I know that it seems like im going in the opposite route of most people on this forum, however. Would it be feasable to turn my t-top car into a hardtop? I plan on using my car to do some track driving. And i dont think that a t-top is safe enough. Would it be reasonable to do this? Or am i bonkers for even thinking about it.

Just trade the people who are doing the hard top to t-top conversion!

:P Good one! I woudlnt even know where or how to being a t-top to hardtop conversion! lol

-OSS

me either, thats why i am here.

Keep your T-tops. I have seen 3rd gen cars with roll cage designed for your vehicle. And it also looks cool.

I don't have any problems with my T-tops.

The cool thing about t-tops is its like a hard top and a convertible in one! Why ruin one of the best features our cars came with?

i don't think it would be worth your time or your money to do it, just put a cage in and keep the tops

Cage and sub frame connectors and you'll be fine.

You would get plenty of rigidity from an 8 point roll bar, and a set of SFC's. This would be way cheaper too.

alright so an 8-point is strong enough, however what about when i want to run 11's? then dont i have to get a 10-point cage installed?

when you swap out that 305 then you can think about adding another two points to your cage

for real though, if you are planning on making the car that fast put a ten point in.

you can go as fast as 10.00 with a unibody car and an 8pt cage as long as it still has the factory unibody/firewall in place. after 9.99, you'll need a 10pt cage minimum and a competition license.

you think a 305 isnt fast enough? ask nova how to get a 305 faster than a 350, he'll tell yea.

Actually those specs are not really accurate. First of all it's not a "cage" unless it has a halo bar and a-piller bars. If it doesn't have those, then it's just a roll bar.

Technically, only a 5 point roll bar is the minimum requirement but everyone installs the passenger door bar to make it a 6 point. If the additional bars running under the rear crossbrace from the main hood down towards the driveshaft tunnel, those 2 extra bars make it an 8 point roll bar.

You can have a minimum 8 point roll cage with only main hoop (2 points), 2 rear bars, 2 door bars, 2 a-piller bars and any combination of extra bars after that.

So getting back to your example, you can get away with only a 6 point roll bar down to 10.00 as long as the floor or firewall have not been modified. 9.99 and quicker needs a full cage with the halo and a-piller bars. Tubbing out the rear is not considered floor modification. Cutting out the tranny tunnel and fabricating a larger tunnel, welding it back in is not considered a modification.

Firewall and floor modifications means the firewall has been cut out and moved back so it's not in the original location. If the entire floor has been cut out and new sheetmetal is used to replace it (not factory replacement panels). If a removable transmission access panel is larger than one square foot. These all require a full cage. Unless you're building a full race car, chances are you're not going to fall into this catagory.

i know that, but are you going to argue scemantics? come one stephen!

anyhow, i also knew about the 5pt thing, but i didn't want to have to explain the whole thing out to them.

i understand why he would want to swap to a hard top i have a car with aftermarket c&c t-tops all they do is pore the rain in and make tons of noise when driveing but my hard top car is so quite and the body dosnt twist when going over bumps no i know the factory t-tops are a bit stronger but they still arent as quite and as soild as a hardtop car
i will be doing this swap soon ive been in cars with subframes and they only made the t-tops louder
t-tops are only good on really nice days but my ac works and i tend to use it more then the tops out as all i get is sunburn lol

i also prefer the smooth lines of the hardtop

so for me a hardtop swap will solve 3 problems or i could over pay for discontinued top seals "somewhere around 300 for the base seals then 100 more for the 3 other seals"
and hope i never break one of the tops 500 each for c&cs

so needless to say i wouldnt do the swap if these where factory t-tops
but because there are afteremarket it is worth doing the swap for me

It's REAL REAL EASY to turn a T-top car into a hardtop car, in 2 easy steps.

Step 1: Sell T-top car
Step 2: Buy hardtop car

Done.

And the most amazing thing of all is, it works in reverse too!!!

I don't know of any other way that costs any less or works anywhere near as well.

I paid $800 for my 1991 firebird, in terrible condition, however, when it comes down to it. $800 is a great price for a unibody without any rust or damage .

Yes, it is very feasible. If you are (or know) an experienced welder, it will be a piece of cake. There are quite a few 82-92 F-Body hardtops that can be found in the local junkyard. Take proper measurements of you're current top, then afterward (assuming you found a donor), "cut" the donor car's hardtop off (be sure to cut an additional inch or two on both the front, and back of the donor car's top).

When you have the top you desire in you're possession, trim down the areas in which you left the additional material, and as you trim, test fit accordingly. Be very careful not to "over" trim though (this is where experience comes into play). The hardtop (unwelded) can be seated on the stock T-Top bar while you pre-fit it. When both the front, back and sides have lined up properly, either have someone tig-weld it in for you, or do it yourself. Do not weld until you are sure of the fit...

I cannot stress enough that you take proper measurements of everything, before-hand. After the welding is finished, smooth down each and every weld, prime it with paint.

Good luck!

I got a hard top car that im chopping up tomorrow, ill get it at the base of the windshield and the bottom of the sail panels.


If anyone wants the roof its theirs, for the cost of shipping. I live in vancouver bc.


FWIW i just bought a t-top car (500 canadian) and it doesnt leak! 87gta 350, with one spot of rust. (that my other car doesn have), itll be welded in soon.

Oh, and i'd suggest reinforcement weld in some how so the car doesnt change shape when u cut the top off. i've seen some pretty weird twisting before that no frame shop could ever pull.

T-tops, lexan, and a roll-cage. Or, sameway the t-top choppers do it, but weld in a hardtop roof panel instead (please don't ruin the car)

Not to mention taking all of the expensive parts off the t-top car and putting them on to the hard top car. Oh, wait, just go and buy them again, that would be really easy. Why not?

Easy Ways Convert T-top to Hard Top

1. buy a lottery ticket
2. buy another lottery ticket
3. Sell your kidneys
4. Sell drugs
5. Invest in the stock market, wait 25 years, sell
6. Give up on complicated hopeless solutions, buy a hardtop car

I think number 6 is your best bet....

problem is it seems to be much harder to find a hard top car with all the same options and in the same shape as a t-top car mainly as many hard top cars tended to be be base models .
i wouldnt mind tradeing for hardtop car with the same options around the same miles and also in rust free shape .
but around here the only hard tops are all pos or there 350 z28s and they think there worth 4-6grand in worse shape then my rs so thats why i will most likely end up putting a hard top onto my car .

but thats because someone felt the need to have the the dealer install aftermarket c&c t-tops on my car

Hey, i'm in the same boat as you are, I can't seem to find a decent hard top car body to save my life. The wife has been trying to convince me to just find a decent t-top car and swap the top off of my formula (junk frame and other issues, drivetrain/interior is going in the good body if I find one) when I swap everything else.

2006 NHRA E.T. Quick Reference Chart

and IMO SFC's and a cage, converting to a hard top is probably a bad idea, you're better off buying a hard top roller and swapping the interior and drivetrain from you car into it.

I don’t get it, what is the deal with the nhra chart? What does it have to do with this?

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The chart is helping to clear up some earlier conversation regarding regulations.

hehe, yeah, but that chart didn't say anything specific about the cage/bar deal.

technically, it's like this:
13.99-helmet
12.99 and/or slicks-driveshaft loop
11.49-5pt roll bar and 5pt harness
10.99-10pt roll cage on all frame rail cars
9.99-10 pit roll cage on ALL cars (unibody), sportsman license
8.99-funny car cage
7.49 and quicker-25.2sfi cert. double frame rail chassis, pro license.

there's a guy in the southern ca region of this board selling an '82 T/A coupe body for 100.00 you'd be hard pressed to convert your car for that cheap. even if oyu had to ship it to northern maine, you'd probably still be money, time and stress ahead. If you really want a coupe, that is...

Honestly, if anyone knows of someone doing a t-top to hardtop conversion i'd be interested in hearing their experience. While such a swap may not seem practical to most, it would be different to hear from someone who has actually done the conversion. My 87 IROC-Z is in awesome shape and sadly (for me atleast) its a t-top. I have owned the car for several years and it holds a certain sentimental value to me and not to mention that I have too many other priorities on my list (as I'm sure most of us do) to start searching for another rust free IROC-Z that's a 5 speed and has, for the most part, been restored with OEM and performance parts. And who wants to start that again from scratch? I've given some thought about doing this with my car, but its too nice to start hacking up!
By the way, I really, really need to work on posting some pics of my baby!!!!

Black, definately get those pics up, I'd love to see them. (Also 87 Iroc owner)