Im currently looking to buy a 87-92. I really want T-tops but got a few questions for people who own them.

1. Are they worth it? I just keep hearing nightmares about the leaks.

2. I plan on making the car a 13 second car iv heard stories of problems with adding too much power with the t-tops and bending the body which causes them to leak bad and its almost unrepairable without a body shop doing some major stuff to it. Iv also heard things like the t-tops weaken the body and it will flex with a car that has alot of torque causing the winshield to crack... is any of true?


All in all. Should I go for the t-tops?

Would love to hear feedback from some owners

 

Are they worth it? Hell yes!!! Every sunny day of the year I'm glad that I went for T-top model.

Will T-top car flex more? Hell yes!!!

So if you planning some serious racing, don't go T-tops. If you wan't cool car for summer, T-tops all the way.


But, that's just my opinion.

 

having ttops is nice but they can be a pain cus of leaks ( my 85s do but only when it is raining so freaken hard u cant see) i prefer hardtops but on nice days it is nice to take them out n cruise

 

If you get T-tops, throw some SFC's in it first thing. Make sure you really check out the t-top area before plunking down your cash.

Check these following areas out:
-Look for visible rust with the tops removed
-Look for bubbling in the paint in that area
-Peel back the weather stripping along the A and B pillars. Look for missing metal and rust that holds the weather stripping in place
-Check out the black divider in the middle for rust and flaking
-Look at the weathstripping on the t-top itself and the pieces that extend down into the A and B pillars and make sure it is in decent condition

None of these are deal breakers if you can pick the car up cheap and have the skills and money to repair this stuff. You just want to make sure this area is solid if you dont.

I personally love my t-tops and did all of this work to mine. Look in the History/Restoration section and check out the "High School Car" thread. Dont get scared of all the work, just educate your self before jumping off into anything.

 

what do you consider serious racing? i plan on making it about a 13 second car.

 

what are SFC's?

 

t top cars actually have more support over hardtops IIRC...
leaks dont really bug me but to each there own...and its a easy fix anyways.
totally worth it but if i was to buy another third gen, it'd be a hardtop or vert

 

subframe connectors

esential for these cars if you plan to do any kinda racing in them IMO

 

Anytime you cut a hole in the roof you're going to get leaks, period. They haven't invented a seal yet that doesn't go bad eventually.

And yes, t-top cars are much more prone to twisting and if you ever get in an accident you can expect more damage than if you were in a hard top car.

As far as what you can do with that, you have a ton of options depending on how much protection you want. SFC's are the minimum, but you can also opt for a rollcage that can go from a simple hoop to a full race cage. It's entirely up to you.

Are they worth it? Again, that's a matter of opinion. I really liked my t-tops when I had my camaro, and the only thing that really disappointed me was how easily the lexan glass was scratched up. They were already in bad shape when I bought the car. That and it always seemed like a major pain to store them. These cars just aren't all that big and by the time you put the t-tops in the trunk, you're done.

Mathius

 

Actually the power sunroofs don't leak (if they're factory) and the reason for this is they don't actually seal the water out they let the water into a tray and there are 4 holes in the tray where the water goes out tubes through the pillars. So it's a little different concept, which is why I would assume they don't have t tops in any cars anymore and you can get a power sunroof in pretty much anything.

Anyway back to topic my 3rd gen has t tops and the 4th gen I had did not. I had the 4th gen first and always wished I had t tops but it wasn't the end of the world without them. My 3rd gen that I just bought has t tops which I thought were great at first but after having them for a while it's not a big deal I've had the car for about 6 months and after the first month I probably only had them out once or twice since then. Don't get me wrong they're great when they're out but they're kind of a pain to take out, it's not like it's difficult but it does take a couple minutes and then if you go somewhere where you don't want to leave your car wide open it's a couple more minutes to put them in. I guess if you're going for a cruise then they're awesome but if you're running errands then it's not a huge deal.

A t top car will always flex more but I'm sure you could make a 13 second car out of it safely enough.

 

Basically, if you wanna race t-top car, it's still possible, but you'll need to invest a bit more money into making it a bit stiffer, SFC, roll cage etc...

On the other hand if you wanna race a hard-top car I would still recommend SFC, so the call is yours. A bit more stiff, or a bit more cool.

As for the leaks I never had a problem with it. Even if you have a leak, a new weatherstripping is not a major work to do so I can't see the problem.


As for 13 sec car... It always starts as 13sec. car, but then you want that bit more, and more, and more....

 

i think im gonna go with 'a bit more cool' and get the t-tops. thanks for everyones feedback

 

82-91.5 T-tops leak... thats true.

However the later 91.5 & 92 do not leak when properly installed. My 1987 (with the late style seals) have not leaked since I redid my car.

T-top cars (like convertibles) are not as rigid as a hard top, so if you want to race... look for a hard top.

Subfame connectors aka SFC's are almost a must, even for a hard top. one thing that is more common on hard tops than T-tops is the cracks in the upper rear corners of the door openings. You will NOT find a hard top car without those cracks, unless it is a low miles car, in which case you will be shunned if you modify it. especially if it was a TPI car...

BTW, I have owned 4 T-top cars, 4 hard top cars and 1 vert, and that's what I have to say about that. The Hard top I got for my wife is probably one of the most fun to drive, of course its a LB9/MM5

John

 

okfoz--
We have an 87 Camaro, T-Top.

Forgive my ignerance, ..." with the late style seals "...

Late style-- 91.5 & 92? I thought it was all the same except for C & C.

Subtle differences in 82-91 & 91.5-92?

Thanks okfoz for any reply!!

 

Do you have pics of the cracks you're talking about? I have a hardtop (143,xxx miles) car and I don't have any stress issues in those areas. I'm curious now.

BTW - not attempting to hijack, so sorry about that. Just found something that applied to me, haha.

 

In mid year 1991 they modified the seals, the most obvious change was the rubber strip on the outside of the car was changed to ABS, which can be changed without the rest of the seal. The most significant change was addition of drip rails which divert water thru the seal down into the door jamb area, away from dripping on your leg.

John

 

I do not have any pictures handy, but just about anyone with an all original higher miles car should be able to post something. I have seen stress cracks as long as 3/4" on V6 cars... Interestingly it does not necessarily only exist on high HP cars, like 350's. If you have a repainted car, with subframe connectors it may have been corrected by reinforcing the top in that area.

John

 

...... for the info okfoz!!

Very much appreciate it!!

 

Anyone take their car to get the t-tops resealed professionally? Wondering how much that would typically run.

 

Honestly its a pretty easy job to do with the kit. It should take you better part of a day, once you get everything together.

What you need;
1) The Kit (obviously the most expensive part)
2) Weatherstrip Adhesive
3) Look closely at your center T-top bar, if its rusty... Try to find another one, it can cause leaks.
4) 3M Strip Caulk
5) Prep Solv
6) Lacquer Thinner (cleaning thinner)
7) #2 Screwdriver
8) 1" putty knife ( I like to sharpen the edge like a knife, it makes life easier. ) Note that the channel is narrower than the 1" putty knife wide, if you find a narrower knife I would get that one too.
9) Most importantly, get some gloves for your hands and something to cover your interior. I like plastic over a cloth covering.

Honestly its pretty straight forward, Just making sure you have all the small holes sealed up. Its been a while since I did mine, but it was not difficult by any stretch of the imagination. Save yourself some money, learn something.

John

 

When I replaced the roof on my car I used the roof off of my 84 HO with over 200000 on it. It had a small 1/2 inch or so in that area. It was just the filler they used on the quarter to roof seam. It looks like lead but I don't believe they were still using it then. Left the rest of it in the car. Smaller split as come back after 2 1/2 years above where the original split was. Didn't see any signs of split metal. Kind of thinking that with the flex and a poor adhesion of filler may be the cause of this. JMO

 

For some reason I think it may have been Lead... Thats what I always called it at least. Not sure what else they would have used...

I have Noticed that newer cars are no longer seemed together like that, they all have separate panels Since around the 90's

John

 

1. yes they're pretty sweet, especially in the summer, the girls love them
yes they leak but so will any other part that has old stripping, replace them correctly and you should be fine.

2. you shouldn't have that problem with a 13 sec car, a 9,10, maybe even 11 possibly but not 13. as mentioned get some subframe connectors and you'll be fine. and when you're at the strip (most places) will make you keep the tops on.

i say go for it. i was always weary about them but then got my hands on one, i love it. in the summer the tops are almost always out.

 

I do remember they were using something that looked like brass. It wasn't. Heard the name of it, something strange like bronzium. Didn't know if they had a lead substitute/look a like as well. Can't remember when they officially done away with either.

And yes I love my tops. Had them on two different cars since 1995.

 

As someone mentioned before I thought that the t-top cars already got extra bracing anyway. I know for the 87 IROCs they put extra bracing in all the t-top models because the factory gave some of the cars to ASC to turn them into convertibles. So in essence wouldnt the structural integrity be almost similar for t-top and hard top when it comes to racing? I know with car accidents everything is different but all the power shouldnt be focusing in the t-top bar right? I'm just saying. Sorry if I am rambling.

 

i can't confirm or deny the extra bracing, though if you look at a hard top without the headliner, you can see that they were made to be t tops.

when the t tops are in the car the locking mechanism/pegs tighten it up. you can't just pull them out.

and i'm sure once you get going really fast then you may see a difference between t tops and hardtop, but for your average street/strip car its nothing huge.

 

When doing all of hte sheet metal replacement in my t-tops I found the bronze looking material and lead depending on the spot. Down the side of the B pillars there was bronze stuff, but on the front side of the B pillar there was lead filler in there.

I also found a stress crack in the right upper outside corner of my A pillar under the windhield. It was about 3/4" long.

I have added SFC to mine and I didnt need anything except a push to get my windshield out cause I guess whoever installed it did something wrong and the glass did not bond with the adhesive. The windshield is a huge structural strengthening piece.

 

I think I remember the bronze stuff in mine as well. I've seen that stuff look like a crack before on other cars. Don't see it in newer cars any.

You're right about that w-shield. I've heard of that same thing going very bad. Glass work is so cheap when you consider everything. Chance of glass break and such. Still have to make sure they know what they're doing.

Supr-fly Did you do a roof swap or what?

87IROC, I'm pretty sure the vert's were braced in the rockers. There was another thread on here about someone with AM fender that wouldn't fit his vert. Someone answered to this affect.

 

I didnt do a roof swap, it came with t-tops. I had to repair some nasty rust damage in the t-top sheet metal.

This is my thread so you can check it out.
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...gh-school.html

 

if you are worried about leaks there is a quick fix. The fourth gen firebirds did this to fix the leaks too. First cut your weather stripping in half. have the half you cut placed about three inches away from the original location and put under the t-tops. You may have to buy more weather stripping. You must then have the two pieces make a channel down the pillars and to the ground through the pillars. The rain should not leak into your car because you have now created a channel water can follow down and away from the openings. Hope it helped.

 

I like T-top cars in general.

 

My 91 RS is a t-top, they are a nice convertible/hardtop compromise. But make sure the latches work right before taking it to 100+. it gets windy real quick......you wont make that mistake twice.

 

and form what i have heard, dont ever try to unlatch it while driving

 

Perfectly said! I would never buy a 3rd gen without them! Mine have never leaked but I do park it in a garage every night. Girls LOVE them and they make the summertime fun!