i heard the top is made of aluminum, is this true?
instead of painting it, can i put aircraft stripper on it and then polish it?
much like the ltw doors i have seen before

Huh? Cabrio hardtop?

They didn't make any vert hardtops that I know of.

You mean the top you can buy for the vert?

its a removable hardtop

they have hardtops for e36 cabrios

you put the soft top away and attach the hardtop

Im gonna go ahead and guess that it is aluminum because I can move it by myself. Its a bitch to move because of its size but Id think if it was steel it would be heavy as fuck. It seems like the heaviest part is the rear glass.

I perfer the look of the hardtop on the vert over the standard coupe. The lower chopped look is slick. I do think it would look like ass as bare metal.

Im gonna go ahead and guess that it is aluminum because I can move it by myself. Its a bitch to move because of its size but Id think if it was steel it would be heavy as fuck. It seems like the heaviest part is the rear glass.

I perfer the look of the hardtop on the vert over the standard coupe. The lower chopped look is slick. I do think it would look like ass as bare metal.

Will you sell me yours?

Yes it's made of aluminium. Whole things ways just 30kg (aprox 65 pounds).

Huh? Cabrio hardtop?

They didn't make any vert hardtops that I know of.

Oh yes they did.

See sig and all hardtop topics.

...

I perfer the look of the hardtop on the vert over the standard coupe. The lower chopped look is slick. I do think it would look like ass as bare metal.

Hell yeah. Enjoy topless driving in the summer (nothing is better) and have a - nicer than the coupe- coupe in the winter.

What does it for me is the small rear quarter windows and wide C-style.

What's I also really like is the c style doesn't "connect" to the sidepannels of the car, but you have this (albeit small) shoulder (the horizontal part) that's between the top of the body and where the hardtop sit on the car at the rear.

I vote no on polished. That's going to look tacky IMO.

I don't think polished aluminum will look all that good unless the theme is carried over the rest of your car and I haven't a clue how to do that. The coupe has a better backseat view as the glass goes further back. The vert with hardtop doesn't have a b-pillar and driver visibility is great.

Peter

It is most certainly aluminum. I have one and love it!! I bought it in Silver and had it painted Red to match my car.

I'm guessing this thread started in another forum/sub-forum...

Yes, they're aluminum. Buy one that doesn't match colors and give it a shot - likely to happen anyway because most people just by the first one they can get there hands on - there aren't too many floating around in the USA.

The worst thing that can happen is you end up painting it later if it doesn't look good. Post pics if you do it - it would be interesting to see.

Have you guys seen the new Audi RS4? It comes with an aluminum trim to it. Such as side mirrors and it looks bad ass. I dont know if a polished aluminum hardtop would look good but the Audi is a good reference point.

I'd imagine it would depend on the color. Polished aluminum could be pretty cool though.

Let's see it Kosta - what do you have to lose??

(so says me from 2000 miles away who has nothing to lose from the prospect)

Oh yes they did.

See sig and all hardtop topics.

I've always wondered where I'd store one of these tops when it wasn't being used. Doesn't it take up a lot of room in your garage ?

I think most people use a hoist that holds the top over the car in the garage. That way when they want to put it on its easy.

Mine hangs in my garage. I have a hoist system that picks it up and then when it is time to go back on we just drop in on. It is really a two person job but in a pinch I can do it by myself.
Do a search for bmw hardtop hoist. The company I purchased mine from is in Houston Texas I think. My son and I just put my hardtop on as we have rain and cold for the next few days. About a 5 min job...

I don't have a hoist (no garage) so I'll use a simple stand to move it around and store it upright.

I've always wondered where I'd store one of these tops when it wasn't being used. Doesn't it take up a lot of room in your garage ?

BMW sells a rack with cover. Link to realoem. (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BK73&mospid=47477&btnr=82_0734&hg=82&fg=81&hl=1)

It's about 4-5 feet wide and 6 feet tall (going from memory - my top is 270 miles away right now). When mounted on the stand, with a nice blanket for padding and the cover to prevent scratches, it rolls easily out of the way. I set aside a corner of my garage for it, and surrounded the top with other bulky car tools (jackstands, jack, etc).

It's not so bad and works better for my garage layout than a hoist as I don't have much vertical space. If I did, a hoist would be sweeeeeet.

my dad has one for the e46 and it just gets hoisted up to the garage ceiling when not being used. i would love to get my hands on one for my e36, especially since winter is here

my dad has one for the e46 and it just gets hoisted up to the garage ceiling when not being used. i would love to get my hands on one for my e36, especially since winter is here

There are a bunch of hardtop hoists on ebay right now for about 2 bills. Not too bad. Although it looks like most of the ebay ads were written by idiots, so you may want to ask questions before bidding (I saw three different styles there - one good and two kinda scary). Good luck.

There are a bunch of hardtop hoists on ebay right now for about 2 bills. Not too bad. Although it looks like most of the ebay ads were written by idiots, so you may want to ask questions before bidding (I saw three different styles there - one good and two kinda scary). Good luck.

haha no i need a hardtop for the e36. but if i get one i will just use the tie down straps idea that i used to put my dads on the ceiling, possible pics very soon

Can Anyone Let Me Know Where I Can Get A Hardtop For My E36 Having A Real Hard Time Finding One, Plenty Over In Germany But No One Will Ship It Out. Anybody Pppppppplllllllleeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssseeeeee!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

i forgot about this thread
i didn't see any activity so i unsubscribed

to all the people looking for a top, the only suggestion i have is to keep looking...ebay, craiglist, forums, eventually you will find one

after selling mine a while back because i needed money, it took me almost 2 years to find another. i pd 1200 for it with the install kit (which i'm trying to sell) and the storage rack delivered to my house i got lucky

the top is silver so i need to paint it but since my car is a custom color, i would need to paint any top regardless of color.

i figured if i could strip it and polish it, it might look unique

although i've been toying with the idea to paint it black, and
paint the a-pillars and mirrors black and tint the windows

..although i've been toying with the idea to paint it black, and
paint the a-pillars and mirrors black and tint the windows

That would look hot! :buttrock