With the car looking cool, it was time to make it sound cool. JavaScript is disabled. Once the motor was running better, Dan moved on to replacing the front sheet metal. Chevy has achieved the impossible by providing you with a hair-raising car when you want it to be and laid back when you need it to be. The car was in a classic car junkyard for 20 years being parted out. At press time, C.A.R.S. Then it can be fine tuned with the timing light after. 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Hardtop. Its in, and ready for the next step of the build. President Bob Chauvin. Dans hoping the car wont just fold in half the second the roof is cut off. Roadkill.com is an automotive site of gearheads who teach and show people all the wild things that can be done with an automobile. 2009 Lexus SC430: 4 seats, 2 doors. I purchased a 2009 Audi TT 2.0t soft-top convertible about 2 years ago, and the fabric top has been destroyed by the Texas sunlight. Still, cloth-top convertibles also present a safety risk both in structural design and theft ability. Bear in mind, Dan bought this car for $1000 out of a wrecking yard at the end of July as a 4 door hardtop parts car. So naturally, he bought a cheap 4 door hardtop that hell first convert into a 2 door then cut the top off of it! Watch. Free shipping. I never did like the looks of them with the tops up. What started out as a rotten 4 door hardtop is hitting the road for the first time in years as a 2 door convertible. C.A.R.S. The Roadster is equipped with a three-motor Plaid powertrain that features one front and two rear electric motors with an 800-1,000 horsepower total output. 94-98 used pretty much the same body, but converting yours to a hardtop would be very difficult to say the least. These, as well as other great features, have made cabriolets an alluring option to car buyers. Don't ruin a coupe. Top Speed offers daily industry news and reviews on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. 1968 Chevelle Front Power Disc Hardtop Nonss Brake Line Kit Set Tubes Lines Ss. Unlike the newly popular Chevrolet Corvette, the cargo area in the McLaren is low profile, limiting how much you can stow in it. This was a big job to do at home, but not impossible. 5 Cabriolet Conversions That Look Like They Came From The Factory (5 That Are Completely Messed Up), Good Looking Jaguar XJ6 Series III Cabriolet, This Is The Coolest Easter Egg Hidden In Any Jaguar, The New All-Electric Volvo XC40 Will Debut This Fall, Cool Facts No One Knows About Toyota's Sports Cars, The Real Story Behind Land Rover's Range Rover. But that's pretty easy once the factory spot-welds are drilled out. The 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner was the first one that older people may remember, but the first convertible-type car with a retractable roof was the 1996 Mercedes-Benz SLK Roadster. Hes wanted a tri 5 convertible for a long time but has been totally priced out of the market. It also gives you the comfort and safety that a hardtop provides. in the second link, look at post #27. 2010 Chrysler Sebring Convertible: Perfect for driving around town or out in the country, base price is at $35,000. As far as knowing if they withstanded the stress of being convertable, you would have to do some serious reinforcing of the frame to be able to handle not having a roof. This RestoMod Nova is 16-year old Bridget Kavanavens first car built by Detroit Speed and Jet Hot Coatings with a 430hp E-Rod LS3 Engine. Doing a frame/chassis swap in your home garage with NO hoist can be a bit of a challenge. Well, you cant ultimately make a 360 shift from a soft top to a hard one. The convertible needs more strength so it wont fold in half. He found a cheap set of driver-quality fenders so he snatched them up and bolted them into place. You could easily take your Corvette on an epic road trip with your luggage in the trunk. They include: These cars are bound to turn heads and capture a lot of attention due to their sculpted appearance. Either way it will destroy the value of the car. The Jeep Wrangler is an iconic SUV with a removable roof panel that technically makes it a convertible. Find a complete top- non sunroof preferably, measure, measure again, cut and weld. The Miata is offered in both an automatic transmission and six-speed manual transmission. 2012 BMW M3 Convertible: When people think of the classic convertible, this is the build that comes to mind. This floor wasnt fitting no matter what he did. You dont have to remove the convertible top. Right from childhood, hes been fascinated by the world of automobiles. The earliest known car with a hardtop folding roof was the 1935 Peugeot 402 Eclipse Decapotable. Despite the common assumption that hard roofs would be less leaky, or not leak at all, the seals on the hard roof to be as prone to water leaks as the fabric roofs. The Whole Topic Is Kind Of Scary. The retractable roof hardtop takes 15 seconds and transforms the 570 into a top-down cruising machine. So, when you're building a 2 door convertible out of a 4 door hardtop, there are a few things that gotta go. Porsche offers a gorgeous interior with quad bucket seats, leather upholstery, and authentic carbon fiber accents throughout the cabin. Unfortunately for this Volvo, it got selected as one of the sacrifices for this automobile mutilation. There's a different panel that runs from the convertible top well to the top of the tail fin, also. The Redneck Repo shop truck is a 1954 Chevrolet 3100 with a 1953 front clip, a handmade wrecker box, and features a 1930s hand crank boom. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a13ef6a8b5b2b68 This 4-seat hardtop. . He tells us that it honestly wasnt that bad and says hed buy another one. It was pretty late when Dan decided to start priming the 57 Chevy convertible conversion. It needs all-wheel drive to ensure the 5,000-pound GT can take a corner. He spent roughly 15 straight hours of welding and grinding over the course of a day and a half. Priced at $30,000. Granted, the motor and trans didnt come with the car or have been sitting for 30 years, but having a left for dead project car start for the first time is ALWAYS a good time. Cabriolet conversion has become trendy. 44 watching. Unlike other convertibles on this list, you can conquer off-road trails in your Jeep Wrangler. Luckily Tri 5 Chevy replacement body panels are readily available and make for a factory repair. Dan decided to start by transforming the 4 door hardtop into a 2 door hardtop. Nothing changed with the weight in the chassis. Verts are VERY different than coupes, underneath. They do now make a large canvas sunroof. 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The motor operating the hardtop roof allows for adjustments while driving up to 25 mph. 15 watching. Found in a catalog of super rare cars, this Range Rover, looking all unsightly couldnt have been anything but rare. The second-generation Tesla Roadster is built to blow the first generation out of the water. That being said, fitting the transmission in the X frame was no easy task. Mercedes-Benz SL-Class - Not only is the SL range awesome from behind the wheel, but they are as safe as a Volvo thanks to some intricate safety elements. - YouTube 0:00 / 35:44 1964 Impala Hardtop to Convertible CONVERSION! There is nothing more iconic for a carefree look than someone driving down the road with their windows rolled down and the roof is hidden away. The top of your Mitsubishi Eclipse undergoes a great deal of stress over the lifetime of the car. Eventually, the windows will come down, and the soft top will open slowly. Dan sprung for the cheapest wiring harness Amazon offered! When purchasing a hardtop vehicle, it is important to look at more than just the appearance of the ride itself. Having the rear doors filled and primed will really bring this car together. They include: According to LendingTree, the simplest method for financing your new hardtop convertible is to compare car prices. In fact, the company commissioned a professional restorer to build its showpiece, and it took him a couple of weeks to get it assembled. Unlike soft-top roadsters, hardtops with retractable roofs have to haul lots of extra mechanical parts that raise and lower the roof. Come join the discussion about performance, builds, restoration, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, reviews, and more! While it certainly is possible to turn a tin-top car into a convertible, that doesn't necessarily mean it's always a good idea! The delivery time of the Hardtop for the 987 is 3 weeks -/+. Follow me on. Convertible to hard top conversion - YouTube 2005 ford mustang convertible top transforms to a hard top 2005 ford mustang convertible top transforms to a hard top. Or a hardtop that detaches as a single piece and must be stored elsewhere, such as a garage. How do you know where to drop it in? Its actually quite simple section the old inner door structure and weld it in. The retracting roof lets the breezes caress the face and the hair fly freely. This two-seater boasts a mid-engined 490 horsepower V8 paired with a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission. http://www.onlyconvertiblecars.com/convertibles.cfm?Top=Hardtop, https://www.caranddriver.com/mazda/mx-5-miata, https://www.cars.com/articles/which-convertibles-for-2019-have-power-folding-hardtops-411807/, https://www.convertiblecarmagazine.com/buyers_guide/car_type/hardtop/, https://www.lendingtree.com/auto/best/hardtop-convertibles/, https://www.caranddriver.com/vehicles/Used, .css-dhtls0{display:block;font-family:GlikoS,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:400;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-dhtls0:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 61.25rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.2;}}Levels of EV Charging, Electric Cars vs. Gas Cars: Pros and Cons. The provided manual transmission gives you driving versatility and the ability to climb hills, rocks, and rough terrain. Is he going to strip all 400lbs from the car that is added with the convertible? If money is no object why not? Audi TT Hardtop Conversion. has a some portions of the eight-piece set available, but the company is still working on the remainder of the parts. I don't think it would be very practical to try to do. The X frame built specifically for Tri-5 rag tops proved to be a challenge when plumbing the brake and fuel lines. Below are some of the hardtops released in the 2000s listed on convertiblecarmagazine.com. 5. The soft top of Nissan 350z makes you have an adrenaline rush with all promising perform e of enthusiasts, and cherry on top is its bonus of letting you breathe in the fresh air. has). Well, you cannot wholly turn a soft top into a hardtop. "We also sell convertible material, pads and trim to go with it, but the other convertible hard parts, such as the bows, have to be sourced elsewhere-but we're working on them!". Free shipping. Fine, you'll gain structural rigidity, and if you do it right with a proper roof welded on and a roll cage, you would actually have a car that's more rigid than a coupe. He saved the entire front end, fuel system, exhaust, steering, etc. Rubber button between license plate lights located on the exterior of the car. Convertibles have long provided an open-air experience shared only with motorboats or motorcycles. "All you really need is a car with the cowl forward," Chauvin says. Just in case the owner changes his mind after the modification, the hardtop component of the car is kept intact. This 4-seat hardtop convertible has great fuel efficiency. Before I bought my vert, I had considered this. Convertible builder LCC performed its magic on this Dodge Challenger and the result is nothing but awesome. This convertible conversion is turning out nice enough that I think it warrants the added expense. $49.00. 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