C4 General Discussion General C4 Corvette Discussion not covered in Tech

Hard Top

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 29, 2017 | 10:52 PM
  #1  
dtork's Avatar
dtork
Thread Starter
Intermediate
 
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 41
Likes: 2
From: Clancy MT
Default Hard Top

Guys, I have a '96' convertible. I have the chance to purchase a restored hard top. New paint, glass and sealing. I am wondering what you think it might be worth? I would have to ship it 1500 miles. The photos are outstanding and it belongs to the fellow who owned my C4 previously. Thanks, ferdie
Reply
Old Jan 30, 2017 | 08:01 AM
  #2  
Barrier's Avatar
Barrier
Drifting
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 1,875
Likes: 27
From: Long Beach NY
Default Hard Top

Hi, I was able to find one for my new to me 93 C4 about 2 months ago. Not refurbished but Great Condition. Came with the wrench, rear deck pad and all fasteners.
It was located about 100 miles from my home. I picked it up and drove home with it on my car. . Some marks and scratches from storage but best part it was Polo Green as is my C4.
I bought it from a Forum member great transaction and nice Guy.
Cost was under $1000.
Keep looking they are out there. Shipping is always a problem. UPS has a habit of bouncing around large packages. It happened to me with 2 Sport Seats and a Hardtop for my '86 C4 years ago. Items were Mint, UPS lost one seat (which I did eventually locate with a bent frame and missing shipping tags), and a Top with chips and Damage on all four corners. I did collect Insurance but not even close to cover repairs.
Barrier

Last edited by Barrier; Jan 30, 2017 at 08:10 AM.
Reply
Old Jan 30, 2017 | 11:02 AM
  #3  
c4cruiser's Avatar
c4cruiser
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Default

Shipping would be the biggest issue. UPS will probably charge a ton because of the overall dimensions of the hard top. The top weighs about 65 lbs. or so.

You might have the seller get some quotes from local truck freight shippers and see what they may charge. Also consider having the top wrapped in layers of bubble wrap and then a covering of something like a tarp material. Get it strapped to a pallet too.

Also ask about insurance. Do a Google search on these terms: "FOB Origin" and "FOB Destination". These terms define where the shipper has and released responsibility for the goods.

Another choice might be Greyhound. Some people have shipped large items with them and the rates were pretty good.
Reply
Old Jan 30, 2017 | 12:07 PM
  #4  
dtork's Avatar
dtork
Thread Starter
Intermediate
 
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 41
Likes: 2
From: Clancy MT
Default Thanks!

Originally Posted by Barrier
Hi, I was able to find one for my new to me 93 C4 about 2 months ago. Not refurbished but Great Condition. Came with the wrench, rear deck pad and all fasteners.
It was located about 100 miles from my home. I picked it up and drove home with it on my car. . Some marks and scratches from storage but best part it was Polo Green as is my C4.
I bought it from a Forum member great transaction and nice Guy.
Cost was under $1000.
Keep looking they are out there. Shipping is always a problem. UPS has a habit of bouncing around large packages. It happened to me with 2 Sport Seats and a Hardtop for my '86 C4 years ago. Items were Mint, UPS lost one seat (which I did eventually locate with a bent frame and missing shipping tags), and a Top with chips and Damage on all four corners. I did collect Insurance but not even close to cover repairs.
Barrier
Hey Hard Top, thanks for the info....very good to know about shipping and additional parts I had not thought of. Really appreciated!
Reply
Old Jan 30, 2017 | 12:15 PM
  #5  
dtork's Avatar
dtork
Thread Starter
Intermediate
 
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 41
Likes: 2
From: Clancy MT
Default Thanks!

Originally Posted by c4cruiser
Shipping would be the biggest issue. UPS will probably charge a ton because of the overall dimensions of the hard top. The top weighs about 65 lbs. or so.

You might have the seller get some quotes from local truck freight shippers and see what they may charge. Also consider having the top wrapped in layers of bubble wrap and then a covering of something like a tarp material. Get it strapped to a pallet too.

Also ask about insurance. Do a Google search on these terms: "FOB Origin" and "FOB Destination". These terms define where the shipper has and released responsibility for the goods.

Another choice might be Greyhound. Some people have shipped large items with them and the rates were pretty good.
Hey C4crusier, really appreciate all your info and tips! Great to know to protect my investment! All the best....
Reply
Old Jan 30, 2017 | 07:03 PM
  #6  
corvetteronw's Avatar
corvetteronw
Race Director
Supporting Lifetime
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
St. Jude 10 Year Donor
Liked
 
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 16,475
Likes: 270
From: Kingman AZ
Cruise-In VII Veteran
Cruise-In VIII
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Default

Sounds like a great opportunity for a road trip! Just be sure that you realize there will be absolutely no room in back to store luggage etc. when you return with the top installed.
Spring is not that far away!
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2017 | 12:27 PM
  #7  
dtork's Avatar
dtork
Thread Starter
Intermediate
 
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 41
Likes: 2
From: Clancy MT
Default

Originally Posted by corvetteronw
Sounds like a great opportunity for a road trip! Just be sure that you realize there will be absolutely no room in back to store luggage etc. when you return with the top installed.
Spring is not that far away!
Hey, thanks for the suggestion! Actually I had not considered the fact there would be minimal room behind the seats with the top down and the hard top on! Guess obviously one never removes the "rag" top when using the hard top! I have much to learn apparently!!
Reply
Old Jan 31, 2017 | 03:35 PM
  #8  
Patsgarage's Avatar
Patsgarage
Team Owner
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 30,427
Likes: 1,609
From: Outside the Quick Stop N.J.
Default

We have one for our 89 Vert and love it. The top makes the car much stiffer and cuts down on noise as well. If you drive your car year round it is well worth it. A good top with all the parts (bolts, brackets, tools, maybe even a storage stand and cover) should run you around $1k. 1,500 mi is a long way to go for a top, but not being able to inspect the top beforehand would make me nervous.
You will have the same ammount of space behind the seats as you do now with the soft top down, but it will be alot harder to get to.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Hard Top

Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-7

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-8

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:42 PM.

story-0
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!

Slideshow: How to Protect A Convertible Top: 10 DOs & DON'Ts

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-03 00:00:00


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-2
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-3
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-5
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-9
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE