i just picked up a 1988 convertible with a hardtop, looking to sell hard top, color does not match car, top is painted white, has rear window defogger, what is the going price for a used hard top? i was thinking of $1500 to high to low?the orig owner told me it never came with a hardtop in 1988 so he said the top is a 1989, need conformation so i could sell with the correct info, how do i tell if it is a OEM top?i do have the wrench for the top too.

 

Honestly? About $500-$1000. I've seen them lower. They used to be higher. Of course if its the color someone wants, and its MINT condition..... The problem is, nobody, or almost nobody, needs one. They are kind of a neat addition if you have a convertible, but almost no one ever uses it ON their convertible, usually they just sit in a corner. As the value of the car goes lower, so do the parts, especially non essential parts. As a bit of a hijack, I have a 94 green one if anyone needs a polo green one.

 

There is or was only one aftermarket manufacturer of C4 convertible hardtops. They were made by Smoothline and do not have the rectangular tube built in roll bar. If it does have the built in roll bar then it came from an 89-96 convertible.
If you have the Smoothline top then it fits 86-96 convertibles.
The factory hard top bolts to the upper windshield, rear deck lid and to the body behind each door. Here is a pic of the brackets that connect between the roll bar and the body:



The factory hard top can be fit to the 86-88 convertibles but it is a rather difficult job. I have seen a couple of conversions where the top is only connected at the rear deck lid and the windshield brackets.
I agree with Fred's pricing. You really lose a lot of storage area with that top installed but they do look cool!
My old 87 that I converted:

 

ok thanks, my top has the 2 square bars that hang down looks like a 2x4 so with that info is it worth more being a OEM top?

 

+ or - 1000 sounds right. I got mine for 800 then spent 600 for paint. It is a pain some times but I love the way the car tightens up with the top on. So its on from Nov to April or May depending on how soon things warm up. With top on car is the best looking C4 there is. and only a very few around. makes it kinda unique. But when its sunny and 70 i got to get it off! If you got room consider keeping for the colder months. Put it on and drive the car before you sell.

 

You just bought the car, I wouldn't be to quick to sell it. You might just want it later on has times goes bye.

 

One thing about the factory hardtop is that when properly installed (and the car still has the OEM X-brace under the car) it makes the convertible stiffer than a coupe with the targa top in place.

I had bought an OEM hardtop after owning my old '92 'vert for a couple years. The first thing I noticed was that the interior resonance from my 3" B&B exhaust almost completely went away. Also, all of the squeaks from the body went away.

The factory hardtop is bulky and the 65 lb. weight makes it a two person job to safely install. But I managed to overcome that by making a rope pulley system that allowed me to install or remove the top by myself.

I had to have my hardtop painted and a local custom paint/body shop did a show-car worthy color change for $450.

 

i would keep the top, but i bought the car on the high(price) side, trying to recoup some funds, even in the winter i though i would have gotten a deal but no, at least i did not buy in the summer time..

 

Bad idea to sell already. First off that little amount of money should not impact you that much. Put it this way... A vert with a hard top is worth much more than the little money that third top sells for on the side. When you want one back they are hard to get.

Tons of coupes, lots of verts, few verts with hardtops.

IDk why you bought a vette, but usually there are several for each person. Ideally people like to keep track of what factory options the car has, and what accessories the car has. That is how these cars are rated.

 

Not really.

 

Those attaching brackets are what makes the hardtop actually stiffen the body. The hardtop has a steel "halo bar" that is very similar to the bar in the coupe. The brackets join the convertible B-pillars and the hardtop halo bar.

A knowledgeable hardtop buyer will be looking for those two brackets and the 10 bolts that are used to install them. Finding them separately can be hard to do.

The OEM hardtop should not be installed without the brackets. The hardtop's rear locating pins that go into the decklid clamps have enclosed bolts that are tightened down to let the weatherstrip seal properly.

Without the brackets, the body can flex enough and pass that thru the hardtop so that the decklid latches can be torn out of the decklid.

Another thing to consider for pricing is the overall quality of the weatherstripping on the hardtop. Replacing the weatherstripping with OEM-equal stuff can run into hundreds of dollars.

 

We have a factory hardtop for our 89 and love it. We went all the way to upstate NY to pick it up, paid $1,000 with the brackets, wrench, cover and cradle, but no bolts. The top goes on every winter and comes off in the spring. As others have said it does really stiffen up the car and sharpen the handling. You do loose storage access, but there is not to much to begin with. Try it before you sell it, it can't be beat if you are driving year round or the car is stored outside. If you do sell, $1k is about top dollar.

 

Ok thanks i listed mine for $900 or best offer i think its fair, and i also searched the forum so i think i am inline with my price

 

If you have the brackets and the top is in good shape you should have no problem getting that. Post up an ad in the C4 parts section.

 

Yes i post it in the For Sale section,the only issue i do not have the roll bar brackets .

 

I actually went the other way and purchased one. I paid a little too much if you go by the estimates on this thread. However, I could not find a decent one at those prices. I know they are for sale out there but check closer. I think I did OK by getting a nearly perfect one as far as interior and weather striping. One note: be careful about laying the top on one of those carts. Even with the padding, they can fracture the rear edge which is rather brittle on the OEM tops after this many years. It is made of a composite instead of real mat and resin fiberglass.

Eckler's has the tops but they are expensive especially when including shipping ($1799 and $1899). If you find one under 1K, grab it. BTW: the brackets and hardware are from $90 to $120 new.

I plan on storing mine on a custom made shelf in front of the car in the small barn which I've converted to the Corvette garage. If you have a nice flat surface to store it and cover with plastic, it will not get dirty, especially on the headliner and crevices around the weather striping.

If you try this out before selling, you may change your mind. It makes the car more solid feeling, makes the interior quiet (more like a real coupe), and it makes the car look like a completely different car as far as the lines and profile.

Can you tell I like my hardtop?

Good luck,

WEK.

 

Hzajust biught a hard top for my 1989 vert. Bought the bracket and bolt kit have everything except for the bolts and bracketery for the rear mounts. Looked on most of the corvette part websites and can't seem to find the rear bolts and mounting gear. Would any one know where I can find these?

 

I haven't seen them either. I sort of had that in my memory bank as I cruised the different web sites for various parts. I never saw them; only the side mounting brackets. It would be a simple job for a miller to do. The shoulder bolts, nuts, and washers are hardware store items. I bet this part of the mounting hardware is the most often lost. I was lucky to get all of the hardware with mine. Eckler's may have but I didn't see it. Sometimes a phone call is needed just to make sure they don't have them.

Good luck,

WEK.

 

mine are attached to the top never figured anyone would take the off. its jsut a bolt and some washers, with a sleeve to fit into and center in teh latch plate. Ive not seen these things for sale, always assumed they were a part of the top.

 

here is mine

JJ