If there are any street rodders or custom body shop guys out there, this is for you.

I have a 99 TA with T-tops and was considering chopping the top on it. Nothing too extreme, maybe 3" or so. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to build a Carson top for it. Either a black fabric top or a black painted fiberglass top. Just have the whole top removable, although I don't plan on taking it off very often.

A few notes:
1. Leaning back the front windshield is not needed in my opinion. It's already leaned back enough in my opinion. Do you think it would even be possible to lean it back some? It would reduce the workload on lengthening the roof, but damn, it's raked so much already, plus the top is a bit close to your forhead already.
2. I wouldn't want to do anything to the side windows except cut them down a little and smooth the edges.
3. I'm not sure what to do about the hatch. I definitely want to keep the wing.
4. For headroom I'm going to need to keep the roof very thin right above my head similar to how the glass T-top panel does.

Besides doing a Carson style top, it may be possible to keep the T-tops. If you were to cut the I section of the roof in between the T-tops and widen them as well as widen the top of the front windshield section. Something like this:


I know the stock roof behind the T-tops can be redone in fiberglass, but I really don't know how I'm going to stretch the roof front to back and make it look right. If I could make the T-top panels longer, that would be great, but I don't think it's possible. That reminds me of another idea I had about replacing the heavy glass tops with a lighter material similar to the C4 and C5 targa roofs. If those could be fabricated it wouldn't be too much more trouble to make them wider as well as longer so you wouldn't have to widen the center of the roof.

Another thought would be just to make a whole new targa style roof. Since I'me going to have to seperate the metal frame from the top of the front windshield to cut the glass down anyway, why not bond a widened piece from a convertible car? Then I would have some latches built in. I could then mate the latches from the convertible roof into the new targa panel so I would have a way to fasten it into place. I could make a lip in the rear so you would tuck the back in first and then lay the front down to compress the seals and then latch it into place. Similar to how the stock T-tops are installed.

I'm wondering how easy it would be to cut the top of the rear hatch down in height and then reattach the hinges? I think they are bonded into place if I'm not mistaken. Of course I could aways make a fiberglass mold of the rear hatch glass and then cut out only the part of the glass I want and bond it flush into the fiberglass section. Then I could built my own hinges without too much difficulty.

 

Her are 2 simple modded images using the stock roof.





This should give you an idea of the direction I want to go in.

Another direction I could go in is similar to this:

I would lean this way if I planned to have the top off a lot, but I'm not a big convertible fan.

some stock pics

 

Just a note. Several Fieros hare also had their chops topped and they are somewhat similar to the general TA shape. I think it makes them look sinister.






More pics of this white V8 IMSA car. http://www.fierocountry.us/v8a-imsa.html




More details. http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/044137.html


More pics of yellow car. http://www.v8archie.com/stinger/

Link to V8 Archies Top Chopping service.
http://www.v8archie.com/choptop.htm

 

I just remembered another vehicle that has a cool roof. The old Chevy Blazers. I believe they were all fiberglass. They just lifted right off. I had a neighbor a long time ago with one of these.



Just pop it off.


You could even build a half roof.

More Blazer pics here:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=111942



I've also seen custom rear hatches with a vertical window similar to this:



as well as the Hurst Hauler that looked like a Magnum wagon.

 

Here's another example of the one piece removable top idea I have:


I will admit, the more I look into this idea the more it looks like a convertible TA would be the better choice to start with.

 

The hurst hauler looks like its just a different hatch. It'd be cool to have one to put on to carry luggage or whatever need be

 

I think the biggest tricks would be laying back the windshield and getting some decent side windows. Not sure if the existing side windows would work. Most Fiero choptops were done with Lexan windows, but there was a guy that had some real glass ones made, they really weren't too high of a price (I think under $500/pr). Ideally, you'd want your glass side windows on hand BEFORE you do the chop... so that you can tweak the body to fit the glass - because you can't really tweak the glass to the body. So it might be good to do it first on a parts car for practice and measuring / dimensioning / template for the side windows, and then get the windows made to do it on the 'real thing'.

Be prepared to break the windshield. New ones are pretty inexpensive tho ($200 or less).

The rest is just metal that can be cut/welded, and then SMC/fiberglass work.

 

you would have to stretch the windshield or back glass to keep the t tops area the same

 

man you have always got some crazy ideas jason,

thin the best way to go about this would be to take the glass out of the trunk dec turn the car into a targa and assentially start with a true speedster car, and work it form there and possibly have something detatches from the car all together rear glass and targa and b piller. i have to admit the pics in your second post make this idea look incredible. but this would be comprimising the structual integrity of a hard top or t top car so this idea maybe better suited to start off with a vert?? this mod will be very tough on our cars becasue there is so much glass to deal with the rear glass being the most problamatic i would think. dont know just things to think about.

 

Correct, that's all it is.
Why do you think the front windshield would need to be layed back? I don't even that it's possible. It would be much easier to just cut it down. Same for the side windows, then just make the roof longer and wider.

Seeing as how I don't think you can stretch the front or rear glass, making the T-top area bigger seems like the best choice. Don't you agree?

 

I wouldn't advise it. Even if you have the ability to pull it off, Fbodies are super low cars. 3" inches less and you may not be able to drive the thing.

 

I'm looking at this more as a feasibility study rather than something I'm going to do for sure. Assuming it can be done and I figure out all the little details, then I will sit down and decide if it's worth doing.

I do plan to keep the car stiff will a roll bar tied into a custom sub-frame connector.

I really don't want a targa, speedster or convertible. I rarely even take my T-tops off. So I'm thinking a one piece lift off roof would be best. Like the blazer or the 55 T-bird.


Just make a whole new top out of fiberglass.

 

Black verts can look good as well.

 

Super low cars sit your butt right on the floor board. These cars are not that low. I may have to lower the drivers seat an inch or so, but its no big deal. Head room is the first thing I looked at.

 

Jason, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's thought about this!! Maybe WE'RE the normal ones after all! Everybody else must be screwy in the head! lol
Anyway, I had this in mind.. The side windows have a straight vertical edge in front by the mirrors, so I would use that as my measurement for how far the chop would go. They simply wouldn't roll up as far as they used to..kinda solves that glass problem and that's where I'd make the front cut-away. How much do the windows widen at that small distance? Would you need to widen the roof? Wouldn't a different weather strip solve that gap problem? As far as the windshield; I think cutting the glass would seem the easiest and most do-able. The rear-glass on the other hand is different as it is curved more and mounted to a seperate part, ie the hatch. So for the rear cut-away, I think maybe cutting the sail panel long ways (across the car) you could allow that to sit lower to level out. Angling the top part to slope from the stock placement at the window to the lowered section at the T-tops makes sense but may not look very refined. That lead to my other plan, just cut the front part out and let the roof slope forward slightly, cutting a LITTLE off the top edge of the side glass for the angle and the top edge of the windshield. Well, that's my Theory...lol Swat

 

wow you do like the custom. I liked all the custom hood info and pics.

my concerns.
the rear hatch.. stuff like that hasnt been done on literally anything. I think that you can get the it chopped but the back glass would be a bitch to get it to look right.

 

/\ Are those clear taillights WITH the honey comb?!! Or are my eyes screwin with me? Swat

 

ok. I like this idea.
The back glass would be hard to do anything with period. I think that due to the curve you would have to cut the bottom portion of the glass.
Getting the whole thing to line up and on top of that getting the rear hatch to open and close.

 

this is the only pic i could find that would give me an idea as to what i was dealing with. and from the angle if you cut some off the bottom then you need to make a filler panel or something because there will be a huge gape between the glass and the hatch.

 

IT IS...Was on P.Tour in 01 with it...it is just a cap..tale off your hatch..put this one on.