t top conversion

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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Jon@Texas-Speed
Man, I actually have everything for the t-top conversion. I just converted my car to a hard top. I have the t-tops, weatherstripping, weatherstripping rails, even have the a-pillar moldings but one has a hole where I ran the wires through for my gauges.

Jon
did you just cut the roof off and weld a new one in? or did you modify the existing top
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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 10:55 AM
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Originally Posted by SuperSport346
They want $1200? WTF? HerronZ28 used to charge 3-350. $1200 is Mf ridiculous.
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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 11:08 AM
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Originally Posted by chrysler kid
did you just cut the roof off and weld a new one in? or did you modify the existing top
I had another complete roof off a hard top car. I just cut the area over the side window out and moved it over to my car. After you get the weathershipping brackets in it looks just like the hardtop car did. Once the roof skin goes back on it will look like a factory hard top.

Here's a pic

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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 08:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon@Texas-Speed
I had another complete roof off a hard top car. I just cut the area over the side window out and moved it over to my car. After you get the weathershipping brackets in it looks just like the hardtop car did. Once the roof skin goes back on it will look like a factory hard top.

Here's a pic


bad ***. i dont think ive ever seen anyone do a t-top to hard top conversion on here before
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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 08:51 PM
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Well do any of you all know how to do a conversion in a gen II camaro...one of my engineering friends at TCU was asking me about it.

t-top conversion obviously.
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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by 00fastta
Well do any of you all know how to do a conversion in a gen II camaro...one of my engineering friends at TCU was asking me about it.

t-top conversion obviously.
Second gens (as well as third gens) are different beasts all together. In the fourth generation, the F-Bodies are made as either T-Tops or Convertibles. To make a hard top, two pieces of metal are welded in to bridge the gaps where the tops latch. In the second and third gens, they were made as hardtops and, I believe, they were sent out to be converted. To do a conversion on either of these generations you'll have to find a T-Top donor car and cut the roof and swap it out that way. It's been done a number of times, just measure twice and cut once!
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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 09:44 PM
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Originally Posted by TechCam97
Second gens (as well as third gens) are different beasts all together. In the fourth generation, the F-Bodies are made as either T-Tops or Convertibles. To make a hard top, two pieces of metal are welded in to bridge the gaps where the tops latch. In the second and third gens, they were made as hardtops and, I believe, they were sent out to be converted. To do a conversion on either of these generations you'll have to find a T-Top donor car and cut the roof and swap it out that way. It's been done a number of times, just measure twice and cut once!
Yes.. In second gens the proper way is to cut the roof out from the spots where the roof is welded on at the sail panels.
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Old Mar 10, 2010 | 11:20 PM
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Yeah that's what he was talking about. He has an 75 donor car and a 81 body. I was just wondering if it is feasible to cut off the roof and attach the other roof to the car.
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Old Mar 11, 2010 | 12:55 AM
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Don't do it. Mine is a t-top car and over time it will leak just like mine. I can't imagine it not leaking over time if you do it yourself. Just a word to the wise. BTW, how can I get mine to stop leaking? Driver side only. When it rains VERY hard it will leak like a bitch. it's coming in where the t-top meets the start of the rear part just before the back glass.
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Old Mar 11, 2010 | 03:52 AM
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New rubbers
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Old Mar 11, 2010 | 04:02 AM
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yeah it leaks for a reason...

i guess i could still do one, i just dont do the fill-in body work stuff only the cutting and bending part
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Old Mar 11, 2010 | 08:53 AM
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Originally Posted by 00fastta
Yeah that's what he was talking about. He has an 75 donor car and a 81 body. I was just wondering if it is feasible to cut off the roof and attach the other roof to the car.
Yes, it's feasible. There are a couple websites out there that have covered it, but the easiest way is to blast the body and find the factory seams like retardedpenguin mentioned. There are some pics of the end result here.

As for edzsilverss - You can remove the factory rubber and apply some new weather stripping adhesive and tinker with the tops fitment by adjusting the parts that the tops latch into on the body. If you take some time and apply some new adhesive then you should be able to fix your leaks and make the tops fit a lot better.
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Old Mar 12, 2010 | 12:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Dirty 30
yeah it leaks for a reason...

i guess i could still do one, i just dont do the fill-in body work stuff only the cutting and bending part
Hey, might give you a holler towards the end of the year when I get back in the states and pick up another T/A. How much body work does it take to get it ready after everything you do?
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Old Mar 12, 2010 | 01:41 PM
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Originally Posted by edzsilverss
Don't do it. Mine is a t-top car and over time it will leak just like mine. I can't imagine it not leaking over time if you do it yourself. Just a word to the wise. BTW, how can I get mine to stop leaking? Driver side only. When it rains VERY hard it will leak like a bitch. it's coming in where the t-top meets the start of the rear part just before the back glass.
Weatherstrips, realign the window and T-tops. Remove some of the interior panels near the water leak. Have someone spray water on the area from the outside while you are in the car. Look and see where it is coming in. This should make it pretty easy to determine why it is leaking and what needs to be done to stop it.
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Old Apr 1, 2010 | 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon@Texas-Speed
I had another complete roof off a hard top car. I just cut the area over the side window out and moved it over to my car. After you get the weathershipping brackets in it looks just like the hardtop car did. Once the roof skin goes back on it will look like a factory hard top.

Here's a pic

do you have any more pics of going t top to hardtop? im curious as to what the t top car looks before the side bars are welded in....wondering why that sidebar in the pic shown doesnt seem to mount flush in the back where the main hoop is?
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