T top to hard top conversion
Thread Starter
TECH Resident
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: Omahaish. Nebraska.
T top to hard top conversion Has anyone out there actually done this? I was searching on gmpartsdirect and saw that the hard top roof section was actually cheaper than the t top section since I have to do the sail panel replacement anyways. As nice as t tops are, I'm really starting to kindof get sick of them, So I might just do this.
i'd just hold out for this: http://6litereaterdesigns.com/store/...610d2140ed2018
will look better than both the hard tops and the t-tops, yet you can still have the open top whenever you want.
they'll be ready Jan-Feb 2011
will look better than both the hard tops and the t-tops, yet you can still have the open top whenever you want.
they'll be ready Jan-Feb 2011
Thread Starter
TECH Resident
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 855
Likes: 0
From: Omahaish. Nebraska.
Not gonna go out and buy a hardtop car, I got enough things with mine to worry about another one. Factory painted would be nice but the car is currently torn down and partially primered. Targa top is a possible idea though.
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I did a lot of homework on this a few months ago.
Basically, this is what I found....
Nobody does it, but there is no good reason why.
I priced cutting the roof off of a hard top car in a junkyard, and it was about $350.
Any good body shop can cut your car and match the top you give them. You'll have to buy a new top, and new headliner.
Cost is too high for me, but if you have to do a replace anyway, it would probably make it worth it. My only fear was finding a shop I trusted enough to get the geometery right enough to avoid leaks.
Good luck. If you do it, take a **** load of pics, and post them up w/ part numbers and costs... It's missing on site, and would be appreciated by a silent few.
Basically, this is what I found....
Nobody does it, but there is no good reason why.
I priced cutting the roof off of a hard top car in a junkyard, and it was about $350.
Any good body shop can cut your car and match the top you give them. You'll have to buy a new top, and new headliner.
Cost is too high for me, but if you have to do a replace anyway, it would probably make it worth it. My only fear was finding a shop I trusted enough to get the geometery right enough to avoid leaks.
Good luck. If you do it, take a **** load of pics, and post them up w/ part numbers and costs... It's missing on site, and would be appreciated by a silent few.
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I did it. That's my car in the pics above. I did the work myself and paint and ended up under $300. Looks like a factory hardtop car! I was shocked at how easy it actually was. Hardest part is getting the sail panel off my car and the fiberglass roof off the hard top without breaking it. That glue is no joke! 
Last edited by Jon@Texas-Speed; Oct 28, 2010 at 11:38 AM.
I did it. That's my car in the pics above. I did the work myself and paint and ended up under $300. Looks like a factory hardtop car! I was shocked at how easy it actually was. Hardest part is getting the sail panel off my car and the fiberglass roof off the hard top without breaking it. That glue is no joke!
I'm so on board. How did you break the roof panel free w/ out cracking it? How **** do the cuts and welds have to be in order for it to work as an OE product?
New weatherstipping? New headliner?
Gotta know.
I just put the T-top head liner back in because it is a racecar and you can't really see it with the cage in it. It would be no big deal to put the hardtop headliner in it if you wanted.
To get the sail panel and roof off the car, I took a 18" long 3" wide flat metal and put a knife edge on it and beat it through the black silicone that has it glued on with. It takes forever going 3" at a time but I tried all kinds of other methods with zero luck! I tried all kinds of wire and nothing would cut the silicone.
As far as the bar that goes over the side window, I had a junk yard cut the entire roof off another car. Once you get the roof skin off the car, you can see the differences in the roof. I just drilled the spot welds and with a hammer and chisel peeled back the sheet metal where it overlaps and pulled that section of the roof out. You can see how it goes in from the pics above. I got the interior panels and weatherstripping with the roof from the donor car. GM has discontinued a lot of those parts so you can't get it new any longer.
Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll answer them the best I can.
Jon
To get the sail panel and roof off the car, I took a 18" long 3" wide flat metal and put a knife edge on it and beat it through the black silicone that has it glued on with. It takes forever going 3" at a time but I tried all kinds of other methods with zero luck! I tried all kinds of wire and nothing would cut the silicone.
As far as the bar that goes over the side window, I had a junk yard cut the entire roof off another car. Once you get the roof skin off the car, you can see the differences in the roof. I just drilled the spot welds and with a hammer and chisel peeled back the sheet metal where it overlaps and pulled that section of the roof out. You can see how it goes in from the pics above. I got the interior panels and weatherstripping with the roof from the donor car. GM has discontinued a lot of those parts so you can't get it new any longer.
Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll answer them the best I can.
Jon
