Hardtop question

Hi everyone, I recently purchased a hardtop for my 2001 C2 cab. Got a great deal (or so it seemed) although it seems the rear bolts are not correct, according to what I�ve seen online. I�ve posted some pics of the male/female connectors and think I may have multiple issues. I�m hoping to get some advice on what may be needed and where it can be sourced before I spend the money to get it painted. Right connector, looks as it has power for the rear defrost Left connector Passenger car connector Driver car connector Thank you!

That's a later 996 , 997 hardtop. I believe these are the parts you would need.99656340303 99656340403

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Thank you for the quick reply. If this is for a later model, will it fit my car at all even with the parts? it looks like the parts will be close to $800, is it better to try and sell this and find one that works? I spent $300 on the top

Has all the same part numbers except for those . But yes I would try to sell it. I think the later version is more rare.

Does anyone know if a 996 hardtop will fit on a 997.2 ?

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From what I've seen, there are two versions of the 996 hardtop. You can tell if it's an early version (996 only) or later version (996.2 & 997) by the rear connectors. The pictures I posted above show the hardtop connectors that fit a 997.

You can swap either the receivers on your car to the 05 and up versions to match your hardtop or downgrade the pins on the hardtop to the 04 and under models. Neither are cheap from the dealer.

Hazmat1071 sent you a pm.

I sold my c4s cab late last year so i dont have the paperwork anymore to find what i paid. But when i got mine it didnt have a hardtop nor did it have the components on the car to accept it. I got a hardtop for about 500. After reading for a long time i found most people found the correct parts from salvage yards. I purchased the parts you need from a salvage yard / dismantler from Ebay. I know i paid less than 200 shipped to my door. If i recall correctly it was about 100

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That�s great information, thank you. I�ll keep looking around; would even be willing to swap the connectors if someone else had the incorrect version. Thanks again!

So I already have a 997.2 hardtop on my 997.2 but thinking about picking up a 996 top that has been offered that has ski rack attached . That's why I asked about the difference between the two. My 997.2 top is on the car so I can't look at the connector bolts . Here are the bolts on the 996 top, will I need to change them?

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Hi, yes those are the connectors for a 996. I have the connectors you will need to fit your 997. I�m looking for the connectors you have, would you like to swap so we both have the correct ones?

Hazmat1071, Awesome, yes the swap would be perfect but I don’t actually have to top in my possession at the moment. A friend offered it to me and I intend to get it now that I know we could swap the needed parts. The only other problem is it is a 9 hour one way drive away so I have to figure out when/how to get it. Hope you’re not in a big rush.

Hi Bomar, I'm not in a hurry as long as I know your intention is to swap once you're able to pick it up. I'd like to be able to have it painted and the connectors changed out by the fall. That's a good looking top! If possible, keep in touch regarding your timeline. Thanks

Hazmat1071, nope not planning to wait that long. I will try to get something worked out before the end of May

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Hi Bomar, Just following up to see if you're still planning on picking that top up. Let me know either way. Thanks, Jason

Yes, all set to go to Marquette, Mi on May 20, 356 miles one way

Must have drilled and bolted that Thule rack through the aluminum. hardtop! I have the OEM cab roof rack that works with the hard or soft top if you are interested in that instead? I do not drive mine in winter anymore so do not use my hardtop or roof rack. Bought a Macan for winter ski uae..

YUP, Dranon, thanks for the offer, if it is free, I'll take it

Ok so now I have the 996 hard top in my possession and have identified someone with a 997.2 hard top and we need to swap the connector pin assemblies. Can someone tell me how and what to remove? The pin doesn't seem to separate from the mounting bracket . Loosening the large nut does nothing, using the L wrench seems to only go 1/4 turn so I'm assuming I need to remove the whole mounting bracket assembly held on by bolts I can't see with the top laying upside down on the floor. Help!

It appears the whole mount comes off. I am hoping that it is held on using the #16 bolts below.

Thanks amagari, that's what I was guessing. now have to figure out how to execute extraction when the top is not on the car.

Ok, I made it home safe from Marquette , Mi a fine place to visit just hard on your liver with too many excellent brew pubs and restaurants. Now I need to know how these lock down pins are removed and do you need the entire assembly? removing the large nut does not release them and using the L shaped wrench seems to only go 1/4 turn so I'm assuming you need the entire assembly, mounting bracket and all which seems to be attached by 2 or 3 bolts which are not visible with the top laying on it's top upside down. I will also ask the forum in case you don't know either. But good news is we are getting close to the swap. BTW, my address is Dave Corcoran 3401 Delevan Dr Saginaw, Mi 48603 my cell is [phone removed][/QUOTE] Sounds like you made the most of your trip! Not many decent breweries in south Jersey so I stick mainly with the whiskey. I honestly haven’t even looked at the connectors since I realized they were the wrong ones, but looking at sites that sell them it seems that the whole mounting bracket needs to be removed and replaced. I’m sure if you post it we’ll get someone who knows. Here’s my address: Jason Ruggiero 3 Whitewater Lane Egg Harbor Township NJ 08234 (609)457-8427 ill take a look at it tomorrow and get back to you. Thanks![/QUOTE] Success, I assume the mounting bolts will be the same so I won't be sending those just retain the ones you have. Came out pretty easy, just had a helper hold the top resting on it's lower edge below the rear window and standing up vertically, then lower the front edge about 30 degrees while I was on my knees removing the 3 bolts that hold the bracket. Hard part was accessing the connectors to the rear defroster. They are tucked up the side and I used a 10 inch hemostat to reach them instead of removing the plastic trim piece that covers the side of the headliner. One connector is just a flat spade and that slid right out. The other connector is a black rectangular plastic piece about 1 inch long that must be removed intact (the wire does not slide out of the plactic). that took a bit of fiddling but once the hemostat was locked on firmly the whole piece slid off. Warning both of those connections are hidden behind a piece of tape similar to duct tape that must be moved before you try to release the connections. It may be easier to disconnect those wires if you remove the long plastic trim piece but I didn't want to as there are a lot of clips that must be undone and I didn't want to break any of the clips or the trim piece. Couldn't have completed the removal without the hemostat as I didn't have needle nose pliers long enough to reach into the confined space. You will need a helper to hold the top unless you can rest it on sawhorses and crawl under to work on it. Standing on end worked best for me.

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Sounds like you made the most of your trip! Not many decent breweries in south Jersey so I stick mainly with the whiskey. I honestly haven�t even looked at the connectors since I realized they were the wrong ones, but looking at sites that sell them it seems that the whole mounting bracket needs to be removed and replaced. I�m sure if you post it we�ll get someone who knows. ill take a look at it tomorrow and get back to you. Thanks![/QUOTE] Success, I assume the mounting bolts will be the same so I won't be sending those just retain the ones you have. Came out pretty easy, just had a helper hold the top resting on it's lower edge below the rear window and standing up vertically, then lower the front edge about 30 degrees while I was on my knees removing the 3 bolts that hold the bracket. Hard part was accessing the connectors to the rear defroster. They are tucked up the side and I used a 10 inch hemostat to reach them instead of removing the plastic trim piece that covers the side of the headliner. One connector is just a flat spade and that slid right out. The other connector is a black rectangular plastic piece about 1 inch long that must be removed intact (the wire does not slide out of the plactic). that took a bit of fiddling but once the hemostat was locked on firmly the whole piece slid off. Warning both of those connections are hidden behind a piece of tape similar to duct tape that must be moved before you try to release the connections. It may be easier to disconnect those wires if you remove the long plastic trim piece but I didn't want to as there are a lot of clips that must be undone and I didn't want to break any of the clips or the trim piece. Couldn't have completed the removal without the hemostat as I didn't have needle nose pliers long enough to reach into the confined space. You will need a helper to hold the top unless you can rest it on sawhorses and crawl under to work on it. Standing on end worked best for me. [/QUOTE] Connectors are uninstalled and will be sent out tomorrow. It was pretty easy on my end, just propped it up in the back of my pickup truck with a 1x8. I found it easier to just pop the plastic trim to remove the wiring and ill leave it that way until I reinstall the new ones. Getting closer!

Hazmat1071, awesome, clever method, glad it didn't land on your head. Yours will be sent tomorrow as well. I was hesitant to pull the trim, glad it worked for you. Keep your mounting bolts, they are the same

My 997.2 didn't have a hardtop. I bought one near Bronx NY for $500. It had screw down fasteners on the top already . The car didn't have the inserts so I bought them and installed them myself. $200. I love the hardtop and have it on from Nov thru April. I do put down a strip of clear vinyl on the cowl, right where the end of the hardtop meets the cowl and trim the clear vinyl so it doesn't show, so as not to scratch the cowl paint when tightening down the screws. You should do the same! It will scratch the paint when you over tighten the screws. I've not been able to get the rear defroster to work with the hardtop due to connection issue with the insert on the one side.

Dartmouth, your car looks beautiful. Good suggestion on the clear vinyl. what product did you use?

Assistance needed gang, Hazmat1071 and I traded mounting hardware for our hardtops. He had a 996 car with a 997 top and I have a 997 car and recently acquired a 996 top. Unfortunately and unknown to him, his mounting hardware was missing one of the hold down bolts. The older style is a much better design (bayonet style with center bolt captive). It looks like this one. Anyone know where I can get just the bolt? Porsche does not sell just the bolt, they want to sell you the whole mounting bracket assembly for over $600 , argh! I'm guessing ACE Hardware doesn't carry them.

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Great looking car! I really like the different color top, it goes really well with your setup. Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely do it.

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I've been looking online for a part number all morning and haven't had any success. I apologize as I had thought I was sending a complete set. I do have a message out to the guy I purchased it from and will let you know once he replies.

Hello Porsche fans, just found a solution to the missing bolt for the 996 hardtop converted to fit my 997.2. Again, Porsche will not sell you this bolt separately, they want to sell you the whole bracket assembly for $687 . Hazmat1071 and I traded bracket assemblies but he was unaware that the person he had bought his top from failed to reveal the missing bolt. Long story short I found a suitable replacement at Mid-States Bolt and Screw Co here in Saginaw, Mi . for the grand sum of $1.09 Hope this helps others who may need this part. I'm sure every state has a comparable business that specializes in hard to find fasteners. I just took the OEM part in and asked if they could match it.. The replacement requires a larger size hex wrench but that's no biggie. The OEM smaller size is manufacturer specific. And we all lived happily everafter.

Black hardtop looks great with that color!

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Genius! You're a master of resourcefulness!