When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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..
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!
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 989-332-5581[/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.
Last edited by Bomar Shelby; 05-23-2021 at 06:27 PM.
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.
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!
Last edited by Hazmat1071; 05-25-2021 at 07:59 PM.
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
Last edited by Bomar Shelby; 05-25-2021 at 09:05 PM.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
05-13-2021, 01:45 PM
