Top question for 1959 D HELP??????

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George Valerio
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Joined: Sun May 11, 2008 12:47 am

Top question for 1959 D HELP??????

#1 Post by George Valerio »

Hello

I have something that I have never seen before. I have a D top frame and the latches
are different from the windshield frame.

All 3 parts of the windshield frame match the vin number and look original. The top frame is a factory part with a different vin number.

The top goes up and down like is was made to do but the latches are off by 7/8 of an inch. on each side.

I can drill new holes in the windshield top piece but then the visors will not fit. As anyone ever run into this?


PLEASE NEED SOME HELP.

Thanks George



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Barry Brisco
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Re: Top question for 1959 D HELP??????

#2 Post by Barry Brisco »

George, if I understand your post correctly, you have a top frame with numbers that do not match the D body it is attached to. According to Brett Johnson's book, the D top frame is the same as the Roadster top frame but at around Roadster chassis number 87825 (meaning late 1959/early 1960) the latch style was changed to "cabriolet style hinges". See page 36 of the latest edition for photos. I am wondering if at that change the latch position also changed.

What are the three digits on the windshield frame and what are they on the top frame?

Barry Brisco
George Valerio wrote:I have something that I have never seen before. I have a D top frame and the latches are different from the windshield frame.
All 3 parts of the windshield frame match the vin number and look original. The top frame is a factory part with a different vin number.
The top goes up and down like is was made to do but the latches are off by 7/8 of an inch. on each side.
I can drill new holes in the windshield top piece but then the visors will not fit. As anyone ever run into this?

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Frederic Prince
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Posts: 655
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Location: Paris, France
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#3 Post by Frederic Prince »

Hi,
my 2 cents :
my 87705 roadster has the early latch style, and was delivered in germany on march, the 29th of 1960.
fred ;)
1991 - 1993 - 2,7 Targa
2004 - 2013 - 993 Targa
2015 - 2016 3,2 Targa '84
2008...356 roadster T5 S90
2013...2,4 E 72 Sunroof under restoration
2016...3,2 Targa '86
2018...3,2 Speedster '89

Ryan Phelps
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Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:57 pm

#4 Post by Ryan Phelps »

George,
I don't know if this addresses your issue, but I found that there were two sizes of the old-style latches (the open-style latches as opposed to the closed-style used on the later Roadsters and Cabriolets). The throw-length of the cam-action latch is slightly different. I found out about this when one of my latches (1959 Convertible D) broke. I purchased two original replacements from another 356'er (they came from the Maestro's stash) and installed one in place of my broken latch. But, the latch refused to fully close. I removed the replacement latch and compared it to my broken latch and discovered that the length of one of the links was slightly shorter on the replacement latch. This seemed rather odd to me and I've never heard about it in this forum or in any of the collector books. Did Porsche change suppliers for this part? Was this a change in parts between the Speedster and the Convertible D? Have any of you 356Talk folks ever heard of this?

Ryan Phelps

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