After Market Convertible Top

[Randy_K]

Does anyone on here have any knowledge of these tops? (link below)

Including quality and how hard they are to install, if you have done one yourself.

Thanks, Randy

http://www.autotopsdirect.com/1997-2002-Porsche-Boxster-Convertible-Top-p/10-07-box-018.htm

Edited May 4, 2011 by Randy_K

[1schoir]

Does anyone on here have any knowledge of these tops? (link below)

Including quality and how hard they are to install, if you have done one yourself.

Thanks, Randy

http://www.autotopsd...-07-box-018.htm

Randy:

Take a look at the DIY on Mike Focke's Boxster Pages to get an idea of what is involved in stripping off the old canvas and installing the new one: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/replacingthetop-adiy

If the aftermarket top is correctly sized, it is a straighforward, but time consuming, install. You just need patience and to not cut any corners to end up with a perfect install.

Regards, Maurice.

[Randy_K]

Maurice, Thank you very much. That was very helpful!

Randy

[flyingpenguin]

Installed a similar new top and I am sure a messed up routing the cable from the b-pillar to the spring rivited to the aluminum plate. This is the result:

driver side:

passenger side:

Any ideas?

JP

Does anyone on here have any knowledge of these tops? (link below)

Including quality and how hard they are to install, if you have done one yourself.

Thanks, Randy

http://www.autotopsd...-07-box-018.htm

Edited July 30, 2011 by flyingpenguin

[1schoir]

Installed a similar new top and I am sure a messed up routing the cable from the b-pillar to the spring rivited to the aluminum plate. This is the result:

driver side:

passenger side:

Any ideas?

JP

JP:

I would hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially when the bad news may compound your already existing "not so good news" problem...

It appears from the two photos that you have attached that the spring which is attached to the tension cable on the inside of the shoulder plate may have somehow "snuck" out from its resident position under the top and under the shoulder plate (when you have one opened up and can inspect it, it will make perfect sense. If it (the spring at that end of the tension cable) has actually moved from its original position, you are going to have to somehow manoeuver the shoulderplate/spring into their correct positions, which in this case means that the spring cannot be directly exposed or contacting the canvas on any of the facets of its surfaces.

You can also try to stick something flat and waterproof in between the sides of the spring and the canvas material itself....

The only other cause I can think of is that (if it is a new cable [and it's not OEM] ), the overall length of the tension cable is too long, and thus causes a bunching of the material at those two spots shown in your photos.

If you will go to Mike Focke's website (see above post), you will see the actual measurement of the cable and what its length is supposed to be (as per specs in the factory workshop manual).

The other part of the bad news is that your top was not installed taut enough at the forward section of the canvas top... that is what the wrinkles on the second photo show...

A bit of good news... it's relatively straightforward (but tedious) to strip the front two sections of the convertible top frame and not difficult to re-install. On Mike Focke's website, you will also see plenty of photos that will familiarize you with the terminology and with the vagaries of that particular part of the installation.

When you re-install the front section, just make sure that you apply pulling pressure before pinning its side sections (over the horizontal section of the window frames)to the canvas part and it should improve quyite a bit.

Regards, Maurice.