Preparing for and Installing a Boxster Hardtop
Parts Required:
1. Porsche Boxster
2. Porsche Boxster Hardtop
3. LH Hardtop Spinlock Insert (p/n 986 563 713 03)
4. RH Hardtop Spinlock Insert (p/n 986 563 714 03)
5. Spinlock Retainer Bolts (qty=2) (p/n 999 219 041 00)
Tools Required:
1. #2 Phillps-head screwdriver
2. Ratchet
3. Socket Extension
4. 5mm Allen-head socket
5. 3-5 mil plastic bag
6. 8mm wrench
7. Magnetic parts retriever
Reference Materials:
1. Porsche hardtop parts list (get from your dealer, or email me, I have it as a 1 MB pdf)
2. Porsche Technical Service Bulletin #6117 (hardtop preparation)
tsb.6117.spinlocks.pdf
Procedure:
1. Read the Porsche TSB above before proceeding. Consult the parts list above to help obtain the parts you need.
2. Lower the convertible top completely.
3. Locate the spinlock receivers on either side of the car. The are cast metal parts bolted onto the unibody structure of the car.
4. Insert the spinlock inserts into the openings of each receiver. Note that the inserts are handed, and are marked with an L or an R. (Left is from the point of view of the driver sitting in the car, thus the driver’s side is the left side of the car.) Align the bump on the lip of the receiver with the relief on the flange of the insert. Insert them fully so the flange of the insert is mated to the lip of the receiver.
Note: these should slide in with ease. If they do not, try wiggling them as you gently push them in. There is very little clearance, so the right angle is important. If there is just not enough clearance, pull it out, and using a flat-blade screwdriver (or punch or slim pry bar) lever the die-cast metal receiver open just a hair more. Be careful not to break the receiver if you do this. (My spinlock receivers went in with two-finger pressure and a little wiggling.)
5. Remove the inside trim panels. First remove the screw at the bottom inside.
Next, loosen, but do NOT remove, the 8mm hex bolt at the top, where the plastic portion sneaks behind the roll bar.
Lift the trim panel up and out.
The top 8mm bolt is merely a clamping bolt that threads into a receiver on the trim panel. The body of the bolt fits down inside a slot behind the roll bar, and when tightened, retains the top of the trim panel.
Also note the orientation of the plastic hooks on the trim panel, and the locations into which they insert.
6. Raise the convertible top completely.
7. Using a flashlight, peer inside, behind and below the convertible top window pillar, to view the countersunk hole in the die-cast spinlock receiver that will receive the spinlock retainer bolts. Note how this is a straight shot in, and using an Allen socket on an extension will make this very easy to install.
To keep from losing the spinlock retainer bolt if it falls off the end of the Allen socket, place the retainer bolt inside a 3-5 mil plastic bag. Push the threaded tip of the bolt through the corner of the bag.
Place the retainer bolt in the countersunk opening of the spinlock receiver, and get the bolt started. Once the threads have started, pull your tool out (huh huh...huh huh...) and pull the plastic bag off the bolt. Re-insert the 5mm Allen socket into the head of the bolt, and torque as specified in the Porsche TSB (16.6 lb-ft, or 23 Nm).
8. Re-install the trim panels, being careful to engage both plastic retainer hooks before tightening the fasteners. While doing this job, I found it helpful to have an telescoping magnetic parts retriever. While I was loosening one of the 8mm bolts, I dropped my wrench, and retrieved it easily with this tool.
9. You are now ready to install your hardtop. Your hardtop may or may not require adjustment for a proper fit. First try installing it without making any adjustments. (Mine did not – tight, quiet, and waterproof on the first try!) If the 1/2-turn handles won’t turn all the way at first, gently turn them and un-turn them a couple of times, finesse them a little, you may find that after a couple of wiggles they find their way home. Tighten the handles completely, and latch the windshield header. Take the car for a drive. If the top requires adjustment, there are 5 Allen-head cap screws behind the triangular plastic covers on the interior of the hardtop, just above the spinlock handles. Adjust these until you’re happy with the fit.
Happy motoring!
tsb.6117.spinlocks.pdf