I was wondering if anyone knew whether the aluminium hardtop which fitted 996 series Cabriolet's also fitted 997 Cab's. There are a few second hand units for sale.

 

My understanding is that it will not fit, all the body panels on the 997 are different from the 996 except the roof - not much help on a cab.

 

Not sure but will know soon enough. Have purchased a 996 hardtop off ebay for my '07 CS in matching color. Research I have done says it will fit. Part number for the top is the same as for the 996 and while it has changed recently to a 997 number vs. the 996. I believe that has to do with changes made in the attachment point hardware and the front clips which would not work on a 996 without a little reverse engineering. Will need to purchase rear top mounts, as they are not on the newer cars, and corresponding attachment pins for the top. The front clips may also need to changed as my research suggests the attachment points on the windshield pillar are a different shape.
As I'm having the top crated and shipped from Florida to Indiana I'll be able to comment on that process as well.
If I'm feeling energetic, I'll detail the process with pictures and the like for posterity. If it won't fit I'll communicate that as well. Given the deal I got on the top itself and the fact that I'll be able to reuse the crate should I need to re-sell the top I figure I can, at worst, break even on the top if it won't work and purchase the correct top for my car. Check back in a few weeks as I'll have posted the definitive answer to the question by then.

 

How much money could you save by doing it this way? I would assume you could buy the correct 997 hardtop from the dealer for approximately $3500?

 

Well, the top cost me $ 450 + $ 550 crating, shipping and insurance. While I haven't assessed the condition of the top outside of the pictures and description, figuring the top came from Florida it's not likely to have seen much use. The seller has 100% perfect feedback to boot on lots of transactions. Additional parts might run $ 500 or so, so I'm up $ 2000 on your estimate of the cost of a new top. List is above $ 5000 from what I understand so $ 3500 would be on good deal on a new top assuming it comes painted. Otherwise I'm way ahead as this top matches the color of my car. If it doesn't fit the going price on ebay runs from $ 1250 to $ 1750. Given the popularity of Arctic Silver I believe I could see it particularly since I will have the crate to ship it in. As I would need the top mounts regardless of which top I bought $ 300 of my out of pocket could be subtracted from the $ 500 parts total making it now $ 200 give or take. If the top fits I plan on selling the crate, easily worth $ 300, to someone wanting to ship or have a 996 top shipped from somewhere. If the top gets destroyed in-transit I'm insured for double my out of pocket so far. Math works for me.

 

Isn't having to put on and take off the hardtop a pain? Plus there's a good chance of damaging it every time you take it off. Never owned one so I don't really know.

 

Bought it for our Indiana winters. Have a one man top winch I used for an older Mercedes 450 SL top which was a great deal heavier. Should work well for the Porsche top and stores the top hanging from the ceiling of the garage when not in use so it's out of the way. However, it was originally used in a two car single door garage. The 3 car 3 door garage I have now will add some additional challenges as the top needs to hang directly above the car. Current door configuration will require a different garage door opener so I can eliminate the current chain driven door opener that is positioned in the center of the door tracks. Was going to have to do that anyway in order to install a lift so it's not really any added expense. If I go with a four post lift I can store the top on lift if need be.

 

Wow. That's going to be some serious garage!
I definitely like the look of the hardtop way better - I was initially thinking of getting the hardtop but decided against it - not common in California since we have the top down in Winter time as well...good luck. Post a photo of the garage when its done.

 

Here's what I found on another forum:

The only issue you will face with using a 996 hardtop on a 997 is:

The 996 hardtop will probably have the older style "Pin" latch for the rear attachment points. The 997 will not have any mating latch mechanism installed.

You will have to purchase and install the updated threaded bolt rear attachment mechanism on the top and the car. Refer to TSB 6117 for more details. It is a simple modification to do.

Below is a picture of the new and the old attachment methods.

The other minor issue is that the front alignment pins on the hardtop that fit into the slots on the left and right sunvisor mount in the windshield header have slightly different shapes to them. They will fit, but it is unclear how tight the fit will be.

Other than these 2 issues it is PnP.

 

I researched this quite a lot when I had my 05 C2S cab, and after receiving a lot of conflicting information from dealers and people on this website, I gave up on the idea. Not only do the 997 cabs not have the mounting devices (unless they were ordered from the factory with a hardtop), there seemed to be 2 or 3 different latching mechanisms on the 996 tops, depending what year they were made. Without a good electric winch and suitable storage room in a garage above the car, it seems that hard tops are a PITA, which is why most 996 owners have sold theirs. For most owners, apparently any benefits were offset by the nuisance factors.

 

Sounds like a pretty safe bet! Good luck and post some pics when you get it figured out.

 

AS an update ,the 996 Hardtop I purchases off ebay arrived and fits fine on the newer 997 my '07 C4S. Haven't decided on which mounts ( locking mechanism) to use as the older tops (non 997) come with the older locking pins. In order to use the newer mounts I'll need to buy the newer pins which retail for $280 a piece along with the new mounts which retail for $ 150 a piece. If I stick with the older pins already installed on the top I can save close to $ 600. I have to buy the mounts one way or the other. As for the front mounting clips being a different shape, they don't appear to be an issue as the top fits snuggly into them in front when locked down. Once I decide on which rear mounts to get I'll post an update with pics.