Hugger3

The Camaro I just purchased has the aftermarket C&C t-tops installed in it. This was quite the disappointment to me when I realized it, but I am still happy finding a solid Z28 for $300. I know that C&C is out of business. My question is what do I need to look out for with these tops, where do I get info on the tops (like adjustments, etc.), and are there any parts available if I need them? Also, other then subframe connectors, are there any other modifications that I should consider because of these tops? I pick up the car tomorrow.

deadbird

The biggest drawback to the C&C tops I've noticed are that you can't lock them down & the stop tabs that hold the levers in place seem to wear down in strength in time, letting the levers slide loose after a few bumps(eventullly in time, leading to losing a t-top).

The other minus against them is finding weatherstrip to replace the seals,,,, someone on here has posted a link to, I guess is, the only place to carry seals for these tops,,, maybe with luck they will post the link again since I can't remeber

Other than those 2,,, there's really no drawback that I've seen to have the C&C tops

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• My Firebird
• Others 3rd gens
• Part Diagrams

The mind is like a parachute, it only works when its open

smurfmobile

umm... I think deadbird is smoking crack

you CAN lock them if you have the C&C locking t-tops , same as stock , there was a option for locking t-tops , I know of a perfect set at a junkyard that has the locking option. I might buy them later... also Jay from nethirdgen.org has locking C&C t-tops (mine aren't locking)

umm... those slides are fine, never had or even heard of that problem.

www.sunroofdoctor.com has the seals , plus the four corner trim pieces. EXCELLENT quality , I bought a set myself...

the extra bracing that C&C installed under the roof helps to strenghten the whole car , definitely better than what GM did...

plus I Think C&C tops look better with the rounded inner corners...

anyways... hope I was of some sort of help.

[This message has been edited by smurfmobile (edited June 17, 2001).]

Hugger3

Thanks for the response guys. I haven't looked to see if they are locking or not yet. One other question.

The headliner is starting to fall apart. Did C&C install one of their own design, or did they just cut up the factory one to fit? It was kind of hard to tell from just looking. The edges near the center of the t-tops don't look very professionally done imho.

deadbird

Just to prove I put the crack pipe down a long time ago ,,,



no locks on mine,, I only assumed since I've only seen my 84 with those style tops around here,,, all the others are like my birds w/GM lock cylinders in them (keyed alike to the doors & trunk). so no crack,, just didn't know they could come w/locks as well..

[This message has been edited by deadbird (edited June 23, 2001).]

smurfmobile

it's ok I was just kidding anyway...

my C&C tops look like that too...

by the way , I have a really nice cover over the latches , is yours just off in that pic or are you missing that piece ? just figured I would let you know that you're missing that piece (in case you don't know about it already )

deadbird

HOLY CRAP !!!! I'd have never caught that,,, thanks man,,, you're a life saver LoL

Yea,,, I knew you were kidding,,, but it was funny anyways

I do have that side but the screws broke that hold it & I got sick of the rattling so off it went (so I'm lazy) but that side also had a problem with the handle falling

Hugger3

Picked up the car today (finally!!!), and the tops have the lock built into them, and the levers are black (look like chrome in your pic?). I'll have to have new keys made since the seller didn't have any, but thankfully they were unlocked so I can take them apart. Wonder if I can have a lockset made that uses my door key (looks like a different size lock, but I'll ask my locksmith)?

Any ideas on the headliner?

88305tpiT/A

iTrader: (2)

I have these on my 88 and the tops themselves are nice BUT,
the company went out of buisiness supposedly because someone flew out their tops when they got in an accident and sued.
and NO they do not have any bracing and certainly LESS than the factory t tp cars.
I found this out the hard way when I had to drive 40 miles to school and I could feel the car bowing over large bumps in the road.
I got SSM SFC's and that made the flex non existant but the tops have been nothing if not a pain in the a**.

lately the pass side latch does not want to stay up and everyone that gets in that side hits their head on it and I have to say "yea Im gonna fix that soon"
just to get another opinion in here I reposted this from the other topic of simmilar name.
I like my t tops but they are a pain.
oh and by the way I had locks for them but they both broke and now I just have 2 holes in the molding where the locks used to be.




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88 WS6 T/A 305 TPI--
K&N,Air foil,hypertech chip, thermostat+fanswitch
free mods, dynomax catback, urethane motor+trans mounts,
SSM SFCs, Bilsteins
very trick homemade ramair, Accel 300+ ignition system.
Planning: hedman 1-5/8 longtubes, NOS 150 plate, world 305 heads, replace the "peanut"! and other susp. mods.
check it out at:
http://www.geocities.com/transam617

smurfmobile

the t-tops themselves have no bracing , they really CAN'T have anything ! but have you ever taken off your headliner board ? there's a big metal piece riveted to your roof... definitely better than what stock t-tops have...

MikeS

I smacked a minivan head on at 45 mph in my C&C T-top car and the t-top area deformed a little, but took it pretty well. www.fbody.com/members/MikeSmith/wreckpictures.htm.

88305tpiT/A

iTrader: (2)

the rivets elongate and the whole roof bows under stress.
try parking your car with one front wheel on a raised curb or driveway and compare the twist you get (youll actually see it) with that of a factory ttp or hard top.
youll see what I mean.
oh and if you have SFC's then nevermind.

if the c&c "brace" is better than the factory's then so be it but I still think they both suck at preventing flex.

german-motorsport

we have a set 4-sale ! we parted the car a Z28E ( yes one of the few special europe versions) it was a 82 very rusted and yes it had the support some of u talked about !
talkin about strengh on t-top cars ...they suck ..the least mod install sfc`s !!!

TAdan

A friend of mine has an 86 Firebird w/ Locking C&C Tops, they have black handles.
Does anyone know what the story is w/ the headliner? Did C&C cut up a hardtop headliner or were theirs custom. His headliner is worn and could stand to be replaced.

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83 T/A, 84 T/A, 94 T/A, 94 25th anniv T/A, & Some fords.

Hugger3

My question exactly

german-motorsport

the headliner we took out wasn´t stock gm!
it was way stiffer and a other material was used than what i have seen on about 30 3.gen we parted out!
just got up from the basement and the handle on mine are chrome!
attention to the real hitory freaks: what seems to be black is a sticher on them "Caution:Close Handle Completely After Installing Glass Panel."
the writing is bright chrom !!!
as soon as my digi cam comes back from repair i post a pic!

ikeepitreelz

I ouwld take them apart like i did and do adjustments on them, I called sunroofdoctor and i think a guy named keith helped me out very very nice guy, i purchased the felt seals that slea the glass from dust, it was a pain to actually replace, u have to drill out the old rivets and use good quality weather stripping glue like the 3M one, about 10 bucks or so. You can install a locking mechanism in these its very simple, go to a hardware store and buy display showcase locks and they fit right in, your t-tops might have the holes already in them, then just purchase the plastic covers from sunroof. as far as the loose handle, easy fix. remove the long cover and there is an allen bolt (on mines) in the middle of the handle,tighten that down but not so much where you can't open it. also, when you slide the latch into the closed position, the latch is held in place by a metal tab if that is bent or bent to much outwards it wont have enough tension to keep it in place slightly bend it in. i put a little grease on moving parts,lithium grease.good luck. i picked up an extra pair for mines for 30 bucks!!. i know thirdgenranch has a pair, good investment, almost irreplaceable. Good luck!!

90BlackGTA

iTrader: (1)

Wow talk about bringing back a post from the dead....9 years ago lol.....I also have the C&C T-tops with locks and there fine except I need new weatherstripping cause they leak at the sides.

ikeepitreelz

If they appear to be fine why dont you try some adjustments first to see if that cures the leaking? theres a couple of adjustments that can be made. sunroofdoctor.com has them, pricey but about the only place you can buy them from, i tried emailing soffseal.com and no answer yet.

McClure Racing

I'm looking for a set of cars & concept t-tops for my 84 Z28. Car was stolen @ Ohio State in 92. When it was recovered no tops and much other damage. I would like to get it back out of storage and running again so let me know what ya got. Thanks Jerry

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Locks were an option, as was the vent feature.My 84 has both.As stated before C&C added a steel brace.
C&C must of cut the HT headliner.I bought a HT piece when i had to replaced mine.Made my own shades anout the same time.

blacksunshine'91

iTrader: (10)

Interesting. I don't think I'd ever seen the vent feature on C&C T-tops. Are the T-tops interchangable with C&C topped cars that did not originally come with the vent feature? I see what appears to be some sort of latch attaching point in your pics. Are those a part of the car? I have C&C tops on my '91 but they don't have the vent feature as an option. There is a set of tops on ebay that has the vent feature.

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Not without some work.There are two metal tabs on the inner part of the t-top & two brackets welded to the center brace on the car.The tops latch into those brackets.

Guest

So i just bought my 15 year old son a 1979 Camaro out of a farmers field for $200.00 It's in ruff shape but still worth the work. It also has the Cars and Concepts T-tops and they seem to be in good shape however there is just a slight leak on the drivers side. someone posted here that there are some adjustments you can make. What are they? Thx

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

Being a 2nd gen f-body you should have better luck/advice on a 2nd gen forum.

camaroinoh

Just thought id throw this out there i have a set for sale pm me if interested

djmarch

iTrader: (4)

I have yet to figure out why C&C added keyed locks. I mean really, how would they ever get stolen with the windows up and the vehicle locked ? Do people still leave their windows down when leaving their vehicles ?

1ADan

iTrader: (4)

since the windows dont have a frame around the top, you can pry it away (more so with older or more worn window regulators) from the t-top and hit the release to pop the ttop off. little to no damage to the car and now you can get into the car.

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

Almost sounds like you may have done it a time or two.LOL Actually could be good to know. Around here people do leave windows down on older cars w/o working AC. Alot of people never lock their doors.

djmarch

iTrader: (4)

Speaking of...I have C&C T-tops on my 89 GTA. I removed my "A" pillars the other day and noticed a narrow weatherstrip running down the length of them. I called the Sun Roof Doctor who has taken over the inventory of C&C and they had never came across this weatherstripping before. Mine are dry rotted completely and would like to know if anyone out there has any information on the weatherstrip. Been looking at aftermarket houses, but haven't found anything close to it yet.

Shadow Z

iTrader: (2)

I'm pretty sure my IROC has original T tops, and they lock.

djmarch

iTrader: (4)

Speaking of...I have C&C T-tops on my 89 GTA. I removed my "A" pillars the other day and noticed a narrow weatherstrip running down the length of them. I called the Sun Roof Doctor who has taken over the inventory of C&C and they had never came across this weatherstripping before. Mine are dry rotted completely and would like to know if anyone out there has any information on the weatherstrip. Been looking at aftermarket houses, but haven't found anything close to it yet.

MerethriX

Could somebody take picture of the C&C t-top BAG in the trunk?
I have C&C t-top but not the bag.
The metal things where I think the bag should be are in different place than ne regular bags are..

djmarch

iTrader: (4)

My 89 has the C&C T-tops and the bag they provided is just a black vinyl bag. I have no provisions, (no slotted holes in rear plastic hatchback trim piece or screw holes in the deck behind seats to mount the brackets to attach the straps on a GM T-Top bag to.

I'm curious as to what you mean by "metal things are in a different place" because I sure would like to be able to secure mine when I have them off.

MerethriX

By that i meant that you know the original things where you attach gm bag are on the gas tank. Mine are: one metal thing on the middle of the gas tank and another one is left side of the trunk. I dont have bag for those t-top pieces but if could get one i would have no clue how to attach it..
I can take a picture later on when i get off work..

djmarch

iTrader: (4)

Please do...

MerethriX

I forgot sorry. Better luck today =)

noe

i just a 89 trans am and thinkin of puttin t tops on it. i work at a junkyard and found a 92 camaro will they tha 89 firebird

MerethriX

https://photos-5.dropbox.com/thumb/A...Q0QN0AZhctGSRU

Here`s the pic. I hope i got it right `coz i put it with my mobile.. but as you can see middle and left side of the trunk there are two bolted "seatbelts". I have no clue what would they be than t-top-thing. Another one of them have somekind metal thing attached to its end, almost same like in real seatbelts. Another is cutted in somepoint by some earlier owner..

Sorry my english, i`m tired...

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

My C&C Top GTA had those too. I just removed the bolts cause I didn't care what they were for, they were annoying me.

MerethriX

Where do you keep your pieces when they are off?

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

In the back, the straps were useless and nasty looking. I just put them in the back with a towel I keep there. The towel keeps the tops from rubbing/scratching each other.

I put a top in, drape half the towel on it, put the 2nd top in, and fold the towel over that one.

The straps that were in there certainly aren't going to keep those tops from coming out in case of an accident. There is no way those straps woudn't give up the ghost in a heart beat.

MerethriX

I keep them back there also. But i want a bag on the tank like normal ones so i can put subwoofer in the trunk: )
I`m sorry but my english isnt good enough to know what that ghost-sentence means: D

ttopkindaguy

Do you still have the C&C t tops??

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Beware, early C&C tops are not the same design as later C&C T-tops. There were changes, I can't find the thread where I read it, but it was on these forums.

blacksunshine'91

iTrader: (10)

Welcome to the boards. In the future, check the date of the original post. They had those things for sale over eleven years ago!

Azrael91966669

the strip on the a piller is stock on hard top a pillers i had it on my hard top but you could replace it with a seal from home depot
i have c&c tops on my current car they did mod factory hard top headliners to make the headliner they cut the factory piller plastics my passenger side leaks as if the top isnt even there the side flare seal on the tops them selfs are not as long as they need to be but they do not make a longer replacment for this seal

because off the trouble ive had with these tops i will always make sure the next car dosnt have c&c

Armored91Camaro

The C&C t-top do offer more rigidity in the body because of the steel t-top brace that ties the front and the rear of the car together, I can verify this since i have jacked up the car from the front passenger tire and lifted up the driver side front and the passenger rear tire with nothing else done and the t-tops out..scary yes but no side affects done to the car. T-tops do have locks well driver side anyways.
On the other hand i took my headliner down to recover it with fabric and notice as you can see in one of the pictures below that the bar/body was twisting because of the bare metal showing around the pop ribs, now i took this into account and drilled out the very far two and replaced them with grade 8 bolts 1/2 inch long and made the whole tight enough where i had to thread in the bolts. The t-top still have that popping noise you get from flex but i have noticed that it does not pop as much or as often, also the car is much stiffer. I have plans to replace as many as possible because in the second picture there is a gap between the body and the brace which i want to eliminate in hopes of my stiffness.
Yesterday 4/18/2013 i drilled out the pop ribs on the driver and passenger pillars at the windshield and replaced with bolts as well, and to my surprise with 20 year old rubber the leaks have stopped, as it rained all night and some today very heavily and the car stays outside 24/7 as of now (Me and Wife live with my parents for now, newly weds).
I also made a custom strut tower brace out of 1/4 steel tubing, with 1/4 plates as mounting points, that as well took a lot of the body twist out, the 3 tire lift as it is called, happens more quickly. Sorry for the ramble but had a lot to share.

Armored91Camaro

Last picture

Zdrrguy

Not sure if anyone needs a extra set but I have them on a 91 RS Camaro I'm parting out, comes with bags and used seals (3 years old) for the top glass part if anyone is interested...please pm me.

$400/pair

Located in Toronto Canada.