I've seen it in person, and Woody's manual top mod is brilliant. If I were fed up with the power roof I'd be knocking on Woody's door for the exact details on how he converted to manual.

Fantastic. Very much appreciated.

One more question: order of operation. 19mm bolt first or arms?

Yes. (matters not)

Excellent Thread - saves us money and frustration ,saves weight, diagrams, photos
Thanks to the Contributors.
BTW if all that has failed is the plastic ball joint on the Arm ,you don't need to buy the entire arm from Porsche. EBay has the plastic or metal ball-end pieces inexpensively.
Search terms - some or all the following: "Boxster Metal Top Push Rod Ball Joint "
The trick is to push completely home the new plastic 'cup' on the metal ball end. If you fail ,it will look O.K. and work a few times then fall off. You need a tight fitting wedge to force it all the way 'home'. I use an old ,large, flat blade screwdriver. Jam it between the back of the cup and the bracket.Just keep pushing it tighter and twist a little. A little silicone grease in the cup helps.
I shall try generic M8 gas spring ball ends in stainless steel.

Would one of you guys be willing to make a video of how you put the top up and down in this manual configuration? Thanks!

Maybe later... I drove the Neon to work today. :eek:
It is simple:

1. Unlatch the top normally at the windshield.
2. Standing beside the car, lift the back of the clamshell and place it all the way up. - It should stay up without support.
3. Lift and pull back the top from the front with one hand, and fold at the window with the other hand. - It should drop in the the lowered position.
4. Place the clamshell back down.

:cheers:

Still want a video?

78F350,

Your description is super clear, no video needed!

If something big fails on my roof mechanism, I will go manual.

Thanks!

Update
 

All, the descriptions and the pics were amazing. I was done in 45 minutes and that included a coffee break. The roof is manual and it is awesome. No missed driving days here. Thank you very much.

I just converted mine to manual today for ease of opening and closing while I install the Z top. (Well, I stopped by my indy's shop to get a CEL scanned on my lunch break and he helped me get it open halfway first)

5 minutes

1. Pop the two black plastic clips off the ball joints for the clam shell struts

2. Pop the red plastic clip off of the transmission rod ball joint

3. Don't touch the button

(I will be removing motor, transmission, roof, clam shell, and trunk lid in the next couple of weeks so this is just temporary)

The top on one of my cars stopped working a couple days ago. I recorded a video of how I opened the top and converted it to manual operation:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QOLhAR8bLio?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
(Also going do a short post in the DIY section.)

Woody, can you repost the pics you have of your latch mechanism that were lost in the photobucket?

How much weight to be saved if you remove all of these parts, including the whole top (if I am going to be driving with a hardtop). Do I still need something to latch the clamshell or will the installed hardtop hold it down (just realized I could probably quickly look at the car to see but I am at work...)

I'm in Alaska for a few more days. I'll try and remember when I get back

I have a complete set of mechanism parts (transmissions, cables, arms, etc.) packed in a medium flat rate box. It weighs 15 lbs.

The 'canvas' and frame weighs 35 lbs. Slight variables for glass, liner, bolts, but 35 is a good general number making the total an easy 50 lbs.

I put a hardtop on that car just after I made the video. The clamshell will not budge with the hardtop on.

Awesome, have a great trip!

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1508844720.jpg

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1508844782.jpg
Sorry it took so long to get these pictures. I couldn't remember what thread was asking for them. I love my manual top. One of my favorite modifications.

what parts did the latch and latch mechanism come off of?

The latch is off the trunk of a boxster. I had to fabricate the mounting bracket using the metal piece from the top motor. It's real easy if you have a mig welder.