Targa top bracing, Is this possible? Options

[jamara]

I've been considering various means of stiffening the chassis of the 914 from the firewall area forward. It seems most people prefer the clamshell method on the outer longs, some prefer the inner long/firewall bracing of our very own engman, or some of course prefer the ever-true rollbar.

What about welding in cross bracing right beneath the targa top from one corner of the windshield frame diagonally across to the other side on the targa rollbar, creating an X? I know a very few, very rare 914's had a solid, welded in top with no targa. Wouldn't welding in bracing be similar? I know it wouldn't look as pretty with the targa top off, but I am just curious if anyone has done it.

Besides, I am honestly not a huge fan of the targa anyway and I seldom take mine off. Actually, in 7 months of owning my car as a daily driver I have never driven with it off and I live in So Cal. (I know, why even own the car, right? (':D', 'smid_4')
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However, this is not a question about my strange anti-targa neurosis, whatever the nature of it might be (agoraphobia, perhaps?). Rather, it is a technical question about bracing, so...anyone have any ideas?

Last thought... The only reason I can imagine that this would not serve to profoundly improve body flex is that the windshield frame is not robust enough to provide support like this and would potentially start flexing itself. But then, why would Porsche install a few solid metal, immovable targa's on a few of their really high performance cars?

Thanks for your wisdom!

James

[jamara]

You guys are always fabulous for info. Thanks much. I have this goal to be ready for a track event in December and I'm thinking that more rigidity is going to be a really good thing, since my car flexes like crazy when I take hard corners while driving "normally". I can't imagine how bad it would be on a race track.

So, I suppose it's rollbars or clamshells for me, since I just finished de-rusting my floorpan (thanks be to my sandblasting pot, por-15, and a long, long weekend) and the interior is all reinstalled. I don't consider it an option to take it all apart again so as to weld on inner supports. To bad. Wish I had done it while I had the thing all apart in the first place.

Thanks fellas.

James