Jason E

I have always found it amusing how Lexan t-tops have never made any sense to me. My old '89 RS had them on the car when it was new...I know '89 was the first year for them. They were replaced under warranty with glass tops around '90 or so because one of the corners chipped off one of them. Later, my '89 Formula I purchased (and sadly, later sold) in '02 had glass tops from the factory. Now, my '91 RS came with Lexan tops brand new. I just scored a major find on eBay last week...brand new, NOS Lexan t-tops! They came still wrapped in the factory protective films, with a brand new t-top bag. I paid $300 shipped for them, and considering what it costs to fix old glass t-tops (paint the flat black, replace the weatherstripping, etc), I think I got a deal! My original Lexans are all spider-webbed from the exterior tint pealing on them...

So what's the deal with them? I know they're lighter, but how did some cars get them, and some not? BTW, I rather enjoyed last night removing the 20 year old tape protecting the t-tops...they're currently sitting on my RS's roof, looking quite nice I'll keep them out of the heavy sun, as I know that's what deteriorates the tint supposedly. The car is always stored, and when its out the tops are off anyway...

Nothing like new NOS parts

MurcoRS

I don't know what the particular reason for the Lexans was but my car (1989 RS 305/5-sp) came with them as well when I bought it new. They lasted 12 years (9 in south Florida) before one shattered into little pieces when I hit a bump one day. They had started "bowing" after about 4 years and had spider webs in them long before they shattered. I replaced them with glass units.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

You were lucker than I was. I paid far less than that on eBay for a NOS set of acrylic t-tops a few years ago. They were shipped in the original box via UPS to me. The packaging let me down. The fiber-reinforced tape was so old that it split in transit allowing the molded foam inserts holding the t-tops to shift. One t-top shattered into three pieces. The second has a small crack. I didn't submit a damage claim to UPS because they were purchased for so little. I've held onto them figuring I'd try ot use the seals and trim on another set someday.

Lon

rwdtech

i'd like to take a set of lexan tops and paint them red to match my exterior. i cant stand the way the car looks with the black t-tops. has anyone color matched their t-tops?

Jason E

After recently purchasing a dash pad that was mint when it left OR, and a mess by the time it got to me (I did claim it under insurance, and got my $$$ back), I asked the seller to please package these things like they were eggs. I couldn't believe the care he gave them, and they arrived absolutely perfect. I'm saving the bag, and just using my old one. The tops will normally be stowed away anyway, but like I said on hot days I'll put the old tops back on so they don't bake.

Hell, I thought under $300 was pretty cheap for brand new t-tops I know they're Lexan, and overall Lexan sucks, but still...it would cost nearly that much to reseal and repaint used glass ones. Plus, I've always kinda liked originality, for better or for worse

TTA 1387

My TTA had them. They were in perfect condition until I started racing

Doing some 1.6x launches without SFC's broke off all 4 corners where it rests in the center piece. Couldn't see it until you took off the tops. They were still in perfect condition other than that. But I got SFC's right after I noticed that and the paint cracking on the quarter panel.

I really liked them since they didn't lay flat. Always reminded me of the batmobile

Jason E

I dare say a 305 TBI with SFCs will not have the same problem

Drew

iTrader: (58)

The reason that some cars came with them and some cars didn't is due to quality control issues. GM knew they were a problem by 1989 and started replacing them under warranty with glass. They went back and forth from glass to plastic a couple of times and finally gave up on plastic all together.

The pro's... They're light, they don't rattle as much as glass, and they're tinted darker.

The con's... They squeek. They flex. They haze. They crack.

The later ones don't delaminate so much, they just get small stress cracks in the material that are visible when you look through them. I picked up a replacement NOS lexan top for my 6cyl Firebird a few years back. $25 on ebay.