blackbyrd

iTrader: (14)

^ I'd stay away he's awful stingy wouldn't even let me have his Camaro so he could have more garage space hahaha

Stoplightbandit

lmao. I give mean bj's lol

_JB_

iTrader: (33)

I never take my ttops off and you can feel the sun cooking your skull even with the factory shades in.

JohnnyBs98WS6Rag

iTrader: (1)

Glad to hear you've changed your mind about the t-top conversion.

Its a shame none of the five speed 3rd gens had 5.7L engines from the factory either.

Stoplightbandit

yea I'll probably just find a V6 T top and swap the engine out.

silverformula

Buy a Formula, it has the nice clean look of a Firebird but the power of a Trans Am.

My2ndbird

Any factory t top owners have pics of whats under the plastic ttop holder? Previous owner broke them off.

Phoenix'97

Do you mean the storage trays in the hatchback compartment?

ZONES89RS

iTrader: (25)

T tops. So popular they don't offer them.

My2ndbird

Yeah i got the plastics, just trying to see what hardware is behind it.

Spamfritter

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to go against the grain and say, I'm a huge fan of T-Tops. It does suck during the worst of the summer months, but the rest of the time I love them. I've had at least 7 F-Body cars, all of which were T-Top cars. Friends of mine had hard tops and I'd often ride in their cars. When I'd ride with them I'd often feel like something was missing.

It's nice to split the difference between a hard top and a convertible. I'm not a fan of convertibles for a whole laundry list of reasons. I don't care for the way convertible cars look. Having no roof ruins the handling and convertible roof replacement is inevitable. I'm not really an open car kind of guy. I rarely want the tops out as I prefer filtered and chilled air over natural air. Even when though I don't often open them, I like having the transparent roof panels and being able to see through them. On occasion I get a hair up my *** to pull the roof panels out and I do enjoy driving around on a nice cool night or even a decent day. When working with limited space in the garage, it's nice to pull the tops out as it makes getting in and out of the car easier. It also makes removing the interior parts easier.

As for the third gen comment, the T-5 in the third generation cards wasn't terribly strong. It's not surprising that they didn't use it with the 5.7L cars. They didn't make much more horsepower than the 305 cars did but they did make a lot more torque. The T-5 was dicey enough on LB9 305 TPI cars. I agree with you on the subject of buying a V6 or even a 305 car and doing an engine swap. The latter is a better idea unless its one of the last years of the third generation cars. The V6's have a lot of little differences in them. Earlier cars had a different radiator as an example. Later cars used a V8 radiator.

I'd vote for a 305 LG4 car with a carb setup. That would probably be the easiest to deal with swap wise. Preferably, something from 1987 onward. Get the painless LSx harness and go from there.

As a former Formula owner, I generally agree. That said, Formula Firebirds of the era look like the 1982 and 1983 Trans Am more than anything. They are also the lightest of the F-bodies in that era which is good.

I've got a car that I'm parting out, I will snap pics of it when I get to that if no one else beats me to it. There is something under there which the tops actually lock into. I'm sure it's some sort of bracket.

merim123

iTrader: (11)

i simply love ttops on a cool day. there is nothing like it for a cruising experience. If you're car is a daily, leave it alone. If it's a weekend cruiser, why not? The fact that your car is rare color, doesn't mean it will be a $40k car someday. It's still a 5-6k car. try selling it for more and you'll see.

So I say do the ttops. This is one car where with ttops you get no wind buffeting at 70mph on the highway. no other car does that that I'm aware of. I'm talking windows down driving and your hair/wind noise not being terrible. That is impressive.

Spamfritter

iTrader: (1)

Agreed. In the interest of full disclosure I haven't ever had an F-body as a daily driver. I might have tired of the T-Tops were that the case. Mine have always been weekend cars. That said, T-Tops is one of the reasons why I like the F-body vs. other muscle cars.

AnotherWs6

iTrader: (17)

This. OP said he bought it for like 5 grand because the old owner apparently didn't know how rare it was either - lol. The car is ugly - that's just my opinion, I think they only should have offered one color and one trim level, guess which one - , being rare doesn't make it worth **** if it isn't also desirable. And 105K miles isn't exactly low mileage. What if they painted one of them **** brown and made the interior actually smell like fresh **** all of the time? It would be one of one but who would buy it?

I wouldn't be worried about cutting the thing up because it's rare, I'd worry about it because it would be an enormous PIA and would have a very high probability of coming out crappy. A lot of work for a lot of risk.

If you're wondering why cars aren't offered with T-tops anymore, well so am I. I googled it and I am pretty sure both answers are spot on accurate and 100% correct.....

We don't have T-tops anymore cause people get drunk then stand up in the front seat with two-thirds of their body sticking out of the car and throw beer bottles at dogs that chase cars. So I guess PETA is the reason we don't have T-tops anymore.

By the way the dog that I hit in the head that way died right on the spot. Cured that somebiatch from chasing cars.
Judgedisagree6Mean2Funny1Reply » Report AbuseJudge it!
metoo
United States
#6 May 4, 2010
because all they build are ugly-a$$ bubble cars that all look alike. There is not a decent-looking car in production now or in the last 15 years. Thanks CAFE standards and envirodouche bags.

King Nothing

iTrader: (9)

I love my red SS with a Hardtop as well, definitely stands out with a body color top.
Didn't it take 25-30 years for 60's muscle cars to be worth a lot? I know my father in law has told me 1st gen fbodies and Chevelle's could be bought all the way up to 84-86 for less than 5k. In the 70's you could find z/28's and SS cars for $1,000 or less from what he told me.
He does have a Formula lol

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

I've owned two LT1 hardtop cars and three LS1 t-top cars. I love t-tops and wouldn't own another fourth gen without them. Nothing like them on a cool sunny day or a warm night. And for reasons mentioned above, I don't like convertibles. T-tops give you the best of both worlds - open air cruising and body rigidity.

Boxxx

You have no idea how happy I was to find a hardtop and how much I hate T-tops. I'd never take them out anyway because I have three feet of hair and wind doesn't get along with it, so why unnecessarily deal with the rattles and leaks. I guess for those without hair of substantial length where any form of open roof motoring doesn't require extensive planning beforehand they're great, but to me they'd just be a giant inconvenience and nuisance. Mine is also a daily driver, but if I ever wanted open air driving I'd just get a convertible and lots of ponytail holders.

CO_BlackHawk

I can't imagine my car without t-tops. That said I wouldn't even attempt to convert one to a t-top car.

Mines not a daily driver, just a weekend warrior. The t-tops come off in late spring and don't go back on till fall. But I've got a Sgt Carter buzz cut, no long hair to worry about.

merim123

iTrader: (11)

Btw. In all seriousness. Im trying to find the ttop conversion guide. I saved all the ttop hardware from my last car down to each nut and bolt. I have a hard top car i will cut up. With all the photobucket bs, all guides w pics are trash that i run across.

Boxxx

Gah, don't even have to be seen anymore and guys making kissing faces at me.