Corvette Split Window Hard Top

Was watching a car program last night where they made a faux split window hard top to fit a convertible '63 Vette. The shop owner proudly proclaimed that this had never been done before but I am sure I saw them years ago. Anyone else remember? I'd like to see a photo of the old ones.

http://www.corvetteonline.com/news/video-1963-corvette-convertible-gets-split-window-hard-top/

 

Rerun, seen it. They lost me when they decided to replace the original 327 with a 350. The goofy top was just an explanation point to the absurdity.

I don't think we do reality TV shows on the board, btw.

 

I think there were too but as I remember they never looked that good. Wonder how much of his $62,800 restoration bill went toward that? With the original cost of the car added, you could have the real thing that would appreciate in value. I'd still be interested, though, in knowing what he'd want for copies since he now has the mold.

 

Must be the same co as the ones who make those goofy fastback hardtops for vintage Mustang convertibles.

 

Thanks. My interest is in the tops, not the show. I'm a 35 year rag top owner who has always been jealous of the hard tops cars, and honestly, if someone did produce one that looked right I might go for it. I don't like the look of this one and was hoping to refresh my memory of what the previous version looked like. As I recall it still used the convertible side windows (meaning you could still have the rag top under the deck) where this one doesn't.

 

I saw that. I think it looks pretty good. The cut out for the convertible side windows is a little awkward but I think it has to be that way. I would want the option of using the soft top though.

 

Ragtop any day of the week! HRP

 

I couldn't watch that show. I saw a few minutes of it and when he tells the customer how they are going to have their car built and they are wrong for wanting it a certain way. I realize it is a tv show but it still turned me off.

 

+1, within the first 15 minutes there was so much drama built in to the show I changed the channel. Love old rods, hate drama! Show the work leave the drama to the soap opera's on weekday afternoons.

 

We have one out back but it isn't a split window. Here are some pics.
I watched the show and thought these guys are not the first to make one of those. I know there is one at my shop.

 

This is funny...... I remember a '63 issue of R&C that featured a split-window 'vette that the owner spent big bucks on having a one-piece rear window made and installed. One year later he could have bought one.....

 

Also like any shows that have to do with old cars and their restoration but the built in drama makes it nearly unbearable to watch the few minutes of seeing work done on the cars.

Felt bad for the son who wanted to get his Dads old Hotrod running again. They kept referring to him as an Internet Mechanic when he fully admitted he needed help to get the car back together. He wanted to get it running so bad and wished his Father was still there to help finish it.

I'm sure there is a huge market for the guys with big bucks to pay these shops to do their work but I enjoy seeing the cars the owners worked on themselves and with buddies, it's a learning process but that is part of the road we travel building these cars.

I'm still wondering what happened to that Corvettes 327 engine, wonder if the owner got it back or it's being rebuilt and sitting waiting to be resold by Fantom Works to another customer.

Topstrap

 

As I recall they offered a kit to remove the "split" in the rear window of the 63. Instructions, mouldings and a new one piece glass replacement. Wonder how many people screwed themselves out of a great deal of value in that one year only car.

 

oh crap ...I gotta talk you out of that somehow

 

I wondered about that 327 also. Why just not rebuild it instead of replacing it? I never heard of a motor that couldn't be rebuilt because of a flat cam(At least that is what dude on the show said). If that was the "numbers matching" motor that came in the car I would be pissed if they replaced it with a 350.

 

I agree with the masses above, why screw up a perfectly good vet ragtop, and if I wanted drama I'd turn on mid day house wife tv ,

Thats why I tune in the HAMB.

No (or at least less ) drama

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Thanks! So it wasn't the acid trips!

Start the bidding!

Someone send these pics to Mr. "Never been done before".

 

Sometimes when they say it's never been done before it's because it's a stupid idea.

 

FWIW, I passed on a '63 split window in '74, $1800. Had it been a '64-7 I'd have owned it. Hindsight's a bitch....

 

In high school around '66, the neighbor kid had a '63 that I helped cut the split out and replaced the glass with one piece. He was stoked, updated his car so everyone would think it was brand new.

When the tv show started last night I thought they were going to convert the rag top to permanent coupe, glad they didn't even though they did enough atrocities to that car. The stinger hood just doesn't work on the '63 hood.

 

Anything can be done with enough coffee and fiberglas .... memories of the '40 Fords and Rolls Royces made from volkswagens

 

They made it a removable split window hardtop didn't they. Just halfway watched the show, but that is what I thought I heard.

 

The shop owner and car owner deserve each other

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I remember a Porsche 917 body for a bug chassis, big time pos.

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Amazing how these shows of hack "garages" seem to be springing up and popular (perfect example, that Fast and Loud Grease Monkey Garage show.) These guys set some (usually) artificial time frame to "complete" the car; when the engine needs work, rip it out and dump in a SBC (even in a Ford); cut out the rust and weld in some sheet metal (that looks good from 10 feet away on camera) then slather on the body filler. I usually turn that crap off and find something else to watch.

 

One of my old customers has a '63 split in her garage under a bunch of cardboard boxes full of crap. I was there when she parked it 30 years ago and to my knowledge it's still there. Before anyone gets excited she won't sell it because it was her late husband's car and he told her to hang on to it before he died.

Down the street there's a '69 Z-28 in the same condition and the guy won't even answer the door or talk to anyone about it. Believe me I tried.

 

Here are the pics of the under side for you guys that asked.

 

I went to a gathering of Shelby owners, drivers, and ex-employees with a friend once. My turn to drive but I took him in my pickup instead of the OT vette .... anyhow my friend introduced me to Peter Brock, the guy that designed the Shelby Daytona and 63' split-window. My friend (a ex-Shelby driver/employee) tells Brock I have a vette and he starts talking vettes with me while all these Ford lovers are backed up waiting for his autograph ... it was pretty damn cool.

I don't know if the designer of the split-window would endorse this latest TV creation .... I just don't know. LOL

 

Looks like I didn't miss a thing.

 

I hate both of those shows they butchered a first gen Bronco like it was nothing and I couldn't watch and see what they were going to do with the two Pontiacs in the garage.