Glass top cracking

[Parrothead]

I recently moved from Eastern Washington back down to Southern Cali and noticed my acrylic top has started to crack all along the front edge (especially in the corners). ad The car is a 92 with 90,000 miles on it.

I know they are not cheap to replace and I can't get one just yet but when I can where is the best place to look? I was also blessed with my painted top getting dropped in the move and damaged on one corner.... the other side landed on my foot so it was cushioned in the fall....:ugh

Also what causes this to happen?


On the plus side at least it doesn't rain very often down here.......

 

[Ugolino]

over time the glass top develops stress cracks due to the flexing of the chassis/window header/rear bow. it's most common in the corners. in sunlight you can see fine cracks in the top, is this what you're talking about? I've seen this in nearly all c4s with a transparent top, they are very minor and no cause for concern. the catalogs have a transparent top refurbishing service, expensive. or you can hang out on ebay I see them there all the time, less expensive.

 

[Parrothead]

Thanks for the info, I guess I will have to just keep my eye on them....

 

[CorvetteArchives]

I'd definitely avoid Thompson Astro tops. They just arent anywhere near as good as OEM. I made the mistake of buying from them at Carlisle a couple years ago. Do they work ok? sorta! They paint the frames they "restore"...quite poorly. First they put their giant sticker right above your rearview mirror. When you remove it it leaves a mark that cant be removed since they put it on when paint wasnt fully cured. The metal edge that goes around the entire perimeter on the OEM roofs is replaced with rubber. This rubber strip bends and distorts when you store the top in the hatch...so it looks like $#%* after you do it a couple times! There is NO extra blackout tint on the rear edge of the glass so light comes through where it shouldnt be...looks dumb from inside. The paint after 2 weeks started to come off the metal edges on front windshield piller. Save your $ and wait to buy OEM...its worth it!