nspctr01

Sorry if this has been covered before but didnt see anything in the search. I'm going to buy a 81 vette that has the wrong year model T Tops attached. I will trailer this car approx. 300 miles. What is the risk of these coming off? Is there a way to secure them? It's supposed to rain so I dont want to run w/o tops on.

Thx

CaseyJones

What year tops? Any top from late 77 through 82 should work fine. Early 77 and older had two handles and the later ones only had one.

lvmyvt76

Duct tape them, or just take them off and put them in the rear cargo area. That tape will take 200 MPH!

nspctr01

Don't really wanna tape them on. Don't know specific yr of tops either but am told there is a conversion kit.

Easy Mike

Wait for better weather.

AdamMeh

Interesting..was not aware that any of the '77's came with the single handle design.

RedRedRed

If they're the older style tops, I think they will latch at the front, and the center prongs will engage the slots in the t-bar. Someone here will know if that's correct or not.

If it is, all you have to worry about is keeping the back of the tops secured. I understand not wanting to put duct tape on the painted surface, but you can put some plastic or cloth over the tops and run the duct tape over that. One long run of duct tape from one window to the other should do it. Just make sure the tape is stuck well to the glass on both sides.

Or, you could cover the painted the surfaces (doors, too) and then use a very long strap with an adjustable tensioner run all the way under the car and over the tops. This might cause some abrasion against the paint from wind buffeting, though.

Another solution might be to attach a wire to the rear corner of each top on the inside (the latch tab, or the lever itself, anywhere you can secure it well), and run the wire down to the attachment point for the top storage strap on the bulkhead between the seats. Again, this is assuming that the tops are latching at the front and on the t-bar.

If the tops do latch at the front and engage the t-bar, I don't think it will take much to keep them in place.

nspctr01

OK,

Got the car home and it travelled well. My next ? is, since these are 2 handled tops and I assume the 81 is setup for a 1 handle top, Is there a conversion kit or way to make these work?

CaseyJones

Could be wrong here. I thought the late '77 cars had single level tops. Wouldn't be the first time I goofed. Second maybe?

Easy Mike

Not exactly.

First question is do you want to keep the older tops or replace them with stock 78-82 tops? Your choice.

Second: if you want to keep the older tops, you will lose the factory theft alarm protection for the stock tops and will need to change the halo panel hardware to the older 68-77 style.

nspctr01

Ok. So there is no "conversion kit" per se. I need to swap out hardware.

AdamMeh

I'm not sure myself - given the carry over of parts from year to year, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

Easy Mike

Personally, my choice would be to sell the 68-77 tops and purchase a used pair of 78-82 tops. You would get the correct tops for your car, would not have to swap hardware, and retain the use of the factory alarm system.