removing hardtop to make convertible on 58

[Guest]

any one ever do this? want to do it so i can put top back on. like a little. steve .thanks

[jopizz]

Convertibles have structural supports in the rocker panels that the hardtops don't have. Without it the body will flex and the doors may not close correctly. I've seen it done but I've never seen one that reuses the hardtop. It weighs a lot so you're going to need help to take it on and off. It's not like a fiberglass top.

John

[RustyNCa]

any one ever do this? want to do it so i can put top back on. like a little. steve .thanks

There is a guy over on the hamb that did that with his 59 bird. He made a removeable chopped roof for his squarebird.

I'm not sure if it is okay to post a link to another forum. You can pm me I guess if you want a link to the guys thread about his car over there.

Cheers
RustyNCA

[YellowRose]

removing hardtop to make convertible on 58

Steven, as has been stated, there are good reasons why you may not want to do that. It has been done at least once in the past, as I have seen the pictures of it. But it is not like putting a fiberglass top back on a Retrobird.

Go to the Technical Resource Library (TRL) and read the section right under BODY about converting a Hardtop to a Convertible. You might want to change your mind.... The TRL link is always right below my signature element on anything I post.

[Guest]

Steven, as has been stated, there are good reasons why you may not want to do that. It has been done at least once in the past, as I have seen the pictures of it. But it is not like putting a fiberglass top back on a Retrobird.

Go to the Technical Resource Library (TRL) and read the section right under BODY about converting a Hardtop to a Convertible. You might want to change your mind.... The TRL link is always right below my signature element on anything I post.

i read what mr.vaness wrote looks to me like the 58 ht. has these pieces of metal in the rockers. larrys ills. parts manual shows that piece of metal in the rocker. my car is a nice bird and i love it but my first love is the conv. my car is #85 in the tbird reg. thanks i feel if done nice the best of the squarebird world.

[RustyNCa]

i read what mr.vaness wrote looks to me like the 58 ht. has these pieces of metal in the rockers. larrys ills. parts manual shows that piece of metal in the rocker. my car is a nice bird and i love it but my first love is the conv. my car is #85 in the tbird reg. thanks i feel if done nice the best of the squarebird world.

Well, here are photos of the one I mentioned. Note he also dropped the windshield down into the cowel, so more than just a removable top is going on here...






And you want to see my favorite squarebird of all..... This one from the outside. I would have done some things different, but the outside, yeah, I like it.... someday, our 58 will look something along this way.

[Guest]

58 conv.

thanks for the pics. one more reason to get out the chainsaw.

[arizonajack]

thanks for the pics. one more reason to get out the chainsaw.

I don't know.

Seems to me by the time you spend the money and the effort turning a hardtop into a convertible you might as well just get a convertible.

Want mine?

:-)

[Guest]

I don't know.

Seems to me by the time you spend the money and the effort turning a hardtop into a convertible you might as well just get a convertible.

Want mine?

:-)

what you got