Another parting note: I will never again have to mess with that hydraulic/ electrical/ distaster of a convertible top. It was the first mechanical top Ferrari had ever put on a car, and it shows. It's over engineered and very complex...hence the constant failures. I would assume about 25% of them don't currently work. who knows...maybe more. I won't ever have to worry about it binding up or not working or getting stuck half-open 45 min from home in the rain... Some may say: "But but but it will lessen the value of your car since you disabled the OEM system!!!!" Screw that. This is my dream car, and I won't ever sell it. The value is in having a Spider where the top comes down. Period. I'd rather have a GTS anyway. I simply could not find a Berlinetta or GTS in blue. I opted for the Spider, and love it. If you have a spider that has a lot of top-down problems...spend the bucks to get it fixed or bypass all of that crap and enjoy your convertible. Buy a case of beer, put on the radio and invite some friends over to help you get those goddam nuts off. It'll be worth it.
Your welcome Just keep all your old parts and if you ever sell your car let the new owner decide. I never had a problem with my top.But i allways had that fear that i would be stuck in the rain and that was not a nice feeling. Michael
I apologize for not responding sooner.... the soft top issue was repaired by a Ferrari qualified mechanic in Montreal. He release the side arms manually and applied a Mercedes lubricating oil on all the moving parts. Bingo.. all fixed......
I've gotta agree with you... It almost makes sense to remove the secondary rams, since that part of the top works like a champ without the stupid rams while seated in the car, and just leave the primaries in place to raise and lower the rear portion in a few seconds. LMAO, now you actually having me contemplate that as a potential solution to keeping some of the convenience of the power top without the hassle of the secondary ram system that seems to work on days without rain only. The top needs, NEEDS, to come down without undue drama (and go up in the same drama free fashion). I am not a fan of the fasteners for the secondary ram system either... Seriously, the shoulder is designed to cause shear that will inevitably snap a $50 bolt (which at 6mm is not up to holding the load generated by a hydraulic ram!). Good work all on sorting it all out for us.
Just fix your tops the way you fix everything else on these cars that need attention. Really. Check the fluid level regularly, replace the elastics regularly. Mine works perfectly and has never been repaired or modified.
I just did this conversion and it works great!!! I saved all the hardware for future conversion back to stock. I have a bad pump and didn't want to invest in a new one just yet (winter project) so the manual top conversion was a nice alternative for me. The only differences from the listed procedure I made for my conversion were the use of a low profile 17mm Jam Nut from a company called Zoro (no grinding needed) and my bottom Rams had wiring attached to them that needed to be unplugged from a harness behind the carpeting on the interior firewall. Otherwise a smooth conversion Dave
Nice to see this thread revived. I'm one of the lucky ones, it's been a decade since I bought my car and my top still works (knock on wood!) But once you commit to making it manual, would it make sense to gut out the entire hydraulic system? Seems like it would create more space and a lighter car all together. Am I missing something here? Why hasn't anyone brought this up?
The fuel tech car is a spider and they completely gutted the entire hydraulic system and other associated parts to remove weight.
Seems to me that top failures are rarer than failures of headers, cats, valve guides, CV boots, cat ECUs, O2 sensors, P1444 and P1448 codes.
Around the two minute mark... Curious to know what he said about my new, improved wiring diagram at the 8:08 mark
This is so funny because its my exact situation. I've been looking for a gts or berlinetta in TDF blue and they just dont exist. I've been looking for months. I've given up now and I'm just buying a convertible. This thread was very helpful. Making the top manual sounds great. I hate power tops. My miata is a manual soft top and its the best soft top I've ever had on a car. Unlatch it, throw it behind you. 3 seconds to put it down, nothing to break. Why manufacturers feel the need to make them automatic is beyond me. Its such a waste of resources for something that isnt even an improvement.
What can I say. It's a Ferrari. We all know they are just exotic pieces of crap. Only an idiot would own one.
I got tired of fixing seat pots. But didn't want to gut the top system either. I simply pulled the leads form the emergency switch to a three position rocker switch I located in the blank hole in the center console. Now, I move the seats up manually, lower the windows and hold the switch forward for up and back for down. It just runs the pump. Someday when I sell the car, I'll get around to the final seat pot repair. But I have been doing this for over seven years now and it's easy, simple and reversible so I am in no hurry.
Hello, I have the following problem: When opening the top, the hinge of the top collides with the back of the seat. Actually, it should fold and go behind the seat, but it does not. However, with my hand it is easy to push the top in the right direction. This video shows my problem (sorry for german language): The seats go forward properly and are definitely positioned correctly. Until recently, the top folded properly, but now, unfortunately, it doesn't. I also can't see any actuator which should initiate this movement. Therefore my question, is this problem known?
It's usually related to weak elastic bands, Stefan. The first rib of your roof may not be not folding upwards. Assist this movement with your hand to see if your clearance problem improves. Here's a photo of the "rib" and the elastic band attached to it. Image Unavailable, Please Login These can be made by hand from strong elastic. Search the 348/355 forum for fabrication and installation of the 3/4 inch straps e.g. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/145128372/
Sorry... Just looked at your video. The rib seems to be going in the right direction. I'm not sure what's going on in your video. Generally, how old is your hydraulic fluid and is it at the right level? Also, have you tried lubricating the pivot points?
