Retard question of thew day but this is my first convertible and I spied them in the trunk with no apparent purpose. I see how they mount, but are there tubes hooked up to the top mechanism that I cannot see?

What do they do and what do I need to do to them during my restoration (full restoration)? There is no mention of them in my service manuals.

Thanks.

Check the 2 stickies at the top of the convertible forum for everything you ever wanted to know about them.
Basically, they absorb harmonic vibrations--- stopping various types of shaking that these ragtops tend to do.

I read those,,,thats how I got their nickname,,,,they speak about them and I got that they absorb vibrations,,,,,but how do they work? Are they hooked up to the pump or the rams (because with them mounted in the car I can see no plumbing to/from them,,,no electrical hooky up,,,nothing....

A mystery.

They give your vert some structual integrity which is what the roof does on a hardtop, they are basically weights.No mystery, just clean 'em up.

There is no connection to the top rams or the hydraulic top system at all. As the others have said they are dampers that dissipate vibration. Sort of an earthquake device for your cars fenders. They are fluid filled and there is a weight centered on springs inside them, they are much more than just weights. Without the structure of the solid roof there was some resonance in the fenders the dampners counter it helping smooth things out. Several other ragtops have used the same type of device...