68 Soft top delete question

[Patrick N.]

Is there a way to check for evidence on the car that shows a soft top was once installed or to determine if it was a delete option, i.e. any operations or hardware that should be present to mount a frame? I do not have a suitable build sheet to verify.

Second: even if evidence suggest a delete, is there anyway it would hold up during judging without documented proof that the car did not have a soft top?

Thanks,
Pat

[Tom H.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

I assume the car has an optional hard top. If the hard top is installed, does the soft top even get judged ???

[Paul J.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

I thought that the car came with one or the other, and you could have both if special ordered it.

Paul

[Michael D.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

If the optional hard top was ordered, it is my understanding a buyer could delete the folding top and receive a price adjustment. My hunch is that you would need to satisfy judges that the folding top did not come with the car.

[Patrick N.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

If the optional hard top was ordered, it is my understanding a buyer could delete the folding top and receive a price adjustment. My hunch is that you would need to satisfy judges that the folding top did not come with the car.

Michael, this is my understanding as well, that the hard top was optional and the soft top could be deleted. How would one tell if the car did have a soft top that was ditched somewhere during its life. Seems like the burden of evidence to prove the car never had a soft top without proper docs is very difficult.

[Edward J.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Patrick, there should be some signs of where the conv. top was attached under the trim panels in the rear. The bolts that secured the top should show some imprints of the bolted area? and maybe even some bare areas when the black out was done in that area, the brackets and bolts where attached.

[Steven B.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Patrick, I agree with Edward. A previous installed top should show some signs of the soft top frame being attached, whether imprints or chipped paint, etc. I saw two '68's at dealerships delivered new with hardtop only. Oddly, both were silver cars.

Steve

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Is there a way to check for evidence on the car that shows a soft top was once installed or to determine if it was a delete option, i.e. any operations or hardware that should be present to mount a frame? I do not have a suitable build sheet to verify.

Second: even if evidence suggest a delete, is there anyway it would hold up during judging without documented proof that the car did not have a soft top?

Thanks,
Pat

Pat------


The 1968 Corvette order form had two boxes under the heading "Removable Hard Top". One box said "In Place of Hard Top" and the other said "In Addition to Hard Top". If neither box was checked and one ordered a convertible, the car was delivered with a soft top. If the "In Place of Soft Top" box was checked, one was delivered a car with a hard top only and at the same price as if it were a soft top only (i.e. the base convertible price). If the "In Addition to Soft Top" box was checked, then one got both tops at the C-07 option cost.

I personally ordered my 1969 convertible with the "In Place of Soft Top" box checked. 17 years later I added a soft top to the car. That would have cost me $252.80 in 1969 but it ended up costing me almost $3,000 total 17 years later.

Also, other than looking for vestiges of once-installed soft top attaching hardware or having original documentation, there is no way of discerning if a car was originally a soft top car but later converted to a hard top only car. Other than original documentation there is no way of discerning if a car that was originally a hard-top only car was converted to a "both tops" car.

[Patrick N.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Pat------


The 1968 Corvette order form had two boxes under the heading "Removable Hard Top". One box said "In Place of Hard Top" and the other said "In Addition to Hard Top". If neither box was checked and one ordered a convertible, the car was delivered with a soft top. If the "In Place of Soft Top" box was checked, one was delivered a car with a hard top only and at the same price as if it were a soft top only (i.e. the base convertible price). If the "In Addition to Soft Top" box was checked, then one got both tops at the C-07 option cost.

I personally ordered my 1969 convertible with the "In Place of Soft Top" box checked. 17 years later I added a soft top to the car. That would have cost me $252.80 in 1969 but it ended up costing me almost $3,000 total 17 years later.

Also, other than looking for vestiges of once-installed soft top attaching hardware or having original documentation, there is no way of discerning if a car was originally a soft top car but later converted to a hard top only car. Other than original documentation there is no way of discerning if a car that was originally a hard-top only car was converted to a "both tops" car.

Thanks guys. So based on the option boxes mentioned, I would foresee the expectation on the judging filed is that a convertible should at the very least have a soft top unless I held documentation to confirm otherwise. If that's the case, is it a deduction during judging to have a hard top without a soft top and no docs?

Thanks again
Pat

[Tom H.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Thanks guys. So based on the option boxes mentioned, I would foresee the expectation on the judging filed is that a convertible should at the very least have a soft top unless I held documentation to confirm otherwise. If that's the case, is it a deduction during judging to have a hard top without a soft top and no docs?

Thanks again
Pat

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think you would get a deduct, would you ?

[Terry M.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Thanks guys. So based on the option boxes mentioned, I would foresee the expectation on the judging filed is that a convertible should at the very least have a soft top unless I held documentation to confirm otherwise. If that's the case, is it a deduction during judging to have a hard top without a soft top and no docs?

Thanks again
Pat

No Pat, not if you are talking about NCRS judging. We don't care if you bring the car with soft top, hardtop or both. Just don't bring it with none of the above because we know that was not one of the available options. We may get our panties in a wad about VIN tags, trim tags, and block stamp pads, but that is about the end of it.

[Patrick N.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think you would get a deduct, would you ?

Thanks Tom, I was unsure if I would or would not get a deduct. The way I previously interpreted it, I thought I need to prove the lack of soft top in this case. It seems clear now that I do not have to worry about this as long as I roll in with my hard top. Terry, thanks for info as well!

Best,
Pat

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Thanks Tom, I was unsure if I would or would not get a deduct. The way I previously interpreted it, I thought I need to prove the lack of soft top in this case. It seems clear now that I do not have to worry about this as long as I roll in with my hard top. Terry, thanks for info as well!

Best,
Pat

Pat-----

As has been discussed, the only way to discern if a hard top-only car also had a soft-top would be to look for evidence of fastener marks where the soft top frame attaches to the birdcage pillar. However, even that would not be proof that the car ORIGINALLY had a soft top installed. For example, if I were to present my car for judging in the exact configuration it was originally delivered, I would have to remove the soft-top. There might then be marks showing that a soft top was once installed but there was never one ORIGINALLY installed.

[Steven B.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Joe, what was your color combination and options?

Thanks!

Steve

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Soft top delete question

Joe, what was your color combination and options?

Thanks!

Steve

Steve-----


Riverside Gold with black vinyl interior. The only options ordered were 4 speed trans, posi 3.36:1 axle, tinted glass, and AM-FM radio.