Its hard to imagine how that bird feels in the hot oven around thanksgiving time, but i bet i know what its like. Ever have your bird try to cook you???

Figured interior was the best place to post it, even though it deals with cooling.

I have a T-top bird, that i drive to work most days of the week. Even on the coolest days, or even days where the sun isnt completely out, the car turns into an oven near the end of the 9-5 shift. Im talking REALLY hot, like i have to open the doors and hatch to let it air out, or i cant breathe properly inside. Hot like you cant touch the leather steering wheel or shifter without gloves or something. I cant imagine this being too good for the various vynil parts.

I tried putting sunshades on (which drastically reduced the temperatures) but still very hot. I will probably pick up one of those tin foil things for the windshield, but what do you guys do for the hatch?????

Ive tried closing the hatch shade, but it does nothing, and possibly makes it worse. I dont wanna park it under a tree, cuz i just got a paint job, and i dont fancy bird poop on it every day. I had enough of that last year.

Please share, how you keep your third gen cool in parking lots.

 

We have louvers on the hatch. You can still see outside but it drastically keeps it cooler. I suppose if you don't like the louver look you could always get tint but not sure how much that would help.

 

Do you have tint? Do you have t-top tint? Get those windshield shields. Get a mat for your dash too. Might be more resistant to the heat.

 

These look interesting...

http://www.capoptop.com/

 

80s child, that thing is pretty genious. I think i want one for my winter car, but i dont know about putting that on the firebird everyday. Have you tried them?? Definately a good price.

As for the tint, i do have factory tint on the t-tops, but i usually keep the sunshades on, so that reduces temps significantly. One thing i noticed about the T-tops, is they amplify the greenhouse effect. Im sure we've all done the "shine our watches or something shiny into a freind's eyes" trick. Try it with the T-top, the underside is WAY more reflective than the top side. So it lets heat in, and doesnt let it out. Sunshades work well though to battle that.

The windows will be tinted eventually, but i was wondering if anyone has done something for the hatch specifically? louvers are a good idea, but not the look im goin for.

Sounds like a common problem for people who use these cars regularly.

 

Only thing I can think of right now is the notchback.

 

Nope, never tried them. I think I first saw them on ebay. Supposedly you just hook it around the mirrors and then put the elastic straps around the corners of the rear deck lid and you're done.

As for the tint, I think sometimes it can make the heat worse. Dark surfaces naturally absorb more heat which can be released inside the car. Just put your hand on a dark tinted window sitting in the sun and you'll see, OUCH! I have heard of limo tinted windows getting so hot that they bust just from closing the door.

 

It should keep sun out in the first place, just like sunglasses. What color is your car?

 

I open the windows when I first get in and then crank the A/C and let it run for a moment to get cold. Then I keep the windows open while driving until the AC gets cold..then roll them up and presto! It's not hot on the inside anymore. However...I do feel your pain. I've got tinted windows and tinted rear window as well as the shades for the T-tops on my 84 and the car gets damn hot in no time flat if I'm not paying attention to it.