Question: Another dumb newie question

[ARKvette02]

OK, this probrably takes the cake in new Corvette owners dumb questions. I want to buy a see through roof panel and I'm confused. I noticed they call them Acrylic, and others call them glass. Is there a difference or are they the same thing???

 

[XLR8]

Not such a dumb question 'cause I don't know either. :L I've only owned 2 Vettes and they've both been convertibles so I have no idea. I'm curious too and I'm sure one of our coupe owners will chime in soon to clear things up.

Jane Ann

 

[mjsmm]

I'm not sure about the availability of see through panels for the later versions of Corvettes as, I too, own a convertible.

However, the difference is that glass is exactly that, glass. Acrylic is a form of plastic. It is typically used because it is lighter than glass. However, depending on the make up of the acrylic, it won't last as long as real glass due to UV stabillity or stress cracking over time.

Hope this clears up any confusion.

 

[jrose7004]

They're one and the same! I had success finding them on E-Bay. I don't have one now but I like the solid top much better.

 

[njlouc]

I too am fairly new to the C5 hobby.
I do a lot of research on the web and have found the C5 to have great resources due to some very generous and knowledgable fellow owners. - thanks!!
That said, I too have come across the variations in "top" terminology. I have the Y2K coupe with the 2 top option, so I have a start point. One top is what I call the "winter top". It is the heavy painted/ padded one. The other one is the "summer top" it is much lighter, heavily tinted blue translucent plastic. You can somewhat see through it but it looks black. At first I thought it was black, maybe brown, until I read about the Blue plastic tops. I took a good look and indeed it was blue. Kind of like the sky??

Here's the thing - the plastic top is sometimes called clear or glass or clear glass, and it is none of those. However I think it has its roots in some of the original "T" tops, especially the 2piece C3 that were actually glass. Those were smoke, clear and silvery, and others. Additionally some aftermarket companies may make up a clear unit, but it is not real glass. Go figure??
NEXT - what is the proper treatment for the plastic to avoid UV. I have seen some nasty ones!!

 

[leftyvette]

Down here in the south, I sequence the tops the opposite from you. I use the body color solid top in the summer and the clear top in the winter. The clear top lets way too much sun in in the summer. On nice summer days or nights I just go topless. The cold winter feels great with the sun coming through the clear top!

 

[jrose7004]

Down here in the south, I sequence the tops the opposite from you. I use the body color solid top in the summer and the clear top in the winter. The clear top lets way too much sun in in the summer. On nice summer days or nights I just go topless. The cold winter feels great with the sun coming through the clear top!

I agree, in Oklahoma in the summer you can't use that "glass top" at all!