New Member, Z-Art Question

[JBauer]

Originally Posted by morbidelli17

It was a bit nerve-wracking. The Aliexpress store that I used shut down immediately after I placed the order, and allegedly moved all of its listings to a different site.

Hows it fit out of the box? I heard they fit better now.

[morbidelli17]

Quindao, I honestly don't know. The link JBauer posted still seems to work:

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/32848970530.html?trace=wwwdetail2mobilesitedetail

... but I think it would be cool if your friend made at least the molds for the hard parts. I'm afraid that this is an artifact that has a potential client base that is getting smaller with each passing year, and once it is gone, it likely never will be re-created. I honestly wonder if I got the very last one - the seller wanted to be sure of the year of my car before shipping.

JB, don't know yet. Will order some hinges and a latch tonight, so I don't have to re-align panels every time I switch. I plan to test-fit next week. I can tell you it's a lot more solid than I had hoped for. And I see what you meant about the gap between the double layers of fiberglass. Will have to talk to my fiberglass guy about options for a moonroof, to see if it's even possible.

Will keep you updated!

[JBauer]

Man, you have patience. I was so excited I immediately had mine sitting on just to see what I was up against. 😁

[CharlesE]

These threads make me want to order one. Just trying to justify the cost of everything

[morbidelli17]

Originally Posted by JBauer

Man, you have patience. I was so excited I immediately had mine sitting on just to see what I was up against. ��]

It helps if you're totally swamped at work. I'm busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest. :ah:

But believe me, I can't wait to hook this up. I love the convertible, but damn, this car with this hardtop is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen on four wheels.

BTW, my local Porsche indie is a longtime Porsche racer. He bought one of these tops when they were being made in South Africa. Stuck it on his Boxster racer. First thing he did was cut out the entire lower layer of fiberglass, leaving only the outer shell, to reduce weight. No problems with rigidity.

[Qingdao]

Originally Posted by morbidelli17

I'm busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest. :ah:

DUDE I'm dying here. I'm totally stealing this saying. LOL

[JBauer]

Well dont leave us hanging. Hows it fit?

[morbidelli17]

Hey all. Sorry, still swamped, and I decided to follow JBauer's route and ordered trunk hinges and latch for the hardtop to make swapping easier. The stuff should be here in a few days, and I have a friend lined up to do test fitting next week.

Would I buy it again? Absolutely. I just went into it thinking that there was a very good chance the thing never would show up. But Aliexpress has a refund/dispute system, my bank card is another route to get money back, and (this is important) I didn't spend the rent money here! But I really, really wanted a Porsche, a convertible isn't as useful as you might think in Los Angeles, and I was willing to take the chance on this entire project, fully aware that it might be a financial disaster. Your mileage may vary.

Joeyutts, here's the link that the seller just sent to me:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32848970530.html

I talked to my boat guy about the moonroof concept. He said, "Dude, I've been a fabricator since 1978. Anything is possible. Bring it by and we'll take a look." He says a removable panel is possible, but now I'm kind of leaning toward a fixed clear panel. We'll see what he has to say.

And Qingdao, I just love the visual image that comes along with that saying ... :dance:

[hermes]

It is old but in good shape. I listed it on craigslist in Chicago for $3500.