Hitman's Pontiac Trans Am Forum
Trans Am Photos => Restoration Projects => Topic started by: 76TransAmGuy on March 04, 2008, 04:36:54 PM
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Does anyone make a kit to turn a 76 TA from a coupe into a t-top? I want to get a 76 but i cant find any with a t-top and manual transmission so i decided that i will either but a coupe and try to change it into a t-top or i will find a t-top that is automatic and try to change it into a manual. What do you think will be easier. I need to act fast because i am deploying to iraq in 3 weeks and i want to get it before i leave so i can put it in the shop and it will be done by the time i get it back. Thanks for all the help. Semper Fi
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Option 1: Get a 76 hardtop along with a 78-91 Fisher T-top roof, hand over about $1200 (give or take) to Hitman (or other competent shop) to do a roof transplant.
Option 2: Get an automatic 76, do the roof transplant, and put a 4spd/5spd/6spd conversion kit into it.
Unfortunately there are no "kits" to convert a hardtop to a t-top so the roof swap is your option there. Either or is going to cost some serious $$ to do. Best off holding off until you get what you want options wise.
BTW: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
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Actually there is an option for a kit. He can buy a set of Hurst tops and trim and sawzall the tops in there. And before I hear about how inferior the H/H tops are as compared to Fisher tops- I have 3 H/H cars and 4 or 5 Fisher top cars, so yes, I know that the H/H tops leak more than Fisher tops and rattle a lot more. But the option is there to do that instead of a roof swap. And the H/H tops are period correct for 1976. If I wanted the car to keep forever, I would do a roof swap and go with Fisher. But the H/H is far less expensive to do and a lot faster too.
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True but if you haven't done this before, breaking out a sawzall and hacking into a perfectly good hardtop probably isn't the best route to take. And an unknown would be the condition of the hardtop to begin with - might need replacement anyways.
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I know a guy here in Phoenix who can do the Hurst sawzall transplant in about 4 hours. True, if you've never done it be prepared to screw it up... so best to take it to a professional. But I gotta believe 4 hours work wouldn't come to $1200. That said... I'd still probably go with the Fisher roof transplant too. Better setup all around.
Also, keep in mind that if you do find a T-top 76 it will be a 50th Anniversary car (unless you find one that somebody already added aftermarket T-tops to, or did a roof swap to) so it will be more expensive to buy up front... and honestly, worth more if restored correctly. Regular T/As in 76 did not get T-tops from the factory... only the 50th cars... and then only 643 of them actually got them (even though they were originally all intended to get them).
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What I was saying was that he could get Hurst tops from a donor car (77/ early 78) to use. He doesn't have to get them from a '76 to use on his "76. Any T/A with Hurst is a prospective donor, unless he wants to cut the roof off his '76 and transplant an entire Fisher roof. I know two guys that have done the Fisher roof swap right in their own home garages.
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Yeah, I know Mike... I was just responding to 76TransAmGuy's first post where he said he either wanted to find a 76 hardtop 4spd and convert it to a T-top car or find a 76 T-top automatic and convert it to a manual. My point was just that if he did find a 76 T-top car it would be 1 of 643 50th cars and he might want to think twice about messing with converting it to a manual.
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Oh. (light bulb going on in my head). You are right about the t-top 76 too. Not cool to cut up/modify a factory '76 t-top car. He can always get a good Fisher top from Honest Yeti's Used T-top Roofs. Located right outside Possum Trot, Kentucky. I have a few nice complete tops. ;)