Different T-Top Design on this Fiero that was sold in the forum mall in 2012 (Page 1/3)
reinhart JAN 13, 05:19 AM
I was reading one of John-WI's 88 T-Top Book threads which mentioned that one particular Fiero had T-Tops that went all the way back to the rear upper quarter and didn't have the plastic insert.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/...160323-4-063529.html

Does anyone have any pictures of the unusual T-Top design this Fiero had (either this car or another)? The pictures in the thread were photobucket and are gone now.

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Post from John-WI thread by Raydar:

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/...160323-1-063897.html

John,

This is a bit of a tangent for your purposes, but check out the 88 GT T-top that recently sold in the mall. It was not an original car.
It was painted mint green, but looked very good in the pics.

The really special thing about this car is that it did not have the black plastic trim pieces between the T-top glass and the rear clip.
The glass extended all the way back to the rear clip.

I have only (maybe) seen pictures of one other car that had this setup. Looks to be a very early production kit, that was retrofitted.
Wish I could have picked up the car.

Edit - Linky... www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/063529.html

[This message has been edited by reinhart (edited 01-13-2022).]

Raydar JAN 13, 11:44 AM
I responded to your PM, but it looks like the images "broke" in the translation.
I have only (maybe) seen one other Fiero with this roof.









[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 01-13-2022).]

hyperv6 JAN 13, 07:12 PM
Not sure what to make of this top. I saw other with larger glass.

I doubt it was a prototype or pre production as the the tops were designed and built in 1983.

I almost wonder if someone has found a glass that works in the space with the trim out from another model. The rear seal looks like trim from the bottom of a wall in a building.

People tend to get hung up on the 88 numbers when the truth is these tops were available on the 84. They just did not have a option code.

Pontiac did bless the tops and permitted dealers to have C&C install them with out voiding the warranty.

I forget the total number of top kid made were some where 6k to 7k I was told. Many kits were installed but some were used in other cars and all warranty parts came from opened kits.

The only running change I know of was the seal on the top was two piece in the kit and became one for 88 to speed up install work.

In fact the same C&C facility did the install on many kits as well the factory option 88. Some kits were done by authorized C&C dealers.
reinhart JAN 14, 05:18 AM
"I responded to your PM, but it looks like the images "broke" in the translation. "

Thanks Raydar. I had posted a thread before I decided to PM you.

That's pretty cool. You don't happen to have a picture of the glass from the side like the ones you posted above with the T-tops out do you?

I wonder if the prototype tops were borrowed from a Firebird or Camaro or something else C&C was already selling tops for. The Fiero has the smallest tops I've ever seen so I know those other cars had larger tops.

I always thought the factory tops would look better without the black plastic panel. When I get mine painted was thinking about painting over the plastic with the body color. I think it might look better to sand that part down and fill in the crack between the fastback panel and the plastic panel so it looks like it's part of the fastback as one integrated piece. Doesn't seem like that would be too hard.
Raydar JAN 14, 06:35 AM

quote
Originally posted by reinhart:

"I responded to your PM, but it looks like the images "broke" in the translation. "

Thanks Raydar. I had posted a thread before I decided to PM you.

That's pretty cool. You don't happen to have a picture of the glass from the side like the ones you posted above with the T-tops out do you?

I wonder if the prototype tops were borrowed from a Firebird or Camaro or something else C&C was already selling tops for. The Fiero has the smallest tops I've ever seen so I know those other cars had larger tops.

I always thought the factory tops would look better without the black plastic panel. When I get mine painted was thinking about painting over the plastic with the body color. I think it might look better to sand that part down and fill in the crack between the fastback panel and the plastic panel so it looks like it's part of the fastback as one integrated piece. Doesn't seem like that would be too hard.



Those were all the pics that I have. I would have liked to see the glass more closely, too. Hard to tell if the rear edge of the glass curves into the corner, or if that curve is filled by the metal bezel(?) on the outside edge of the glass.
I'm thinking that cutting that curve might have been complex (and spendy). Hence, the change to the smaller, squared off glass. The smaller glass panels would also have been marginally easier to store, although I'm not sure that would have been a consideration.

Hard call on painting the trim pieces the same color as the roof clip. If you're going to do that, I would paint the center strip and the outside trim bezels, too. One of the guys in our club (top notch) did that with his yellow T-top car. Looks good.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 01-14-2022).]

Skybax JAN 14, 07:20 AM
Love the color on that car, and looks like spoiler was moved back a few inches too.
hyperv6 JAN 14, 11:45 AM
It is very possible the tops are from a Fox body Ford. C&C did work for Ford on their tops.

The glass is close in size to the Fiero.

The F body was too long to use. The G body top also long.

Again I doubt this was a prototype as the car is too new. The tops were done in 83 on a pilot coupe.

That came from the man who was in charge of the program and later owned the company C&C became.

I will see if I can track him down and get his take here if I can find him.
Raydar JAN 14, 04:09 PM

quote
Originally posted by hyperv6:

Again I doubt this was a prototype as the car is too new. The tops were done in 83 on a pilot coupe.

That came from the man who was in charge of the program and later owned the company C&C became.

I will see if I can track him down and get his take here if I can find him.



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.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 01-14-2022).]

mrfiero JAN 14, 04:41 PM
I've seen this car before and maybe another one, but my memory is failing me. All I know is it struck me as odd-looking with the larger glass and no filler panels.
Raydar JAN 14, 07:24 PM

quote
Originally posted by Raydar:

I have only (maybe) seen one other Fiero with this roof.




quote
Originally posted by mrfiero:

I've seen this car before and maybe another one, but my memory is failing me. All I know is it struck me as odd-looking with the larger glass and no filler panels.



Okay... That's two of us.

I wonder if Tim or Ray Paulk might know something...