[truegearhead]

Here in Virginia you don't normally need a convertible in January but it was 75 degrees yesterday and I had to take the lady friend to a winery so something had to be done about the top that broke earlier in the week. The convertible top and I have been in a fight for about a year now. Its been a war waged with micro switches, ball joints, and relays but this week it dropped the bomb with a burned out motor. So it was time to finally take the electric top out back and rip it apart. I read several articles on how to disconnect the top in the up position and struggled with it for about 3 hours with absolutely no luck(BTW this job really sucks with GT3 seats or any other seat that doesn't fold forward). Once I figured out a plane of attack it went very quickly.

First off, there is no way to pop the top ball joints off in the up position, I don't know how anyone was able to do this. On my top they'll only pop half way off before they hit the frame and there is no dam way to get to them. I've done some tricky stuff on this car including an IMS job but this approach really was impossible. Here is how I did it


Step 1: First take the roll bar hoop screens out

Step 2: Grab a big crescent wrench and open it all the open and use it to pop the hydraulic ball joints off of the clamshell. Unlike the other ball joints these are easy to spot. Don't try anything but a crescent wrench, I tried a screw driver, the Porsche tool, a pickle fork, everything short of smearing the balljoints with peanut butter and throwing the neighbors dog back there.

Step 3: With both clamshell ball joints pop'ed off go to the back of the car and open the clamshell. The convertible top ball joints are right at the base of the B pillers. Locate the tie-rod at the back and follow it up. From the back of the car you can easly pop the ball joint half way off. On my car the frame prevented anything more. Then use an allen wrench to un bolt the tie rod at the back. Then un-wedge the tierod.

Step 4: Put the top down

Will the top open on the highway? Don't quote me on this but I don't see how the top could ever open on the highway. The clamshell must move back and then up to open the top, so if you lift straight up on the top it won't open.

Does the top rattle? My top used to rattle like hell, it never sat all the way down so on the rubber stops so it bounced around a lot. Then again my top was spiteful and full of hate so yours probably doesn't do this. In manual though the top sits completely flat and is dead quite…Odd. The clamshell really locks it down.

Is it easy to put up and down? Yes takes about half the time as the auto feature.

Have I been telling people it was a manual from the factory? Of course.

Any complaints? My convertible top light is stuck on now and it is annoying enough that my date noticed. I told her it meant we were in a convertible and she seemed to buy that so for now I'm in the clear.