Targa top problems
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,661
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From: The Woodlands Texas
A few months back I posted about my problems with a replacement clear top I had bought. This was one of those deals where I had to pay $200 extra because I didn't have my own core to send in so they had to provide one.
So I ordered the top through the internet, had it sent to a shipper in Houston who crated it and forwarded it to Saudi Arabia for me. When I tried to install it, I found that I could not adjust it to fit correctly, front bolts would never line up no matter what.
I finally figured out that the problem was that the original top had been wrecked and it was warped. The first evidence I found of that was when I removed the rear bracket on the driver's side and saw where it had been driven into the aluminum frame by some impact from the rear.
I contacted Davies Corvette in Florida, where I bought the top, and they have agreed to replace it, but I have to ship it back to them and then pay to crate and ship another one back to Saudi. I'm only doing it now because I'm going to bring the top back in a crate as a piece of luggage to avoid having to pay to ship it.
In the last couple of weeks, the metal trim around the edge of the top above the driver's side door has come loose and sprung out. It's obvious that it was bent before and someone forced it into place and glued it. A few months and the heat here softened the glue, and it turned loose.
The point of all this is that if you're going to buy a clear top, you'd better have an idea about the condition of the core that they're using to re-glass it. It will probably come from a wrecking yard, so there's a good chance it's taken a hit. My case is extreme, because I'm faced with heavy shipping charges. However, I would not like to have to deal with this anywhere. It would have been cheaper for me to buy a brand-new one from GM and avoid these headaches.
So I ordered the top through the internet, had it sent to a shipper in Houston who crated it and forwarded it to Saudi Arabia for me. When I tried to install it, I found that I could not adjust it to fit correctly, front bolts would never line up no matter what.
I finally figured out that the problem was that the original top had been wrecked and it was warped. The first evidence I found of that was when I removed the rear bracket on the driver's side and saw where it had been driven into the aluminum frame by some impact from the rear.
I contacted Davies Corvette in Florida, where I bought the top, and they have agreed to replace it, but I have to ship it back to them and then pay to crate and ship another one back to Saudi. I'm only doing it now because I'm going to bring the top back in a crate as a piece of luggage to avoid having to pay to ship it.
In the last couple of weeks, the metal trim around the edge of the top above the driver's side door has come loose and sprung out. It's obvious that it was bent before and someone forced it into place and glued it. A few months and the heat here softened the glue, and it turned loose.
The point of all this is that if you're going to buy a clear top, you'd better have an idea about the condition of the core that they're using to re-glass it. It will probably come from a wrecking yard, so there's a good chance it's taken a hit. My case is extreme, because I'm faced with heavy shipping charges. However, I would not like to have to deal with this anywhere. It would have been cheaper for me to buy a brand-new one from GM and avoid these headaches.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
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From: Athens Ohio
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I remember the original post. Sorry about all the shipping expense but at least you now know that you are not crazy and the thing really didn't fit correctly.
