Removing the center TTop bar for good. 69Myway Help!

[StingRayCrazy]

Hello All,

I'm thinking about removing my center T-Top bar and using the Astro one piece instead of my T-Tops. :smash Have any of you done this? The shell is from a 76 which has the steel floor pan. Any structural concerns? Could I use convertible parts around the front windshield? Here is a car that I saw at the Carlisle show that I would like to model after.

 

[69MyWay]

It will make the car more flimsy feeling than a stock t top coupe, but now worse than a vert. I would suggest you get the 1970-75 Convertible door alignment hardware. It helps center the doors up and keep them in place as the body twists in the absence of the t-bar. I would assume convertilbe windshield hardware would do the trick, but at that stage in the game, you are custom making trim pieces anyway.

Looks like a fun mod!

Chris

 

[topless82vette]

stingray

I chopped my top off, the car has some windshield frame movement but I'm sure it can be streghtened up with a better windshield cement, the convertible trim pieces wont be your solution as the vert's trim pieces are made for a third latch bracket in the center of the windshield, maybe you could add a third latch to the astro top to get it to seal better, once you cut the T-bar out just weld a piece of 1/16th inch metal where the T-bar was up at the windshield frame its pretty simple to do, maybe you could take a vert's trim and fill the third latch braket opening then recover with vinyl or something

 

[cruzer99]

I would think you would have to live with body/fiberglass stress cracks over time. Might be something to look into with someone who has done it or would know.

 

[TomOB]

Also, pay attention to what your example has in the back: more structural strengthening. Now the question is, does this help with the new tiwsting caused by the absence of the t-bar, or perhaps adding to it by making the rear-end more rigid and therefore less flexible?
Just custom form a backbone frame like on the c5s.
just need some really long metal tubes, and you could probably put a few water pumps together in series and....heh. nm

 

[StingRayCrazy]

Making mods are fun, but it's making my head hurt... Thanks guys! I plan on using a 4 point roll bar but I guess I could do a swing arm 6 point later if I had to. :crazy