T-Top shape
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,125
Likes: 9
From: Crescent City, CA
I have a fiberglass passenger side that does the same thing.
After taking it apart, I think the glue for that edge has given some.
I think the only option would be buying another top or trying to reglue by using a strap around the top and pulling the rear edge in tighter and glue it.
Terry
After taking it apart, I think the glue for that edge has given some.
I think the only option would be buying another top or trying to reglue by using a strap around the top and pulling the rear edge in tighter and glue it.
Terry
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,850
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Guys,
The cars never match up on the tops. It’s a rare sight to see a car with tops that fit perfectly on the car. I have a 72, 78, 81 right now that I should post pictures of these cars. None have glass roof panels, and none of them are perfect matches.
The cars have 77, 22, 28 thousand miles on the respectively.
EasyMike is 100 percent correct too! The glass tops fit even worse.
IMHO,
Willcox Inc.
The cars never match up on the tops. It’s a rare sight to see a car with tops that fit perfectly on the car. I have a 72, 78, 81 right now that I should post pictures of these cars. None have glass roof panels, and none of them are perfect matches.
The cars have 77, 22, 28 thousand miles on the respectively.
EasyMike is 100 percent correct too! The glass tops fit even worse.
IMHO,
Willcox Inc.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 946
Likes: 0
From: Lake Geneva WI
You can get them pretty close. But it takes work and an extreme amount of patience. I found that adjusting the shims as well as playing with the alignment of the latches and latch hardware makes a HUGE difference. Also, on my 79' moving from the stock ugly black trim/gutters (which you cannot find new anywhere btw) to 76-77 chrome trim made an even bigger difference in the lines, and the alignment.
Again, this took an extreme amount of patience as well as a lot of custom metal work. YMMV.
pics http://home.mia.net/~jeremy/corvette/TopTrim/
Again, this took an extreme amount of patience as well as a lot of custom metal work. YMMV.
pics http://home.mia.net/~jeremy/corvette/TopTrim/
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,850
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
On the roof panels, if you change the location of the rear lock T bolt it will drop the panels down (This is 68-77 fiberglass tops). However you do not want to compromise the ability to adjust your door glass in doing so. The door side window should be about 1” from the top of the roof panel while being 1” from the front windshield pillar. Both must be parallel to the matching weatherstrip at about the same time. Without this adjustment being correct the door glass will not go up properly.
The picture you have posted of your glass roof panel looks about normal to me. You may be able to add shims to the center which may/may not allow the roof panel to move inward some. But you really need to be careful here. You’ll sacrifice the door glass fitment and maybe cause you more problems.
IMHO,
Willcox
The picture you have posted of your glass roof panel looks about normal to me. You may be able to add shims to the center which may/may not allow the roof panel to move inward some. But you really need to be careful here. You’ll sacrifice the door glass fitment and maybe cause you more problems.
IMHO,
Willcox
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
When I put new tops on my pace car, I spent hours and hours shimming, and moving latches, etc. I replaced all the bushings, shims, etc, and they still were not perfect. I had them pulled down all summer in the hot weather hoping the seals would compress some (they didnt). Also, when I finally got it as close I could I found out I had to readjust the door glass. I dont see how they can be pulled flush to fit the body lines, maybe somebody with more patience than me. I got them pretty close but they still flaired out at the ends some as your pic depicts.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,850
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
L82Shark,
The 78-82 cars are the hardest to adjust! The rear rod plate has very little movement in it and about the only adjustment you have is in the shims in the tops at the center. The weatherstrip will move in and out some. You do do have patience if you messed with these any length of time at all.
Willcox
The 78-82 cars are the hardest to adjust! The rear rod plate has very little movement in it and about the only adjustment you have is in the shims in the tops at the center. The weatherstrip will move in and out some. You do do have patience if you messed with these any length of time at all.
Willcox
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,076
Likes: 281
From: Dyersburg TN
curve not heigth
It is not the heigth that bugs me so much as it is the curve. The curve of the driver's side matches the curve of the roof. The passenger side shown in the picture has a lesser angle on it so the end extents out beyond. It is as if it needs to be bent down but that would likely brake the top.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
I was able to get the heights pretty close by removing shims from the rear and adding to the front. I was able to split the difference on the curve over the window on each side enough to where I dont really notice it. As Wilcox said, there is almost no play in the rear latches but you can get some play by loosening the three nuts that hold the latch mechanism to the top itself. It does take patience and I several times after a couple of hours I had to walk away and try it again a few days later. If I can find a picture I will post if this computer system here will let me!
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
I THINK the factory said it was supposed to be 1/4" or less when aligning the tops. I could be wrong and where I am at now I dont have the book with me. It specifies it in the service manual. Other than that the service manual isnt much help. The only way I finally got mine close was to loosen everything up, to include the latches on the top and have someone push them in while I sat inside and tightened the latches down, then removed the top and pushed the rear latch strikers inwards. I had a very similiar gap on mine. It just took a lot of trial and patience. Again, I was able to get the heights close with removal of shims, but the outer curve still somewhat annoyed me but after awhile I didnt notice it as much. Certainly when I get back to the car I wont notice after this little trip! Good luck with it and just dont stress the top too much. If you think you are about to torque it too much you probably are. Sometimes it pays just to walk away from it for awhile.... but it sucks when you have half the interior torn out I know.