Question: Hard top vs soft top headroom?

[VetteVirgin]

Does the hard top have any more headroom than the soft top in a C1?
I drove with the soft top up for the first time last night and saw stars when I bounced the top of my skull off of the steel bow when I hit a very small bump!

DT

 

[Oz's 59]

I have a '59 with both tops, the hard top does have a little more room.

 

[Oz's 59]

What year is your C1?

 

[VetteVirgin]

It's a 61. I was planning to use the rag top when A/C weather arrives in June here in Vegas, but that's not likely to happen now unless I spring for new seats or have mine modified. The cost of new or modified seats would take a decent chunk out of the 3k price of a usable hardtop though if the hardtop provided enough headroom. Right now my hair brushes the canvas - if I shaved my head I'd have maybe 1/2" clearance.

DT

 

[SIXTYTWO]

Top

I think the hardtop gives quite a bit more headroom along with a vast improvement in visability. The soft top is convienient for top down driving but the few times a year when I feel like having a convertibleI pop the hardtop. I have the soft top with a brand new canvas but prefer the looks of the car with no top or a hardtop. Rich

 

[Oz's 59]

Count me in for NO TOP (s).

 

[VetteVirgin]

Thanks for the info guys! I'm with Oz on no top being preferred, but when the temp rises above 100 I'm not sure how much relief running the A/C (Hot Rod Air) with no top will provide. Last summer with no A/C I had to keep it garaged during July and August. I drove with the top down all winter but 115 is a different story.
Since I never drive the 61 when there is any chance of rain and would need the top for at least two continuous months I think a hard top is in my future now that I know the headroom is ok.
I'll use the rag top to practice my wide body entry and exit strategy in the interim!
Thanks again!

DT

 

[wallyknoch]

Does the hard top have any more headroom than the soft top in a C1?
I drove with the soft top up for the first time last night and saw stars when I bounced the top of my skull off of the steel bow when I hit a very small bump!

DT

this is exactly how my 62 fits me, you`ll get use to it and the hardtop has a little more room....at least the soft top bow is not present with the HT....:L

 

[mashinter]

I drove with the soft top up for the first time last night and saw stars when I bounced the top of my skull off of the steel bow when I hit a very small bump!

DT

I still always duck when going over railroad tracks due to the same thing happening to me in my '59 in 1963! I haven't driven the '59 with the softtop up for over 40 years. I went to a hardtop...much better.

 

[67vet]

I don't have a hardtop for either the 54 or the 59. I have clearance in both cars with the soft top up, but getting into each one sure takes a lot of bend over and still scraping my head getting in. So, top down.

 

[Oz's 59]

You have a Nice '59.

 

[Tom Bryant]

I can remember whacking my head on the top bow a few times when hitting a big bump. There were no seat belts in the car back then. There will be when it's finished. I'm 5'10". How tall are you guys that hit or clear the top bow easily? Are your seats using correct foam and upholstery or a custom covering that may be over stuffed?

Tom

 

[VetteVirgin]

5'11" and my seats are stock as far as I know. I probably have at least an extra inch when sitting due to my big ole butt though!

 

[Silver Blue 58]

Might have to take the drivers seat out and take it to an upholstery shop to have springs and foam adjusted to let you sink a little.

I am 5'10 and my seat sinks a bit and I fit perfectly. Like 67vet said, the hard part is sometimes squeezing in with the top up.

Fred

 

[67vet]

But the good news is I was able to squeeze in and get some behind the wheel drive time in the 59 today. Spring is almost here. Top down soon.

 

[toms silver 60]

Hardtop has more room

There is noticeable difference. Placement of the softtop bows is also crucial to determining headroom; there should be a noticeable hump as compared to the smoother looking straight line from windshield header to the main rear bow. If the bows are tilted too far forward, you will lose a lot of headroom.
Adjusting your seat cushion and cutting/removing seat springs is a proven method of providing more head room.

I made the mistake once of installing new seat springs at same time I put a new top on with the bows tilting forward. Still have a few extra holes in the scalp from that.....

There are some really nice looking cars in this thread......

 

[sub006]

BTW a C2 hardtop also gives more headroom than the soft top, and AIR more than the fastback coupe.

 

[VetteVirgin]

Is entry and exit as challenging with a C2 vert top up (or on) as it is in a C1?

 

[sub006]

With its greater seat-to-roof height, no windshield dogleg in your knee's way and a less-intrusive steering wheel, the C2 is less of an obstacle course.

It goes back to the ergonomic design of both cars. For the C1, Chevy chose the highest-performance production sports car of 1952, the Jaguar XK-120, as their model. And like the Jag, the C1 was cursed with a steering wheel practically in your chest and a bolt-upright church-pew seat that had your legs almost straight out in front of you. Neither company dropped the footwells between the frame rails. That's just how it was done in the early '50s, almost all sports cars were uncomfortable. Try a '55-'57 T-Bird and it's the same story.

By about 1960, when the C2 cockpit was being laid out, Zora Arkus-Duntov was on the scene. I suspect his racing background and engineering input was a good part of the reason a Maserati was measured in setting the driving position. The E-Type Jaguar was also much improved, but not nearly as comfortable for people over maybe 5'9". The Sting Ray was built to accommodate American-sized people.