Glaspar hardtop manual

356 Porsche-related discussions and questions.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Peter Bosch
356 Fan
Posts: 147
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:18 am

Glaspar hardtop manual

#1 Post by Peter Bosch »

Hello,

does someone have a manual to install a glaspar hardtop (rubbers, chrome, etc...)

thanks

Peter Bosch
'58 hardtop cab
bt5 aka "Da chair"
'62 hardtop cab with soft
'66 sliding door samba, hmm, 21 windows to clean
 on the lookout for a speedster ;) found one in 2017! '55 pré-a

User avatar
Pascal Giai
356 Fan
Posts: 165
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:25 pm
Location: California

Re: Glaspar hardtop manual

#2 Post by Pascal Giai »

Peter,
installing a Glasspar hard-top on a Speedster is easy. Simply remove the soft top and reuse the same bolts to secure the hard-top onto the car.
The rubber seals are glued to the hard-top and should fit easily in the back, resting against the paint. The front is sometime more problematic but with a little time and effort it will fit nicely on the windshield frame. Notice that the "real" Glasspar hard-tops are all aging the same way, the right rear corner is often a little short and there is a gap in that area, but all "original" Glasspar hard-tops are like that. Good luck with your project.

Pascal Giai
Attachments
DSC03123 (Large).JPG
Last edited by Pascal Giai on Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Peter Bosch
356 Fan
Posts: 147
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:18 am

Re: Glaspar hardtop manual

#3 Post by Peter Bosch »

Thanks Pascal,

for the moment I got the parts on the pictures, seems like a puzzle to me without an example
Attachments
IMG_1140.JPG
IMG_1143.JPG
IMG_1141.JPG
IMG_1140.JPG
'58 hardtop cab
bt5 aka "Da chair"
'62 hardtop cab with soft
'66 sliding door samba, hmm, 21 windows to clean
 on the lookout for a speedster ;) found one in 2017! '55 pré-a

User avatar
Pascal Giai
356 Fan
Posts: 165
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:25 pm
Location: California

Re: Glaspar hardtop manual

#4 Post by Pascal Giai »

You can learn a lot from these pictures. It is all correct for proper assembly. All original Glasspar Hard-Top.
Most cars I see don't have the original hardware...

Pascal Giai
Attachments
DSC_0247 (Large).JPG
DSC_0225 (Large).JPG

User avatar
Peter Bosch
356 Fan
Posts: 147
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:18 am

Re: Glaspar hardtop manual

#5 Post by Peter Bosch »

Thanks, i'm still wondering if this is an original one or a replica
Attachments
IMG_1152.JPG
IMG_1147.JPG
'58 hardtop cab
bt5 aka "Da chair"
'62 hardtop cab with soft
'66 sliding door samba, hmm, 21 windows to clean
 on the lookout for a speedster ;) found one in 2017! '55 pré-a

Brooks Herrick
356 Fan
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:00 pm
Location: Marin County, Ca.

Re: Glaspar hardtop manual

#6 Post by Brooks Herrick »

I am in the process of restoring my vintage, fiberglass, Glaspar hardtop. I noticed that the "L" brackets that are attached to the hardtop ( 3 screws) are mounted at different elevations. On the right side of the hardtop, the short side of the "L" bracket is more or less flush with the bottom of the wing window frame. On the right side of the hardtop, the short side of the "L" bracket has been mounted approximately 1/4 inch below the wing window frame. In the previous post, there are pictures of the finished product with the relevant hardware and upholstery. It appears that there is a rubber seal that covers the bottom of the wing window frame, which would suggest that part of that seal actually hangs down on the inside of the frame and therefore would require the "L" bracket be mounted below the wing window frame so that the rubber seal does not have to be cut. Anyone have experience with this or any other words of wisdom? I am planning on calling Fibersteel to see what they have to say. Thanks!
Attachments
Glaspar left wing window.JPG
Glaspar right wing window.JPG

User avatar
Pascal Giai
356 Fan
Posts: 165
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:25 pm
Location: California

Re: Glaspar hardtop manual

#7 Post by Pascal Giai »

Brooks,
I see very well on your pictures that the Left L shape bracket is 1/4 inch higher than the Right side.
Most important is to fit the rubber on the hardtop, then the window, then the L shape bracket.
It's a very primitive assembly, nothing is absolutely perfect, but it has to fit your car...
All of this has to be assembled with the Glasspar hardtop on the car so the hardtop fits correctly with all the weight pushing everything down.
Good luck with your project !

Pascal Giai

Brooks Herrick
356 Fan
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu Oct 02, 2008 6:00 pm
Location: Marin County, Ca.

Re: Glaspar hardtop manual

#8 Post by Brooks Herrick »

Pascal:
Thank you very much!
Brooks

Post Reply