Z3 Top Replacement Pictures

It was not difficult but the clean up before putting the new top on was a serious pain in the @$$ and it took a really long time. No leaks!!! Enjoy.

The pictures turned out in revers order for some reason so start at the bottom.

Great job!

I was tempted to do the same thing, but chickened out. How long did it take to do the job?
Which top did you purchase and was the written instructions adequate to do the job?

Nick

A lot of hard work and it must have been a real PITA....but GREAT job. The job must have left you with a feeling of tremendous satisfaction.

Put those pictures together with a little "how to" verbage and I'll publish it in the CruiZin' NewZ.

nfunk,
It took me about 18 hours to do this job from start to finish. I had never replaced a top before so I went slowly and took plenty of pictures of the disassembly to help me put it back together correctly. I'm not sure which top it was but I think it was the cheaper one. Apparently the slightly more expensive ones have plastic on the attach points instead of just fabric tabs. I believe the owner said she spent around $250 for it. I would have no problem putting this top on my car whenever it needs replacing. The directions were awful. I didn't look at them until after I had taken the top off and then realized they only covered the removal of the top. Nothing for the installation. I basically browsed a couple of Youtube videos and forum threads for hints on doing it correctly.

Morrieschoice,
The disassembly and assembly were a lot of fun. I got my 9 year old daughter to help out. We got some really good "Dad" time in on this project. The PITA was the cleanup before assembly. That took about 8 hours alone. I wish I didn't have OCD about cleanliness.

As for the satisfaction, yes, I was completely satisfied with the results. The funny thing is that it wasn't even my car. A lady in my neighborhood asked me if she would buy a top, since her back window was missing, would I HELP her put it on. When asked what I would charge for the help, I told her $100. I ended up doing the job myself in my garage since she didn't have any tools. She was so satisfied with the top that she paid me $150 dollars for the work. While doing her top I also, replaced both broken window switches, replaced broken air-conditioning switch, found a key fob on craigslist (she didn't know the car had keyless entry and an alarm), fixed her aftermarket stereo and disconnected the anti-theft switch behind it (so the alarm and keyless entry worked), Fixed her vapor barriers inside of both doors (no more water in the foot well), cleaned all of the drains, fixed the A-pillar gasket, cleared fuel nozzle drain, replace her antenna grommet, and fabricated a metal bracket to reattach her passenger door pull, which was completely unusable.

To see the smile on her face when I brought back her NEW car was absolutely satisfying.

Zedfor,
I'll try to do that when I get some time. Unfortunately, I don't have many of the pictures for a true DIY thread. I'll see what I can put together.

Great job and certainly a good friend. Like the "dad" time too!

Originally Posted by BeanZ

Great job and certainly a good friend. Like the "dad" time too!

Good Friend? Had the car in my garage for two days and realized I didn't even know the lady's name. I just hated to see the roadster in that condition. Something had to be done. I'm not even sure I'll ever run into her again. Actually, I noticed her seats where rocking, I think she'll be back.

I guess that qualifies me as a true enthusiast.

Originally Posted by Hornedfrog1969

As for the satisfaction, yes, I was completely satisfied with the results. The funny thing is that it wasn't even my car. A lady in my neighborhood asked me if she would buy a top, since her back window was missing, would I HELP her put it on.

To see the smile on her face when I brought back her NEW car was absolutely satisfying.

Zedfor,
I'll try to do that when I get some time. Unfortunately, I don't have many of the pictures for a true DIY thread. I'll see what I can put together.

Dude, I would personally like to thank you for doing all that work for someone you didn't really even know.

It has been my experience that just owning the car, and meeting another owner makes you instant friends. Go to ANY Z3 meet, and you will see what I mean.

As far as a DIY for the roof, a chap named Vinci has a great writeup for the roof replacement out there. The biggest difference would be his is for an OEM top, yours is aftermarket.

Here is a link to his PDF: Vinci's Roof Replacement

Again, thank you for doing that for her. It really had to make her day as well!

Giznaz,
My old friend! Remember when you sent me a set of seat bushings for free? Well, I'm just passing it forward. I used that writeup you mentioned almost exclusively to help me put the new top on. There were some spots where I had to interpolate, like getting the new roof on the tacking strip. I didn't cover that part. But it was extremely helpful….. Take care.

Rob