I love the way the convertibles look with the top up! i however dislike convertibles. is it possible to fiberglass the ragtop and paint it like the rest of the car? i think it would look really nice!

so basically you want a notchback. sounds do-able, but the 'vert guys would kill you.

lol, i hate the way the notch back hatch replacement looks too. but the shape of the convertible is just right

you and me are the opposite. I pretty much hate all softop convertibles..because of how they look with the top up. and visibility stinks when you are 5ft4

Could make a hardtop convertible, but I doubt 'glassing a convertible top would do it as it would be way too flexible and you'd end up with a wavy wrinkly mess... However, a form could be made using sheet metal or plywood with some foam for shaping... This would give you the mold that would need considerable smoothing, finishing, and reinforcement then the top could be made out of this mold... Oh yeah, don't forget that you would also need to find or make the hardware to fasten it to the car. Could be done, though it wouldn't be easy or cheap.

it should be easy i think, maybe foam the top over, shape it, glass it, bondo, sand and paint? i would probably do something with the rear glass. make it a little bigger

I don't see it coming out the way you would want it to if you used that approach,none of the surfaces would be true.

once you get a layer of resin down on the top its gonna be solid, doens't matter how wavy it is, once hard then the layers that go on top of it can even things out.


The big trick in glass is to use regular fabric like felt or ponte to get a shape then soak in resin, then glass over for strength.

Your dimensions will be off... Once you get done adding all that stuff to the convertible top, it's going to be much higher then the original roof and nothing will fit right. Don't forget, you also have to have window channels on the inside for the side windows. What you would be doing is pulling a plug off the original shape, this then gets turned into a mold, and the actual roof is formed from fiberglass layers bonded together on the INSIDE of the mold to keep the dimensions correct.

i wont be removing the existing top, just harden over it and shape it so all my dimensions wont change. just build of the low spots in the existing rag top

Weld the top framework together, add reinforcement, skin it with 'glass, skim coat with boy filler to smooth it all out, then modify the attachment points to easy removal & re-installation.

But...What are you gonna do after it is off? Won't there be 2 holes under the back/sides, where the hinges come up & out? Never looked real close at a vert to know, but I would expect to see some holes left open, after it was removed.

I will never be removing the top. i dont want it removable. just want it up, permanently and smooth so can paint it to match the car

Very interesting idea. I agree that the shape with the top up and longer trunk lid really makes our cars look nice. Maybe someone can photoshop this just to have a picture, but I like where you're headed.

I've been looking for something similar, but want to keep the benefit of a convertible. So far all I could find that came close was this :

http://www.smoothline.com/index.php

But when I inquired about fabricating a hardtop for the camaro (f-body) the only response I got was "Sorry, no camaro hardtops."

So back to square one I guess... unless you have had any luck??

i was thinking about glassing the verts top and maybe cutting it off after and find a way to attach it and re attach it? id never want the top off anyway but i realize some people would so that would be an option

I was actually wanting to do this, but convert an extisting hardtop to the convertible shape. I guess one could remove the huge hatch glass, get a rear deck lid and window from a real convertible and then form sheet metal to the dimensions of the convertible top. Then install the glass and paint. What do you think?

Honestly if you don't want a convertible, don't buy a convertible..........3rd gen convertibles are pretty damn rare afaik and you would be ruining a rare car, imo sell it and buy a hardtop if thats what you want.

Yeah that^
So many of these cars end up half***ed.

I love convertibles! I have a 89 RS hard top with only 50 thousand original Miles on it. Lets trade! lol

I think he wants the top to look like the C5 Z-06 Vette... I would start with a hardtop, remove the rear hatch, install a 'vert trunk lid and go from there.

That's what I want to do. Leave the hardtop intact but find a solid piece of glass for the rear instead of the plastic one and utilize a convertible's trunk lid and other neccessary panels to make it work. Obviously a body shop would need to form some panels for the window to set in. I wonder if anyone has done this?

I think it would be easier to adapt a C4 Corvette hardtop. All you would have to do is change the shape of he window openings and maybe extend the front a little bit. You would have a nicely shaped already made structure to start with, and a nicely glazed in rear window with defroster wires in it, and replaceable parts in case it breaks. Since it is fiberglass, it is easy to reshape. Then just use weatherstrips from the convertible front bow and roof rails, and it will fit perfectly and be watertight. Please note, the convertibles don't leak like the t-tops do. So if you do this right it wont leak either.

Or you could rigidly attach it to the windshield and tonneau cover, but that would lead to cracks unless you had a rubber expansion joint. In fact, along those lines, you could use the same weatherstrips I already mentioned, and rigidly mount with them. That would be stronger than the temporary fasteneners the convertibles use. I remember, I always thought those corvettes looked better with those hardtops than they did with the hatchbacks or the ragtops.

Another option, perhaps easier still, and certainly stronger, is to start with a hardtop car. remove the hatchback glass, and use a trunk lid from a convertible. Then use metal and fiberglass to make the rear window you want. Use the glass from the C4 corvette convertible hardtop pictured above. Then you will have a steel roof that wont rattle..

Or, get a notchback hatch and change the shape to something you like. That is all fiberglass, so it will be the easiest to do.

In case I might not be clear about something, I would not want the top to be removeable, just add on to the existing roof's sheetmetal to form the look of a 'vert with the top up, but painted to match the body color. If I were to graft fiberglass to sheetmetal, is that doable without gaskets or cracking? I was thinking that a body shop would form new sheetmetal around where the new rear window would go and weld that to the pre-existing metal hardtop. Also, is the rear "glass" of a factory 'vert flat or is it curved?

Thanks

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but honestly, sounds like you want a hard top car and chop the back and re-do the back end to get rid of the hatch glass and turn it into a vert trunk space.

As far as answering your question, glass and sheet metal, especially up there will crack the first time you pull out of your driveway.

Well, you are right. Guess I can't use the fiberglass method, but a body shop could still form the pieces I need out of sheetmetal and weld them to the original roof and lower section in front of the new trunk lid and make a track in those new pieces to hold the new rear window. Any idea what rear window (real glass) would look good in this type of conversion? I would prefer a window from a production car instead of having custom glass made. I was thinking that maybe the rear glass out of a '69 or '70 camaro would do well here. What do ya'll think?

Thanks

Honestly if you were to get a hard top, it would be relatively simple to create a trunk deck and use the existing angle in the back to put a back window in. Something like an oldmobile cutlass has a good deep/wide window, can't speak on width but it's something to think about.

http://images1.americanlisted.com/nl...o_12402213.jpg

a 67-74 back window would probably do well, but I'd be interested in seeing a 75-81 back window back there with a trunk.

I have been thinking about this exact same idea for a long time! I always thought they should have offered 3rd gens in both a hatchback and a notchback like the fox-bodys. Imagine what a notchback would look like with those small rear side windows a la first gens.

It would be cool! I think I would work with fiberglass, before metal. The Idea of using a C4 corvette top is pretty cool! I think I would look into this if I ever got a vert.
As far as rear glass goes, I would use a C5 corvette ZO-6 rear glass or C4 hardtop vert rear glass. I think using metal here would lead to serious issues as 'verts flex even more than hardtops.

im wanting the opposite.a removable hardtop that attaches to the soft top mounts when the tops down.an all weather top like a mercedes.

Why not do a targa top? I think that's what its called! It's where the middle of the top comes off like the T-tops with out the bar in the middle like the corvetts. Has this been done before? That a thought.

I have seen something similar on here, its a flat black with what appears to be lexan rear window. it looks like he used a decklid from a convertible, then fit the lexan

Yep , I did one years ago. Then converted it to a convertable after a targa top.
http://www.cecoatings.com/images/Car...h/DSC00820.JPG
http://www.cecoatings.com/images/Car...IntMockUp1.jpg
http://www.cecoatings.com/images/CarStuff/92Z/Targatop/
http://www.cecoatings.com/images/Car...20vert%20pics/

that might have been me also.
This is a convertible trunk lid.
http://www.cecoatings.com/images/Car...h/DSC00825.JPG
http://www.cecoatings.com/images/Car...tRearColor.JPG

Built alot of projects. This car is gone. built and got rid of a 89 iroc
Now I have a 92 convertible. Any specific question just ask.

It is actually quite do-able, I've created a trunklid for my hard topped car (t-tops). Although the rear window is probably more sloped than the look you are going for.

I am not posting this to get into a moral & ethical debate about what I've done to my car! Just to show you what a hard top could look like with a trunk lid.

That's amazing work. That window is from a mustang, right? The curvature follows the t-tops/roof/etc perfectly. Although, it doesn't seem to blend in the rear bumper as perfect. Nice craftsmanship.

From the side it looks alot like a mercedes clk. I would be interested in seeing what you've done with the front too. None the less great job

@ Hsilived I also would love to see what you did to the nose. It looks like from the side that you may have 1st gen'd it. Which is what I am planning to do to my 88. do you have any more pics?

not a fan of the bumper/lights, but love the back glass and trunk thing.

very interesting work (done right too!) on your car hsilived. any more shots?

Why not an EL-camaro, cut roof off and put a knotch back window from elcamino on camaro, and make a truckback camaro, ??? son likes this idea.

Why not an EL-camaro, elcamino back window. and back end into a truck on a camaro , lift off glass and you can see our idea. son likes this idea/

The way that window slopes -tear-... its a sad feeling seeing something you love so much that you'll never be able to do lol. Wish mine was like that.

Thanks, I leave the window a secret. So as not to get too blasted by purists.

Thank you, I actually haven't started the front yet, but do have big plans.

I definately want to do something inspired from the 71 Camaro for the front nose, but modernized.

Thanks

Probably off a nissan z car? Btw you should do a targa conversion on it. And I see in that most recent pic you have the 3 pc spoiler on, I would like to see a pic with that on from the side. Even just the back looks much better with it on there.

iI you can pull it off it be pretty cool IMO but i did a photo edit and this is what i came out with