Making it a Tr8 a convertible

maddog · February 25, 2010, 06:04:07 PM

I currently have the opportunity to purchase a hardtop Tr8 with a Buick Grand National motor (with turbo) at a price i can't pass up, however i prefer the lines of the convertible. Is is feasible to cut off the top? Has any one out there done if before? If so what issues should i be aware of, front windshield frame , mods to side windows , availability of convertible top frame, reinforcing the frame and any thing else. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Len

MGBV8 · February 25, 2010, 09:46:36 PM

I wouldn't do it.

I know we are big time into mods here, but there were not very many TR8 coupes built. Less than 200 survive.

Moderator · February 25, 2010, 10:56:42 PM

I usually agree with everything Carl writes here... but just to play devil's advocate: if it's got a Buick Grand National motor, it's not really a TR8 coupe anymore. Once the engine has been replaced, it might as well be a TR7 with a Buick Grand National motor.

You could buy the car (cheap) and then offer it for sale, and see if this rare and highly desirable car doesn't find a home with someone who's willing to restore it. Worst case: you make a profit.

They made fewer TR8 coupes than convertibles for an obvious reason...

I think it's probably safe to say that none of us here like to see old British cars wasted. Abandoned projects and "hatchet jobs" irritate me whether the car is relatively common or relatively rare. (FWIW, I personally dislike the "$2010 Challenge" and "24 hours of Lemons" concepts because I'd much rather see fixer-uppers actually get fixed-up - particularly where old British sports cars are concerned. I don't view cars as disposable.) But if you're truly committed to improving your car, the work you do probably will improve it. We all like to see clever ideas and good craftsmanship.

After saying all that, I'll sit back and let someone who has actually worked with these cars contribute something more constructive. I've never worked on a wedge, so I can't really advise about specific technical issues.

WedgeWorks1 · February 26, 2010, 10:10:38 PM

Well I hope the TR8 is not a TR8 but a TR7! They made about 20 in 1977 for 1977 model year, 116 in 1977 for 1978 model year and 158 for 1979 model year. The VIN says it all. If the VIN begins with ACN or TCN it is a TR8 Coupe and if not then its just another TR7.

To make a coupe into a convertible is not a big deal but the irony is you would need the convertible parts so at that point you would need a donor car to cut pieces from. Now you would have to strip the coupe, cut parts off the convertable, weld them together and well........why bother just get a convertible shell and put the V6 into it. Then if it is a real TR8 coupe then to put a Rover V8 back in would make it worth more than the V6 in it now.

alana · March 07, 2010, 09:39:55 PM

Nooooo.

Don't tell me it's a real TR8 coupe. It's got to be a 7. If it isn't, sell the thing and get a nice convertible with the proceeds. Even I think they are too rare to chop up...

Assuming it's not an 8, then 7 convertibles are a dime a dozen - cheap too.
Buy one and swap the parts and you'll end up way ahead compared to trying to chop up a 7 coupe, then sell the shell off to recoup some of the cost.

Argatoga · September 24, 2010, 02:04:03 PM

As a warning, if you don't strengthen the chassis correctly it will wobble and maybe even split in two.

TRip · September 26, 2010, 12:35:34 AM

The convertibles were actually designed and built differently. They actually have a stronger, stiffer lower chassis than the coupe. Therefore, a lot of modification/re-enforcing would have to be done to a chopped coupe.

Quite simply, don't bother... It's not worth the work IMHO. I think it would be a nightmare to keep the chassis straight while it's cut modified, re-enforced.

Like everyone else said... Buy a convertible and go from there.

Trip

WedgeWorks1 · September 26, 2010, 08:28:31 PM

Actually if it is a late TR7 with the small gas cap then everything is the same with the exception of the upper windshield frame, gas filler panel before the trunk lid with underlaying framing, additional weld in braces/framing next to the seats and the tops of the rear quarter panels. You can even reuse the coupe doors too since the convertibles were made from coupe doors on the prototypes and then went to production.