ATTN. 84-86 CARRERA CABRIOLET FOLKS should look like SHOULD look like.
 

To anyone with a mid-80s Cabriolet, I need help!
Actually I need your expertise if you've replaced your own top, or photos if you've had it professionally replaced. I just had mine replaced, and to me it looks like a half - crappy job. I will post a few photos to illustrate.

My area of concern is where the canvas wraps around the B Pillar. At the bottom there's a little plate over a gasket that is fastened with a couple countersink screws. I don't remember seeing this plate exposed, my thinking is that the canvas was wrapped around over it, then covered by the bracket with the vertical foam window seals glued into it. I unfortunately do not have any "before" photos of the area to support my contention of what a factory installation SHOULD look like. Therefore I'm soliciting any photos you may have that illustrate the area.

Also, I had purchased replacement vertical seals from our host here, and they seam to be too "fat" and interfere with the window operation. The "professional" installer tells me that it's because they're not the proper seals and THAT's why it's messed up. Naturally, he tossed the old seals in the dumpster, so there's nothing with which to compare.

Please, if you can send me a few photos of your car's top installation maybe I can sort this out.

~Donhttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747354888.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747354888.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747354910.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747354888.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747354888.jpg

Thank you Carl. That's the sort of shot I was hoping someone would send. Clearly, my shop didn't do it correctly. By removing the metal plate, doubling over the fabric, wrapping the lower seam around, and sticking the plate over the top of all that, pushed the vertical trim bracket around 10mm forward which is what caused the foam seal to interfere with the window.

Thanks again, Don

Here’s what my ‘84 looks like …

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1747396184.jpg

@donagain1 - it appears as if the installation isn't right in three ways:

1. As the other submitted photos show, the screw and right-angle bracket should not be showing or there.
2. The B-pillar shouldn't bunch up with a crease like your last photo shows.
3. The the fabric underneath the leading edge Tenax connector stub shouldn't be curled up or as taught is your photos show.

May want to go back and have them do it correctly.

I've already thanked Carl for posting his photo, and I wish to do the same for isby. A properly installed job should look nice, sleek, and weather tight, unlike what the installer did on my car.

MTN930, every point you made is absolutely spot on. As to your last comment, I did just that. I went back to the shop yesterday prior to posting this, and the owner had the temerity to literally argue that it was actually done correctly and would not budge from that standpoint. He said that the problem was my vertical seals were not correctly sized, and probably the wrong part. He said that he knew about the interference with the window and the door seal outside the window, but went ahead anyway without contacting me. His incompetence was obvious and arrogance even moreso, but the straw that broke the camel's back was when I told him that the bunched up lower seam was sticking out so far that it wouldn't be weathertite and I could look underneath it and see daylight through from the inside of the car. He then said that he would shoot some (get this) caulk in there and that would serve to glue down the lower edge beneath the Tenax fastener. I was feeling so much anger building up that I had to either terminate the conversation with the ignorant SOB, or terminate him. I then realized that I am in fact 75 years old with plastic parts in my heart, and getting into a physical confrontation with a much younger man wasn't in my best interest.

There's a few things for which I am responsible, mainly that I didn't ascertain whether or not he had experience with Porsches before engaging him, not having any photos of how it looked before he started, not giving it a thorough inspection before taking delivery (my ride over to his shop had left after dropping me off), and parking the car in my garage for a week and a half before spotting the defects. That S* is on me, but so would taking the car back to him. I've since been in touch with another shop locally and spoke to the owner who claimed to have extensive Porsche experience. I will pay him to correct it, and then ponder whether I want to hit the first guy with a small claims action to offset the cost. I'm saving the photos here for possible use as evidence.

Maybe I can get back to sleeping again, the past few nights have been a challenge to shut my brain down and going over all the woulda, shoulda, couldas.

~Don