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Thread: I have the Installation Instructions for Hardtop install kit

  1. #26
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    unless of course it was one of the cars that came factory wired... since it is an M and just didn't have the mounting brackets installed?

    i don't know
    ... either way.. my top is on it's second season of less than weather

    bring on the rain and cold!

    99 M3 VERT in estoril w/ ZF 6-Speed Manual Trans

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quailmann7 View Post
    unless of course it was one of the cars that came factory wired... since it is an M and just didn't have the mounting brackets installed?

    i don't know
    ... either way.. my top is on it's second season of less than weather

    bring on the rain and cold!
    Has nothing to do with being an M or not. It's a vert or not. If the car was fitted from factory with the hardtop prep kit, you'd have it complete, which is the mounts+wiring installed.
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  3. #28
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    mine came stock completely prepared for hard top... previous owner
    never had a hard top... maybe becaus of the ACS package ?

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by killahe36 View Post
    mine came stock completely prepared for hard top... previous owner
    never had a hard top... maybe becaus of the ACS package ?
    What does ACS have to do with it having a hardtop prep kit.

    Ok again, it's very simple. When you bought an e36 vert, you oculd thick tons of option. For example

    BMW option #380 Hardtop Perperation.


    There you go
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
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  5. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quailmann7
    but at some point i suppose someone took the hardtop and sold it with the hardware
    That's probably more likely. If the person selling didn't know that the other end of the wiring ended at a plug connector, and didn't know where to trace the wiring to, they would probably have just pulled the mounting brackets and given those to the new owner, leaving the wiring to flop around loose. I can't imagine that BMW would only install the wiring without the mounting points - especially as they are sold as one unit.

    Put it this way - imagine if you were selling a hardtop and the buyer came to you without the mounting brackets. Would you cannibalize your car to make the sale - especially if it was a cool $1k or so? I probably would...

    And Mparararallel, it's not that hard to run the wiring. The hardest part for me was figuring out where to run the wiring so that it wouldn't get pinched in the top when shut.

    Well, it was the hardest part other than struggling to get the headrests out in order to be able to remove the back seat and get at the side panels - this was my first time pulling the headrests out and I had to "pop the cherry"...
    BigBilly
    1987 M6 Cinnabar Red (I think) / 2014 M5 Alpine White / 1998 328iC - sold
    Hey everybody - it's been a while. Glad to see BF.com is still thriving.
    Any pointers on care and feeding of an E24 are appreciated.

  6. #31
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    LOL. My headrests were never taken out in 10 years. Well or maybe once. Man these babies were held in place so firmly I had to call Arnie to pull them out.
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
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  7. #32
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    1976 2002, 1997 328iC
    Anyone have a source to get the prep and install kit? Or part #?

  8. #33
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    1976 2002, 1997 328iC

    Cancel that request ...

    I got everything I need, real easy, real quick ...

  9. #34
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    do you have pics of you hardtop? and what color did you choose.

    Quote Originally Posted by Quailmann7 View Post
    mine had the wiring from the factory... but at some point i suppose someone took the hardtop and sold it with the hardware...
    so just throwing in the mounts with the 4 bolts.. was all i had left.

    if you have to wire it up.. yes... that is a little more troublesome and time consuming.

  10. #35
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    97 vert

    I have a 1997 soft top and I am looking for a hardtop for it. I have found one that came off a 1995. Do you think that I will be able to use it on my car? Will I need to install any special mounting brackets? The seller of the top (he totaled his car and just has the top left) says he needed nothing special, but I'm sceptical...

  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by kubihous View Post
    I have a 1997 soft top and I am looking for a hardtop for it. I have found one that came off a 1995. Do you think that I will be able to use it on my car? Will I need to install any special mounting brackets? The seller of the top (he totaled his car and just has the top left) says he needed nothing special, but I'm sceptical...
    hmm no patience I see. So you opened a new topic.....oh boy...

    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1010026
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
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  12. #37
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    97 328iC
    I just bought a 97 328i that came with a hardtop. Are there covers for the rear mounting holes that the hardtop goes into? I'd like this to look clean when the hardtop is off. I've seen cars without the hardtop, and this area has a plastic cover.
    Thanks.

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by 69tr6r View Post
    I just bought a 97 328i that came with a hardtop. Are there covers for the rear mounting holes that the hardtop goes into? I'd like this to look clean when the hardtop is off. I've seen cars without the hardtop, and this area has a plastic cover.
    Thanks.
    These small plastic covers simply pull out and click back in...
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
    SMG • SRA • PDC • AUC • OBC • GSM • HK • UURS • IHKA • FGR • MFL

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  14. #39
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    Dec 2007
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    e36 328i mtec sport convertible
    does anyone knowhow to actually adjust the hard top once its on the car?mine knocks a bit and i dont know which way to turn the two bolts either side of the red handles,last time i tried i couldnt get the hard top off on one side, i had to undo the 4 bolts that hold the red handle to the hard top and take the top off then get the red handle out of the hole by fiddling with it, cheers ray

  15. #40
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    Could also be the front hooks. Mine rattles a teeny tiny bit, but I'm not bother by it. If the rear handles take some force to turn fully, you can be sure the rear is okay.
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
    SMG • SRA • PDC • AUC • OBC • GSM • HK • UURS • IHKA • FGR • MFL

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  16. #41
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    e36 328i mtec sport convertible
    Not knocking from the front,definatly the rear,got the girlfriend to drive for a while whilst i sat in the back(i know i know but she is quite a good driver the handles were not that tight to lock forward so i tried to adjust the nuts at the back,which made the red handles really tight to lock,job sorted,until i wanted the top off,couldnt get the roof to come off on one side it just wouldnt undo.The red handles were facing the back of the car as usual and one side came staight off but the other would only lift up about an inch.The little lugs on the end of the spike just didnt seem to want to let the roof off all the way?like i said before ended up undoing the 4 bolts that hold the red handle to the roof and cutting the electrical connectors for the heated screen and curtosy lights ,then lift the roof off leaving one red handle in situe and fiddled about for five minutes before it finally came out of the hole.Top around my mates for the summer now,but really reluctant to put it back on incase i cant get the dam thing off again.Any sugestions ,apart from sell the top?thanks guys great site yours Ray in Peterborough UK

  17. #42
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    hi jeff48. i bought a hardtop, but it didn't come with a mounting bracket/installation kit. where can get these and how much do they cost? thanks.

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by paris325 View Post
    hi jeff48. i bought a hardtop, but it didn't come with a mounting bracket/installation kit. where can get these and how much do they cost? thanks.
    Funny, there's tons of topics about his, but you picked a 2 year old topic and ask a question to Jeff, who's been off this section for nearly as much time

    Either scrapyard or dealer.
    1998 BMW M3 3.2 Cabrio • Alpinweiί III on Schwarz • German spec • 1 of 12
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  19. #44
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    2002 Convertable

    E46 Hardtop Installation

    Can you email me the information you have on installing the hardtop?

    tks.

  20. #45
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    Estoril blue m3 cab
    hello guys i just brought a hardtop from central london drove all the way there without asking myself will it actually go straight on? and be the same colour! (mines estoril blue so rare to get a colour coded hardtop in good nick) i was very please to arrive an find it was an identicle match, no marks whatsover. it literally sat straight on the car perfect with no rattles whatsoever and best still it cost 325 quid! now im wondering exactly what do i need to wire up the electrics? i have no idea what to look for so obviously i have the rear clips to clip the roof on but what do i need to look for? wires or what?

  21. #46
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    This post just keeps coming back.

    The wiring is included with the install kit from the dealer. But since your apparently already has the kit installed then I'll assume the PO never installed the wiring. So for that you're either going to have to go to a pick n' pull or the dealer. OR, if the PO actually did snap on the crown adapter then do the wiring yourself.

    It's pretty simple actually. This is assuming you have the wiring crown adapter there (part#2 in picture 2 of the second link posted.) Pull the rear seat cushion back and look in the very corners where the side panels meets the sheet metal the rear seat back rests on. You will find a molex connector on both sides with two wires going to each. Cut those two wires and solder/connect an extension long enough to route the wires through the side panel and into the top stowage compartment. Crimp a female blade type connector onto each wire and connect them to the two male posts on the crown adapter. Obviously the driver side gets routed to the driver side electronics and the passenger to the passenger side.

  22. #47
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    1994 bmw conver
    just got the hard top today, the fuse for the lights and rear defrost are what ones,
    after reading some of the posts, are they the same as the dome light

  23. #48
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    1999 323ic
    Are these instructions also for a 1999 323i hardtop install?

  24. #49
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    richardodn is offline Old Guy BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laʻalohikai View Post
    Are these instructions also for a 1999 323i hardtop install?
    Yes. All 1999 convertibles were still the e36 chassis.
    "Howdy, Folks!"

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  25. #50
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    2005 BMW E46 M3 VERT
    Can you plase share those instructions I am having issues with my car (e46 M3)

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