Gus

OH !!!!! - that is ugly as crap -

kylejohnston1

Agreed!

Lemass Automotive

I saw one fitted to a 993 many years ago. Was the same as the green one posted here. That yellow one is aweful.
It was fitted to a violet 993 we were doing work on about 7 years ago in the uk.
It looked damn good. Pretty much a coupe.

JJJMCD

Don't underestimate the work involved in removing the softtop - that alone is probably a solid day's work for an experienced Porsche mechanic. When you want to remove the hardtop, it will be more work, as the mechanic will also need to synchonize the electric motors that raise and lower the top.

gristle101

Any new news on this? I have also tried to contact Rennlight... If I found a fiberglass shop here in the USA that was capable of producing such a thing, would there be any other interest?

Gus

I have sanding to do to get eh top ready to paint - but have the hood and tail section to do also -
I got the last RennLight hardtop - that I know of. It is not an easy task to undertake and there is much work to get the top to fit and then figure out how to fasten it to the car.
I think the best option is the company out of France - it would cost you about $1200+ to get it shipped but well worth it as the top is a finished ready to go product. Just remove the cab top and bolt on the hardtop. Done deal - I probably have over 100 hours in mine easy - but then it was crushed in shipping and had to be completely rebuilt.
Will pub pictures when I get it painted - right now I have more to do on the car - bigger brakes up front and a custom removable roll bar, will trace the interior roof line of the hardtop.

Gus

OH! one last note - had the car aligned and corner balanced - came in at 2748 lbs - interesting that both rear corner came in at the exact same weight and have 8 pounds difference on the front corners

gristle101

Gus, I have silently followed your work and I am amazed at how far you have come with the hardtop.

Although I have managed to enjoy a few warm days to put the top down since picking up my '94 cab in October, I had my heart set on a Coupe, to be honest. I found that there were better deals to be had with the cabs, so I settled on a 60k miles example because I was willing to compromise for the greater reliability of a well kept engine. When I mash my foot down on the highway and I am met with that satisfying "torquey" pull and the flat six whine, I am also met with a loud PFFFFFTPFFFTPFFFFFT of the ragtop flapping at speeds above 80mph; during these times I remember the coupe that my heart was set on.

With that being said, the D. Morris hardtop base price is around $6,000. My car is painted in the very non-standard Wimbledon Green Metallic, and I'd like to eventually start autocrossing/track daying the car so It would also make sense to customize the hardtop with their optional rollbar. Paint and options, the hardtop is over $7200. Then there's shipping to the USA. In short, it doesn't make any sense to buy from them; there are so many other things that are worth spending $8,000 on before a hardtop that could be made, as you said, for under $2000. I refuse to consider D. Morris as an option and I will have to find my hardtop some other way, like you did

Strength in numbers. Anyone else at least have any interest?

Gus

Gristle-
Reference the " loud PFFFFFTPFFFTPFFFFFT of the ragtop flapping at speeds" - Do you use the tonneau cover and are the elastic straps tight or need to be replaced ? When I had the cab top on the car I could cruise at 80 + all day and was not bothered by the top being down as I always put the tonneau on and made sure that it was tight. One other thing that I had and still have is the Wind Screen that fits jsut behind the seats and blocks the wind from coming into the seat area. This made cruising in th cooler weather much more enjoyable as it allowed the heat to stay in the cockpit area.

Yes the D Morris top is expensive ( my not e was ref the ship cost to the USA est. $1200) But, knowing the amount of work that I have put in the top I got and what is yet to come my time, parts, material and labor are probably going to be close to the D Morris. Plus you get a truly professionally finished product with a good fit and finish. The top system that I obtained is a great racing modification as it weighs in around 17 lbs cutting some 60 + lbs off the cab top. But, if you are not going this route then the D Morris is a very nice solution. And for RIGHT NOW they are the only game in town as Rennlight is not making tops any longer. And I have yet to see any others pop up, even when I found a factory top n the past on ebay ( usually in Europe) the price was close to the D Morris top or more , plus shipping to the US.

All in all though it is a very interesting conversion, and I do enjoy the change from the Cab top. I was please to see that I am getting the weight down into a more acceptable area. But, know it will go back up once I have the roll bar fitted.

One other modification that I want to make to the car is to add the conversion capability to SPEEDSTER humps one the hardtop is removed. Then make a simple quick attach cab roof that will fold up and fit in the frunk. I have the front section off of a cab top just need to work up the design for the top - as the main support section will be the roll bar. anyway another project to undertake but I need to finish the hard top first.

Klagt nicht, kmpft
Gus

gristle101

Gus;
Thank you for the thorough response. My "PFFTPFFT" was meant to describe the unsatisfactory wind noise with the top up. I still may buy a wind stopper based on your recommendation, however.

It seems that unless some other option surfaces, I will have to deal with what I have. Boy, do I have it tough


BTW; 2748 lbs is very impressive, you've managed to turn your unassuming cab into a real DE dark horse, and a formidable modder on this website.