i've got some pics from a T-roof on a Tiburon, maybe you can get idea's of it...

click!

click!


I don't know anymore where i found those, but there were more... I only saved these 2

 

what .02 seconds of searching yields.

 

While it would definitely be a fun project, I think it will look horrible. You have to remember the Tib is a hatchback. So in cutting off the roof you'd have to remove the hatch as well. The whole car would basically be open all the way to the back bumper and look more like a pickup truck than a convertible. The Hyundai concept convertible had a trunk setup which would be near impossible to replicate without a whole lot of time and money!

 

not necessarily.. he could cut the hatch off at the window and weld the bottom "half" into place perminently. Older Corvettes were like this, as was the Austin Healy Sprite (mk 1) that I had. there was NO trunk access from outside the car. That would shore up some of the body and keep it from looking like the GTO from "the monkeys"

 

sounds like a plan man!!!!

umm.. yes, weld some pipes in between to strengthen. i saw it on horsepowertv, they said it was imminent when they turned his mustang into a convertible using a kit.

there's a shop down the street that will do drop tops. i'm sure there's lots of custom shops. you will have one fine looking tiburon! maybe you can get it into car shows!

 

The Tib is a unibody, with the EXCEPTION of the floor pan.

If you've never seen the naked roof of a Tib, it's just the roof of the car, with 4 strips of metal tieing the left and right sides of the upper door arch.

Cutting the B- and C-pillars wouldn't weaken the structural integrity; the chassis would most likely split apart where the B-pillar would be. Usually, you want to stay away from messing with the chassis...otherwise...it'd be driving around in a GK I4 Tib. But if you want that look...go for it...just don't expect to get that thing destroying stock RDs with a I/H/E setup. fing02.gif

 

While the tib is an exceptionally stiff car for it's class and price... removing the roof would take a lot of that stiffness out. I know AC says that it is only a couple strips of metal.. but you have to remember, those strips of metal HAVE to hold the car up if you roll it. All part of the testing proceedure. Generally the strength is in the A and C pillars, flowing from the front cowl, up over the door, and down into the rear suspension area. The B pillar and all the metal between the two "hoops" over the doors are just there to keep that section of the car from bending apart and then collapsing.

It is basically like a truss bridge. Each part supports another part, which in turn supports another part until the whole is supported properly. At the very least, a welded in roll hoop is necessary. A word of advice.. once you cut the roof, do NOT drive and leave your arm over the seam where the rear of the door meets the rear fender. you WILL get a nasty pinch if you hit a good enough bump.

 

dont worry the tib will remain stock i just want somthing to play with , once i go back to california im going to junk the car so no big deal all i really want is the drivetrain.the guy said the car flipped and slid on the roof but it still drives, the sides are all still pretty much intact. as for the cuts that will be made im going to get them welded up then i will fiber glass them closed along the edges.


no racing or performance for this tib stock only.
rear hatch will be welded in and finished with fiberglass up to the rear seats
frame will have cross bracing in the back hatch area as well as behind the drivers seats
car will be a full time convertable

basicly once i get it im going to spend as little as possible since im going to junk it in a few months anyway basicly i love my rd2 and thats my daily driver this is just somthing to do with the car until i can pull the motor and store it in california.
thanks for the input pics will be up when i see the car on saturday, but i have dibs i went and saw the guy today but im in school until friday night. once i see the car i will negotiate a price.
jon

 

No, I didn't mean the strips were pointless. In fact, what holds the two sides of the car rigid is the entire roof. It's great how a piece of sheet metal, so thin, can force a square tube piece rigid and several times stronger than just a square tube with no shear panels.

 

so it looks like im not going to buy the car sad.gif i guess its really messed up as in flat on the top basicly i dont know how the guy lived but he did, i offered him 300 for it <he wants 500> but he said 5 was as low as he'd go, so since im tight on oney right now and only need the eng/trany for boost building im gonna let this one slide it runs good and i guess it still drives but i just dont need it if anyone wants it, it is in the arizona pheonix area he wants 500.

great fun idea just dont have the space or finaces right now for a pile of junk.