besides the roof what else would I need? how do I brace up the car before I cut the roof off? has anyone here done this before?

 

there are quite a few threads about this already. Searching a little wouldn't hurt.

 

Do you need t-tops on this particular car that badly? T-top thirdgens are not expensive, and buying one would involve fewer headaches than converting your hardtop to a t-top car. It is not a minor undertaking.

Enjoy your hardtop. I imagine you have fewer squeaks, leaks, and less wind noise than those of us with t-tops.

 

nice screen name.....this is like the 3rd person this week to ask how to convert thier hard top to convertible this week.......

as for you questions...just buy a factory vert.....

 

He's actually asking about converting to t-tops, not a convertible.

But otherwise, yes, he should do a search, then abandon the idea completely.

 

if you have a good welder that knows what hes doing then a t-top conversion form a hardtop is extremely simple. Theres a lot of measuring, temporary bracing, and very skilled cutting involved. As for permanent bracing, its always a good idea to use sub frame connectors anyway even if the factory t-top doesnt have it. You then need a good bodyman to smooth out the welds and make it seamless. I have done this conversion a few times for ppl, and when its all said and done you cannot tell its not factory. If anyone needs more info on this you can check out http://www.markscustomkits.com/t-top-conversions.htm

Mark has been doing this for his customers for years on end and he is what you call a pro. Hope this helps!

 

02sixt, how can a procedure require a skilled bodyman, bracing, lots of measuring, careful cutting, and still be considered simple?

 

I would of rather had a hard top then a t-top car but t-tops are nice to

 

well I'm saying for the ppl that have done it before and do it all the time it is a simple procedure, but it is very involved and you have to know what you're doing. You need those various ppl to do the job. Obviously its not something you tackle at home unless you are prepared to have your car fold in on itself and have the possibility of losing it totally, or if you are very very handy and do lots and lots of research, anything can be done. But to do it on your own car that has some worth to you with no experience is a mistake. Which is why i gave the link to Mark's site, he's a pro.

 

anyways.... from the whole perspective of it. why go thru all of that labor. the EASIEST way to convert it to t-tops is to have a donor roof. why not just buy the car the donor roof came off of (before the roof is cut off) and fix it up with the stuff from your coupe? OR you can just sell your coupe and buy any other t-top car out there. there are just a few out there..... I'm sure you could find one on here for CHEAP!

 

well the major reason you cant just buy a t-top car is because its a different car than your own. And a lot of times its very hard to find a factory t-top that isnt rusted to hell and back. See with a hardtop, you already have a rust free body, and most likely have already paid someone to straighten and paint your hardtop....and if you were to convert it it would cost maybe 1500 bucks and you'd still have a rust free car. BUT if you were to go buy a t-top, and then fix up the body again to get it as good as the car you may have NOW, then you may already be spending way more than 1500 bucks to get everything settled. So often its not practical, and a conversion is very quick and easy, most shops will have it done the next day if they're not too busy.

 

 

There's a difference between simple and easy.

 

 

for a skilled bodyman its both simple AND easy. like i said if u attempt to do this in your garage u will fail without experience. so if your car means anything to you, dont try this at home!!

 

Finally, something I mostly agree with......

1)you will need a complete roof from a t-top car, including part of the upper windshield and including part of th upper quarters; you will need new weatherstripping for the door openings; you will need the t-top headliner; you will need the t-tops themselves, including latches; and you will "need" t-top sunvisors.
2)without the roof, these cars are VERY flimsy. when you cut the roof off, you can flex the middle of the car A LOT! for something like this you would want to support the bottom of the car evenly in several different places to keep it from sagging and also weld in some supports to keep anything from moving. you will want to connect the b-pillars (where your rear speakers are at) to each other to keep the quarters from flexing in, and you will also want to make a few connections and cross braces at the doors to keep the center of the car from flexing. you will need to weld in some square or round tubing to support it.
3)yes....

 

Let's not play at semantics or etymology.

The idea that this is a breeze for a "skilled bodyman" to do is great. Making rocket fuel is a breeze for a chemist, but that doesn't mean I should try it after getting some internet advice.

The poster's initial question implies that he is not a skilled bodyman, so the fact that this is a simple task for such a person is irrelevant.

Ultimately, I'd feel bad telling someone about how easy a process is, encourage them to do it, only to have them get way in over their head and possibly ruin their car. Altering a STRUCTURAL part of the vehicle is very dangerous when you are an amateur, and I think this needs to be mentioned.

But hey, if you absolutely can't live with a hardtop and don't want to go and buy a t-top car (even though they are cheap) then do what you've got to do. Obviously, we have people here who have done this before, so I guess you have the guidance you need.

Best of luck with your project. If you tackle it, you should take pics and write a tech article for others, since the question comes up from time to time.

 

why do you honestly want t-tops? i have em, never use em, and it sucks when they LEAK.. and it gets a bit warm when you have the sun blazing down on you, through the t-top glass.. well thats just me.. no A/C, no fan, no carpet, no tint, live in hawaii, and i usually only drive her when the sun is out.. unless its drag night

 

I dunno where you guys live or what your prices are like for t-top cars, but where I live they are anything but cheap, the least expensive one I've seen lately on Auto Trader was going for 4500, and that was a V6 t/a. If a t-top car drops below that here, its usually a piece of junk.

 

V6 T/A...?

Thirdgens in general are cheap, and I don't think it's just where I am.

Here's a link to a clean t-top V6 Bird for $2500:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fire...ird-v-6-a.html

 

The junkyards of Los Angeles are littered with t-top 3rd gens, and most usually have always been california cars, hence nice weather=t-tops, also rustless cars are beautiful.

And honastly, adding t-tops is way worth it IMO, someone added them to my car (c&c ones) and I love them.

 

You bring up a good point....T-tops can be nice (when you live in Cali...the nice weather capital of the world) and on nice days everywhere else. Your 2nd point that you brought up is also a valid one....T-top cars are EVERYWHERE. To convert a 20 yo car over to t-tops is an excessive amount of work to just do it to do it. If you just want them to have them, then buy the car completed. You also made a 3rd good point....there were places that did this conversion (C&C) as a full time gig. They would have the knowledge and equipment, and capital to make this a cost effective and safe modification to a coupe. To the average Joe who wants to do it...just buy a T-top car and be done with it.....

I'm going to unsubscribe now.......