A permanent cure for leaking T-tops ... maybe?
 

My thought was to build a single panel out of aluminum for a sleek coupe appearance but the aftermarket beat me to the punch:

http://www.astrotops.com/68_82tops.html

Has anyone tried one of these? Thoughts and opinions? I'm ready to order one unless you tell me different.

Many thanks.

I don't see how that one would provide a better seal in the front, than standard T-Tops. The two times mine leaked was in a wind driven rain and the leakage was at the windshield seal. Never had a drop enter from the center channel.

Most, but not all leaks are from aging weather stripping and the lack of "clamping force" provided by the T-Tops.

IDK. Seems like a lot of moola for a fashion panel.

Worth considering. Why not ?
:flag:

Try to fit it in your car when removed...

Good question to ask when I call them today!

From their front page

I have one , fitted nicely on my 77 .

What I liked was I could sit back and see through it. It gave me more head room . It does fit in the back , mine came with a lined storage bag . Mine didn't leak any water. Car looks good with it on.

What I don't like , I can still get sunburn on my bald head with it on. :lol: you can feel any heat radiate straight through it.

Was worth it to me as it's good IMO to change the look a little bit . ( I had 2 sets of wheels to swap as well.)

Maybe, you could remove it, turn upside-down and hook it to your luggage rack so it would act as a spoiler... :hide:

I restrict my comments to the front windshield leaks over the top gasket area.....

need cover the stainless with black vinyl from under the windshield glass trim to up and under the inside trim....

I had two other convertibles....a '73 Grandville, it leaked like there was nothing there, never did fix it....

went to a '70 Lemans and it never leaked, had the w/s header wrapped in vinyl......

wrapped my '72 header in black vinyl....stopped the leak COLD......none since

For me glass tops just let heat in from the sun. I too have a chrome dome. Don’t really want to have to wear a hat in the car and have the A/C battle more heat.
as far as leaking goes, I would replace the old seals first to see if that solved the issue. Well after adjusting what I got to see if the leak can be eliminated.
I've replaced the seals in my 77, no leaks now. Rarely sees the rain , but no leaks when it did.

I'd keep the sun to a minimum by applying a dark color / reflective window film (very common in FL) on the inside surface.
Leaks are probably a function of wear and tear of the seals but in my case the panel, once installed and properly adjusted wouldn't ever be removed, I like coupes!

Regarding the intrusion of heat: there are films that reflect the infrared portion of sunshine. They are more expensive than darkening tints, but are effective and you can choose the level of tint you want without affecting the film's ability to reflect the heat.

That's the one, thanks!

With the sun issue handled what do you think about the leaks in my case where the top is not removed/reinstalled after the once and done installation?

I installed tinting on my glass tops. It helped considerably. In the brutal summers I put a pair of insulated fiberglass tops on the car.

The weather stripping can be replaced on your tops. Some great videos by Wilcox and Melrose on YouTube. Then adjust the tops to fit with the new ws. It takes time and patience but you can seal those pesky leaks. I had a gap between the roof and the ws. I played with the adjustments and finally got it to seal water tight.

Craig

That is actually very interesting. I will look into this if I am having leaking issues once I get an actual body on the car :-p

I heard a lot of mixed reviews about Astro tops so I drove to their shop in Florence when I was considering the purchase. The top cracked as the guy was putting it on. Needless to say I passed.

I've had a one Piece Astro top for the past 6 or 7 years. I like it looks wise better than the stock fiberglass tops, but not fit wise. I finally broke down and bought a used set of stock glass tops. I'll never go back to anything else.

I have had the cling stuff on the top, I have had the tops tinted with the recommended tinting. Nothing worked in the Texas heat. So, lined the top with a 1.4" closed cell foam, glued in place with copious gel super glue. Then got some thin, black, no knap carpet and super glued that in place also. Could not be happier. A/C (134) works well in HOT Houston weather.

Wish I knew how to make an image smaller, but here is an imgur post.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...656dce2c74.jpg