http://jalopnik.com/5570104/custom-s...-camaro-t+tops

 

I can hear the rattles now

 

And once again, order is almost restored to the universe. We really need a limited production run of Trans-Ams, just to restore balance in the Autoverse, but we all know it'd never happen.
GM could charge a friggin' fortune if they sold them as a limited production run, like the Harrell 4th gens.

 

"Get out the Poison cassettes because this is going to be awesome."

 

I would have to be driving that and get into an accident.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing. What will this do to the stability of the car?

 

Man it takes some ***** to take the sawzall to the roof of a brand new Camaro.

I have never had t-tops but I have always liked them. I wish they would come back.

 

I dunno, I mean we've been told that the 5th Gen has by far the strongest chassis in Camaro history. The article also mentions that the fabricator includes extra bracing in the package.

I say good for them, there apparently is still a market for people that want the open air experience without the added cost and weight of the droptop.

 

My '80 Z28 has aftermarket C&C T-tops and that's just how they were done as well. The whole roof was cut off targa style and a reinforcement piece was rivited back in down the center. Unlike factory t-tops, the glass from each side meets in the middle like 3rd and 4th gens.

 

But they are removing one stout piece of the entire structure to make T-Tops happen. This is something that even Chevrolet couldn't do without making the car even heavier and much more expensive. Trust me, they tried like crazy.

This company can add all the extra bracing they want, if it isn't in the right place with the right design with crash test results and data, it doesn't mean anything but a 6 foot deep hole to someone.

 

Frankly, I don't understand how you can develop and market a convertible and call that "safe", yet a t-top is considered a deathtrap.

 

Good point, Charlie. I suppose it depends on who is calling it "safe". T-Top cars are considered a coupe and a convertible is...well...a convertible. They must meet different crash standards to be considered "safe" by the government. I think you already know this, but I don't think everyone here does.

Having said that, I am sure the guys doing the t-top conversion have a good idea what they are doing, and I confident that it will be just as safe as a convertible, or at least close...but I still would rather trust crash testing.

That's just me, maybe I am uptight about it. Been in and seen enough accidents to be gunshy.

 

Anyone can hack a roof off. It is how it looks when you put the roof back on that seperates the men from the boys.

I think t-tops are the best, though. Of course, I think airbags, abs, stability control, etc. should all be optional too. And I want a big spike on my steering wheel!

-Geoff

 

Interesting, I was always under the impression that a t-top option for the 5th Gen was never seriously considered for aesthetic reasons.

 

i would rather have a targa top. im sure they do some kind of support to keep from twisting.