CHEVROLET CORVETTE 2002 5.G Owners Manual

2-63
NOTICE:
To avoid damage to the roof panel, paint and
weatherstripping, do not drop or rest it on its
edges. Place the roof panel in the egg
-shaped
stowage receivers after removing it from
the vehicle.
1. Park on a level surface, set the parking brake firmly
and shift an automatic transmission into PARK (P).
Shift a manual transmission into REVERSE (R).
2. Turn the ignition key to OFF. Lower both sun visors
and turn them toward the door glass.
3. Open the rear liftgate and remove any items that may
interfere with proper storage of the roof panel.
4. Make sure to install the two egg-shaped
stowage receivers into the floor of the rear storage
compartment. Secure both receivers into their proper
positions by turning them counterclockwise.
5. Lower the windows and open the doors.

2-64
There are two latches on the front of the roof panel
near each door (A), and one rear latch (B).6. To unlock the front of the roof panel, pull down
each of the front handles. Grasp the handles with
your fingers and pull each toward you. Complete
a 180
turn toward the center of the vehicle.
Then push up on each of the handles.

2-65
7. To unlock the rear of the roof panel, press the latch
release button with your thumb and pull down the
latch lever with your fingers.
8. After releasing the latches, return the sun visors to
the forward position.9. Stand on one side of the vehicle and, if necessary,
have your helper stand on the other side. Together,
carefully lift the front edge of the panel up and
forward, and out of the vehicle opening.
10. When the panel is loosened from the vehicle,
one person should grasp the roof panel as close
to the center of the vehicle as possible and lift
away the panel.

2-66
Storing the Roof Panel
CAUTION:
If the roof panel is not stored properly, it could be
thrown about the vehicle in a crash or sudden
maneuver. People in the vehicle could be injured.
Whenever you store the roof panel in the vehicle,
always be sure that it is stored securely in the
rear area using the storage pins.
NOTICE:
To avoid damage to the roof panel, paint and
weatherstripping, do not drop or rest it on its
edges. Place the roof panel in the egg
-shaped
stowage receivers after removing it from
the vehicle.
1. Turn the roof panel so that the rear edge of the
panel is facing the storage area. The locating pins
(at the rear of the panel) should point toward the
egg
-shaped stowage receivers on the floor of the
center compartment.
2. Push the panel forward until the pins bottom out in
the receivers.
3. There are two spring-loaded storage pins on the rear
wall of the storage compartment (A). These storage pins
go into the slots on each side of the roof panel (B).

2-67
4. Gently lower the roof panel onto the carpeted ledge.
Then, pull each release rearward and upward to place
the storage pins into the holes of the roof panel.
5. Gently lift and lower the roof panel to be sure it is
locked into place.
Installing the Roof Panel
CAUTION:
An improperly attached roof panel may fall into
or fly off the vehicle. You or others could be
injured. After installing the roof panel, always
check that it is firmly attached by pushing up
on the underside of the panel. Check now and
then to be sure the roof panel is firmly in place.
NOTICE:
To avoid damage to the roof panel, paint and
weatherstripping, do not drop or rest it on
its edges.

2-68
1. Check to be sure that the front handles and rear latch
on the ceiling are in their opened positions before
attempting to install the roof panel.
2. If the roof panel is stored in the rear area, grasp it
with your right hand at the middle edge near the
seatbacks, and with your left hand at the middle of
the edge closest to you. Reverse the steps described
previously under ªStoring the Roof Panel.º
3. Remove the roof panel from the storage compartment.
4. In most cases, it is easier to install the removable
roof with two people rather than one. Place the roof
panel over the vehicle.
5. Position the rear edge of the roof panel to the
weatherstrip on the back of the roof opening (A).
Then align the pins at the rear of the roof panel
weatherstrip with the receiving cup in the body
weatherstrip (B). Gently lower the front edge of the
roof panel to the front of the body opening (C).
6. Turn the front handles toward the side doors to the
closed position.
7. Hook the rear latch by pushing the lever up to the
locked position.
8. Grasp and tug the roof panel up and down and
side
-to-side to make sure the roof panel is
securely installed.

2-69
Convertible Top (Option)
The following procedures explain the proper operation
of the convertible top.
NOTICE:
Certain automatic car washes may cause damage
to the vehicle. The top fabric can be damaged by
top cleaning brushes.
For care and cleaning of the convertible top, see
ªCleaning Your Convertible Topº in the Index.When lowering and raising the convertible top, you will
use the following:
A. Front Edge of the Convertible Top
B. Rear Edge of the Convertible Top
C. Storage Compartment Lid

2-70
Lowering the Convertible Top
NOTICE:
Don't leave the convertible out with the top down
for any long periods of time. The sun and rain
can damage the seat material and other things
inside the vehicle.
1. Set the parking brake firmly. Shift an automatic
transmission into PARK (P). Shift a manual
transmission into REVERSE (R).
2. Turn the ignition key to OFF. Lower both sun visors
and turn them toward the door glass.
NOTICE:
Before lowering the convertible top into the
storage area, be sure there are no objects in the
way of the folded, stored top. The weight of a
stored top on items in the storage area may
cause the convertible top back glass to break.
3. Unlock the front of the convertible top by lowering
the latch handles and turning them inward. Push the
latch handles back to the up position.

2-71
4. Lift upward on the front edge (A) of the convertible
top off of the windshield frame. Then lift upward on
the rear edge (B) of the convertible top to be vertical
off the storage compartment lid (C). The front
edge (A) and rear edge (B) should be straight up
and down.5. Tilt the driver's seatback forward and press the
storage compartment release button located on the
underside of the storage compartment lid (C) behind
the driver's seat. Then raise the storage compartment
lid (C). While attempting to raise the lid, if the lid
does not release and you hear three chimes, check to
make sure the trunk lid is closed. Also, the lid will not
release if the alarm is turned on or the trunk lid is open.
After pressing the release button, the driver's and
passenger's door glass should retract to the
full
-down position.

2-72
If the vehicle has lost battery power, you can still
open the storage compartment lid (C) using the
manual release cable.The cable is located underneath the carpeting behind
the driver's and passenger's seats, in the center of the
vehicle. When using the manual release, you must
first open the doors to prevent damage to the seals.
To access the cable, lift and pull back the carpeting.
Then pull the cable to release the storage
compartment lid if needed.
NOTICE:
Be sure that the rear edge (B) of the convertible
top is in the full
-down position before lowering
the top into the storage compartment or damage
to the top may occur.