

They above photos look quite familiar!
Living as I do in the USA, I never know which products are for sale in the UK. For example- “Loctite” is a brand that makes several chemical adhesives- one of which is “Red”. It is a liquid, that when applied to a nut and bolt will prevent the two from loosening, until heat is applied. It works very well.
I was able to push the rods back into both plungers, probably less than 1/4 inch, applying the red loctite first. Then I placed a center punch over the plunger and rod, and smacked it with a hammer, crushing the plunger just enough to grip the rod.There was enough adjustment available in the mechanism to let things still work, ie, catch and release.If Loctite, or something similar , is available- this may work! My repair is two years old, and I DO remove the tops sometimes!
Another way to tackle things would be to run a thread on the rod, and make an insert that would locate in the plunger with an internal thread to match! (If all else fails!)

Hi David,
Thanks for your feedback. My targa catch will be a spare one so I can experiment on it, with the hammer version being the last attempt.
Nice to hear from a US XJS enthusiast.
Regards
Alan

 
A friend of mine has completed this targa catch repair by replacing the rod with a steel threaded one. The latch has been drilled and an insert placed centrally to accept the thread on the rod. To fasten the unit back together the bottom plate had to be tapped to accept 4 screws. This repair to me looks now to have a stronger mechanism than the original component.
 
My friend has said that if anyone is struggling to sort theirs out he will repair it for £30. Obviously this can only be done if the old one is supplied and the problem is the same as the one that has just been repaired.
 
For Sale – I am open to offers for this repaired one as I would like to recompense my friend for his time.
Regards
Alan