Different T-Top Design on this Fiero that was sold in the forum mall in 2012 (Page 2/3)
hyperv6 JAN 14, 10:27 PM

quote
Originally posted by Raydar:


I'm thinking it was an old - maybe prototype kit that was purchased and retrofitted to a later car. Seems like there were all sorts of unused kits and parts floating around. Or it may have even been removed from another (maybe even a pilot) car. There are an endless number of possibilities.
Tim (fieropartsdotcom) or Mike V (mrfiero) might know some more about these. Mike bought out all of Tim's T top stuff.




My gut says too much is being read in here.

I am still trying to find Phillip Edwards as he was the head of the T top program at C&C. He bought the T top unit and renamed it Skylight roofs before selling it off. He was a rep for performance mfgs but may be retired by now.

I don’t see it as a Prototype kit as from what he told me there were just one prototype and then the kits that were made from then on.

I believe someone just fitted larger tops to this car. The rubber hose may be to fill the gap in the front. The real looks like they went to Home Depot to fit the panels. A prototype would not be this crude.

I still wager something like Mustang tops on a Fiero.

Let’s face it glass is not easy to find good glass is very hard to find. This is why I term the way to remove the tops is with the death grip.

I also have two nos tops as insurance.
hyperv6 JAN 14, 10:45 PM
Here is the answer.

The very early kits were longer glass and no cross trim. This was in 1984.

They redid the glass tops and added the trim.

Here is a phot of the first TTop car and it had the longer glass. These other cars are likely cars retrofitted with used kits and a mix of home made seals.

Look close here is the phot of the first car used in their marketing.

reinhart JAN 15, 01:23 AM

quote
Originally posted by hyperv6:

Here is the answer.

The very early kits were longer glass and no cross trim. This was in 1984.

They redid the glass tops and added the trim.



Thanks for asking about this. Next time you talk to him, I'd be curious to hear how many of the early design were made. Also did thy make the design change due to $$ or aesthetics.

Yes. The more I thought about this (before you posted this), the more I was thinking...those can't be tops from another car because the rear curve of the glass is fitted exactly to the upper fastback quarter panel rounded top. There's no way any other car would have that exact same curvature.

I would guess as someone else posted that the cost to make that rounded concave edge added $$ to the production cost and there was no need for glass to cover frame. Mounted on the car it really looks nice though not having those filler panels.

Another alternative would have been to reuse part of the painted roof panel instead of the filler, but that would have required more care when cutting the fiberglass roof off. If I were doing my own install, I think I would have tried that.

I really do like the installed look of the longer glass on these.

One other complication...if you were the owner of this car and something happened to one of the T-tops you'd be totally screwed. There'd be no way to replace them. The only thing you could do would be to buy some of the filler panels and smaller T-tops and convert to the "normal" design.
hyperv6 JAN 15, 08:27 AM

quote
Originally posted by reinhart:

Thanks for asking about this. Next time you talk to him, I'd be curious to hear how many of the early design were made. Also did thy make the design change due to $$ or aesthetics.

Yes. The more I thought about this (before you posted this), the more I was thinking...those can't be tops from another car because the rear curve of the glass is fitted exactly to the upper fastback quarter panel rounded top. There's no way any other car would have that exact same curvature.


I would guess as someone else posted that the cost to make that rounded concave edge added $$ to the production cost and there was no need for glass to cover frame. Mounted on the car it really looks nice though not having those filler panels.

Another alternative would have been to reuse part of the painted roof panel instead of the filler, but that would have required more care when cutting the fiberglass roof off. If I were doing my own install, I think I would have tried that.

I really do like the installed look of the longer glass on these.

One other complication...if you were the owner of this car and something happened to one of the T-tops you'd be totally screwed. There'd be no way to replace them. The only thing you could do would be to buy some of the filler panels and smaller T-tops and convert to the "normal" design.



I actually found this in this website. But I will still try to get ahold of Phillip.

I used to see him at work but since Covid I am working from home now so I don’t get to see the company reps like I used to.

It still could be glass from something else. They just cut the roof to size.

I spent a weekend with him at a Fiero event years ago and got a lot of the story. He said that they asked Pontiac to do a TTop but Pontiac said it was impossible. He was able to get a pilot car in mid 83 and took it back and they converted it with in weeks.

He took it back to Pontiac and their engineers were shocked.

He said the approached Pontiac each year to use it as a factory option and were rejected. But they did get the dealer installed option blessing to where dealers could have them installed sold as new with no warranty implications.

Then they got the blessing for a factory option.

What is funny is those cars were trucked to Brighton MI and converted but the same guys in the same plant that did most 84-87 cars.

The guy that did mine was a C&C guy that was hired away to a trim shop here in Akron when they became an authorized dealer.

Even though they did mine after I bought it they listed under the dealer I bought it from to cover my warranty.

We had a number of dealers here selling these with the small add on sticker to the window.

Some people are obsessed about the 88 models but if you really know the truth there is little difference between the early installs vs the 88 models if done by C&C or their dealer.

The reinstalls that have been done can vary as they may only be as good as the guy who installed it. I have seen some well installed and others not so much.

In many cases the pre 88 installs were very well done as only one guy did all the work. It was a two day deal when you let it dry.

C&C did a number of tops from Mustangs to Chargers Monte Carlos etc. some of these tops were very small and with the top assembly being some what cut to size they could have fitted an existing top that worked but was not perfect till they added a trim strip.

Help in mind sun roofs are also used in other cars. The sun roof from the CTS Cadillac was also used in a HHR Chevy. That is why the HHR got a better roof than just a flip up.

Roof dims are close on curves.

If I get ahold I will ask what they used. With such a short time to convert my gut says they used something off the shelf to start.

What is funny I have had a C&C t top sales brochure with this photo since 84 and never noticed the difference.
FIERO JOHN-WI JAN 15, 12:29 PM
Good morning to all, sorry I don't check Pennocks like I used to religiously (Lol) back in the day. Some fiero folks said some of you had been asking a couple of questions for me. So I will try to keep short and to the point. Yes, still working on the book (before people go of the rails saying you were saying it was nearly done) very true!! But (hyperV6) years back contacted me and said if your going to write a book on the fiero t-top don't just write it about the CJB factory ordered ship-thru cars, (factory warranty)also write about NON-CJB Dealer ordered (dealer warranty) and aftermarket Authorized installed dealers (warrenty) (200 of those at that time incase anyone was asking). So to Authenticate, I started down that path to make this book about the "COMPLETE"" birth and rise and death of the FIERO T-TOP program. And as many know, a great "reference book" to quote from, is not a book that uses words like: there estimated to be, I heard, someone I know worked at, I saw, I was told and the list goes on type of book. That is not a quality, factual book, my friends, that is a cash grab book. So what does this mean? Yes this book will take longer, but this book will be with factual documents and photos to show you the facts. Let me answer your question above factually. This is C&C t-top kit for the fiero "No" pro-to-type (See photo finger point to it) In 1984 they made 39 Units (kits) they were NOT " all" installed by C&C at their Brighton Michigan plant they were also ordered and installed at one of their 200 authorized dealers, these are the Rarest t -top fieros and most sought after. There are differences in this kit, I'm not going to go through all the differences here but you can see some visually T As for the Pewter color car above add their own aftermarket FLAT FOAM SEAL (across the back) and round tube piping foam around the front for leaks (see his photos) Reason this (we will call it version one kit was cancelled) leaked bad, didn't seal good glass was easy to crack cause of body flex at the rear in the center and by the doors.

[This message has been edited by FIERO JOHN-WI (edited 01-15-2022).]

FIERO JOHN-WI JAN 15, 12:33 PM
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