Never mind, dont use it, i did but for something diffrent sorry if i could post a pic of it i would

 

I always thought removing the center bar on a 3rd gen and making an open roof, like a Vette, would be cool. You could just have one big panel. I am sure someone out there has done it (?).

But other than the leaks, I love my t tops. Of course the car rattled and squeaked a lot before I put the rollbar in, but the hardtops I have ridden in did the same thing...

Oh the wife gets sunburned on top of her head once in a while....

 

I like T-tops, I almost need them when I go autox-ing. My damn helmet is so close to the roof when they are on. Plus it adds to the thrill.

 

its called a Targa Top, if you do a search you will probably dig up alot of stuff... there was a guy from Germany that was going to send me some info about a year ago... not heard anything... might bug him...

John

 

It's T-time for me!

 

is your wife bald?


j/k

 

t tops all the way.... i have owned both a hard top and a t top car... the ttop z28 wins hands down so much more fun in the summer time and yes the chicks do love t tops, everytime they want to go for a ride they ask to take them off, just dont stick them in the back seat with the t tops off they dont like that too much, come out looking like they stuck their finger in a light bulb socket

 

no she isn't bald. but that was funny. i should have said her forehead, not the top of her head....

 

has anyone ever seen a 3rd gen w/ a targa top (1 solid piece like on corvettes).. would it be possible to do? please dont start on the whole structural integrity topic.. just could it be done, has it been done, and if it has any pics??

 

start a new thread actually, but as far as your question goes, yes, sure why not, anything is possible... Use some good Weld in SFC's, and fab up a one piece top, then some clips for the middle of the top, then go to town... I want to know what I would do with my center overhead console tho?

John

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ighlight=targa

There ya go.

 

I agree with you here. That was one of the tricks to keeping t-tops from leaking. My father was told that by a gm mechanic way back in the 70s when they had lots of people bringing the cars back in for t-top leaks. Just apply the stuff either A)once a month if you haven't taken the tops off or B)every/every other time you ride with the tops off. I did this when I had my 92 with t's, and never had a leak. No rot either.

 

I had T-tops on my 96 Z28 and I have a hard top on my 89 GTA, I would have to say....T-TOPS!!!! Man I love driving will all that wind, and I looks sweet!

Brian

 

Top down, baby.. gotta love that shiyet

 

TTops all the way.

 

T-Tops are cool

And they are just as structuraly sounds as a hard top. But only when they are on. Otherwise there is less area for the stress to be dispersed over. Also t-tops wiegh more then sheetmedal does and in a racing enviroment you are going for the least amount of weight as possible. Anyway that is my 2 cents worth.

 

ACTUALLY, the extra weight is more from the extra thick sheet metal they used in the floor pan, and down below than it is in the t-tops.

I have been watching this thread, and I find it interesting... Actually T-top cars will twist MUCH easier than a hard top... I know this because before I got SFC's I went into this park and I witnessed my windshield move about 4 inches to the left when I went over the curb (SFC's cured that)... Considering that t-tops basically sit there, I highly doubt that there is any benefit to having them in, other than keeping the rain off you. The windshield on the other hand is a point of strength (except on converts)

Granted I have seen more Herd Top cars have the cracks in the sheet metal behind the door in the upper rear corner, but that is from a poor design, thus why aircraft avoid sharp corners... they have a tendancy to split.

For Drag Racing structural purposes, I would take a hard top car and use some of the door jam wedges from a T-top car to help stiffen it up. but that one piece top helps...

personally I like the way a t-top car looks, so I will continue to buy SFC's to fix my problems...

John

 

Now that's TMI!

 

i have a REALLLLLLLLLLLLY stupid question...


um,.. whats an SFC.




lol?

 

SFC=Sub Frame Connector...

John

 

oohhhh! and.. uhh.. it looks like what and you put it where?? any pics or a website would help....

 

They look like a piece of steel, and you connect them to the bottom of your car...

I welded mine to the control arm mounting area, and then they went all the way forward to just behind the front wheels...

It helps mostly in the door areas of the car, where it is the weakest.

John

 

$249.00 a pair from www.nextgenparts.com but everyone has them.

 

ohhhh... is it reallly worth it?

 

YES YES YES!!!, I must say that the benefit of the extra rigity GREATLY outweighs the extra weight...

I find that it rides better, and less squeeks, I think it might actually handle a little better too... but thats hard to determine since I did a strut tower brace, boxed in my Lower Control Arms Urithane bushings too all at the same time.

That picture is not the ones for our cars...

John

 

ohh, would it be hard to do myself?

 

t-tops are ok, but IMO vert is the only way to go

 

M

Mine did, so it all worked out pretty good I'd say. I do get comments that surprise me...Every now and then, someone who knows a 1989 convertible Firebird is out of the ordinary!

The really odd part is that having a 1984 black Eldorado Bairritz (w/ stainless steel top and factory sunroof) before the white/black 89 Formula convert., I still seem to have gotten more comments on owning the Cadillac, in the same time frame. (sold due to restricted funds and too many repairs)

I still think I'll buy one again, and it may be of interest to note that my local Cadillac dealer got to know me by name! I was taken aback

 

Best to ask an engineer to truthfully disagree and not the statement that metal over glass, or absent metal automatically means weaker. I build houses for a living (early stages) and trusses have different forms for different stress points. The car's body structure works in the same regard. I doubt the top of the car, or roof, is a real critical structural point...but a good roll cage for high speed racing...helmet, pro harness, fire extinguisher, etc... They're the real requirements.

I think GM's concern also has to do with the general populace and a generally fast car. If you don't know how to handle it, you can run into trouble easily.

I also think if you want to drop a 350 TPI in a convert... DO IT! I would

BILL

 

T-tops for now, vert when I buy one

 

I will said it in the past & will say it now. I know Scott Settlemire & I beleive him over anyone of you "experts".