My 91 Firebird came with the lexxan T-tops. There hazy and from the inside there covered with all these micro cracks.
Picked up a mirrored glass set from an 88 Camaro. The glass portion is in really good shape but the drip rails are shot and since you've got to remove the rubber weather stripping to get the drip rails off I'm going to replace the rubber weather stripping as well.
My question is, if this was your car would you replace the drip rails with the plastic version like the car had originally on the lexxan T-tops or stay with the rubber version that the mirrored T-tops had originally that I removed.

I already have the glass T-tops tore down waiting on the new rubber seals and drip edge. Even have new channels to hold the rubber end seals. I'm to the point of ordering just don't know weather to get the rubber or plastic drip edge.

 

I would go with what the car originally had. I also would rebuild the lexan ones and paint them to match the car. Just my opinion though.

 

Plastic all the way. I replaced my rubber drip guards with plastic and like it better. The plastic holds it's shape and well, isn't rubber.

 

plastic for sure.

also, just a thought, you can also paint your old lexan tops to color match your car. and swap out sometimes for the fun of it.

 

Thanks guys, plastic it is. Didn't know if plastic would hold up in the long run but always see the ends of the rubber ones hanging out and/or curled under.
The seals and drip edge on the lexxan ones are not bad it's just the appearance of them itself plus all those micro cracks I don't like.

I'll keep them for a spare set and shoot them black.

There'll be more questions posted I'm sure as I go over this car.
The previous owner dumped crazy money into it and I just wanna verify some of the parts he said were on the car and that I found myself.

Like it's suppose to have a 6 speed in it out of a Viper which I don't know how to tell the difference between the Viper trans and the ones GM put in the F-bodies and Vette's. Has a tunnel mounted torque arm and I haven't found another like it to compare it to, to figure out who made it ,etc.

But those will have to wait till I can get some pics posted of the parts in question.

Thanks for the help guys,
Bill

 

That's a "me too". I have an extra set of tops, but in order to save them as long as I can, I've painted my crazed set gloss black with the moldings painted semi-gloss. From a distance, they look just like stock T-tops.

These posts have made me think of painting my tops red like the body color with the moldings gloss black. I'm in the process of repainting the whole car anyway.

 

After buying my car with plastic drip rails that were super brittle and had large sections broken off/missing, I decided to go back with rubber ones in hopes that they hold up better.

 

my glass is all ok, but where can i get this piece?

 

I had lexan myself and replaced them with the glass. Swapped the rubber drip edges with the plastic ones from the lexan set and have been extremely happy with them! Took awhile, but fairly easy to do.

 

That piece is bonded to the glass. I would try to find a replacement t-top and swap your lock over.




I've taken apart a couple extra t-tops I had laying around and manage to save a pair of great condition factory rubber seals.
That saved me a couple hundred. I was planning on running OEM rubbers and now I don't have to buy them.
My 1AAuto plastic drip rails should be here tomorrow then I can put them back together. I'll just need to paint the trim on the outter edge, anything specific I should paint them with or will simi gloss automotive paint work?

 

thanks but i replaced that already... (pic is from last year) i was just wondering if i can get just that piece to fix my broken ttops and make my old incomplete set, a complete spare set..