Is there any way to pop it open a little, so wind will flow through when the windows are open, and the t tops are off. Ive seen it on a c4

 

82 collector edition

 

would that back setup fit on an 81?

 

In my C-3 experience I'd like to say yes, but there is a whole lot of work here. First off you'd have to rebuild the roof crossmember so it would accept the hinges and then there's the whole sealing/weatherstripping issue and if you get that worked out, you still have to figure out how to convet the window latching point at the Gas cap area? I'd have to say no way !

 

Yes, you need to save up about $2-3K for a hatchvette kit. Ecklers sold them to covert any 80-82 into the 82CE option. It contained all the GM parts from the CE from a company called Cars & Concepts which stopped selling them mid-late 80's.
Ebay has them from time-to-time.

 

Check the Assembly Manual to see if there are vents in the back of your Vette. It's possible that they aren't opening as they should. GM must have done at least SOME ventilation testing when they changed to the large back glass window. Not sure if the opening rear window was intended for air circulation or ease of cargo storage.



Rick B.

 

You're confusing the C4 glass/rear deck hatch ability, with the C3 82CE glass only hatch option. Gas cap is a non-issue as only the glass bubble moves, rear deck stays fixed.

 

Yes, but the swap will not be an over night thing. Purchase the 82 assembly instruction manual and take a look at the factory installation for the CE hatch. Compare what it takes with the AIM pages for your 81.

Put a parts list together, and start hunting parts. Your biggest problem will be finding a good set of hatch hinges.


Good luck.

 

Easiest way to do it is to sell your car and buy an 82 CE.
It's a complex project than what it may appear to be.

 

I’ve been doing some research on the 82 CE the past two months. Yes GM used Cars and Concepts as the supplier for the CE rear window and hatch. The cars were standard cars that were modified on the line as shown by the AIM.

One big issue with the original CE cars was the product used to manufacturer the rear hatch hinges. This is what got me involved in this to start with and we are working on a Repair and Help page just on the rear hatch weatherstrips.

At the end of last year we did a rear hatch weatherstrip install on a original CE. When we installed the reproduction rear hatch weatherstrip the top edge of the glass would not come close to hitting the weatherstrip. We pulled it back off, compared it to the original, took measurements and it would not touch. We then re-installed the original and it was exactly the same fit. (Remember the car was in there for a replacement weatherstrip).

In short, the rear hinges were made of a soft case metal. Over time with opening and closing the rear window combined with the force of the strut supports, the hinge opens up. This will cause the rear glass to move toward the rear of the car as well as raise the height of the rear glass at the top. One quick sign of this is the fitment of the rear weatherstrip at the top and the corners. But the best sign to look for is the latch bolts not hitting the striker in the proper place. There are replacement hinges available and they will solve the problem. Pricey, but they work.

Just some info for the CE owners and the possible conversion people to think about.

Willcox Inc.

 

I believe what you want to do can't be done even with a successful 82CE conversion. Can a 82 Collectors Edition with the pop-open rear glass run at city/highway speeds with the glass in the open position held down by a C4 quick release hatch vent? Will it fit or will it need to be fabricated? Will it even work on the C3? 82CE guys chime in here.

 

Only the glass on a C4 raises as well - it would be the exact same principle for the C3. Like has been said Eckler's used to sell the conversion kit. But no more - be nice if it did come back though.

 

Now for discussion, is the rear glass readily available????
If so, there is a guy making hardened hinges for CE replacement along with shocks. How hard would it be to stamp out some hinge plates and rig an electric latch a.k.a. modern hatchbacks (AND compatible with modern alarm systems) and BAM
here we are..................

 

I've been looking for the parts to convert my 79 in a hatchback car. The glass is a major pain to find. Im thinking the way to go is find someone with a ratty CE and offer to by the parts and pay to instal a solid window.

Could a glass shop modify a stock window. Might appear different but should work.

 

What was the difference between the rear glass - solid back VS hatch back? Did the hatch back (CE glass) have pre-drilled holes for the hendges or what? How did the hindge attach to the glass if not (this would be the two upper hendges which then attached to the roof support bar)? Then of course you have the contact points for the gas shocks which must be delt with, not to mention all that weatherstripping which much be installed.

 

CE glass had pre-drilled holes for hinges, left/right strikers, and prob attach pts for the shocks.
Dont see why a glass shop couldn't drill a fixed one, tho

 

The glass appears to be the same except the holes and the black trim. I figure i could make up sometype of black out around the edges.

 

Here are some answers for you guys. I have an 82 non C3 that has the pop up glass. The glass is nearly impossible to find. I learned this the hard way. I am in the middle of restoring my car and I was going to reinstall the glass, I had forgotten something so I leaned it up against the car and made sure that it was stable, GUESS NOT! it started to slip and I caught it right as it hit the ground. BOOM that sucker exploded in my hand and all over my driveway and garage, I am still finding chunks of glass. So the search was on for a replacement. After 2 months I found one in a salvage yard in CA. The SOB cost me $1785!!!!!

You can't convert your stock glued in glass to pop up. The glass is tempered, so the moment you try to drill a hole in it, it is going to explode. The aftermarket glass companies only make the rear glass w/o holes. So unless you can find a piece at a junk yard you are SOL.

I tried to make a hatch window out of a 1982 1/4" lexan rear window from Percy's but nope, no way to hold its shape. So more money down the ****ter.

next is the hinges, if you get so lucky to find a piece of glass, it will most likely come with the hinges and latches because people are scared to take them off. And most likely they will be stretched. Sampson makes stainless or billet hinges but they are in the $385 range.

And finally, there are aftermarket weather strip kits but I have not seen a good one yet (Wilcox, I have not seen yours) and they all have a seam. I got a GM NOS weatherstrip gasket that is one piece no seam (1 of 2 left) and that was just shy of $400!!

So if you really want a CE rear hatch you better be willing to shell out some serious $$$.

Bottom line I took my perfectly functioning rear hatch apart to restore my car and it ended up costing me $2170 extra just to get it back to where it was before I started. what a pain in the ***!