hey whatsup guys I was wondering if the hardware kit on hardtopguy.com include the side catchers and latches and also what does the hardware kit consist of ????

thanks

 

I would recommend pm'ing hardtopguy directly. He can tell you exactly what you will need in addition to the hardtop itself.

 

Yes, each model year requires a slightly different kit comprising of a different list of items.

 

I would like a shot at guessing what's in the kit. I just installed an '06 top on a '01 vehicle. That's kind of the stretch you are making with your '00. Assuming that the top is the factory kit, it has to come with the side catchers and the front strikers or it's worthless: those items came inside the factory packaging. The fit in my '01 for the mechanical parts was perfect. There's a small flange that needs to be bent for the side catchers to fit, but it's really easy to do... just a few blows with a hammer and a small piece of wood.

The real puzzle for you is to get the defroster hookup done. I mentioned elsewhere that my '01 (and probably your '00) hardtop is a discontinued item. What's specific to the kit for those years is that there are pieces of the wiring, the harnesses that aren't included with the '06. The '06 kit contained two almost identical wiring harnesses, differing by the connector that fit in the rear body harness. That was easy, since one of them was the same as the '01, and probably the '00 connector. Since the '02 and later vehicles came with a glass rear window with a defroster grid, they already had wiring in place to operate the defroster. The earlier cars required that you install a short harness, a relay and a switch to operate the defroster on the add-on hardtop. Some of the earliest '00 cars also was missing a ground wire and required a slightly different harness with the extra ground wire.

So, the bottom line is that you would be able to install the hardtop, but you would need additional wiring to operate the defroster. The kits probably differ by the wiring included for the specific years. Also, if you want to automatically switch between the softop defroster and the hardtop defroster, as in the '02 and later vehicles, you would have to customize the harness in the '06 kit to have that logic (two diodes, a capcitor and a relay).