Top Installation...Let the pros do it!
 

I went over to my mechanic's house tonight to see how he was coming on a forum member's top replacement. He was in the middle of the project.

It seems that the $400 tops one can buy off ebay do not have the aluminum pieces glued in place that the factory tops come with. These aluminum pieces are located where your hand would rest if the top was up and the window down and you had your fingers resting on the side window part of the top, spanning from the windshield back to your shoulder.

I shot a picture of the old top with the aluminum still on it. The top is gray.

With these tops, the installer has to remove the aluminum off the old top and glue it to the new top, which doesn't have to be done to the factory replacements from Porsche.

The other shot is one of the new black top in position with some of the supports already in it.

For all you DIY guys out there who think you can tackle this project, I'd like to recommend that you let a trim shop or Porsche mechanic whose done them before do it and steer clear of it. Of course, if you're comfortable with recycling parts that must be glued down with precision for perfect fit, and you don't mind possibliy buying a second top to get it right, then go right ahead. Top replacement on our cars is not like a brake job, that's for sure.