Some questions concerning hardtops...

[jcorallo]

Hi,

Few questions about hardtops:

1) What are they made of? Fiberglass? Alluminium? Galvanised steel? Plain steel?

2) Whats the difference between early and late versions - I see some have 'ears' and some dont?

3) What is in a 'fitting kit'?

4) How much do they weigh?

5) Are the hardtops made by Porsche or are they 'aftermarket' ?

Cheers,

Jules

 

[Guest]

Hi,

Early versions had what looked like ears at either side of the hard top, not sure why? possibly for lifting. Later versions had no ears and better seals. Hard Top weighs about 25kg, fairly light for 2 people to fit. Hard Tops are made of aluminium as far as i know and are made by the manufacturer, may well be some aftermarket tops available but you should be able to spot the difference.The fitting kit is the spin locks that have to be fitted to the body of your car if you want to fit a hardtop. Not hard to fit but a bit fiddly if you are not mechanically minded. They cost about £60.00 ish if i remember rightly.

Are you looking to fit a hard top? If so i could help if you are near the North West.

Dave Brooks

 

[jcorallo]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm looking to buy a hardtop for my 1997 Boxster. I see there are normally a few on eBay going around the £700 to £800 mark. The adverts always say "if you dont have the fitting kit, you can get one from Porsche for around £50 to £60". but given that I dont know what I'm looking for, I dont know if these spin-locks are already fitted to my car!?? If anyone has any pics of the parts, that would be a real help.

Also, given that we have long winters and short summers (so a hardtop might stay on the car for months on end), I assume its an option (for the more technically gifted of us?) to actually completely remove the soft top covering from the car before fitting a hardtop - rather than having it folded up for months on end?? Does this sound feasible, or is it more trouble than its worth? I see lots of posts about cracked / creased rear plastic widows and the bad affects of having the soft top down tucked away for long periods.......... opinions??!

Cheers,

Jules

 

[jcorallo]

oh - and I'm in Billericay, Essex!

 

[Rodney Naghar]

5) Are the hardtops made by Porsche or are they 'aftermarket' ?

They are made by CTS (Car Top Systems) Fahrzeug-Dachsysteme, eventually becoming a subsidiary of Porsche AG, then sold in 2005 to Magna International.

 

[bmurphy]

If your car is arctic silver I am selling mine (based in kent)

ORIGINAL: jcorallo

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

I'm looking to buy a hardtop for my 1997 Boxster. I see there are normally a few on eBay going around the £700 to £800 mark. The adverts always say "if you dont have the fitting kit, you can get one from Porsche for around £50 to £60". but given that I dont know what I'm looking for, I dont know if these spin-locks are already fitted to my car!?? If anyone has any pics of the parts, that would be a real help.

Also, given that we have long winters and short summers (so a hardtop might stay on the car for months on end), I assume its an option (for the more technically gifted of us?) to actually completely remove the soft top covering from the car before fitting a hardtop - rather than having it folded up for months on end?? Does this sound feasible, or is it more trouble than its worth? I see lots of posts about cracked / creased rear plastic widows and the bad affects of having the soft top down tucked away for long periods.......... opinions??!

Cheers,

Jules