I was just installing a rebuilt hydraulic ram on my 1999 996 to fix my hydraulic leak, when SNAP. The top bolt that holds the cylinder onto the car broke with only about 20lbs of torque. Looks like the bracket that has the bolt attached is part number 996.561.444.00. Does anyone have experience with this bracket? It looks like the same one that you'd have to remove in order to get to the rear window regulator, so I'm hoping it's not too difficult to remove. But my bigger question is... is that bolt just screwed into the bracket from behind, pressed in, or actually part of the bracket? I'm hoping I can just replace the bolt and don't have to buy a whole new bracket. Any help would be appreciated!

 

Well, I got it fixed. I figured I'd answer my own questions in case anyone in the future runs into the same problem.
It is not a cinch to remove the cabrio mounting bracket. Give yourself at least an hour for both removal and installation. Figuring out what bolt to remove next was only part of the challenge. The summertime Florida heat was certainly a factor, but the main pain in the butt was dealing with the cabrio top that you've for to detatch from the bracket. It's held on by 3 or 4 pivot mounts and once it's detatched becomes a cumbersome and confusing piece of equipment that you're always trying to move up and down, side to side to give you access to bolts and brackets.
A second person would have made life easier, but it can be done solo in about two hours.
I found a replacement bracket on Ebay for $70 including shipping. The bolts that hold the hydraulic ram on are actually part of the bracket, so there's no easy way to replace a single bolt without access to a machine shop.
The bottom line is please, do not even remotely over-torque those hydraulic piston bolts!