To those who have done T-Top conversions....
12-18-2010, 02:49 PM
#1
To those who have done T-Top conversions.... How did you fix up the rain gutter on each end? I saw that some fiberglassed it, but did you make a form for it? Or just lay strips down and then sand it into shape? I've got some body filler and I was thinking about just layering it up and then sanding it into shape, but I was wondering what others have used when they completed theirs.
This is what I'm referring to;
How did ya'll make that look like this;
This is what I'm referring to;
How did ya'll make that look like this;
12-18-2010, 03:33 PM
#2
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Hey look, my car! 
I replied to your PM, but in case anyone else is interested:
Do the rain channels in 2 steps. 1: Fiberglass. 2: Bondo (body filler).
When you lay the fiberglass down, put some Saran Wrap over it and shape it with your hands. When the fiberglass cures, the Saran Wrap will peel off clean. This is a great trick because it gives you the ability to form your work w/out getting fiberglass all over your damned hands. And it holds its shape rather than sticking to whatever you form with.
Once its cured sand it down into the rough shape you need. It'll have some small pits in it. That's just how fiberglass is. Or at least mine was.
Then bondo it smooth and your ready to paint!
I replied to your PM, but in case anyone else is interested:
Do the rain channels in 2 steps. 1: Fiberglass. 2: Bondo (body filler).
When you lay the fiberglass down, put some Saran Wrap over it and shape it with your hands. When the fiberglass cures, the Saran Wrap will peel off clean. This is a great trick because it gives you the ability to form your work w/out getting fiberglass all over your damned hands. And it holds its shape rather than sticking to whatever you form with.
Once its cured sand it down into the rough shape you need. It'll have some small pits in it. That's just how fiberglass is. Or at least mine was.
Then bondo it smooth and your ready to paint!
01-14-2011, 05:13 PM
#7
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01-17-2011, 10:11 AM
#10
I did my conversion way back in 2001 when not nearly as many people had done this conversion so there was no good reference as to how most people were finishing it. I did all of it up to the point you are asking about, and I had a friend who worked in a body shop and he decided it was best to only use body filler rather than fiberglass. He did all of the work, sprayed it, and it is fine to this day.
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01-17-2011, 11:24 AM
#11
Well, technically I'm not done. I was supposed to have seven days of nice weather in the 70s during the day and 50s at night, but a cold front came through and made it four days. I had to quickly prime and paint it to seal it up for the winter so I can still see some sanding marks (I didn't use the proper primer, just what I had on hand), but it looks fine for what it is. Once the warm weather comes back this spring I'll strip it all back down and redo the primer and paint and make it nicer. I'm also going to get the plastic strip above the windshield replaced, mine got torn up a bit when I removed my old roof skin. I'll throw some updated pictures up at the bottom of this post.
Yea, I ended up doing the work in body filler as well. I was going to fiberglass, but with the turn in weather I decided to use the filler.
Some pictures of how she sits right now;
I did my conversion way back in 2001 when not nearly as many people had done this conversion so there was no good reference as to how most people were finishing it. I did all of it up to the point you are asking about, and I had a friend who worked in a body shop and he decided it was best to only use body filler rather than fiberglass. He did all of the work, sprayed it, and it is fine to this day.
Some pictures of how she sits right now;
01-17-2011, 08:19 PM
#15
Thanks! Once I get it fully completed I'll update this again. I'm not sure how long that will be, but one day, haha!
Like Lotus289 mentioned, check his signature for a link to his guide. Here is another guide as well. There are quite a few, just do some searches and you'll find everything you need. Make sure you take your time and ask a lot of questions if you are stumped on something. I took my laptop with me when I was working on it and had Lotus's guide and pictures right there with me. It definitely helped a lot.
01-17-2011, 09:47 PM
#16
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yeah i did a search today and came up with his conversion. looks good i might give it a try. whats the worst that could happen HAHA
can you tell me all the parts i would need. is it just the t tops, t top head liner, and t top seals, and the t top storage thing (if u want that i guess)? what a good price for all of the parts also.
what did u use to get it 100% water tight
how many different times did u have to build up the fiber glass to get the perfect shape?
thanks
can you tell me all the parts i would need. is it just the t tops, t top head liner, and t top seals, and the t top storage thing (if u want that i guess)? what a good price for all of the parts also.
what did u use to get it 100% water tight
how many different times did u have to build up the fiber glass to get the perfect shape?
thanks
Last edited by ryans01z28; 01-18-2011 at 12:25 AM.
02-16-2011, 05:19 PM
#17
yeah i did a search today and came up with his conversion. looks good i might give it a try. whats the worst that could happen HAHA
can you tell me all the parts i would need. is it just the t tops, t top head liner, and t top seals, and the t top storage thing (if u want that i guess)? what a good price for all of the parts also.
what did u use to get it 100% water tight
how many different times did u have to build up the fiber glass to get the perfect shape?
thanks
can you tell me all the parts i would need. is it just the t tops, t top head liner, and t top seals, and the t top storage thing (if u want that i guess)? what a good price for all of the parts also.
what did u use to get it 100% water tight
how many different times did u have to build up the fiber glass to get the perfect shape?
thanks
- T-tops
- T-top brackets for locking pins
- T-top bracket washers to adjust for a tight fit
- T-top center trim piece/divider
- T-top headliner
- Interior plastic A-pillar trim for both driver and passenger sides
- Rear plastic trim to cover rear T-top brackets for both Driver and passenger sides
- Weather stripping for driver and passenger sides
- T-top holders for hatch (optional)
- Fasteners for above
For getting it water tight I just did a lot of adjusting with the bracket washers and I used some 3M Weatherstripping adhesive around some of the edges. I didn't use any fiberglass either, I used body filler and it took a couple coats with a lot of sanding in between to get the shape down. It's a lot of work, but all it really takes it a lot of patience and you'll be fine. As for the price, it can vary from location to location. I found that around $250 to $350 is pretty typical around my area for all the parts. Could be a little cheaper and could be a little more expensive, just matters on your patience and what people are willing to sell their stuff for.
02-16-2011, 05:30 PM
#18
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He's got the parts list right. To make mine water tight I just kept adjusting the windows to fit the contour of the new weather stripping. Then kept adding RTV where needed to make the water flow properly through the rain channels.
I was into mine for $464 for everything (not including paint & materials, I got that free ) The only reason for my high cost was having to buy the headliner at the dealer ($212.00). It was the only way to match my interior color. And the T Tops ran me $172.
I was into mine for $464 for everything (not including paint & materials, I got that free
) The only reason for my high cost was having to buy the headliner at the dealer ($212.00). It was the only way to match my interior color. And the T Tops ran me $172. 