I am confused!

We have a hardtop that came with our '71 convertible, although we've never had it on the car. I am confused about the hardtop mounting hardware, and I must now call upon my fellow C3 enthusiasts for help!

The Chevrolet assembly manual indicates that the rear of the hardtop is held down to the top compartment cover by means of bolts and nuts, although it's unclear how many there are supposed to be. The '71 Corvette owner's manual says there are three. The various restoration parts catalogs that I've looked at seem to agree with the type of hardware called out in the Chevy assembly manual. Some of the catalogs show the actual diagrams from the Chevy assembly manual.

Instead of bolts and nuts, however, our hardtop has two "pins" of the same style that the soft top has, and they appear to line up with the fittings that are normally used to secure the soft top frame to the top compartment cover. There is no center bolt or pin or hardware of any kind on the hardtop, nor is there even a place for anything like this, and there is no third opening in the top compartment cover for a center piece of mounting hardware.

What's up with this? Was there some kind of production change, and our documentation just doesn't reflect it? I've looked at many other C3 convertibles at car shows, and I don't recall ever seeing a third mounting point on the top compartment cover. Unfortunately, I've never seen a car with the hardtop installed. Around here, I guess all of the drop-tops have their tops dropped!

I'm so confused! Please help!

I have another hardtop question. Our top has a thin stainless steel trim piece that covers the edge of the top all the way around. The trim piece that goes across the front of the top, above the windshield, is "sprung" at one end and will not stay in place. There are also two missing "clips" that hold the front piece to the side pieces. These appear to be the same type of clips used on the stainless trim used on T-Tops. Does anyone sell replacement stainless and clips? Can the front piece from our top be re-formed to fit properly? Are the missing hardtop clips the same as those used on T-Tops? Do any of you readers have some that you can spare me?

*sigh*

Any convertible owners out there that can help???

If you dont get any answers in a couple of days ill post it on the NCRS site..
johnny

That third screw is only on later years (70 or 71 up)that came from the factory with the hardtop. It's possible someone substituted the softtop pins in your hardtop, trying to make it easier to install. I found it necessary to install them with the top cover open. My 73 top also had brackets in the side that bolted to the inside of the car, next to the doors, they were a bear to attach, too. That's why I sold the hardtop. Joe

|UPDATED|9/16/2003 2:09:25 PM|/UPDATED|

The middle bolt is only a guide pin on my 71, does not get a nut on it. I do have threaded bolts for the right and left sides. My car has not had the hardtop installed since I painted the car 11 years ago. The hardtops are so damn heavy and squeek and flex over any bumps and put very bad scratches on the rear deck from all the movement. I always drive my car with the top down (Except this weekend in the rain at Hershey)

I also think the guidepin in the center was a change in 1970, I think that 68 and 69 hardtops did not have the center pin, I am not sure about the threaded bolts on each side. I will research this and get back to you.

I don't have a hardtop so there isn't a middle hole on the deck. Or was that hole only present on cars that came with the top from the factory?

Jim,
You are correct, only cars that came with the hardtop had the hole in the middle, soft top only cars did not.

|UPDATED|9/17/2003 5:16:54 AM|/UPDATED|

I am not trying to start a problem here but....I would tend to agree with the answer about the third pin being for cars later than '69. This is only a guess on my part so I will explain the guess. The pin appears to be installed on the hard top. My hard top has no provision for a pin in the middle of the roof and I have no hole in the rear deck. I have a '69.
As for the pins vs the studs. It is a simple change. Just unthread the studs and thread in the pins and adjust the lenght so they clip into the fasteners tightly. The pins adjust with a slotted ( common ) screwdriver.
Always make sure your weather stripping on the roof is in good shape or you will for sure scratch the paint on the rear deck.

Hello

Glenn got it right.
The center locating pin appeared only on late 69.
All hardtops came originally with the pins that required a nuts to be installed.
You can install the soft top type latch pins and they will work fine.
Makes it definately easier to install the top.
68 tops also did not have the trailing edge stainless tips. An other of this rare 68 only parts.
You can easily see, if your car originally came with a hard top.
The deck lid must have the side nuts installed, if not, it was a soft top only car.
The car looks so much different with the hard top installed, like an other car.

Gunther

Hello all,

The hard top will squeek and rattle and scratch the rear deck. Make sure the weather strip is in perfect shape where it sits on the rear deck. There are clear strips that you can buy that you apply to the deck similar to clear bra. This will help eliminate the wear.



Alex