T tops

[NY eric]

I am trying to settle an argument. T tops were never factory right?

Any help would be hot. I know there are 1-2 people with either dealer installed or aftemarket t tops.

Thanks

[Eyelawdoc]

T tops were never an official factory option on the SVO. However, there is a photo of the line at Cars& Concepts where the Mustangs were converted to T-Tops (Ford did not do it "in house") showing an SVO in the process of conversion. So while it was not an official option, it would appear that at least a few SVO's were converted by Cars & Concepts to T-Top cars.

[NY eric]

doc

thanks this may settle this debate. I think I win a beer or something it was a foggy night.

[Black86]

From what I've been told by a fellow who bought an 86 SVO NEW w/T-tops,all the Mustangs in that era had the T-tops done at cars&Concepts.With that in mind,one could say that an SVO w/T-tops could be considered a "factory" optioned car?
The guy lives locally to me and has a simply fantastic white car,all original down to the floormats.He bought it brand new in Houston and has all the documentation.He's not a computer guy,although I have told him about this site and the club,he doesn't seem interested in doing the computer thing.I will contact him again and see if he can be convinced to contribute his information to this debate.

[KevinK]

Don't discount the idea that a dealer in the Michigan area might have dealer installed the t top by taking it to same guys. Not very likely to be done cross country or by other shops but possible.

I passed on the option when I ordered my 84 due to cost but I expected it would have gotten kicked back on the special order. Same goes for cruise.

[SVOeric]

nope -- the cruise was dealer installed too, so the car would have come in, and the dealer would have ordered the cruise kit, and yoiu would have never been told it wasn't factory

[FELLENLONG]

t-top svo

I had a 85 gt awile back with the t-tops! I removed one of the trim panels that covered the egdes and was not amused with the job the company did to the car!!I am conviced they had used a sawzall to cut in the t-tops !!! After i saw that i would never by a t-top car again!!! The t-tops always leaked,squeaked and creacked even with all new seals!!!

[jayG]

I have 3 cars w/t-tops installed by Cars and Concepts, 82 GT, 85GT, and an 85 MCSS, no leaking and they look great. Original rubber on all three also.

[Eyelawdoc]

Any pics of your T-Top cars Jay? I have an 84 GT Turbo T-Top that I'm trying to bring back from the almost dead. Does anybody viewing this thread own an SVO T-Top?

[Kendal Coker]

I have an early 84 Charcoal SVO T-top, I have done everything I know to find out more information on it. I do know it sold new in the Atlanta area. The dealership changed owners and distroyed all of the old paperwork. I am the third owner and I cannot find the origional owner. It does not have a (D) on the door data sticker (none of the SVO t-tops do). Bill Hatfield has a 85.5. By the way no mater weather Cars and Concepts did it in Michigan or it was done at the local body shop they all used Cars and Concepts kits, no one else made a kit for t-tops for a mustang. later

[sweetwm]

T-Top Question

My son, Mark, and I have a 85.5 SVO T-Top that we purchased from the original owner in Detroit with 21,000 miles. The original owner worked for Ford in the experimental engine depart. According to him, T-Tops were not a factory option on the SVO but as an employee he was able to order the car and get it prepared when it went thru the line to accompany the t-tops. After it was made it was taken to Cars and Concepts in Detroit for the t-top mod (Cars and Concepts made all the factory t-tops, including other auto makes). The doors on t-tops do not have a window frame and appear to be the same door as the convertible uses. A t-top repair manual came with the car and shows the mods (window stops, etc) that were made inside the doors for t-tops installation. We also have the original completed documentation from Cars and Concepts that shows the name of the original purchaser, date, mileage and VIN number of the SVO and shows the cost of $995.00 (paid).
If anyone would like to see pictures of car and/or documentation, please email me directly.

Bill Hatfield
bhat53f@avsia.com

[BAD5oh]

Does that mean my 85 GT had the tops cut in by Cars and Concepts and not at Ford?? If so thats interesting to know.

Also this is going back to either last winter or this spring. A guy on E-bay was trying to sell a 86 SVO convertible. He swore it was factory, sent me pics of all the documents and the car and every tag on the car. I never went into running the numbers but I never heard of one. Was this a knockoff??

[KevinK]

That was a good price for the T top. I believe the dealer option price was $1100 (if it could be had). Another $1000 on the price of a new car was pretty steep back then, especially since the 84 was way over priced as well.

There are a few home made T top cars out there too. Basically there were very few original SVO T tops made since it was not really an option. To claim yours is and original would require some paper work to back it up, otherwise it will always be questioned. There are always some oddball cars out there. If you tried to order an oddball, most likely it didn't happen but they still get built with connections or the right timing.

[lonchair]

Originally posted by BAD5oh
Also this is going back to either last winter or this spring. A guy on E-bay was trying to sell a 86 SVO convertible. He swore it was factory, sent me pics of all the documents and the car and every tag on the car. I never went into running the numbers but I never heard of one. Was this a knockoff??

There was a dealership in Pennsylvania (?) back in the 80's that took GT Convertibles and installed SVO front clips on them. I'm not sure what they called them, but apparently it was possible to buy brand new a Mustang convertible that looked like an SVO.

[86-TC/SVO]

The dealership was Faulkner Ford in Blauvelt, New York. They also did Thunderbirds back then. There is an article in Mustang Illusrated spring 1986 about the converted cars.