Body kit assembly ideas

[badass98svt]

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Thanks for all the info. That's very interesting. I remember Smoothline, back in the days of Dugan Racing and Sanja Performance.

 

[MyLittlePony]

I never heard of those issues with the ford factory hard top so idunno. Then again I think I have only talked to one or two people that had the factory hard top so it might not be that great of a sample size.

So I heard that whomever Ford got to make the original had issues as well. They marketed them as an option. Apparently each vehicle had to be custom fitted for it, and you couldn’t just swap one and put it on a different car, even if both donor and recipient were zero mile new. I don’t think this had to do with installation of things like clips and wiring for the rear window defroster and dome light (which my aftermarket has none) and more to do with fitment itself.

I heard that Ford was having so much trouble with this option that they refunded everyone who had ordered the option, and gave the remaining inventory to the 95 black cobra convertibles.

 

[cobrajeff96]

Probably because SN95 verts have too much panel flex and just are not stiff enough frames.

 

[ttocs]

So I heard that whomever Ford got to make the original had issues as well. They marketed them as an option. Apparently each vehicle had to be custom fitted for it, and you couldn’t just swap one and put it on a different car, even if both donor and recipient were zero mile new. I don’t think this had to do with installation of things like clips and wiring for the rear window defroster and dome light (which my aftermarket has none) and more to do with fitment itself.

I heard that Ford was having so much trouble with this option that they refunded everyone who had ordered the option, and gave the remaining inventory to the 95 black cobra convertibles.

I believe it. Body panels are often shimmed a little bit to make sure they are straight and it doesn't take a huge adjustment to make it so that top suddenly does not fit well enough to keep water out. This is just when it is new now put that car on the road and a slight fender bender and suddenly small gaps are large holes. The people I talked to were at shows and it was original to the car and I can't even remember the last time I saw one now because it has been so long ago. This is not even to consider that most cars that offer a hardtop vert option are designed with that in mind where you can tell this was an after thought they threw together.