How do you Stowe a 308 GTS roof behind the seats correctly?

Its pretty easy, they have a snug fit. The top faces to the front of the car, there is a small ledge that it sits on and the cover holds it in, so does the back of the seats if you have them adjusted back, I guess that would be for a taller driver.

G

 

The "factory correct" storage of the targa top behind the seats seems counter-intuitive.

The roof panel has two recesses on it's inner face, to give more headroom when the roof is in place on the car.

It would therefore seem logical that the roof panel would sit behind the seats with the recesses facing the seat backs, so that the seats can be pushed back as far as possible, into the roof recesses for taller drivers (some owners do place their roof panels behind the seats this way round, but it's not "factory correct")

As shown in the owners manuals, the roof panel sits behind the seats with it's outer surface facing the seat backs, bending outwards towards the seats, and it's inner/headling surface facing the bulkhead behind the seats.

The manual also shows the top sitting with the the locating pins facing upwards, and the top sitting on the latches.

The targa top retaining cover is manufactured with a curve to it that matches the curvature of the roof panel. This makes it extremely hard to fit over the targa top if you have the inner/headlining facing the seat backs.

Another issue is, if you have the targa panel sat behind the seats with the locating pins facing upwards, as shown in owners manual, the retaining cover fits so tautly over the cover (at least they do when they are new), that the pins press against the top, and could eventually wear through the cover.

I've experimented a bit with my 328 GTS' targa top and retaining cover (my car didn't come with a targa top retaining cover so I had to buy a brand new one), to see if the "factory correct" method is the best way or not, so my comments about the curvature of the cover making it hard to fit the top behind the seats with the inner/headliner side facing the seat backs, and the pins pressing/rubbing against the cover, is based on actual experience, and not just theory.

My 328 has two indentations in the carpet on the little "shelf" behind the seats, that the targa top's locating pins fit into perfectly (I'm not sure if the holes have been created after years of having the targa top placed with the pins downwards, or if they were there from the factory), and the cover sits over the latches perfectly.

So the "factory correct" method is to place the top behind the seats with the top side facing the seat backs, and the locating pins facing upwards, sitting on the latches, but for my car, I prefer to have the locating pins downwards, and the latches at the top.

I

 

Do you also need to know about cam belt intervals !

As most folk suggest every time this arises the most effective is pins down outer forward and this enables the cover to fit its 4 studs

 

I live in SO CAL, so whenever I take the top off, I leave it in my house, I never , ever , keep it behind the seats, so theres that...

G

 

I feel bad that you have to make this compromise. I have a car where the targa top installs on top of the engine cover which makes it so easy to deal with.

 

Ive never thought of it as a compromise, I could care less about leaving the top in my house, or behind my seats.

G

 

However intuitive or counterintuitive it may seem I believe the reason for stowing the top forward with cover is to prevent abrasion or scuff marks on the fiberglass surface. Also the reason for the texture as a mirror smooth body color panel would be easily scratched or marred.

 

Pins up/inner surface of top facing the seat-back is, IMO, the best way. You simply lift up the top and place it in position. Any other "storage position" means you have either turn the top over or turn it around to install which is just asking for an accidental drop.

 

Yup, that's the way I have always done it and for the same reason.

 

or you can...

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(just kidding, don't do that... )

 

That’s how I store my top as I have a body color matched roof,, I went one step further and had my Vinyl top cover lined with a soft velour material to further stop any scratching of the top.