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Thread: 2002 Convertible top on a 1996 Z3

  1. #1
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    2002 Convertible top on a 1996 Z3

    The dealership was very skeptical this would work, but so far so good. I purchased a complete used 2002 convertible top complete with frame, canvas, window and tacking strip etc and and replaced my old top that had a bad window and the canvas had disintegrated. The frame of the top is attached to the car body, behind the seats, by the pillars. There are 2 nuts holding the frame down to the car and a bolt (on each side) that goes through a hole and screws into the frame top. There are also 6 shims between the top frame and the body, WARNING If you are able to help find this bolt size DO NOT just unscrew the bolt and pull it out! I found out the hard way...and was fishing for the dropped shims...lesson learned.

    The bolt is not the same for the 1996 and the 2002, the 1996 bolt is thinner and shorter. I am looking for the size and thread of the 2002 bolt. I had the dealer look and I tried RealOEM but could not find the bolt. Here is a pic of the bolt hole location (hole on the top, right side when pic rotated)Soft top bolt hole location.jpg

    The picture should be rotated clockwise and was taken from the passenger seat looking rearward.

    Thanks for the help everyone!

  2. #2
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    Well that's a bit of a problem. If I go and pull the bolt out of my car to measure it, I'll likely be fishing for dropped shims. Thank you for the warning.

    All I can suggest is for you to get a selection of metric bolts around the right size and see which one easily screws in. That will give you the thread size and pitch. Use the length of the original 1996 bolt for the length of the new bolt.
    1999 2.8L Z3 Roadster,
    2000 3.0L Z3 Roadster,

    There is only one thing more pleasurable than working on a Z3, that's driving it top down on a fine day.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris 1996 Z3 View Post
    ... There are 2 nuts holding the frame down to the car and a bolt (on each side) that goes through a hole and screws into the frame top. There are also 6 shims between the top frame and the body, WARNING If you are able to help find this bolt size DO NOT just unscrew the bolt and pull it out! I found out the hard way...and was fishing for the dropped shims...lesson learned. The bolt is not the same for the 1996 and the 2002, the 1996 bolt is thinner and shorter. ....
    Why do you say that the bolts are different? Is your 1996 bolt not threading into the 2002 top's frame?
    In preparation for installing a hard top, the other week I backed out my two bolts halfway, just enough to release the molded rigid foam filler pieces that they penetrate for 1/2 inch.
    I saw all the shims. I dealt with no nuts. The bolts thread into the frame of the top with no nuts on their ends. Technically, a bolt that takes no nut on its end is probably called a screw.
    The bolts hold the soft top frame to the body. The soft tops are the same for all years. It's odd that the frames and bolts would be different.
    Last edited by Vintage42; 07-09-2020 at 09:22 PM.
    BMW MOA 696, BMW CCA 1405

  4. #4
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    Here is the 1996 bolt that goes through the pillar area hole as shown in OP. There are minor differences in the soft top frame. The old bolt is too short and the diameter of the threaded shaft part of the bolt is too thin.

    I am also adding the hardtop hardware to my 1996 and the 1996 soft top frame has only two threaded holes to hold the main (largest piece) of the hardtop mounting kit, I think the newer frames have three threaded holes.bolt 1996 bmw z3.jpg




    Update The bolt I needed to mount to the 2002 softtop frame was M8 x 30, the bolt for the 1996 softop frame was M6.
    Last edited by Chris 1996 Z3; 07-12-2020 at 02:46 AM.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris 1996 Z3 View Post
    ... I am also adding the hardtop hardware to my 1996 and the 1996 soft top frame has only two threaded holes to hold the main (largest piece) of the hardtop mounting kit, I think the newer frames have three threaded holes...
    My understanding is that the hard top mounting brackets are same for all years and use only two bolts into the body as shown by these.

    Last edited by Vintage42; 07-10-2020 at 07:21 AM.
    BMW MOA 696, BMW CCA 1405

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris 1996 Z3 View Post
    ... I am also adding the hardtop hardware to my 1996...
    I have a lot of info to share -- posts, PDF instructions, parts lists and photos -- on adding a hard top. I collected info and was one day away from a short trip to buy one with cash in hand. But the difficulty and cost of making the defroster work with a manual top changed my mind. That the inability to handle the top at home alone.
    Last edited by Vintage42; 07-10-2020 at 07:50 AM.
    BMW MOA 696, BMW CCA 1405

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vintage42 View Post
    I have a lot of info to share -- posts, PDF instructions, parts lists and photos -- on adding a hard top. I collected info and was one day away from a short trip to buy one with cash in hand. But the difficulty and cost of making the defroster work with a manual top changed my mind. That the inability to handle the top at home alone.
    Making the defroster work is one of the easiest parts, All you need to do is tap the connector on the driver's side under the top well carpeting and use 2 blade connectors to attach to the terminals on the hard top, if you don't use the stock harness. Pull the connector wiring out from under the center console, it's taped up below the switch location under the console. You're done.
    2001 Z3 3.0i -Oxford Green/Sandbeige
    2016 428xi -Estoril Blue II/Black
    2018 430iC- Estoril Blue II/Black
    2018 330it - Melbourne Red/Venetian Beige/Black

  8. #8
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    "That the inability to handle the top at home alone. " I have the same concern about the wieght of the hardtop and plan on using 2 bicycle lift kits bolted to the garage roof. Hoping this future project will work.


  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris 1996 Z3 View Post
    "That the inability to handle the top at home alone. " I have the same concern about the wieght of the hardtop and plan on using 2 bicycle lift kits bolted to the garage roof. Hoping this future project will work.

    Try http://top-hoist.com/ for hardtop hoists.
    2001 Z3 3.0i -Oxford Green/Sandbeige
    2016 428xi -Estoril Blue II/Black
    2018 430iC- Estoril Blue II/Black
    2018 330it - Melbourne Red/Venetian Beige/Black

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by amancuso View Post
    Try http://top-hoist.com/ for hardtop hoists.
    I knew I could buy a hoist to raise the top off the car. And the top came with a dolly. But I doubted I would be able to get the top into the dolly, or off the dolly and onto the car again, with no assistance.
    Last edited by Vintage42; 07-10-2020 at 05:36 PM.
    BMW MOA 696, BMW CCA 1405

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by amancuso View Post
    Making the defroster work is one of the easiest parts, All you need to do is tap the connector on the driver's side under the top well carpeting and use 2 blade connectors to attach to the terminals on the hard top, if you don't use the stock harness. Pull the connector wiring out from under the center console, it's taped up below the switch location under the console. You're done.
    For the early manual top cars, it seemed to be complicated. There is no power top harness back there with a defroster connection on it. As you said, the harness for the defroster is folded up under the center console and must be fished back up through the disassembled storage console to the hard top mount on the left side. Then there is reportedly a problem with the compatibility of the connectors there, requiring wires to be cut and spliced.
    http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-compatibility
    And some said a relay needed to added.
    https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sh...8&postcount=15
    And a switch must be bought and a blank place found for it, which in my case was up forward under the HVAC knobs.
    https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...h/61318381912/
    In short, the hurdle of getting the defroster working on a manual top car was the final factor in deciding not to get a hard top. I heard of only one person who took the trouble to do it.

    Edit: In addition, my seller's top had lost one of these bracket covers:
    https://www.ecstuning.com//b-genuine...bandonment+1+B
    Last edited by Vintage42; 07-11-2020 at 08:30 AM.
    BMW MOA 696, BMW CCA 1405

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