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Jim Reed just sent me the eBay listing for a '58 Hardtop Convertible or Convertible Hardtop being offered for sale by Corvette Mike in California. This '58 left the factory as a Hardtop, but sometime in the past, the top was taken off and was converted to a Convertible. They attached locking clamps to the front and back to lock it back in place when the top is lifted back in place. Unfortunately, you don't see them in the pictures or the video. I would imagine this would be a four man job of lifting that top off and back on again. The soft top when not in use, fits into the trunk.
Here is some additional information that I just got from Troy. A previous owner cut off the top, but made it so it can be secured back in place again. I talked with Troy at Corvette Mike's, and he said the front latches into the standard convertible top latches, and the back end of the top slips into latches in the rear area and locks it in place. He also said that if you look closely at the trunk pictures you will see that the trunk is a '58-'60 Convertible trunk, that opens up from the front, instead of the tail end, allowing the soft top to go into the trunk. Troy also said that he does not know if whoever did this modification put in the additional strengthening panels that a Squarebird Convertible would have when it left the factory... If not, then this Tbird could have the same problems that others have had in the past, when someone chopped the top off a Squarebird to make it a Convertible. Owners have had their windshields crack due to flexing of the body without the additional strengthening panels..
This Tbird is listed in the Tbird Registry as Registry #712, though there are a couple of incorrect errors in the Data Plate coding listed. I have advised John Rotella of that. It left the factory with a black/black interior and was scheduled for production on 02 April, '58, not March. Here is the link to it and there are plenty of pix and a couple of videos to look at... There is about an hour of bidding left, and the bid is at $23,300, with 19 bids submitted so far. Thanks, Jim for sending this!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/381652172333...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Here is some additional information that I just got from Troy. A previous owner cut off the top, but made it so it can be secured back in place again. I talked with Troy at Corvette Mike's, and he said the front latches into the standard convertible top latches, and the back end of the top slips into latches in the rear area and locks it in place. He also said that if you look closely at the trunk pictures you will see that the trunk is a '58-'60 Convertible trunk, that opens up from the front, instead of the tail end, allowing the soft top to go into the trunk. Troy also said that he does not know if whoever did this modification put in the additional strengthening panels that a Squarebird Convertible would have when it left the factory... If not, then this Tbird could have the same problems that others have had in the past, when someone chopped the top off a Squarebird to make it a Convertible. Owners have had their windshields crack due to flexing of the body without the additional strengthening panels..
This Tbird is listed in the Tbird Registry as Registry #712, though there are a couple of incorrect errors in the Data Plate coding listed. I have advised John Rotella of that. It left the factory with a black/black interior and was scheduled for production on 02 April, '58, not March. Here is the link to it and there are plenty of pix and a couple of videos to look at... There is about an hour of bidding left, and the bid is at $23,300, with 19 bids submitted so far. Thanks, Jim for sending this!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/381652172333...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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