How do you straighten a bent clamshell?

[tomswift33]

Any suggestions on how to straighten a slightly bent clamshell? Somehow it got jammed and bent prior to cable replacement. This is driving me nuts!

[ar38070]

You take if off of the car and carefully bend it back.

[tomswift33]

I know how to take it off the car, but how do you "carefully bend it back"?

[ar38070]

Somewhere in the archives there is a picture taken at one of the SF Bay area DIY days that shows two guys twisting the shell back in to shape. When your top mechanism was broken, the clam shell was twisted out of shape. You need to twist it in the opposite direction. I would take it off the car and then with another person, one on each end, twist in whichever direction looks right. From the pictures it looks like the driver's side needs to be twisted in the clockwise direction looking at it from the driver's side of the car. Obviously go slowly. Apply a little twist, put it back on the car, repeat a necessary.

[98Boxster98]

Somewhere in the archives there is a picture taken at one of the SF Bay area DIY days that shows two guys twisting the shell back in to shape.  When your top mechanism was broken, the clam shell was twisted out of shape.  You need to twist it in the opposite direction.  I would take it off the car and then with another person, one on each end, twist in whichever direction looks right.  From the pictures it looks like the driver's side needs to be twisted in the clockwise direction looking at it from the driver's side of the car.  Obviously go slowly.  Apply a little twist, put it back on the car, repeat a necessary.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe this to be the photo mentioned by ar38070:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...findpost&p=5142

[Tool Pants]

I am not going to take the clamshell off the car anymore. The guys at Stevens Creek Porsche showed me how they do it on the car. Saves time and just takes a few seconds when it is still on the car. Van and I and Peter and I have rebent mine twice on the car. The only thing is you need 2 people.

[tomswift33]

This picture was worth a thousand words. It took literally 3 minutes to rebend the top to fit flush.