Are they supposed to look all crystalized like this? I think it looks like crap, and was wondering if I would be able to polish this out or if they are past the point of no return?

 

2.

 

From what I have read, I think you are out of luck, there is no fix, the only option would be to find a set of glass ones, like I have, Still look like new.

 

yeah on my 82 ta project car, the glass tops i got for em, look like they are sandblasted anyway to fix those or am i SOL as well? i got em for 20 dollars so cant complain, keeps the elements out of the interior

 

Hehe... thing is I got 3 sets of T-Tops, and these are the best.

I've got the factory ones for the 91, the Lexans which don't leak at all but look like crap.

A glass set from a Camaro, I'm not sure of the year, that came with the car when I bought it. They look amazingly better and aren't as faded on the outside, but they leak when it rains and the inside panels on them don't line up correctly... lines up perfect on the outside.

And then another set from an '85 Z28 that don't fit at all, but are in alright condition.

 

Go with the Lexans. And, put sunshades in so you won't see that. It'll hide it.

 

Another option would be to sand & paint the outside of the t-tops. Leave the inside the black & they wiont look any different from the inside except you cant see through them anymore. This would give it a hardtop look from 20 foot & still have the t-tops that you can remove. I did this to a camaro about 10 years ago & it looked pretty cool.

 

Well I threw on the glass ones today since it's been pretty nice out and I don;t have to worry about it raining. The interior panel lineup problem wasnt as bad as I remembered, in fact the drivers side top lines up perfect, but the passenger side one has some issues. You have to put a lot more force into latching it on, and once it's latched it makes the weatherstripping bulge up where it pins in on the side closest to the rear. Any idea what could be causing this?

I really like the idea of painting the Lexan ones the same color as the car though. I might have to try that while I'm working on getting the glass ones all sealed and shiney looking.

 

I was gonna paint a set i got body color but UPS broke one in shipping and almost a year later still no money for replacments

I thought it would look cool

 

theres a set of lexan ttops on a firebird at the junkyard, im thinkin of gettin them but they looked like those pics but only on the inside. i think ill try and hagel the price and then paint the inside and polish the outside, should look good.

 

Way back in 91 - 92 when I had my 91 RS Camaro, I had 2 sets of t-tops. 1 lexan pair that was damaged in vandalism, thats why I painted them. I just took a gray scotch brite & some Ajax ( yes I said Ajax ) with water & scratched the outside surface nice & consistant, sealed, based & clearcoated them. I also had 1 pair of glass tops. I found that I could not swap tops & get them both to fit properly. If I remember correctly there is some adjustment the can be made on the latch points on the body both frt & back so that your tops would latch properly, and this was too big a hassle so I eventually sold the glass ones. But it sure was cool to go to a car show & have both painted & the glass tops to lay with the car. That drew even more attention to painted tops.

 

Timz - go and snag the Lexans. They're so rare... in any condition.

 

kool, will do if the weather is good this saturday ill be coming home with a set from a firebird but ill have to do something to cover the bird up after takin the tops so others can get the interior pieces.

 

Wow, that's so considerate of you...

The junk yard I usually go to has all the t-tops removed and they're held in a place only the workers can get at. So, the poor cars sit out there exposed to all the elements.

 

Okay, I've had the same problems with my tops that were mentioned above. First, there is an adjustment for the weatherstripping on the tops. You have to take off the latch handle, and the interior trim, and then you use a phillips screwdriver on the two screws holding the weatherstripping in place, but adjust one at a time so the weatherstripping has a chance to expand and contract as necessary. Second, you need to take off the pillar moldings with the same phillips screwdriver and there will be two 9/32 screws under that holding the latch plate to the frame of the car. Loosen those and adjust the latch up or down as necessary. BTW, I have a set of tops that don't have any weatherstripping if you want them.

 

#1) The little cracks is called Crazing
#2) it can be fixed with some work, unfortunately the plastic is beginning to break down, Usually Crazing occurs just under the surface. In some cases it will go all the way through at which point it will eventually completly crack from an edge. I think they may also be hard coated, when you sand through the thin layer of hard coating it may scratch easier.
#3) I have never seen "Lexan" tops, to be honest I have seen them only made from Acrylic, Plexiglas is Acrylic, but these were orignally made by company named "Leximar" here in Michigan, they were made from a special blend of Acrylic that did not expand or contract drastically with weather changes.
#4) I would think that since Acrylic is vonerable to solvents and such that driving through car washes could possibly speed the aging process. That with the continuous bombardment of UV rays. Thus why they were short lived.

I am eventually planning on manufacturing replacement acrylic for the tops, but I am not there yet. I have a set that I am going to use as a template.

HOW do I know this? I make Windshields and Windows for airplanes from acrylic. I also happen to know the supplier to Leximar who sold the original material to them

hope this helps.

 

mine look like that from underneath, but i polished the outsides so they look ok.

 

I have lexan t-tops as well and they look exactly like your pics do. I've been looking for some glass ones locally but to no avail!