i need help making a decision. before i drop 3 grand or more on paint, i'm trying to decide if i should go for the t top. i currently have a hard top. i'm not tryinig to cut t tops in. but find a t top car. does any one have bad experiences with the t top. i just think it's a lot better than the hard top.

 

T-tops are awesome in some situations, but horrible in others. They leaked straight from the factory, they reduce body rigidity, and make everything creak alot more. They can be alot of fun though.

If that stuff doesnt bother you, go for the t-tops...

 

Yeah I agree with what was said above. They both have their good and their bad. I love my t-tops when its warm out. I havent had a big problem with them leaking either. you just gotta make sure the weatherstripping is up to par on them.Id say since you live in AZ Id go with t-tops.You'll probably wanna get a set of Sub-frame connectors for it as soon as possible to help with the twisting, as said before the body isnt as rigidy. Good luck

 

The only true way to enjoy a sports car is with no top.

 

hmmmmmm...

 

maybe if you want your car to look like a shoe (with the top gone all car look like a basic shoe to me). I'm sorry i don't like convertibles it takes away the cars basic design, alought i do have to admit third gen convertibles are some of the best looking out there.

 

I would love a hardtop thirdgen. I am sick of T-Tops. I like going topless, but I want a 1/4 mile car, so I want a hardtop.

 

Admittedly I think I've got to be in the minority here, but my T-tops have never leaks.. I had a small leak which I thought to be from them, only because everyone says that they all leak. However, it turns out it was the hatch... It just ran into a place so it looked like it could be from either, but it was indeed the hatch.

I love mine, though admittedly, if they leaked, I couldn't stand them.. I guess it's about finding a car without the T-top leaks..

 

wanna trade?

 

I like t-tops, but wouldnt buy a car just for that.

 

I think "speed limiter." should finish the rest of your sentence. Convertibles are for cruising.

Personally, I would stick with the hardtop.

 

i own a T-Top car. It gets the ladays...hahah im just kidding but its a matter of what your doing with your car. If your gonna go out racing on the track everyweekend then stick with a hard top. But if your more of a cruiser weekend driver love the warmth then go with T-Tops.

 

I have ALWAYS liked Hardtops, but TTops are nice for a cruiser

 

Ive got the C&C tops on my 84 & love them.Most people prefer the GM brand though.Mine have never leaked, but if i leave the window as little as 1/64 open they will.As for rattles,squeeks.There's little to none,With some SFC & other structual mods you can really improve body integrity.Id go with t-tops,but Im biased of course.

 

hey 84 1le is that a hwy patrol camaro and as old as it is by now is it yours if so cool btw on the topic t-tops are nicer in my opinion though my 87 is a hardtop though I might be trying to put a sunroof in it

 

I love my T-Topped Bird!! I would only buy a third gen with T-Tops, if they are leaking, they can be fixed.

 

Come on, you know you want the T-tops, you just don't know whether or not you want the problems with them.. If you're worried, haggle 350 off the price of the car, buy new weather stripping, and enjoy..

T-tops man!

 

LOL thats why ya put ya in a nice sound system ya wont here no noise lol but seriously that will helpp but wont b able to hear you motor unless ya do soemthin to the exaust so ya can hear it lol

 

I'll trade you my car, i got t-tops and would do anything for a hardtop. I think I might actually be willing to drive from MA to AZ to trade ya lol

 

i'll meet you half way.

 

A little far to go for a trade lol. Anyways, mine needs quite a bit of work. I do want a 91-92 RS though....I love the looks of them.

 

I went from a T-top car to a Hard top car. Would never buy a T-top car ever again. If i didn't want my roof id buy a convertible.

 

mine needs painted... hell, i'm game if you are.. i have a 305 tbi rebuilt about 15k ago. bored 30 over. 5 spd. interior isn't bad. new carpet. needs a new headliner. or recovered. seats could use recovered. the wife went kinda crazy one day when she got mad at me for some ****.


oh. i didn't realize your car was an auto matic.. never mind.. gotta have the manual.

 

I love my t-tops. Actually sold my 84 camaro just so I could buy my bird that has t-tops. Like others have said, if they leak, they can be fixed.

Also since I see that you live in arizona, It may be worth the investment.

 

Yeah Manuals are fun, just cant beat a stalled and kitted auto for drag racing, which is what I want.

 

I personally prefer T-Top cars myself. I do get annoyed when people claim T-Top cars leak. I have owned several, and they are just like anything else. The seals wear out ( the door seals on my hardtop Camaro are rotted, so leak in the rain, I guess hardtops suck huh? ) anyway, I regulalry cleaned my 83 T/A's seals and had NO leaks, and my Formula was failry leak free from March of 98 until last summer I started tog et a little leak on the drivers side in the rain, so now I will repalce the seals, and clean them regularly and they will be just fine.

T-Tops Rule!

 

for sure

 

If you have to leave the car sitting outside (due to no garage) then you "NEED" a hardtop. T-Tops will leak, rust and rust out other crap unless your very cautious.

My car has 0 rust anywhere except around the t-tops and the pass. side floorpan from where the damn t-tops leaked

sucks...

T-Tops are nice if you can just pull it in the garage without the t-tops on and not even bother putting em back on, then when you leave... still off.

trying to take them off after sitting in the sun requires oven mitts cause they are like 200 degrees.

/shrug to each is own. I do like mine, but if I could have bought my car without them, I would have.

 

I JUST bought a hardtop car. It depends on what you're using it for. I'm using this car for cornering HARD. Hence, the hard top. My first third gen was a hard top too. My 4th gen however... she went TOPLESS baby

 

here's my opinion. T-tops are great for 2 weeks then u realize they arent that good. The car looks kinda cool with them off and its kind of fun to drive with them off but its not worth the frame twist, creaks, and leaks. I hate how the black top sticks out like a soar thumb on my car...t-tops look great on black cars. When u drive with them off you will have to be careful, its bad for the frame to make hard turns and go WOT (especially if u have 3.73's and a shift kit like i do). i'd say get a hard top if u plan on making it a fast car and if you want it to look all one color. Im lucky so far because mine dont leak unless u pour water on them like when u wash it. Other than that they creak and rattle a lot, especially during the winter. If you get t-tops, a few weeks later u might be thinking "is this really worth it?"..... just dont make t-tops a requirement if you are looking for a 3rd gen

 

Yes it is & shes all mine.I got it real cheap too.I still have'nt figured how im gonna get in it though.

 

my second thirdgen doesn't have t-tops and I miss them very much!! however I do own two third gens now.. one with t-tops and one without. hum, now all I need is a convertible!

 

I say hard top or targa top.

 

what's a targa top? does any one have pics? and i live in YUMA ARI F*CKIN ZONA... not much chance of rain here.. besides, there's always someone who's gonna be faster. i'd rather look cool. besides. there's always cops out here, and with gas going up all the damn time, i don't have the money to go wot and complete upgrades.

 

targa top is about the coolest looking thing you can do to a turd gen. it's like t-tops with the center bar removed and one removeable piece going all the way across. I would like to see pics if anybody has them.

 

My T-top has a small leak under heavy heavy rain, but as stated, you can always fix that with some new weatherstripping and a job well done, which I'll be doing soon enough. They are really unique to thirdgens, and ultimately, badass. I'd say go for the the T-top, only 'cause it will bring you more pleasure than grief. Nice looks/ride vs. a problem that isnt a problem to fix? Definitely T-top.

 

i think i've seen that. that's pretty sweet too... does any one have pics? how much does it cost to do that?

 

living in oregon... i prefer hardtop. i currently own both. i used two tubes of weatherstrip adheasive on my NEW GM SEALS and they still leak a tiny little bit. gonna cram some silicone in the places i suspect leakage... they are nice for cruising around. but i gotta say, i love my hard top. rain or shine its just better. it is the ONLY way to go in wet weather..

 

not sure but t-tops may give you a little more headroom. which helps if you are real tall like me. makes the interior seem a little more spacious.

i love em, especially since no one makes em anymore on new cars, they are a unique feature.

i figure t-tops are not perfect but they are a good compromise, some benefits of both. if youre not hardcore racing, id go for em.

 

So I don't have any new info, really, to add to this thread.

I like my t-tops...it's a good compromise between hard tops and a convertible I think. Mine do leak yes...I think my hatch does too since there's some issues in the back seat when it rains heavily and the car is parked. I haven't gotten any sub-frame connectors and I can tell you this car twists enough that I worry sometimes.

However, I always get good comments and "oh that's cool!" from people who look up and can see the sky through my glass t-tops. ^_^

There's my on that. T-tops are for fun ^_^

 

I've owned both and I prefer a hardtop. The t-tops were fun but they were kind of a pain to use in my opinion. I never had a t-top bag, maybe that was my problem. I just dont think GM thought out the t-top storage too well. That was really the only problem I had with them. Cant really lay them down in the back, they move around while you drive and make turns. You can prop them up in the rear seats but if you brake hard they'll go flying, and they look weird cruzing in the back seats. I also had the usual leaking and rusting, but I attribute that to my own lack of maintaining the weatherstripping more than anything else. When I owned that car I didnt even consider paying attention to that weatherstripping. Maybe it was a bad design, maybe not, I dunno. Rusted t-top bars are very very common. I ended up with rust in/under the roof itself along with a rusted t-top bar.

 

Man , I think the T-tops are what makes the third gens so cool...Yeah maybe they have leaking problems but it's nice on a hot summer day.On the other hand a hard top is sure more rigid than a t-top...

 

I am gonna have to go with the hardtop. Most of the 3rd gens I see are t-top cars, I just like to be a little different. Besides if I want to remove the t-tops I just drive one of my 4th gens

 

i had a 92 z28 and my tops leaked so bad id have to hold a towel up in certain spots when it rained but now i own a 92 rs hard top and i can say i love it!plus its alot more rigid on flexability with the power i plan on putting in it

 

I also have both a hardtop and a t-top. Both firebirds, both black. My hardtop looks smoother. My T-top car looks good only when the t-tops are removed. My vote goes to hardtops. However, a black RS vert is the next car on my wishlist.

 

My t-top has a bag and the bag has straps that clip on to the floor and anotehr strap that is connected to the back and it never slides for me (despite the fact that I'm missing one of the straps that connect to the back >.< )

 

T-Tops leaking are not as bad as they seem since you can adjust them...

 

For those that said no leaks on their t-top cars, does your cars leak when power washing? Mine is fine in the rain, but at the car wash it leaks a bit at the front of the driver.

As for the opinion poll, t-tops all the way. I have owned 4 3rd gens and 2 were t-tops. The only way I won't get t-tops on my 5th 3rrd gen, would be if it's a convertible. Yes, the rattles and creaks get annoying, but never once did I say "I'd rather have a hard top".

 

Amazingly, no...
Somebody recently replaced the seals and headliner, and apparently did a very good job, by t-tops are just like they were meant to be...

That said, the hatch has a drip.. So ironic..

 

My vote would have to be no to the t-tops. I have never really liked them that much. I guess I am not the hair blowing in the wind type. The are nice for cruises on hot summer nights but beyond that they are a pain in the rear. My current "beast" has t-tops but only because it was clean and cheap. Even though I live in an area that gets little to no rain I hate them. They burn your hands if you try and take them off after being out in sun and are a pain to store. Plus I cant make the power I want without worrying about frame issues unless I go with a cage. If I had to do it all over again I would have held out and found a hardtop.