Chassis stiffness

[ksjohn]

Other options? I have a Z-top that I am planning to use on a project car this year. My previous Boxster had a hardtop that I basically never took off. One thing I disliked about the removable hardtop was that it squeaked on rough roads or on a steep angled driveway. I interpreted this as the top moving when the chassis flexed.

My idea for the Z-top is to permanently bond it to the chassis front and rear with the hatch still operable. Most likely I would do this with epoxy glue.

This would eliminate the squeaking and would probably stiffen the chassis as well. My only concern is that the Z-top is light and I wonder how it would hold up over time. I suppose I could add some fiberglass or carbon fiber reinforcement to the top before installing.

Any thoughts?