GAHH top self-install ?

[funkdefino]

Here ya go... http://www.autotopsdirect.com/

Anybody have one of these installed?

Tinted glass window, German A5 Canvas, warranty. Looks excellent and the price is awesome. Under $700 shipped.

[Bobiam]

Originally Posted by funkdefino

Here ya go... http://www.autotopsdirect.com/

Anybody have one of these installed?

Tinted glass window, German A5 Canvas, warranty. Looks excellent and the price is awesome. Under $700 shipped.

Worth serious consideration. Great prices, informative website.

[funkdefino]

If anybody has bought from these guys or is going to soon let me know your experience. I am seriously considering buying one of their tops.

[Peter Serbanica]

Originally Posted by fatmike

Hi Bob. My car has 33kmiles on it now. I need to update my signature.

The car (and top) are 7 years old though. The plastic doesn't last in the cold of the northeast. In spite of my best efforts, the plastic developed a crack last year. It was bad enough that there were cracks on both sides. The car couldn't be left out in the rain. It looked terrible.

Yes, I got the glass window. I find that the visibility out of the rear is dramatically improved. I couldn't see a damn thing out of the old plastic window. I used dedicated cleaner and polish, but the visibility was just terrible. Yes, you lose some "window area" with the GAHH top, but what you get is adequate in size and crystal clear. What you are really losing is an inch or two along the top. You'll find that you simply don't notice after a couple of days.

Get the acoustic material. It really makes a difference. Its super quiet (like my hardtop - probably quieter actually). I might not put my hardtop on this winter. My car is a DD.

I like not having to do a karate chop when I put the top down.

Really - worth every penny. If your OEM plastic window is cracked, this upgrade is a no-brainer.

GAHH websight lists approved installers like Stan's Auto Top in Chatham N.J.

[Bobiam]

Originally Posted by Peter Serbanica

GAHH websight lists approved installers like Stan's Auto Top in Chatham N.J.

Peter...Maybe I'm having a bad day, but I can't find that installer directory. can you assist?
Bob

[Gubu986]

Originally Posted by ChrisZang

I see that GAHH (one of our sponsors) currently has a killer deal for their insulated glass tops

I was wondering if I can install the top myself.
Did anyone ever try it?

Ditto on the Mike Focke's DIY. I replaced my wife's 986 top and it was a breeze but it did take 7.5 hours but saved XXXX $$.

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/replacingthetop-adiy

[Franco]

Hi, I just installed a new top with plastic window on my 97, removal took me 3 hours and 5 hours to install, not difficult at all.

I tried using the 3M tape but it wouldn't stick to the canvas so i tried contact glue and it worked fine.

Logic and patience and it was done

I want to thank my wife Mike.focke and his friends for the D.I.Y. write up.

[clueless1]

Originally Posted by j.fro

I've done three so far this year. There are a couple of quirky little things, but it's not such a terrible job. I'm in central Virginia ... hey Kevin H, where in C.VA are you? I'm just east of Charlottesville.

I'm in edmonton, alberta, canada and need to install a gahh top this weekend (was going to pay installer, but the shop overbooked and bailed on me at the last second, need to complete this weekend).

I've read the wikia/mike focke instructions. Can anybody tell me the tricks of the GAHH top install (i.e., where to lubricate, any other fitment stuff, tricks etc). Thanks.

[bar10dah]

Mike's instructions are pretty good. You can do the job by those instructions alone. However, you can do a search here and find some additional info that may help.

When I did mine, I used Mike's info in addition to the 101projects book. Almost a year later and the top still looks good and operates as intended!

[brian325is]

make sure you have the tape and glue already. I also used Mikes instructions and the 101 projects book. Be very careful removing the plastic sliders and pins especially since you have to have it done this weekend. I had to replace one slider due to broken pins. I would have recommended you just buy new ones in advance, they weren't expensive.

Watch what you are doing when you take it apart and keep all the hardware organized

[Bryan topping]

Like Bar10dah & Brian have advised, take your time, don't cut corners, follow the instructions TO THE LETTER & you will be fine. I found the tape didn't want to stick to the canvas & struggled a bit with that. Contact cement or 3M Weatherstrip adhesive is probably the better solution. I also replaced the sliders, clamps & pins just to be sure.

[papasmurf]

the tape did not work for me. It would not stick to the canvas at all. I used a double sided banner tape that sign shops use to hem the edges of vinyl banners. It is very stick and worked alot better than the recommended tape. The install is not easy or particularly enjoyable but it definately can be done and the money saved can be quite a bit. The only thing I would warn you of is to make sure you get the straps that pull the top inside the side window frame pieces attached properly. The ones on the top I got were somewhat different than the OEM top and I did not get them installed properly and have to make some adjustments to the top to get it to retract properly.

[Spyderman]

I just completed replacing the convertible top on my 2001 Boxster. I ordered a replacement top from www.autotopsdirect.com ... German A5 canvas, tinted soft rear window... manufactured by a California company called Sierra ... $389.00. Very impressed with the quality and workmanship of the new top.

Follow Mike Focke's excellent instructions, take your time, and pay attention to details. I also took a boatload of pictures of the removal of the old top with my digital camera.

I used contact cement versus the 3M double-sided tape. The tape just didn't want to adhere to and hold the new canvas top material very well. Finished the job in a weekend (I took my time and sweated every detail of the new top installation). The new top is wrinkle free and functions flawlessly!

[Tieniber]

I got my top from AutoTopsDirect. Installed it myself in 6-7 hours with the instructions they provided. Here's a link to the install PDF and a picture of the top installed

PDF