Hardtop Purchase...
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: Milford Ma
Hardtop Purchase...
I am going to purchase a hardtop for my 91 convertible. All I need to do is find one and have it painted to match my OEM black exterior. Is there anything I need to look out for as far a mounting hardware? Has anyone purchased a hardtop and had it painted?
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 3,641
Likes: 2
From: Southern California
Re: Hardtop Purchase... (dbennett)
Just worry about shipping. Mine is costing $467 to ship:eek:. All of the headliners are black as well. Just make sure it is complete and has good weatherstripping.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Re: Hardtop Purchase... (dbennett)
I did last year. Paid $800 for the top and had it painted for about $400.
There are a number of pieces that come with a hardtop. Most important is the attaching brackets - 2 large steel brackets that connect the hardtop to the door pillars. These are what makes the car so much more stiffer with the hardtop installed. There are also 10 torx-head bolts, two have small washers, other 8 have larger washers. There is also a decklid protector that just slides in to keep the decklid paint nice. If you're lucky, you will also get the ratchet with T40 torx bit and a small ratcheting box wrench for the decklid bolts with the pouch.
There is also a ground wire for the defogger that came with the top package when it was ordered from the factory. It should be on the driver's side and attached to the shoulder belt brace with a sheet metal screw. This wire is not available in the parts book! Try to get this wire if you want the defogger to work! The connector is not available either :( The defogger hot wire is on the pass side stuffed under the carpet by the conv. top hinge.
I have an install procedure document in MS Word. I can e-mail it to if you would like.
The hardtop is a great addition to roadsters. It's a LOT quieter inside the car (I have TriFlows and the resonance drops a bunch!!). The car is much stiffer and it was easily noticable both in autocross and track days.
The hardtop sits on the decklid about 3 inches further back that the convertible top. If you dont have the OEM plastic protector, get one of the static-cling vinyl protectors from one of the catalogs. This will save the paint on the decklid. (don't ask why I know this.....)
There are a number of pieces that come with a hardtop. Most important is the attaching brackets - 2 large steel brackets that connect the hardtop to the door pillars. These are what makes the car so much more stiffer with the hardtop installed. There are also 10 torx-head bolts, two have small washers, other 8 have larger washers. There is also a decklid protector that just slides in to keep the decklid paint nice. If you're lucky, you will also get the ratchet with T40 torx bit and a small ratcheting box wrench for the decklid bolts with the pouch.
There is also a ground wire for the defogger that came with the top package when it was ordered from the factory. It should be on the driver's side and attached to the shoulder belt brace with a sheet metal screw. This wire is not available in the parts book! Try to get this wire if you want the defogger to work! The connector is not available either :( The defogger hot wire is on the pass side stuffed under the carpet by the conv. top hinge.
I have an install procedure document in MS Word. I can e-mail it to if you would like.
The hardtop is a great addition to roadsters. It's a LOT quieter inside the car (I have TriFlows and the resonance drops a bunch!!). The car is much stiffer and it was easily noticable both in autocross and track days.
The hardtop sits on the decklid about 3 inches further back that the convertible top. If you dont have the OEM plastic protector, get one of the static-cling vinyl protectors from one of the catalogs. This will save the paint on the decklid. (don't ask why I know this.....)
