Glass Roof
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 86
Likes: 2
From: Covington, La
Transparent Roof
All,
I'm in the market for a transparent top and looked at one today, is it normal to have what looks like fine stress cracks?
Thanks
I'm in the market for a transparent top and looked at one today, is it normal to have what looks like fine stress cracks?
Thanks
Last edited by KadesVette; Jan 16, 2009 at 10:50 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 788
Likes: 36
From: Charlotte NC
I dont believe so. I have had mine for almost 3 years and there are no cracks in mine. I have seen some on vettes that only have "glass" tops. I have both so they share the time in the sun.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 5,865
Likes: 2
From: Hope, Arkansas - '07 LMB Coupe
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
There's been a few reports of the stress cracks here on the forum, but I haven't seen any in my transparent roof panel after 2 years of service.
Personally, I would avoid starting off with one that has them.
Personally, I would avoid starting off with one that has them.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,163
Likes: 21
From: Roanoke and Fieldale VA
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,644
Likes: 1,220
From: Lake Worth Beach, Florida
I don't know if there is a difference between the C5 andC6 roof panels, but my C5 panel never showed any stress cracks during my C5 ownership.
Last edited by Rocketmanwpb; Jan 17, 2009 at 09:26 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 7,753
Likes: 210
From: North Western Connecticut
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 5,188
Likes: 4
From: S.F. Bay Area CA.
I paid $1,100 for a brand new one from a dealer in Arizonia. These things are plastic, don't start out with damage. The transparent top is a must have, and I'll probably never use the painted one again. 
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Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,448
Likes: 4
From: Sarasota Florida
St. Jude Donor '06
The surface of the top should be flawless, with no cracks, hazing, crazing, scratches, etc.
This is one item that I think it pays to buy locally. They are difficult to ship without damage, and essentially impossible to repair. The plastic is also rather soft and scratches fairly easily, so be careful of how you wash it. Get a good one and take care of it and it can look new for many years.
This is one item that I think it pays to buy locally. They are difficult to ship without damage, and essentially impossible to repair. The plastic is also rather soft and scratches fairly easily, so be careful of how you wash it. Get a good one and take care of it and it can look new for many years.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
It is difficult, but not impossible, to pack it properly and ship it. After all, Gene Culley ships them to people. The key is knowing how to pack it so that even if it's dropped, wedged, etc., it will survive.
For a prior Vette, I had a trans top shipped from Florida. The guy supervised the shipping dept. of his company. It came with lots of peanuts as well as other packing in an almost 6' tall box.
A UPS moderator on here told me the real way to ship it is almost like tuners/receivers/tvs: solid, form-fitting foam surrounding it. There are all kinds of densities of foam. The best is thick and very difficult to dent.
For a prior Vette, I had a trans top shipped from Florida. The guy supervised the shipping dept. of his company. It came with lots of peanuts as well as other packing in an almost 6' tall box.
A UPS moderator on here told me the real way to ship it is almost like tuners/receivers/tvs: solid, form-fitting foam surrounding it. There are all kinds of densities of foam. The best is thick and very difficult to dent.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 24,504
Likes: 312
From: Scottsdale AZ
I bought one from a forum member at a great price-- $400 -evidently because it has 2 very small, fine cracks in the surface of the Lexan over the passenger window.
You can't feel the crack- it doesn't leak air or water and cannot be seen from a 2 feet away. There have been any number of posts with folks reporting a similar experience - - others said they didn't even notice the hairline fractures until they went looking for them.
Point is- I'm not sure it's really unusual or a symptom of misuse . . . perhaps our Arizona sun contributed to the situation, but 3 years later I've not had an side effects. That said, flawless is always better, but the trade-off in cost has worked well for me so far.
You can't feel the crack- it doesn't leak air or water and cannot be seen from a 2 feet away. There have been any number of posts with folks reporting a similar experience - - others said they didn't even notice the hairline fractures until they went looking for them.
Point is- I'm not sure it's really unusual or a symptom of misuse . . . perhaps our Arizona sun contributed to the situation, but 3 years later I've not had an side effects. That said, flawless is always better, but the trade-off in cost has worked well for me so far.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 17,373
Likes: 6
From: Chatsworth California
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,812
Likes: 4
From: Arlington TX
PHOTOSHOP SPECIALIST
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 16,433
Likes: 40
St. Jude Donor '07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
You can purchase the GM C6 Transparent Roof
from Gene Culley (GMPartsHouse.com) at this link:
http://www.gmpartshouseusa.com/partl...catalogid=5210
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,493
Likes: 1
From: Vancouver
I had a transparent top that had a stress crack on the passengers side. My dealer covered it under warranty...but not without some hassle and assistance from this Forum.
Save yourself the hassle and stay away from it.
Red Cell.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 249
Likes: 0
From: Humble Texas
My top is the one he was looking at. I bought it in 07 for my 06. I used it for about 6 months and decided I liked the body colored top better.
The top has been hanging on my garage wall the last year and a half. After my C6 was totalled last month, I remembered I had it.
When he came over to look at it, I hadn't even cleaned thr dust and lint off it. To my surprise, it has craze lines in it. They are over the whole thing. You have to hold it up to the light to see it, and you can't really feel them. Structurally, the top is fine, and I believe will function properly.
After reading the experience of others, I guess its not worth what I originally thought. I do have a wall mount and a nice DSVETTE headliner. Is all of that worth $500? Any suggestions?
I won't be using it later myself as I just bought a Z06
The top has been hanging on my garage wall the last year and a half. After my C6 was totalled last month, I remembered I had it.
When he came over to look at it, I hadn't even cleaned thr dust and lint off it. To my surprise, it has craze lines in it. They are over the whole thing. You have to hold it up to the light to see it, and you can't really feel them. Structurally, the top is fine, and I believe will function properly.
After reading the experience of others, I guess its not worth what I originally thought. I do have a wall mount and a nice DSVETTE headliner. Is all of that worth $500? Any suggestions?
I won't be using it later myself as I just bought a Z06
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
My top is the one he was looking at. I bought it in 07 for my 06. I used it for about 6 months and decided I liked the body colored top better.
The top has been hanging on my garage wall the last year and a half. After my C6 was totalled last month, I remembered I had it.
When he came over to look at it, I hadn't even cleaned thr dust and lint off it. To my surprise, it has craze lines in it. They are over the whole thing. You have to hold it up to the light to see it, and you can't really feel them. Structurally, the top is fine, and I believe will function properly.
After reading the experience of others, I guess its not worth what I originally thought. I do have a wall mount and a nice DSVETTE headliner. Is all of that worth $500? Any suggestions?
I won't be using it later myself as I just bought a Z06
The top has been hanging on my garage wall the last year and a half. After my C6 was totalled last month, I remembered I had it.
When he came over to look at it, I hadn't even cleaned thr dust and lint off it. To my surprise, it has craze lines in it. They are over the whole thing. You have to hold it up to the light to see it, and you can't really feel them. Structurally, the top is fine, and I believe will function properly.
After reading the experience of others, I guess its not worth what I originally thought. I do have a wall mount and a nice DSVETTE headliner. Is all of that worth $500? Any suggestions?
I won't be using it later myself as I just bought a Z06
