Anyone know?
Kevin

 

I always thought they were t-tops because from the top it looks like a T.

I don't know to me it kin of looks more like an I.

well anyway would you buy I-tops or T-tops?
I guess it is all marketing. anyway they are pretty cool. I have them on my 85 Z28

 

T stands for ****,no this isn't a joke,they made them so when hot chicks drive them,perverted truck drivers can check out thier cleavage. why else would they be called T-tops?

 

LMAO junkyarddog

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1989 pontiac firebird
bright red exterior(just repainted)
grey interior
5 spd
305 TBI (stock)
WS.6 formula wheels
3.73 posi rear end
-------------------------
system: 2 10" MTX thunder 2000 in a Professionally done custom bandpass box.
Blaupunkt CD player
Blaupunkt 4x6 and 6x9
600 watt rockford fosgate 4.6 amp

thinking about a flowmaster

 

It stands for "Targa".

 

Targa tops are a bit different actually. A targa top comes off as one piece from door to door. From my experience in looking at brochures another name is T-bar but its probably just because it looks like a "T"

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'91 Firebird
305/TBI(L03)/700R4/T-tops
Mods: Catco high flow cat - B&M Shift kit - K&N Air Filter - Trans Am tail light conversion
Stereo: Pioneer DEH-P8200R - Pioneer 6x9's - Kenwood 8" Tube

'87 Firebird
2.8L/MPFI/700R4/220K
Totalled it but saved a bunch of parts before it went to the junk yard.
Firebird parts

 

It's because "T tops" sounds cooler than "sideways H tops"... hehee...

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Everything I know I learned by messing it up at least once.

 

the term 'ttops' is just slang, GM refers to them as "hatch roof" or hatch roof panels.

 

I love T-Tops!!

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1989 Trans Am 305 5-speed 3.73's T-Tops (love 'em)4-wheel disc

 

Gm calls them T-Tops on all the build sheets or window stickers i'v seen , i seen them called hatch tops also. but T top comes from , that if you look up while in your car it looks like a T , started in the 70's when they first appeared

 

Thuh?

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98 Integra, M5, cold air intake, K&N filter
86 Trans Am, M5, 350 4bbl, headers, exhuast, Edelbrock intake, Vette heads.

 

The window sticker I have for mine says "REMOVABLE GLASS RF PNLS W/ LOCKS" ... damn $866 for those things .... oh, well ... no "T-TOPS" on my window sticker ...

I would have to lean towards ... slang ...

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The Camaro Shrine
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'88 Camaro IROC-Z 350 TPI
'98 Grand Prix GTP 3.8L SC

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of rice,
I shall fear no Turbo; for Torque art with me."
- Cullan Hooley

[This message has been edited by Allan (edited November 29, 2000).]

 

They are T-tops not a T-top. The "T" stands for targa. As in targa tops.

 

Targa tops are what the previous generation vettes had. There is one panel that comes off from 1 window to the other. The T in t-tops doesn't stand for anything. Its called that because the t-bar and the piece at the top of the window form a T.

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1983 Pontiac Firebird SE
LG4-Based Chevy 400
700R4 Tansmission
Modified 4 Barrel Q-Jet Carb
Accel Super Stock 8mm Wires
Edelbrock Pro-Flo Air Cleaner
3.23 Posi Rear
14X7" Cragar SS/T Wheels
35X4 CD/AM/FM Head Unit
100WX2 Amp
2 Pioneer 12" Subs in Custom Box
Third Gen Performance
"A four cylinder is only half an engine"

 

t-top aka t- bar style roof... T-top is a little catchier for advertising reasons...

zroc

P.S. I hate them

 

I always heard the T in T-Top stood for Targa as well, Porsche was big on Targa roofs in the Carrera 911, I believe the term T-Tops was created because of the american versions usually had the middle bar installed for strength reasons as those cars didnt equal the strucural rigidty of the german porsche's. The 84 vette had a on piece panel that was removeable but Chevy refered the design as a targa top (not a vert, not a solid roof). Some american cars with either the 2 piece or 1 piece removable roof panels had special versions imitating the carrera (not sure which off hand).

 

Look it up, targa means one piece, can't stand for targa

 

Suggestion. All of you who believe that t stands for targa should go find a porsche 911 targa and look at the roof. Its a single piece that comes out. GM is the only company that produces t-tops to my knowledge and the t probably just stands for the shape its kinda in.

 

My Corvette has a Targa a.k.a. removable roof pannel.
My Firebird has T-Tops which have removable roof pannel.

When looking at a ASC design it looks like the used a T bracket.

 

At the present, perhaps. But in the 80's Ford had em on some early Mustangs, Dodge produced t-top Daytonas, hell even nissan had a few cars with t-tops.

 

:sillylol: :sillylol:

 

old 300ZXs had T-tops
i love mine
wouldn't live without them
don't know why anyone would "hate" them
explain?
i can see for a pro stock car t-tops would not be good but there has to be other reasons too,
later
biker

 

Vette's and Porsche's have Targa tops, even some supra's, have Targas... Camaro does not have Targa... simply put.

 

well actually there's that one idiot who thought he could make us all believe he had put in a targa on his camaro but kinda fade away - check for a post called " major modding almost done " or something - 3 or 4 pages of nothing

 

wow... someone brought this post back from the dead.

 

Aha I've got it T-Tops=Two Tops I wish I had them.

 

And they often leak and howl and creak. Mine don't leak anymore, and they don't creak so I love em

 

well get SFCs
and new rubber and you are good
no one has a 15 year old convertable without some major fixup on the rag top. unless its a garraged car....
later
biker

 

I say end teh discussion at Titty Tops like that one guy said. What else did you buy a car with t-tops for but to have half naked girls fly up flashing them.

 

Transparent tops.

 

i like titty tops
it's got to be what they the GM guys where thinking...........
later
biker

 

I still think that **** is better than Targa. :lala:

 

i never questioned it after i realized the same question can be applied to t-bar undies that chics wear, we need not question, we just need to enjoy

 

I alwayz thought they looked like an "I"....incredibly awesome
but "T" works too....Totaly cool

 

"T" means Trouble. Leaking seals, tops not locking down & flying off down the highway, extra cost of replacing seals, did I meantion leaks?, sun cooking your head in mid day traffic (unless you have shades or paint the glass), extra places for wind noise to coome thu, etc, etc, etc. They suck. If I could have found either of my cars w/o the t-tops, I'd have gladly bought them as such instead of what I have.

 

If they are baking you in traffic, take em off.

With my 92RS w/o t-tops I fried all summer with no AC. This summer with the IROC with t-tops, I've used the AC only three times, twice cause it was raining too hard to open windows. Mine leak only after a lot of really heavy rain and the noise isn't bad at all. Theres nothing better than cruising around topless after a good washing and waxing to me

 

I have to agree with that, I have T-Tops and only leaks when it rains pretty hard. But I like them, they have their pro's and con's.

It's funny though, 5 months ago I was looking for a 4th Gen or later 3rd Gen Firebird to buy and I was skipping over the cars that had T-Tops.

I guess I didn't want to go through the drama of worrying about them.

 

ive owned two early thirdgens with ttops, one had 160k, the other has 110k, and neither leeked at all or made more noise and they locked down tight. The seals on my 84 are near perfect, maybe im just lucky though.

 

go to www.kelleybluebook.com and put down camaro firebird.. and as a opition it says T bar roof!

plus my buddy bought his 92 RS brand new on the window sticker as a opition it says T BAR ROOF

 

At the risk of sounding rather sad, maybe the T stands for TIE fighter (as seen in the little-known movie, Star Wars)

Kinda looks like one of those things if you look at the car from above.

And before anyone says it'd have to be on it's side...there is no "on it's side" in space.

 

My bet would be "Twin" for the T-tops it would make the most sence. Since they are essentially twins of each other...

Granted the **** Idea sounds novel, I would not put it past them. Did you know that the "Moon roof" name was called such because one of the engeneers looked at the design and said, "Hey, I could stand up and "moon" the guy behind me." No joke, My dad knows the guy who designed the first moon roofs.

It WAS nice to live in a GM town, you get all the hubub on stuff like that.

John

 

I think it's going to be one of those mysteries that we'll never know, like how many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop.

.........The World may never know.

 

i say it takes 3 licks

 

How 'bout someone call GM, ask them what the T means, and get it over with.

 

i went to best buy a few weeks ago.. and i parked next to a 4th gen camaro with a targa top... the car was green , no idea what year, (all i know is 92-97 have the 4 rect headlights and 98 - up have the fake kind) and the targa top was clear with a pretty dark tint... it was kinda nice .. didnt have a camera or anything... so me and a couple friends just sat out in my car with radio on and talked for a little while to see if they would come out.. never did..

 

The 82-92 Parts & Illustration Catalogs have the following names for "T-tops"


Lift off Panel (CC1)
Top PKG, T-Type
T-TOP PKG (Production and NON-Production0
Hatch Roof


NOTE: PKG=Package

 

GM calls them T-Tops because back when they put t-tops on corvettes, corvettes have a smaller roof so it looked more like a T with the tops removed. Especially when your looking up from inside the car. At least thats what my dad says.

 

My 87 Pontiac Service Manual calls them: "TWIN LIFT-OFF PANELS"

I think its "Twin Tops"

John

 

Maybe its both!

 

That sounds right, mystery solved! :rockon: