Crown

Board: Porsche - 911 - 997 Language: English Region: Worldwide Share/Save/Bookmark Close

Forum - Thread


    Cab Hard Top - first impression

    It's been getting chilly in New Jersey over the last week, and with Daylight Savings Time coming to an end this weekend, I won't be driving home from work in daylight again until April. Which means the number of occassions to put the top down is approximately zero for the next six months. So when I heard my daughter and her husband were stopping by on Sunday to pickup some stuff, I took the opportunity to have him give me a hand putting the hard top on my Cab.

    The procedure is pretty simple: make sure the fabric top is clean, then fold it down. Remove the two plastic plugs which cover the rear attachment points, then lower the hard top first onto the top of the windscreen, then inserting the lugs into the attachment points. Move the front seats as far forward as they go, then climb in the back and screw down the lugs with the supplied allen wrench. Entire process took maybe 15 minutes, including carrying the top from the basement to the garage.

    Result: I drove to work this morning and it's the first time with the hard top since the 15 miles home from the dealer in August when I picked up the car. It feels like driving a coupe. There is a noticable improvement in the sound level inside the cabin. The rear window is larger that the glass window in the fabric top. The liner is competely clean and finished, and the color match inside and out is excellent. I'm really pleased.

    I know that I'm now carrying probably 200 pounds extra weight between the Cab mechanism and fabric top, and the 70 lbs. for the hard top. I also know I still don't have the beautiful lines of the coupe. On the other hand, all summer long I have infinite head room and warm wind in my hair. And nothing beats a warm summer night in a convertable.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Niiiiice, glad you are one of the apparently verrrry small number of HT owners

    Top down driving is great! In my 986S I get to enjoy it on select days. I must admit I get a bit self conscious though since everybody seems to be staring, checking me and my passenger out.

    Here's coupe/cab comp.

    Would be great to have coupe/cab/HT comp someday.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    I came close to getting the hard top for my 99 986, but backed away at the last minute. This time I took the plunge, even though my salesman didn't think it was a good idea (although he took the money ). No one in this dealership had actually seen a 997 hard top, and they had to read the manual to make sure they could explain how to get it on and off. The sales manager helped me take it off and reinstall it when I picked up the car to make sure I had it right , not that it's hard.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    I went for the hardtop option and it is great! I have it on a hoist arrangement so that I can remove or reinstall on a whim without any assistance. It takes about 10 minutes to reinstall. Highly suggest that you not use the factory allen wrench tool and simply use an allen on a 3/8 inch wratchet. Much faster. I had them demo that to me at Zuffenhausen when I was picking up the car in June and that's what they did. Saves a lot of time.

    I, too, appreciate the larger rear window in the hardtop. It is like a coupe then,--but the exterior lines are a bit different. It looks kinda neat. Not just another 911 coupe. I wanted to order mine with an electric sunroof but drew the line on that,--would have been insanely expensive. (You used to be able to order that,--but I know of only a couple of cars that were delivered that way,--but that was years ago).

    In the meantime, it's still cab weather in SoCal.

    Dan

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Dan:

    Which hoist do you have? I've been looking at them online. Don't they either compress the fabric liner, or compress the weather strip?

    The ratchet wrench idea was obvious as I was creeping at 1/3 of a turn at a time yesterday. I'll have one for sure by the spring.

    I don't think they offer the sunroof anymore. Actually, I'd be satisfied with a fixed glass window on the top, which would be quite a bit cheaper and have no moving parts to break. I like the light in the interior you get from the glass, and care less about opening the roof.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    No offense gents, while the beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am merely stating my personal taste here. I think cabs with a hard top look hidious. The whole beauty of a Porsche cab car lies on the fabric top. On the Mercedes that's a different story. Again that's just my opinion and I know no one ask for it

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    No offense taken.

    But you're wrong.

    Not as nice as the coupe? Agreed.

    Hideous? No way.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Do you think you can post up some pics with the hard top???

    i am currently thinking about getting a hardtop for my cab as well...

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Funny, your top-down driving season is over, and the top-down driving season here in Florida is just getting started!!!

    Driving around top-down in the summer here in Florida is absolutely miserable, sticky, humid, blech.... yet I still am amazed by how many folks I see in the height of our scorcher-season with the top down on their Boxter, 911 or SL Mercedes, sweating like Al Gore at a turkey shoot, glistening in their bodily juices, cruising through town with the top down for no reason I can fathom other than "because they can" and they're trying to shed pounds of water weight.

    If I had a cab, I'd like the hard top option as well. Only I'd use my hard top in the summer, and go topless in the winter...

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Great minds and all that ... I just ran out at lunch to take a few snaps.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    2 Side View

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    3 3/4 Rear View

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    I also live in New Jersey and I have the top down on any sunny day when the temperature is in the mid to low 40's or higher. Sounds ridiculous, but if you put the windscreen and the windows up and turn on the seat heaters while cranking up the heat, it's very comfortable. As a matter of fact, I often have to lower the heat because it gets too hot. Live on the edge; try it! I agree that the cab hard- top just doesn't look right. It looks to me like more of a helmet.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Ah ... the key is 'sunny day'. I agree with you. But: I leave for work when it's dark; I return home when it's dark; the number of sunny weekend days between now and the spring when the lady is not in the car is around zero; that's why the hard top makes sense.

    Actually, I would have put the soft top down this afternoon when I was taking these shots, but if I didn't have the hard top fitted, I wouldn't have been outside at all!

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Quote:
    Scotty A said:
    Dan:

    Which hoist do you have? I've been looking at them online. Don't they either compress the fabric liner, or compress the weather strip?

    The ratchet wrench idea was obvious as I was creeping at 1/3 of a turn at a time yesterday. I'll have one for sure by the spring.

    I don't think they offer the sunroof anymore. Actually, I'd be satisfied with a fixed glass window on the top, which would be quite a bit cheaper and have no moving parts to break. I like the light in the interior you get from the glass, and care less about opening the roof.




    One more time, I'll try to answer this.

    A buddy gave me his hoist. It's very simple,--two parts.

    (1) block and tackle. (something you could get at a sporting goods store--big enough to hoist a small deer into a tree while dressing it out).

    (2) A 3/4 in wide nylong strap about 12 ft long with metal clips on either end. It goes AROUND the top (through the windows) to secure it laterally. A third connection is provided by anotehr strap with a loop in it that goes through the other one (they meet inside the car roughly between the front seat backs) and then up to meet the other two metal clips which all are clipped onto a stout steel ring which is secured to the lift end of the block and tackle.

    Procedure: You loosen up the rear bolts (recommend a 3/8s in wratchet with allen head drive) and then unlatch the front. Thread the third strap through the back of the unit, lifting it easily with one hand while crouched in the back. Secure it to the ring suspended above the car. Take the long piece and pass it through the open windows. Secure on the ring. Take up slack, and slowly guide it off as you pull on the tackle.

    I suspend mine above my car at all times, and have it wrapped in a section of parachute material,--keeps the dust off it when up there. About ten minutes to reattach.

    Will prepare some pictures.

    Dan

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Pictures would be great. No damage to the rubber gaskets from the straps?

    BTW, I did something similar for my Yakima roof box in my old house, where the ceiling in the garage was about 12 feet high. It made getting it on and off of my car a relative snap. I could raise the box up high enough that it was above the garage door in open position. That won't work in this house, where the ceiling is maybe 8 feet at best. If I do something like this, I'll have to mount it forward in the garage (e.g. the end away from the door) because it won't fit above the open door. The Porsche is (I think) short enough that I can pull all the way in and make this work, but I haven't done it yet.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    how is the blind spot with the HT on? The C pillars look a bit wide...and the side window thats on the coupe is not really there on the cab. Just wondering...

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    When you're used to that tiny rear window of the cab suddenly opening up that rear window goes a long way in visibility. Sure,--the C pillar is large but it's not nearly as bad as the cab with the top up.

    That's why Butzi's design was so outstanding from the start,--and carried over to today,--outstanding visibility on the coupes, particularly back there.

    Dan

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    IMO: the thing that bothers me most about the cab is the lines/struts/framework of the clothtop. Looks completely foreign to the rest of the car which is shiny, smooth, clean, curved. The framework and cloth stretched over it reminds me of a tarp. It was invented for the Ford Model T .

    (that's why I think black is the only sensible choice. Keeping any other color clean is impossible: period. Except on the showroom floor, every non-black cab I see is dirty. But I digress...

    Anyway, seeing the HT on a Cab reeeeeally makes me feel better looking at it.

    Of course the coupe is the ideal.

    Just blabbing, just IMO, not trying to make a big deal.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    MMD,--you will find, however, that the Porsche tops reduce that image to the maximum extent possible. Trust me, at 177 mph I certainly never thought I was in a convertible with the top flapping in the breeze!

    Here's that top harness arrangement:

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    My experience with removable hardtop storage applies to classic cars, but for whatever it's worth....

    For EXTENDED storage, you want to support the top in a manner similar to the way it is designed to be supported when mounted. Supporting at the mid-point, and the rear only, with the header un-supported, LONG TERM, could potentially cause the front of the roof to warp from its own weight. Not immensely maybe, and maybe not at all with the more modern materials used. But it's something worth thinking about, if you stored your hard top for 2-3 years without full support at all critical points, and then went to reinstall and had poor sealing at the header, wind-noise, water leak, who knows.

    Again, I may be worried about nothing. But I know if you stored a 1957 Thunderbird or Corvette hard top like that, with no support at the front, you'd come back to a catastrophic problem a year or two later, especially if the garage was not climate controlled and things got hot....

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Dan L,
    Everytime I see your car I love the color more and more.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Thanks. (The interior color is best in the first shot,--in the second I used a flash and didn't color correct).

    With respect to the storage method, I believe that the rigidity of these things is high,--and with it supported as it is, as shown, it is not subjecting any part to more stress than any other. In fact, the stress is LESS than that found when stored on the optional cradle from Porsche. That puts all the weight on the bottom rear of the top, not distributed.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    What I liked about the Cab/HT combo was that it was liking having two Porsches for the price of one. With three different driving experiences and looks. I've sold my C4S Cab and plan on getting a new Targa in the Spring, but there is a special place in my heart for the Cab/HT combo Enjoy!:!

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    sharmat:

    The C pillor is actually the same on the sides, and is driven by the shape of the rear windows in the Cab. So what I would refer to as the 'blind spot' is about the same. However, as Dan says, the larger rear window is great.

    Dan:

    Great color combo. And thanks for the description of the hoist. As I said, I have to make sure I can pull far enough forward in the garage to clear the door for this to work. Alternatively, I might back in, which I notice you do as well.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Exactly! when I put the HT on I felt like I got a new car! Even though the softtop is the best I've experienced, the HT is just ... more like a coupe.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Scotty,--that's the deal,--back in on the questionable days (hardtop or cab?) so that you can clear the overhead door and get it positioned correctly. I still have a little jockeying around to get mine just where I want it,--will do that this winter. Yes,--I have TWO 997S for the price of one! Coupe (custom look) and cabriolet!

    Dan

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Porsche feature CLC (Custom Look Coupe) ... sounds better than Hard Top. I like it.

    BTW this is my fifth softtop.

    Two in college: I started with a 1964 Pontiac LeMans, which unfortunately had no heat the entire winter I drove it, then died just as the ground was melting. Then a 1965 Mustang, which was a piece of cr-p but which I should have kept for nostalgia value. I had these two cars for a total of 15 months. I junked the first and sold the second for $400, which is what I spent on it. And it wasn't working when I dumped it.

    Then I got some money and bought an 89 325iC. Great car. Put 150k miles on it as a daily driver in 10 years.

    The Bimmer was traded for my 99 986, and the rest is history.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    CLC (Custom Look Coupe)... I like it.

    Re: Cab Hard Top - first impression

    Will the 996 hardtop fiton the 997??

     
    Edit

    Forum

    Board Subject Last post Rating Views Replies
    Porsche Sticky SUN'S LAST RUN TO WILSON, WY - 991 C2S CAB LIFE, END OF AN ERA (Part II) 3/28/24 3:21 AM
    watt
    689325 1780
    Porsche Sticky Welcome to Rennteam: Cars and Coffee... (photos) 2/19/24 11:51 PM
    Wonderbar
    409088 564
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Cayman GT4 RS (2021) 5/12/23 12:11 PM
    W8MM
    255697 288
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Porsche 911 (992) GT3 RS - 2022 3/12/24 8:28 AM
    DJM48
    234946 323
    Porsche Sticky The new Macan: the first all-electric SUV from Porsche 1/30/24 9:18 AM
    RCA
    65500 45
    Porsche Sticky OFFICIAL: Taycan 2024 Facelift 3/15/24 1:23 PM
    CGX car nut
    4644 50
    Porsche The moment I've been waiting for... 2/1/24 7:01 PM
    Pilot
     
     
     
     
     
    857898 1364
    Porsche 992 GT3 7/23/23 7:01 PM
    Grant
    773904 3868
    Porsche OFFICIAL: New Porsche 911 Turbo S (2020) 4/6/23 7:43 AM
    crayphile
    447864 1276
    Porsche Welcome to the new Taycan Forum! 2/10/24 4:43 PM
    nberry
    378856 1526
    Porsche GT4RS 2/22/24 5:16 AM
    tso
    365598 1424
    Porsche Donor vehicle for Singer Vehicle Design 7/3/23 12:30 PM
    Porker
    360777 797
    Others Tesla 2 the new thread 12/13/23 2:48 PM
    CGX car nut
    354709 2401
    Lambo Aventador and SV 3/30/23 1:59 PM
    CGX car nut
    279145 724
    Ferrari Ferrari 812 Superfast 4/21/23 8:09 AM
    the-missile
    275519 550
    Porsche Red Nipples 991.2 GT3 Touring on tour 3/14/24 8:55 PM
    blueflame
    272523 658
    Porsche Collected my 997 GTS today 10/19/23 7:06 PM
    CGX car nut
     
     
     
     
     
    248215 812
    Lambo Huracán EVO STO 7/30/23 6:59 PM
    mcdelaug
    225063 346
    Others Corvette C8 10/16/23 3:24 PM
    Enmanuel
    217918 488
    Lotus Lotus Emira 6/25/23 2:53 PM
    Enmanuel
    196717 101
    Others Gordon Murray - T.50 11/22/23 10:27 AM
    mcdelaug
    155309 387
    Porsche Back to basics - 996 GT3 RS 6/11/23 5:13 PM
    CGX car nut
    126885 144
    Ferrari [2022] Ferrari Purosangue (SUV) 4/15/23 5:20 AM
    watt
    120468 141
    BMW M 2024 BMW M3 CS Official Now 12/29/23 9:04 AM
    RCA
    105964 303
    Motor Sp. 2023 Formula One 12/19/23 5:38 AM
    WhoopsyM
    102503 685
    Others Valkyrie final design? 4/28/23 2:45 AM
    Rossi
    97645 219
    Porsche 2022 992 Safari Model 3/7/24 4:22 PM
    WhoopsyM
    81039 239
    AMG Mercedes-Benz W124 500E aka Porsche typ 2758 2/23/24 10:03 PM
    blueflame
    74333 297
    Porsche 992 GT3 RS 3/3/24 7:22 PM
    WhoopsyM
    52115 314
    Motor Sp. Porsche 963 3/16/24 9:27 PM
    WhoopsyM
    23091 237
    133 items found, displaying 1 to 30.