987.1 Boxster Hard Top fitting?

Hi Guys purchased a hard top for my boxster . I have a question guys, how much gap / space should there be between the Hard Top and the clam Shell, I have one finger width all the way round at a guess 10mm or 1/2 inch At the moment thank you for reading my post Nick

Hi Nick, that wouldn't seem awfully water-tight. I'm going to drag in our resident hard-top expert - @foodbiker - can you help out Nick.. Nick - photos for this sort of thing are usually quite helpful..

Have not installed mine yet for the season but FWIW....check your PM / Conversation box as well

Hi @Nick7602 - Yup, that's way too much of a gap. It should be sealed, yet not ridiculously tightened down. On the hard top, there are two panels (one on each side L/R) that cover where the centering/lockdown pins go. Remove those panels, and on each side are three hex bolts. Loosen them. Have a friend hold carefully push the hard top down to minimize the gap, and tighten them down when you find the right gap. This has been covered before, so just do a search if this doesn't make sense. It may be kind of fiddly, but you'll get it. I tested it a bunch of times both unlocked and locked on both sides until it was even and relatively flush. You shouldn't hear a wind noise if it is snug. UPDATE : Check out the above pic from @Hoster987 (thanks for finding it!), which should be a huge help. Although you've been around for a while, we'd love to see your ride and hear more about it, Nick (in the new members section). Cheers.

Hi Guys Here are some pics of the gapping, starting from the UK drivers side, and working round to the passengers side Sorry about my finger being in the pics it was the only way I could show the gapping, I hope this helps guys, in the UK hardtops are as rare as hens teeth, so getting a really decent one is incredibly rare, my son and I noticed the hard top was originally Blue, now resprayed to meteor grey, you will note that the A Post corner, Im guessing the Bodyshop removed the rubber seal to respray the roof, and failed at re installing, to buy that seal in the UK its $1620 US Dollars Thank you Foodbiker, Don, and Hoster, what should the gap be? in millimetres all the way round the hard top Im working on restoring the car slowly whilst having fun with her, but here is a pic in my old garage

ooooooo seem to have repeated my post

The rear gap (by the clam shell) seems to have a larger gap than mine but can't quantatively define it now. Will need another month or so before I put mine one, unless @foodbiker drives my son down to NJ this weekend (and bring him back) For now, I will share my experience / observation: 1. the gap between the hard top / clam shell will be there (but not as much)- that's the first thing I noticed when I was picking up the car and it didn't seem "TIGHT" 2. however, drove 1300 miles over 2 days mostly in rain and no leaks 3. just think about where / how the water / rain will flow with the convertible top closed (and no hard top) - even with a slight gap, the water will be directed to right channels / drains (I think) 4. follow foodbiker's adjustment instructions and ever-confusing service manual I sent via PM ;-)

Thank you Hoster for replying I will follow food bikers instructions, and give an update once I have adjusted, ……….jeeez how the heck do Porsche techs follow that manual…..🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️😂

Keep us posted...I just noticed in the instruction "Check for SMOOTH OPERATION and FREEDOM for....." Must be German translation.....or you can call Sade for help.

"No need to ask..." - @Hoster987

Hi Mike i did the following to my car I used 5mm wooden shims all the way around, and under the edges of the hardtop to enable a uniform gap, re seated the hard top undoing the vertical adjustment bolts on both sides, at the same time I disengaged the red leavers on each side, we did this just to make sure the hard top was seating correctly, my son then used his weight to push down on the hard top on each side compressing the hardtop onto the 5mm shim on each side, re- re tightened the bolts and now the hard top fits perfectly, I say this guardedly, we will see tomorrow when I take the car for a drive if I have any issues update: took the car for a test drive, and no issues thank fully when driving, I have yet to run a water test. Mike I will comment on your points later today, thank you very much for responding to all who have so far….very very much appreciated Nick

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Effectivement il y a un petit centimètre entre la carrosserie et le hard top. précisément 8mm.c'est normal.!

Salut Fasav Merci beaucoup d'avoir partagé vos photos de votre toit rigide de Boxster , maintenant que j'ai ajusté le hardtop, mon boxster a un écart très similaire tout autour

Salut Fasav Merci, je vais vérifier mes mesures à nouveau et m'assurer

Nick, any updates? Just put my hard top on as my son is briefly back from the college. As usual, mine sits "flush" and hopefully you fixed your issue. Also double check the locking lever and ensure it is "pressed" all the way to the back / rear.

Je confirme.il faut effectivement que le levier rouge de verrouillage soit bien plaqué contre ka carrosserie comme sur la photo.

Hi Hoster Thank you for the Photos, very much appreciated I have the same gap all the way around the hardtop, which Im quite pleased about, I placed sheets of paper from my printer all around the clamshell, then fitted the hardtop, once secured I tried to pull the sheets of paper out from under the hardtop seal which proved very difficult a couple of sheets ripping in the process, but Im happy with the fit I am still trying to locate the electrical socket for the rear screen harness on the hardtop, someone mentioned it was at shoulder level on the roll over hoop on the American drivers side ? thats it for the moment,,, Kind Regards to you all Nick

Sounds great. As for the harness, yes. Since you guys drive on the wrong, "right" side , the harness should be on your passenger side. Here is a picture of mine on the US driver side, right behind my left shoulder, behind the roll bar. Move the seat belt for a better view. The "left or top" is a dummy hence you need to unplug current, softtop connection, move it to the "dummy" one then plug in the hard top connector. Oh, note that this may be covered with a plastic piece which you can simply pry out gently (this maybe missing if the previous owner "forgot" about it). - #15 in the diagram and I circled the area where the harness is.

Hi Hoster Thats fantastic thank you so much, thats just what I needed, I never realised the top connector is a dummy, but I guess that makes sense where else would you put the soft top connector when the hardtop is fitted, it would just hang loose I would just like to say a very big thank you to all who have contributed to all of my posts on this Forum. Can I wish all my American cousins, and friends around the world happy holidays, and if you celebrate Christmas, a very Merry and Happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year, see you all in 2025 Nick

Great..just not happy as the spurs couldn't win today after destroying man city. Happy holidays!!

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Bonjour, il y a un petit espace de 6 à 8 mm entre le hard top et la carrosserie. sur mon 987 en tout cas. ADMIN - translation using Google Translate . PLEASE use English on this forum. We'd appreciate it.

Bonjour Fasav Merci d'avoir répondu, et mes appologies pour ma réponse tardive, heureusement avec toute l'aide de vous sur ce forum, j'ai maintenant réussi à obtenir le bon écart tout autour du toit rigide à environ 6 mm. J'aime les étriers jaunes et les roues sur votre boxster Cordialement Entaille Nick ADMIN - please use English on the forum. Google Translate does a reasonable job..

Bonsoir Nick Merci de votre gentille réponse sur mon boxster 987. En effet j'ai peint les etriers en jaune pour aller avec mon tableau de bord. Notez que j'ai installé un tableau de bord de 911 997 sur mon 987. Bien à vous!