CHEVROLET CORVETTE 2003 5.G Owners Manual

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 ®ngers.
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.
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Storing the Roof Panel
{CAUTION:
If a 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 a roof panel in
the vehicle, always be sure that it is stored
securely in the proper location.
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 ¯oor
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).
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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 ¯y off the vehicle. You or others could be
injured. After installing the roof panel, always
check that it is ®rmly attached by pushing up
on the underside of the panel. Check now
and then to be sure the roof panel is ®rmly
in place.
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.
In most cases, it is easier to install the removable roof
with two people rather than one.
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.
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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
Storing the Roof Panel
on page 2-46.
3. Remove the roof panel from the storage
compartment.
4. 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.
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Convertible Top
If your vehicle has this feature, 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 under
Cleaning the
Outside of Your Vehicle on page 5-78.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
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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 ®rmly. 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.
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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.
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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 ®rst 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.
6. Push forward on the front edge (A) of the
convertible top to allow the rear edge (B) of the
convertible top to be moved to its full-down position.
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7. Then move the top rearward to its fully-stored
position.
8. After the top is stored, apply one even push on the
center of the front edge (A) of the convertible top to
assure that the top is fully retracted.
9. Close the storage compartment lid (C) by closing
with a swift, ®rm motion.
Raising the Convertible Top
1. Park on a level surface, set the parking brake ®rmly
and shift an automatic transmission into PARK (P).
Shift a manual transmission into REVERSE (R).
Lower both windows and sun visors and turn
the ignition key to OFF.
2. Tilt the driver's seat forward and press the storage
compartment release button, or use the manual
release cable if battery power has been lost. Lift the
storage compartment lid (C).
(After pressing the release button, the driver and
passenger door glass should retract to the full-down
position, if they have not already been lowered.)
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3. Pull the top up by ®rmly gripping the front edge (A)
of the convertible top with your hand and applying a
brisk, ®rm upward and forward motion to get the
top in the full-up position.4. Lift the rear edge (B) of the convertible top to its
full-up position by ®rst raising the front edge (A).
5. Close the storage compartment lid (C) by closing
with a swift, ®rm motion.
6. Lower the rear edge (B) of the convertible top by
®rst slightly pushing the front edge (A) of the
convertible top forward.
7. Push the front edge (A) of the convertible top down
from the outside of the vehicle, or pull the front
edge (A) of the convertible top down from the center
pull-down handle located in the inside of the vehicle.
8. Turn the latches outward to secure the top in the up
position.
2-54