so is it true that GM didnt put t-tops on the later 3rd gen cars (specifically camaros) Were t-tops installed at the dealer? Is it impossible to get a later 350 3rd gen with t-tops? Am i totally wrong on this?

thanks

i beleive they did put the t- tops on the later third gen 350.

well i hope so cause somebody told me they didnt. I want a camaro with t-tops, and if it was a 90-92, that would be awesome

'maros no, 'birds yes--unless dealer option or aftermarket deal

ok, so there is a slight chance i could get one with dealer tops? Thats sort of good news...wtf was GM thinking? t-tops are awesome. Is it possible to get t-tops put on a non t-top car...they can do sunroofs, why no t-tops? Would it cost more or less than $1000

more to do it right..

no 91-92 z28 350's ever came from "gm" with t-tops. several made their way to the modification table through various outsourced companies and all that i have seen arent the nicest job. better off doing a motor transplant down the road if t-tops are a must or pick up an early 350 iroc and add the 91-92 parts that it is lacking.

pontiacs on the other hand came with them through all years. i was the same way when i was younger wanting the t-tops, the features alone were well worth putting up with the coupe and now i love the look better.

good luck in your search.

thx man, its only taking me FIVE months

took me almost a year. several plane tickets across the country... it happens.

My z28 has t-tops and a 350...

Buy one with a 305, take it out and put in a 350. simple

True, I just put a 350 in mine. People always complain about body flex when you combine a 350 and a t-top car. Believe me, they are right, I get body flex.

SFCs. Rollcage would be nice if room, money, and the stock look aren't important to you.

Where you from? I have a nice 350 Firebird w/ T-tops (I think its a 91) that I may be selling if I don't pull the motor.

From what I've heard. The factory thought too much torqe from a 350 may effect the body if it has t-top.

I've add aftermarket t-tops to my bird. But it doesn't have 350...

go with the ttops and plant a 350 in it. easiest way to go.

its not so much that i NEED a 350 car, its just that whenever there is a perfect camaro for sale here its a 350 without t-tops. I would get a 305 with t-tops any day, but for some reason the only 305's around here are RS; and i cant have TBI... I dont even need a 350....going from a pos celica to a 305 is plenty for me. I wish there was a 305 TPI t-top car for sale around me. Im not about to do the whole ebay thing and travel 100 miles to see a car that ends up being crap

i just have a feeling i will never forgive myself if i get a camaro witout t-tops....

btw, i live in central indiana

I hope you mean 1000 miles becaues travelling 100 to get your perfect car is hardly out of the question in my mind...

I waited over a year to buy mine....and ironically, I was driving a Celica too!

I had to have a 350/Ttop car, and It had to have a NON GREY INTERIOR!!!!! I had decided that 2 of the 3 requirements were good enough, and I was driving EVERY car in NC,VA, eastern TN. etc, that matched my criteria/budget etc. No joke, I drove about 25 thirdgens, and even some 4th gens. The car I finally found was about 10 miles away and I MISSED IT IN THE AUTOTRADER!!!! A friend asked what was wrong with "this one". I asked which one he was talking about. It had been in the AT for 2 weeks and somehow I skipped over it.

I bought it a day later.

i bought mine from jersey (about 1 hours drive) it happen to be the 2nd car that i looked at and i feel in love with it. alot of my friends said that i should keep looking but when you find the one for you, you will know it.

i can understand where your coming from... in fact i gave up at one point and started looking into 91 305's with the t-tops but so many of them were beat up. once i finally found a great condition 350 to compare the driving experience i was done and wouldn't settle... however i never planned on modifying the car ever. if i were going to modify the car i would have bought one of the 305's in a minute.

very true.

well i guess im gonna be makin some road trips....there are a lot of nice ones on auto trader exactly 100 miles away...lol.

btw, what year and trim was the celica u owned?

thx for the encouragement guys

Sooooo, to anyone who knows, what exactly is the deficiency in the thirdgen design? Second gen cars had 400CID motors with T-Tops. Not a lot of top-end but gobs of torque.

if you want a 350 with ttops, look for an 87. They seem plentiful enough. Last year I bought an 87 IROC 350 with ttops for $500.

Yeppers 87-89 I do beleive even 90 I think all Came Optioned with 350 & t-tops CC1

yep and most were the same horsepower as the 350 of later years... very underpowered and they show great flex as well when put under stress.

no one knows, not even gm will answer why they truly left the t-tops off the 350's.

The 2nd-gen had plenty of flex with T-Tops. The '76-early '78 Hurst installed T-Tops were terrible. The T-Tops move around a lot as you're driving down the road.

The late '78-81 Fisher(factory) T-Tops were better but its still common to have a ripple behind the openings on the roof.

Sub-frame connectors seem to solve most of the problems.

guess gm didn't want to spend the extra money. i'm sure they would have sold more combinations had they put some time into it.

My Dad's T/A had a 301 and he didn't have any stress flex

I actually saw several t top 350 Formulas during my stint in Tulsa,OK and even test drove a couple. The dealer said the cars had full warranty EXCEPT for the tops. Seems that they were prone to popping out and shattering. This was in 1989. To my knowledge that was the only year that a 350 and t tops were available on the same car before 92 when GM introduced their "improved" bonding process that allowed the 5.7/t top combo to be available but very few were made.

Pretty sure GM had Tees and 350s starting in 87.

...but my uncle's cousin' kid has a rare 86 350/ttop car!

I am confused, is that a joke or are you for real? Wouldn't that be your second cousin?

350 and ttops didn't start until 87 adn lasted a couple of years.

Mongoose-- where do you live in Monroe?? I live off Rocky River Rd.

My car was originally a 305 TPI 5speed T-top car. And i built it the way i wanted it.

3rdgenstm, I'm just off Secrest Shortcut Road.

that's really the best way. if your budget is unlimited go this route. if you want the best for your money though you'll save alot buying a 350 car, if t-tops are a must then i'd look to the older years and add the few distinguishing 91-92 appearance items if necessary.

i know about t top cars with body flex- my grand national leaks no matter what seals you put on it- the doors dont line up anymore- but it is worth it when your launching hard at stop lights with the tops off

I know for a fact you could get t-tops and a 350 in 1989 on the Formula..I have one.
I think they stopped offering it in 90-92 though