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I'm about to undertake a convertible conversion of my '72. (Please, no comments regarding sacrilege) Been looking for the past year and finally located a good deal on a convertible rear clip. I'm aware of what's involved, but I remember a thread a while back where someone did this, but I can't find it. Can anyone help me with a link.
I'm guessing/hoping the car is not original.....in that case....save the original rear clip...............have fun turning it into a convertible!
And post pics of the transformation
Way far from original. Already replaced the front clip. Non-number matching built 350, T5 trans, electric headlight and wiper door conversion. Rustoleum paint job (which will make it easy to match up). I'm planning on making the original T-top roof removable and re-attachable.
if your rear clip is any good, don't chop it up. there are plenty of trashed 74-77's that will happily donate their roofs for this project. BUT, how you gonna do the crossbar that T-tops hook to? you might want to consider a C4 roof that has 1 full-width top panel...
he is talking about convert body with removable hard top made outta his old T-top roof, which i don't think will work...at least not well. removable hard tops are available for 500 bucks on up. and don't look like bubba bought a bucket of resin and some mat. i am not calling OP bubba for putting vert body on his car, but he may earn the title with his hard top idea.
One question comes to mind.... were not the doors different from coupe to convertible... at least an inch or two? I recall ordering the wrong window felts for my 71 coupe. I put the wrong part number in and got the ones for a convertible, they didn`t even come close to fitting. So if OP puts a convertible rear clip onto a coupe, will he have problems with the doors also?
I've seen a fiberglass mold that somebody came up with for making C3 convertible rear decks...so others have done it. Replacing the entire rear clip is not necessary. However...why somebody would want to do that is beyond me. I think T-Tops are the best.
I've seen a fiberglass mold that somebody came up with for making C3 convertible rear decks...so others have done it. Replacing the entire rear clip is not necessary. However...why somebody would want to do that is beyond me. I think T-Tops are the best.
I love my T-tops & removable rear window too..... best of both worlds. But as to my question, even if he replaces just the upper deck WITHOUT getting into the door jambs, would he still have a problem with a soft or hard top fitting? Were`nt the doors & glass different from coupe to `vert?
Windows are different but I think using the coupe doors should work.
Found this with a search..... https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...d-windows.html I only bring it up because I`d hate to see somebody cut their car up and buy other parts, just to find that it won`t work without resorting to "bubba" tactics!
Why go to all that trouble ? Wouldn't it just be easier to sell your car and buy a convertible ?
Chrome bumper convertibles are not cheap these days, and I have my coupe set up just the way I like it. I've already done a few hardtop to convertible conversions, in which the hardtop is removable, the most recent being a '66 Karmann Ghia. I have a rear clip complete with rear deck coming. I am planning on unlaminating the bonding strips and removing the the horizontal panels from the trunk area, leaving the floor, rear fenders and tail intact. I thought it would be cool to make the center T section re-attachable, and retaining the top as removable, fastening it the same way a factory removable hardtop. At least I won't have to reinforce the pan like I did on the VW.
The coupe and convertible aren't too different. If you look at the parts book you will see how the t-top "hoop" spot welds into the lower door pillar stricture. The easiest way to remove the t-top hoop is to either cut it off at the top edges of the door pillar part and remove the t-top centerline bar from the windshield frame. That will remove the structure that you dont need.
The door pillar parts inside the body have the holes for the convertible top frame already inside. They do not have the nut plates that allow the top frame to be bolted in, but you can do that with a few simple nuts and washers.
You have to repair the windshield top edge and figure out how to add the convrtible chrome pieces that allow the top to "snap" closed, or where the hardtop will bolt in. Those can be done, and a small welder can stich up the top of the frame.
The biggest part is the adding of the hinges and mounts for the decklid, as well as the two small latches for the forward decklid locks. These "pads" or guides can be located inside the rear compartment on every coupe. This will locate the top decklid at all four corners, and should be looked at and opened up. Now the rear "clip" can be looked at and assessed. The upper deck is the part you need, and the way it bonds to the rear part of the car is how it should be looked at. The coupe and convertible started on the same line, and use common parts. The disassembly of the rear clip should be carefully done at the bonding strips, as can your coupe. The side fenders should stay in place, they will help you locate the decklid to the rear taillight panel as well as the forward corners of the body.
The Convertible top frame helps locate the height of everything in a way, but the best practice in my opinion is to simply take the body back to where there was the factory decision to build it into a coupe of not. The coupe was an add to the convertible body which was first. The 1968 coupe was late to the party, being added to the production like in December of 1967. The first 7000 cars were only convertibles, and all C3 cars were convertibles first, with the coupe parts added as the order sheets dictated. Study the assembly/parts manual for the year you are working with. That book shows every part you need to address, but you should spend some serious time looking at it. Yours should look like this...and all of them coupe or convertible have these parts.
C3 Convertible Conversion
I think T-Tops are the best.
