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Does anyone might know where can i get a restored white and red hardtop for my 60' vette?
the only one i found is on ebay from crane corvette but this David dude is a very 'special' guy to deal with.
Frankly, you may discover (like me and many others) that the hardtop novelty quickly wears off and it becomes a ceiling fixture in the garage....
Funny; I have two friends with nicely restored C1's with hardtops who describe theirs as cumbersome garage art. My 61 was originally a dual top, but after observing their reluctance to use them, I'll probably never take that expensive plunge for what will become a decoration.
Somewhere on/in my '60 there is a soft top. It's been years since I've seen it, though.
I love the look of the soft top when it's up but the visibility afforded by the hardtop is just soooo much better.
haven't had my soft top up, or the hard top off, in 9 years... I'm sure somewhere under the deck lid is a black potato chip that used to be a top...
Bill
That's a bit of change but it depends on how badly you want it....
You may find a cheaper one that needs a lot of work or is a bit tired....
Frankly, you may discover (like me and many others) that the hardtop novelty quickly wears off and it becomes a ceiling fixture in the garage....
Don't seem like too much to me . They are very expensive to restore . I've seen some asking as much as $6,000. for one restored right ." If you want to play , you have to pay "
That's a bit of change but it depends on how badly you want it....
You may find a cheaper one that needs a lot of work or is a bit tired....
Frankly, you may discover (like me and many others) that the hardtop novelty quickly wears off and it becomes a ceiling fixture in the garage....
Yup, I got a hard top with my '60 when I bought it. Owner before me had the car for 25 years and never had the top on it and neither have I. It hangs on the wall in my hangar.
That price is a bargain! You don't say how long since the top was restored by GW, but they charge $3800 to restore a top and the backlog is 10-12 months. If if looks as good as it appears, it's a great price. Used tops that need rebuilding or at least plexiglass sell for $2000-2500 normally.
Personally, I think a C1 looks best with the hardtop installed. Then with the top down. And, finally with the soft top up. I wish that top would fit a 61/62 as it would be gone.
Frankly, you may discover (like me and many others) that the hardtop novelty quickly wears off and it becomes a ceiling fixture in the garage....
I almost never take mine off.
I guess it depends how you drive the car. Top down over 35 MPH you get lot of buffeting, soft top up at highway speeds is really annoying.
HT at highway speeds is quiet, comfortable, good visibility, and no buffeting if you have the cowl vent open and the side windows down.
Most of my driving is open two lane roads over 45 MPH.
Doug
I guess it depends how you drive the car. Top down over 35 MPH you get lot of buffeting, soft top up at highway speeds is really annoying.
HT at highway speeds is quiet, comfortable, good visibility, and no buffeting if you have the cowl vent open and the side windows down.
Most of my driving is open two lane roads over 45 MPH.
Doug
That’s the way to do it. If you’re going to have it on and off a lot like in Florida, then the chance to have some paint or other damage from wrestling with it isn’t good.
That's a bit of change but it depends on how badly you want it....
You may find a cheaper one that needs a lot of work or is a bit tired....
Frankly, you may discover (like me and many others) that the hardtop novelty quickly wears off and it becomes a ceiling fixture in the garage....
the hardtop novelty hasn’t worn off me now that I have one on my car. Been 8 years and I have no plans to remove it, in fact I wish I hadn’t spent the money 10 years ago for getting my soft top frame reconditioned and a new top installed. The soft top hasn’t been up on my car since I put the hardtop on,
everybodyis different and that that is what makes this a great country!
Bought my hardtop two years ago at a swap meet for $2000, polished out the rear glass, replaced the side glass and side and header rubber. Had it painted same color as car, probably have less than $3000 in it. Install it in early winter, remove it in spring. Love it!
Funny; I have two friends with nicely restored C1's with hardtops who describe theirs as cumbersome garage art. My 61 was originally a dual top, but after observing their reluctance to use them, I'll probably never take that expensive plunge for what will become a decoration.
I'm totally the opposite: I installed the hardtop on my '61 over two years ago and haven't taken it off since. The car looks much better with it on, and drives tight. In addition, it has plenty of visibility and headroom. I was going to get a soft top frame and have a soft top made ($3200+) but now, probably not. If I want to go topless I'll hit the button on my '67 GTO convertible or simply lift the top off the '61. Bottom line, I feel the '61 and '62 cars in particular look better with the hardtop installed.
Another vote for the hardtop. Try it, you'll like it. A quick hardtop story: My Fawn Beige 1962 was an original 2-top car, but when I bought it the hardtop was not with the car (not uncommon). I started to look for one, not being sure if I would like it or not. I finally located one in Pennsylvania a couple of years later. This guy had four or five C1 tops, and said this was the nicest one he had - good paint, new white headliner, nice, clear plexiglass and polished stainless. Everything was there - all the mounts, bolts, etc. I asked him how long he had had the top, and he said "Damned near forever. Can't remember I time I didn't have it." I asked him why, if it was so nice? He said, "Well, it's an odd color. Nobody seems to want it." You guessed it - Fawn Beige. He sent me a ton of photos, and the top did indeed look great - so I told him I'd take it, and went down with my little pick-up to get it. On arrival, I found the top to be even nicer than advertised. He helped me load it, and after a night's stay in PA, I headed for home - calling ahead so one of my grown sons would be there to help me move and mount it. Now, we all know that each one of these tops is "a little different", and all them usually take considerable fiddling around with to get them to fit correctly. My son and I lifter the top out of my truck, walked it up to the car, and engaged the windshield header latches. As we carefully lowered the rear of the top down to the deck, I warned my son that it was probably going to take some maneuvering before we would be able to get all the bolts in. I no sooner got the words out than he said "My side's tight. All bolted up" So was mine. Everything spun right on, and the top fit and sealed great. The color match was perfect. How can you beat that? Well, here's how (maybe). I later wrote to the NCRS to find out where my car was originally delivered, and they certified that my car was delivered new to Washington Motor Company in Abingdon, Virginia in February of 1962. I also knew from tracking down past owners that the car spent most of its life in Western New York, and that's where I purchased it. If you looked at a map and drew a line from Abingdon, Virginia to the area of Western NY where I bought it, that line goes right through the small Pennsylvania town where I bought the top. Coincidence? Maybe. But then there's the way the top fit my car - I have never seen a C1 top go on that easily and fit so well, right off the bat. Never. And finally, there's this . . . the plexiglass windows are date-coded correctly for my car. So, is it possible that this is my original top? Many owners sold or otherwise disposed of their removable hardtops over the years. I would say the odds of recovering my original top are pretty low . . . but who knows? It sure makes for a great story.
11-14-2018, 11:03 PM
1960 Hardtop
