Why I converted to a manual top...
 

Last year I started a thread discussing the possibility of converting to a manual top. Well, a couple of things happened between then and now.

First off, I had a control rod that decided to pop a tip off and it was before I was ready to start my build. The V levers were still in great shape so I ended up with a manual drop of my top and an electronically controlled clam shell.

This seemed to work well as I could drop and raise the top from the drivers seat...an easy breezy process. I completed my build and things seemed to be going well. Then one day while leaving work for what ever reason, my top transmission went screwy and the top ran off the gears and locked itself down...solid!

Well, this is now becoming a frustrating issue. I come home, work out the release of the v-lever and begin the process of retiming the 50 teeth drive gear so the clam shell can function again. I reset the transmission not once or twice, but seven times dead nuts, but each time the clam shell would function it would over drive and lock the clam shell down.

OK, there comes a point when the value of what you are trying to do is lost to frustration. Now, this is not my first convertible and in my other cars, the tops were manual and guess what, I was still able to enjoy everything about the car, there was just a couple of physical aspects you the driver had to do that was not controlled by electronics.

How many times have you read a thread where someone has been locked in a situation with a top half up/down or in any position in between! Well, this was my car and I will not be limited to using my car because of a few micro switches or silly gears that do something I have more then enough brain cells and muscles to do on my own.

Well, I am basically at the point I am looking for. To complete the process of making a manual top, I disconnected the drive lines, pulled the fuse disabled the top light in my dash. I know have a fully manual top...but wait...how am I going to lock the clam shell down?

In looking back at the vintage Porsche cars, you will find that in many cases there were leather straps that would lock the frunk and trunk in place. Not wanting to attach leather to my car to lock the clam shell down, I came up with another mechanism...draw latches. I pulled my McMaster Carr catalog out and found that for $24.00 I could order a 6" rubber draw latch. I had used these on my boat for securing gear lockers and other enclosures and they can stand up to a hard beating and are very durable to weathering.

As such, this is how my car sits today, for $48.00 and about $8.00 in aluminum rivets. It takes me about 45 to 60 seconds to open and or close the top. Yes, my windows still drop when I open the major latch mechanism for the top and the windows small drop during opening and or closing of the door when the top is up still works.

Downside??? None in my mind. Upside? I never have to worry about an electrical switch or gremlin ruining a day of driving. Oh, if you are wondering how this does at an elevated pace on the road? Nothing moves one bit.

I will print this out and hang on to it. Nice job. I converted my 993 cab to manual because of issues with the mechanism.

Nice job, Eric! Looks good and totally eliminates a common trouble spot on these cars. Does the dash light still go on and off as the top changes state?

Maybe you would consider doing a step-by-step for us less inventive people that might want to do the same mod.

Very interesting write-up!

Very clever solution!

However, I have a manual top on my Miata and I have to say that its a bit of a PITA to use. The powered top of the Boxster is simply too convienent for me to go to manual operation - especially with the one-touch Robotop and the speed and parking brake interlocks disabled. I can put the top up/down with one press of the button at any time or speed.

i find i have to get out of the car regardless in order to properly fold the rear window ?!?

When the time comes for a new top, upgrade to the glass window. No more chop!

While I have to admit that is a really cool feature and you won't get any argument from me on that...it was just things on mine went wonky in what I believe is an age related issue of equipment.

To answer the question on the dash light...for now I used a small circle of self adhesive opaque insulating sealer (electrical tape) to cover the light till I pull my gauge cluster and make it permanent.

As for any specific write up, in the end all I did was disconnect the v-levers and push rods for each side, pull the drive cables for each side and pull the fuse for the convertible open switch. I left the transmissions and electrical motor in place as there was no reason to pull them.

Using the template that came with the draw latch, I measured out a location on the car that would allow for aesthetically pleasing spacing AND the ability to place a support washer on the back side of the aluminum pop rivet that holds the draw latch in place. using 3" wide painters tape I covered the clam shell and trunk and marked where I would drill the holes, then attached both latches.

I think the total time to do this was about an hour with the hardest part being the spacing for the latches.

Take care...

I wish that Porsche had done this with the Boxster Spyder istead of their camping tent and poles option.

It would have been very interesting to see how light they could have produced a manual top using titanium, some manner of ultra light and water tight carbon weave for the canvas, maybe gorilla type glass for the window on a perfectly smooth ball bearing track. A lever near the arm rest that raised the top a third of the way so that you didn't have to reach all the way behind you like on the Miata would have been convenient too.

The thing I liked about the Miata top was that if I got caught in a sudden downpour I could raise the top and latch it shut in 10 seconds. I got really good at that after some time. The motorized top in comparison seems like it takes an eternity.

That's pretty darned interesting. :cheers:

This is good info.

However, what happens when you open the trunk? How does that affect the latches. Might it be better to squeeze them to the outside so they attach to the fender?

JD, believe it or not I am able to open my trunk without having to undo the latches...it may not go all the way open, but I can put groceries and other items without issue. This was another concern when I was looking at placement of the latches.

I did this with my old test Boxster 5 years ago and never looked back! I prefer manual over factory any day.

My roof has been manual for 2.5 years and 30k miles - including up to about 140mph on the autobahn.

There's no need to secure the clam.

Due to the weight of is and the way it's hinged, it's not going anywhere.

Very nice solution for a manual top and I applaud your effort. However...

The power top mechanism on the Box is simple and inexpensive to repair. Your clamshell was overdrive because of a simple failed or misadjusted limit switch on the B pillar of your car. Top transmissions are passive devices that cannot overdrive their position by themselves.

I'm sorry you had such a fight with your power top. I bought a 98 Box last year with an inoperable top...the control relay was missing. While waiting for the relay, I had a cable snap on my other Boxster and drove it for several weeks as a manual top car without any real complaint. Anyway,. Between the two cars, and with the help of many great posts on this and other forums, I learned exactly how this system worked and marveled a it's simplicity.

I could have enjoyed my car with a manual top, no problem, but replacing the cables and adjusting the alignment of the transmissions was not difficult at all.

I'm sure you are happy with your top but if you ever want a power top again (like when selling), investigate your limit switches. They rarely fail and if they do, are inexpensive to replace.

It is not from worry of flying up, rather it bounced when going over bumps and that drove me nuts. Also with the new top on her, the clam shell tends to ride high until the fabric and top are broken in.

Thanks and given enough time I am sure an alignment/limit switch situation could have been worked out. However... I am not selling this car and there is zero chance the top will fail ever for either myself or my wife where ever we are.

Can anyone help me with my 1997 Boxster? The top is down, I have 2 broken plastic ends a loud thumping every time I try and raise the top, and the top will now not come up for anything. The clam shell is shut tight and can not be maneuvered in any way to get to the cloth top to try and manually pull it back. I read that if I could release the shock absorber that it would release the clam shell, but how in the heck do you get to the shocks? Desperate..

Go to your owners manual it explains exactly how to release the rods on he clamshell and top. You basically have to pop them out using a pointy sharp tool that you have in your tool set that came with the car, it's the long aluminum one. If the top is down its the easiest way to pop then out. Once you do that you can move the clamshell and top freely and then you can start fixing it

Awesome job. I love the simplicity to it. If I had my way I would have roll up windows. I hate frivolous stuff that break and add weight.

Great solution, and looks good too! Well done!

I love this entire thread. The top mechanism behind the passenger seat of my Boxster started making a slight clicking sound about a week ago. Within a few days my top way pretty much stuck in the up position. Long story short, I removed the push rods and now have a completely manual top. I have ordered a few bushings and plan to grease everything good, put it back together and see what happened. I cannot afford a new top transmission on the passengers side right now. I really believe the problem is inside there somewhere. I just reading everything I can find, and I think I can rebuild the transmission if it comes to that. In the meantime and maybe for longer than I intended, I have a manual top. There is nothing wrong with doing that for a while.

Okay, got a PM about some pictures of the conversion... noticed that the images I had posted were dropped by my host site. Sorry for not catching this earlier.

Take care...

Boxster Top Manual Operation
 

Thank you for posting this. As these cars decline in value, we need mods like this to avoid wasting money on repairing perennially troublesome/superfluous mechanisms.There are plenty of other parts to buy that can't be modified to work !
Here are a few suggestions:
Draw Latches:
Stainless steel, optional lockable over-center latches
Southco V7 about $25 each on Ebay
V7 - Over-Center Series Latches - Southco
Draw Latch,Keyed, Southco V7 Series 316 Stainless Steel Electro Polished | eBay

Sugatsune STF series - there are many sizes with concealed fasteners.Expensive

Southco :
Draw Latches - Southco

There is guy called Maurice in Montreal(?) who is the top-fix guru
His screen name is SCHOIR
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/27912-convertible-top-replacement.html

Hope this helps move this great mod into the "Favorite" category

fixing clam shell with trunk lid
 

This is my first post here, 986forum.com. I have just attended to this forum to share my idea to fix the clam shell of convertible top compartment without modifying appearance and complicated operations.

Similar to many boxster owners, I had experienced a trouble on convertible top with my boxster (MY2008 987). I loosened a big bolt which fixes v-shaped arm to the transmission and the top can be operated manually. Then I need to fix unshut clam shell to the body because the convertible top of 987 is a bit voluminous with insulators and glass rear window.

Finally I came up with an idea to fix the clam shell by the rear trunk lid. Thanks to the smart hinge mechanism of it, the front edge of the lid goes back when it opens, and there is some space to pass the hook attached under the clamshell through.

Please take a look at the pictures. We can use the screw of the striker to fix the hook, and we do not have to modify the bodywork at all. It is completely reversible. It does not affect to the usability of rear trunk lid.

I have also uploaded a movie clip of the operation of the top.
https://youtu.be/5dsoV3tNz_M

I think this idea works for 986 similarly.

Finally I would like to note some tips to make and adjust the hook.

1. The top of the hook should be aligned the bottom edge of the clam shell. If the height of the hook is too high, it might damage the hinge or panel of the rear trunk lid. It is just for suppression of rattling, so looser is better.

2. The striker under the clam shell is not perpendicular to the surface of clam shell. The striker is placed vertically, and the clam shell is curved. So you need to distort the hook a bit to align the top edge to the surface of clam shell.

3. You can adjust the height of the catch of the striker to compensate the thickness of the hook.

I hope this post will help someone.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02/hook1542905698.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1542905731.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1542906277.jpg

Shinsaku - Brilliant first Post. The video is excellent. This could save owners lots of money and frustration. Someone should do a video of the modification process.
This is the best mod so far because it does not require ugly external latches.
Thank you for your contribution

Good first post, indeed.

Regarding the original topic, though, I am appalled. If a headlight breaks, is taping a flashlight in its place a viable option? If a seat breaks, will you bolt down a lawn chair?
If your trunk latch breaks, will you remove it bolt on an old belt? Absurd, right? This "fix" is exactly the same.

If your top mechanism breaks, fix it right. ;)

.

fantastic! excellent soln. fyi, to those that question the concept of a manual roof, some remove the motors to reduce weight. and some want the old-school roadster experience which includes manual roof. and some have noted that you have to get out of your car anyway to properly fold the plastic window, which sorta negates the whole automatic roof concept.

+ 1

Great video Shinsaku-san, thank you!

I wonder if you could have used small Nd magnets to hold the clamshell down rather than the latches.

Just to note not in the 2003-2004. IMHO, my 2004SE value would be significantly negatively impacted with a manual roof conversion. Great tip for those who want to convert, however - most simple, elegant solution I’ve seen.

The cost of repairing a broken ,electrically powered top can be unjustifiable on an older Boxster. This mod is a great way to help those on a tight budget keep their Boxster on the road. The money saved has many other potential uses for repair and maintenance.
The Pelican book has a helpful section on repairing the mechanism. Depending on the extent of the problem and how many prior (unsuccesful) attempts at a repair have been made, it can take hours of tedium to fix. And who knows how long the fix will last. So this mod is very useful for some of us.

To me it seems most items that break in the mechanism are the roof pushrod end caps, and the main gears in the transmissions. I just replaced both sets for mom's 987 for about $160.

I was going to get new pushrods, but found plastic replacement parts. Then found the transmission gear (plastic) split which was one of the underlying culprits of why the clamshell wouldn't budge. The set of 2 was about $120 on eBay. For the interim it's been a manual roof, though.

I love my manual roof and it's one of my favorite modifications. My box has lots of modifications too. I can open and close it in the same time it takes the electric to just open. I also don't have to turn the car on and set the hand brake to do it. I originally went manual to save weight but honestly I would do it for the other reasons if I ever bought another box again

Interesting thread, as I’m motivated with weight reduction. I got hard top on for winter and soft top out of the car to replace plastic window, will appreciate ideas for minimalists.

Thank you for your positive replies. Of course I know it would be nice to repair my boxster to the original form. Nevertheless, I still have several reasons to modify my top to manual operation.

The first reason is, as you suppose, the cost. Both transmissions are broken, and the authorized dealer in Japan said it needs around 4,000USD (400,000JPY) to repair. The transmission is supplied as assembly only; and the price is around 1,500USD per a side. We can find the replacement of fragile plastic gear in the transmission on the market, but we need hydraulic press machine to engage the gear, as shown in figure 21 at
https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/BODY_Convertible_Top_Gear_Replacement/BODY_Convertible_Top_Gear_Replacement.htm
So I decided to tentatively fix the top without buying anything. However, after modifying the top as I posted, I was fully satisfied. Since I do not modify the bodywork, I can repair the top to be motorized in the future.

The second reason is the possibility of the next failure at the other part. As far as I know, the top of the boxster has several major failure modes; breakage of four ball joints, micro-switch at the top-front latch, ablation of mechanical power delivery cables (flexible shafts from the motor to the transmissions), control relay, and the transmission. In my case, the top suddenly failed at midnight, and the top stopped halfway. It was too dark to detatch the ball joints, so I gave up to close (or open) the top and drove the car very slowly to the home. Fortunately my parking space has a roof and interior was safe from rain, but I was really disgusted such adamant powered top. So I would like to avoid such challenge in the future.

The third reason is, to be honest, my perverse mind :-) I like to think and present some kind of tricks or contraption. It is also a great pleasure for me if someone would be made happy to hear my idea. This is just an additional option when you have some trouble on the convertible top of your boxster.

Since I am not a native English speaker, I am afraid of unnatural expressions above. Thank you for reading.