hardtop is getting painted- need spinlocks - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

So excited! My hardtop is in the shop getting painted right now (Seal Grey Paint Code Y1)!!! It should be ready by tomorrow night, my only question is--where can I buy the spin locks online? I dont have a porsche dealer near by so I figured maybe I should just buy it online- but I can't find any links except for one in amazon. Thanks guys after the hardtop is installed, its going in for 20% tints all around. I'll post up pics.

Suncoast Porsche and Sunset Porsche are the two dealers I order from. You'd never guess their websites: www.suncoastporsche.com www.sunsetporsche.com Suncoast "may" have it on their website, if not, call them. Sunset doesn't have a parts website, you have to call them for pricing. Congrats on the new top, just in time for winter!!! Kirk

thank you! Very helpful. Hopefully the top will not need much adjustment so I can just put it on and snap some pics. Dan

If the DIY is not on this site, it is on RennTech. Trick is to use a plastic bag (like for dog poop) to avoid dropping pieces into impossible places. I love my hardtop, it changes the feel of the car and (IMO) looks great. And make sure you buy a storage rack for it. Roller or wall mount. I like my wall mount cuz it takes up no floor space. The top can deform if not stowed properly. Do be very careful mounting or removing the top. Those spikes that fit into the spinlocks are deadly sharp and quite able to scratch the paint. And +1 for either Sun for mailorders.

I was looking for those, but then I realized I had them on... What I've found interesting is that suncoast works with Amazon now! Spinlocks - Amazon I haven't checked it, but I liked the idea

2 interesting points 1. I should check first 2. Ahh, its cheaper on amazon then their own site..hmm I'll order from Amazon

I'm not sure I understand this part of your post. I am assuming you mean you are surprised to find that you car already had spin locks. That would be surprising since I think that only cars that came with the hard top option would have the spin locks. Maybe the previous owner of your car had a hard top and sold it. Here's a post on Renntech showing a receiver with and without the spin locks: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=11122&hl=spinlocks You may want to double check.

Yes, most likely a previous owner... You never know about the extras unless you know what to look for... Selling the hardtop pays $1000-1500; having it on the car and asking a higher price... I don't think so... I used this link to identify that what I was seeing in my car was indeed the spinlocks. It is said in forums that they are a pain to install. I was lucky I guess

stupid question. I'm picking up the car tonight from the body shop and my spinlocks aren't here yet. The body shop is less than 2 min from my place (local streets) would it be safe to jsut put the hardtop on the car instead of my SUV (afraid of scratches)... my car will be parked outside for 2-3 days, assuming it rains water will get in right? I know its a silly question, but I'm just wondering

Hi - Check out this thread below: http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21279&highlight=hardtop ..."If your driving the car without spinlocks, the hardtop can simply fly off." I personally would not drive the car with out the correct hardware to secure it to the vehicle. You may damage the areas where the spin locks install, or worse. Water may leak in as the spin locks pull the hard top down which creates the seal along the body. You can see in the photos from the thread above the top does not sit flush. Hope you like your new hard top!

Thanks for your input- I guess its a no-go. I'll put it in the SUV

Define SUV ... Would the hardtop fit in this SUV of yours without scratching it? Maybe it's better to leave it where it is until you have the spinlocks installed and then it's a 30 seconds job to put the hardtop on and secure it... BTW, even if it is locked you are not certain that it will not leak... Somewhere in PPBB.com there is a DIY to prevent this... (thanks Jim for the tip).

Small Mazda Tribute- it may scratch ... I'm wondering if I can should just put it on without the spin lock, let it sit in my driveway (assuming it doesnt rain) instead.. tough choice right or leave it with the body shop...

Hey this is small!!! The Tribute is big . I think it would be safe to drive your car with the hardtop on for 2 min, even without the spinlocks. Just drive really slow... It would fly as it was said if you were going to drive on a highway or something... Since the bodyshop is so close to your house you can always take a friend and carry it. It's not heavy anyway... Anyhow, it is safe to leave the top on the car without the spinlocks. It just sits in the holes (where the spinlocks go)

Driving home from the paint shop w/o spinlocks will be fine as long as you go slow, avoid sharp turns and sudden starts/stops. I drove home with my hardtop with out spinlocks on a ~20 mile drive after the seller didn't actually have the spinlocks he claimed to have. The top will be attached at the front windshield header so you should be ok for your short drive. I doubt if the top will be water tight w/o the spinlocks though. If you order them through Suncoast they should arrive pretty quickly. Lastly, google "Boxster hardtop install DIY" to get all the good tips like the "baggie" trick that others have mentioned and give yourself plenty of time to install the spinlocks as takes time and some patients to get it set up the first time.

You were lucky to have the spinlocks installed. The job is not that difficult, but - at least for me - it was not relaxing. I just couldn't see a way to retrieve the bolt if I dropped it. The passenger side was the most difficult because I had to use my left hand and I am just better wrenching with my right. I remember breathing a sigh of relief when I was done. Hardtops are rare in Virginia, but probably more common in your area. I have had other down here, Boxster owners ask to sit in my car when the hardtop is on just to see what it is like. Now that the new tops are more refined (glass window with defroster and headliner) I suspect they will become even less common.

Take a friend with you to the body shop. Put the top on. Roll your windows down. Then drive home with you and your friend both extending one arm out the window and holding the top down. Kirk

+1. Plus I would also bring a super super soft thick blanket and put it between the car and hardtop along where it would normally be held down by the spinlocks....just in case it bounces any. Heck maybe stack'em 2-3 blankets deep just to be extra cautious. And yes watch out for those big sharp metal parts of the hardtop that drop and lock into the spinlocks. I ditched my hard top for $1k when I got my car. It was helpful in super crappy weather and my old lady liked it cause she knew if the hardtop was on I would mess up her hair with the top down but other then that I found that thing a pain to store and put on and off. I'm top down 12 months a year. :dance:

ok so after waiting 1 whole week for the hardtop toget painted. my friend and I went to pick it up. We jsut put it on drove a few blocks while holding on to the hardtop with our arms out the window (this was VERY late at night) the hardtop was VERY dusty, but I didnt pay any mind at the time, until we got home. To our SURPRISE the hardtop is painted SO POORLY, runs on paint, rough patches and bumps everywhere, underlying previous paint still showing alone the rubbing trimmings... We washed it down, clay barred it, polished it, waxed it and it still very bumpy everywhere. (chipped paint here and there) $250 for a worst than maaco paint job...I'm going to take it back over the weekend to have him repaint it, but even so I dont trust that guy anymore.. anybody have similar horror stories when painting their hardtops? this is ridiculous. I rather write this off as a lost and paint it myself than allow him to "repaint" it again.. ARGHH... only good news is suncoast is sending me the spinlocks in 3 days. Note, apologies for the bad grammar- I'm on my blackberry.

That sucks, man.