Bought a hardtop today, a few questions...

So, Tony at Stuttgart Specialists yesterday told me a dude on Craigslist was selling a 996 hardtop for $250. I made contact and bought it this morning. He sold his car and the dealership never came for the hardtop. It was almost never used and sat in his basement. All is well, but the passenger side is a little higher than the drivers side and we can't figure out how to adjust the height. Is it better to just replace the guide pins and receivers with the new screw in hardware? Does anyone have the guide for adjusting it? Also, there is a little rattle coming from the back of the hardtop, sounds like something internal, like a wire or something not secured. I've got a quote for $450 to get it painted this week (It's a local Chevy dealership who is a client of mine and they are going to detail the car while they have it). Will post more pics when it's all said and done.

My wife and daughter both said the top looks perfect as is...no need to paint it... Nice find btw!

I took mine to a reputable local body shop that paints alot of high end cars and had it painted for $300. I'm in southern Ca. Cant offer any insight to your questions unfortunately as I just purchased my car at Christmas and am a relative newbie to Pcars. Love the duality of having the hardtop .

To be honest, the 2-tone looks pretty good on your P-car. Shame you have to pay more for a respray than for the top itself - I would upgrade to the MkII hardware fittings for the best fit possible. I use mine every winter and it works great.

So, are the MKII fittings the screw in variety? I see also there are two varieties of twist pin fittings as well? Also, how big should the gap around the back be, between the clamshell and the top? Currently, I can fit my fingers in there with ease. It it too high? Same deal on the trim on the inside. It's easily over a 1/2" gap.

finalized the deal on a matching AS hard top /cart /cover. Even has the Metropole blue interior. the mechanism / seals were intact. just needed some silicone lube and the wrench I had ordered. fit like a glove. electric hoist mechanism ordered from this site: http://www.top-hoist.com/Products.html

I made a unit just like that Using: 1. 53" x 3/4 DIA steel pipe 2. two 45 Deg fittings 3. two 4" nipples 4. two 3/4" caps 5. two 1/4" eye bolts 6. 1 lenght ea of 3/4" and 1/2"pipe insulation 7. 10' of lightweight welded link chain 8. 6 pcs threaded chain joining links (it was a 6 pack card) 9. one 2 1/2" x 5/16 welded chrome ring 10. two sets of bike rack straps fabric straps with flat vinyl hooks for trunk lid(local bike store) $15 11. Harbor Freight 440 lb electric winch ($89 on sale in store) 1-9 $35 total at Home Depot if you don't have any buy some 10-12"plastic wire ties while you are there 1. Screw the pipe together to form a "\______/" 2. drill holes in the pipe cap for the eye bolts. put them together and mount the caps. 3. cover the pipe assy with the 3/4" foam pipe insulation all of the way to 1/2" past each end. 4. Figure the right length of chain to reach from the center of the top to the eye bolt on one side cut two pieces. there will be some left over 5. using #8 hook the chains to the ring slide the 1/2" pipe foam over the chains put #8 on the ends 6. run the straps throughone end of a 10" length of chain and tie them off. (mine had adjustable buckles) put a #8 through the other end to tie to the ringcover the chain with 1/2" foam 7. hang your HF winch 9. hook your lifting ring with the straps, chain and padded pipe attached now you have an electric hoist that allows you to easily mount and remove your top by yourself for about $130

pics of home made top hoist I forgot you have to split the foam to get it on the pipe. Use the wire ties to hold the foam around the pipe.

Nice, I like the way the winch is mounted inside the celing..buys a little more room. I have a 10 1/2 foot finished ceiling and I won't have a lack of headroom. You definitely saved some coin on the DIY..

I actually perfer the black top with GR. I had a GR 911SC and the paint fades quite badly. The outside of the car was noticeably several shades lighter than under the front or back hood. If you do have it painted it will not get the sun exposure in the summer and may not match the rest of the car over time. It's possible that the new clear coats may be UV resistant and this is not an issue. Like the lift, any more picks fully assembled or in use?

Definitely do the conversion to the screws. It will probably solve the fitment issue. I happen to love the hardtops--It gives me TWO Porsches for just a few thousand dollars (if ordered with the car these days).

+1

bobbybailey, The pin is pretty easy to adjust. It is like a long threaded rod (it isn't but pretend). There is a nut on the bottom and a nut on the top. Loosen the nut on the bottom and tighten the nut on the top to make the pin shorter=tighter. Only turn about 1/2 turn until you get a feel for it.

Since this thread is back to life, I have one more issue I'll add to the fray. The top is a good deal quieter with the new threaded pins, but there is still a ratter from the passenger side c-pillar when I go over bumps. What might be causing that. It sounds like something in the top. And I added some photos of the deal after the paintjob.

Get used to it .Looks great ! You got a smokin deal !

Is there a key/alen that comes with the top?

If another former hard top owner still has one lying around, best bet. or Suncoast Porsche has them on their site for $27.70 PS. http://http://www.suncoastparts.com/...y_Code=996_cab

Remember to torque the allen to 34 lb lbs.

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I got one with my screw in retrofit kit. However, it sucks. I use a ratchet with the allen wrench snapped on. Much faster.

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yes, since there's plenty of clearance from the glass to the screw head, that should work also. I didn't give it much thought since I planned on storing the "special" tool in the door cubby. Just be careful on the threads and not overtightening. FYI, On another thread, I read where the length of the bayonet or the screw can be adjusted up or down to get a good fit on the top . that would be critical to avoid any noises from appearing during repeated installation / removal.

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I like it painted better than the black. Came out very nice, good luck w/ the rattle.

Years ago I worked as a gofer at a used car dealer. A lady that bought a wagon from us came back with the complaint of noise when the gas tank was near empty. We had to pull the tank to get the golf ball that junior had put in it first night in her garage. Did the PO of your top have kids with marbles? Get someone to help shake it and turn it upside down and slap it to see if anything shakes out.