bmein81539

Has anyone every chopped a standard t-top c3 into a convertible? If so how?

Tom73

Cut the T bar from the windshield header and then get a complete rear body section from a convertible. Remove rear body section from coupe, install convertable rear body. Dont forget to change the side windows.

Father N Son

at first i too thought of just chopping the top, now i decided to buy a whole convertible rear clip.

getting the rear clip hopefully this week, already have convertible frame with beat canvas.

let me know if you decide to do it.

Paul L

Check the archives.

seventysixvette

Click this thread:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...e-threads.html


John

TPI BOY

vettebuyer6369

I didn't cut it, but...

The13Bats

I had a 76 and thought long and hard about this mod, I have done radical mods for over 30 years and my friend has been doing it over 45 so the expertise was there,
I decided against it because it is so hard to find all the small and numerous parts involved to do it correctly...meaning a rear hatch and soft/hard top...not some Bubba hack the top off fair weather special.

Take a look at a few on this forum in the end the time and money invested they could have sold the car and bought a Convertible....that is just what I did.

If a person wanted to tackle it the only really good and economical way is to find a rear clip from a convertible that is just as complete as possible...I am talking like a convertible with a wrecked front and complete rear,
I am a big custom fan and hate to sound all negative but this is a major mod to do right.

But if a person can score the parts at a great price it is doable....

seventysixvette

You gotta use used parts. Bats is right you have to keep the costs as low as possible.

I've got $3085 in my conversion. I could have doubled that easily if I had used new reproduction parts. It was far cheaper for me to just build a convertible myself, and the challenge factor was in there too. Used parts from different auction sites and here on the forum will become your goals.

I farmed nothing out. If you can't do all the work yourself, don't even start. You simply can't afford to pay a shop to do this and come out ahead.

I don't think I'd have bought a rear clip any cheaper than my total price for parts, but the online auction sites and the parts I bought here on the forum allowed that. If you can find a rear clip and then buy it right, that's definately the way to go. I only found two rear clips the whole time I was looking. They both went for (much) more than my total .

On the other hand some of the items you need are not available new aftermarket. You can't buy them new at all, you gotta scrounge for 'em. The clip would have those already.

All this having been said, if you search the archives for pics there's some beautiful examples of converted coupe to convertibles. It can be done and done right for a good price.

John

Fast81

i bought my 82 convertible project already done, no interior, running/driving, in primer for $4k
there ARE deals to be scored out there.............

seventysixvette

Now that's a freakin deal!! I couldn't find a clip for that!

John

2002ConvertibleBBB

THIS WAS NOT TOO BIG OF A DEAL. JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL THE PARTS BEFORE YOU START. CORRECT REAR PANEL (NEED TO MAKE SURE IT FITS GAS TANK YOU HAVE). REAR DECK WITH HINGES AND OF COURSE A CONVERTIBLE TOP. YOU WILL NEED TO LOWER THE WHEEL WELLS TO PROVIDE PROPER CLEARANCE FOR TOP IN DOWN POSITION. JUST USE A LITTLE COMMON SENSE AND GO FOR IT!!

seventysixvette

[QUOTE=2002ConvertibleBBB;1573494459 YOU WILL NEED TO LOWER THE WHEEL WELLS TO PROVIDE PROPER CLEARANCE FOR TOP IN DOWN POSITION.[/QUOTE]

If you use a '68 thru '77 you don't even have to do that. Coupes and verts came with the same interior tub.

John

The13Bats

I admire the people who made it happen and within a reason of a good price...that doesn't include the work hours,
I hit that hurdle of all the rear convertible clips I found were high dollar and lot in parts...
I sold my 76 for like 3800.00
I cant recall exact price...then if you add 3000.00 for the convertible conversion parts...6800.00 total NOT including work to make the convertible converion on a coupe...I paid only a tad bit more for my 69 convertible...NOT a purist car by a long shot but a Convertible with both tops....The corvette has the DNA to be a coupe or convertible builders are lucky there, the cool part is you have all the info you need in threads on this forum...you can avoid mistakes and make it happen faster and cheaper than some of those who came before you...riding coat tails can be a good thing sometimes....

milo30

Hey 76vette hows it going? You get yours all finished up? I got distracted and am still in the same place, needing to get the rear deck fitted that I was 2 years ago.

Spring is coming and this post has me motivated to get back out there and finish it.

Fast81

Yeah - i was researching the C3 convertible threads for costs/level of effort to convert my 81 (someday) when i saw the ad on CList.
I looked at it like buying the rear clip and getting the rest of the car for FREE. The fact that it runs, drives, and stops were gravy. PLUS i got alot of parts along with it. It even had a ragtop frame and a new ragtop installed - my original plan was just to do an 81 roadster.........

seventysixvette

It's so close to done, but I just ran out of money. With the two boys in collage I just keep going into the hole a little deeper with every parent plus loan. The car needs paint, wheels and tires. At least it's a driver even if it's not pretty. I enjoyed all those warm, blistering 60 degree days we had last year. (when it wasn't raining)



That's a major expense right there. I bought one off e-bay for $780. The metal was in great shape and had just had a new vinyl top fitted. I'd decided before I made the first cut I was going to have a properly operating soft top.


John

Ravine Speed

This just seems nutty to me.
If the car is a valuable original, you're going to destroy the value (the VIN shows whether coupe or roadster) If it's not valuable to begin with, you're going to spend a zillion dollars and a zillion hours that you'll never get back.

I agree with the Bats, if you want a ragtop, sell the coupe and buy a roadster. You can probably trade up significanly if you add in the cost of the conversion to the sale price you get for the coupe.

seventysixvette

My zillion dollars for the conversion was $3085. There's guys here that have more than that in their transmissions. I bought my coupe (and drove it home) for $4000. Thats a total of uummmmm....$7085.00. (and once again, there's folks with much more than that in a paint job.) I worked on the car hit and miss and didn't have as much time in the conversion than a good engine rebuild. I'm not a die hard corvette fan, just an old school hot rodder. I like customs and modded cars. When it comes time to paint it, I'll do that myself too.

I would never suggest someone cut up their rare pride and joy to make a convertible. I'm not a chrome bumper fan, I like rubber bumpers. That's why I thought a '76 that had really been worked over by Bubba would be the perfect starting point for a project like this. I enjoyed the time I spent doing this. It's just a hobby, not something I expect to turn over and make any money with.

These are cars.....fiberglass. Change it, mod it or restore it and keep it bone stock. Drive it like you stole it or trailer it to the next show. But if you're not enjoying the hell out of it, sell it and get into something you do enjoy.

John....not sweating the small stuff

Fast81

Why do alot of these guys seem oblivious to the fact that there were NO OEM ragtops from 76-84 ????????!!!!!!!!!
SO, IF we LIKE the 76-82 design over the 68-75 -- how do they propose we "just go buy an original convertible"?????? Is there some "Area 51" on GM property where they are hiding these convertibles to force us into this modification ???? How do these purists feel about bolting up a 76-82 nose/tail and updating the interior so we have an "original"?? How will THAT effect their holy grail of value???
If you want to talk numbers, I'd argue the price delta of a 68-75 ragtop compared with a bubba'd 76-82 that you "convert" would be close and if properly done, would be more desired............................