Three Piece Top - First Impressions, Pics

[cayman]

I received the three piece top from Citymaker after a delay getting it built but the wait was well worth it. All I had was the original soft top but I just didn't like the looks and after seeing several rave reviews on the Citymaker three piece, I took the plung. After screwing up the first paint job using an HVLP gun for the first time, I sanded it completely down and refinished it using the 'ol Fitz gravity feed. $200 worth of paint and materials later, I ended up with a near OEM paint job.
The top takes a while to make the initial adjustments but once they are made, it's easy to take on and off. I still need to tweak the adjustments but all in all the top fits great! We went to a rainy car show and I noticed a couple of small leaks but I think the extra tweaking will take care of it.

I don't understand why Dodge couldn't come up with an equally appealing top after all the years went by from the gen 1 through the gen 2's. This top is by far better looking than the originals.

BTW, what would a like new soft top be worth to someone?

 

[wastntim]

I'm glad to hear the positive feedback since I supposed to go pick mine up on Friday. Do you think that I would be able to paint the front of the scoop so that it looks functional?

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I don't understand why Dodge couldn't come up with an equally appealing top after all the years went by from the gen 1 through the gen 2's. This top is by far better looking than the originals.

I would have let the thread slide if not for the above comment. I don't mean to slam this product but what appeals to some folks may not appeal to others.

I'm glad you like this top and I hope the builder has success with it.

 

[cayman]

Oops! I guess I should have prefixed my comment with "IMO".

I don't understand why Dodge couldn't come up with an equally appealing top after all the years went by from the gen 1 through the gen 2's. This top is by far better looking than the originals.

I would have let the thread slide if not for the above comment. I don't mean to slam this product but what appeals to some folks may not appeal to others.

I'm glad you like this top and I hope the builder has success with it.

 

[WANTED]

Oops! I guess I should have prefixed my comment with "IMO".

Not to worry, I did a post in the genIII section which had IMHO in the topic
and still got slammed by a few. The top looks good but I am one of those who
does like the oem top. The oem top has the double bubble which helps when wearing
a helmet when racing but if I were just driving to a car show I wouldn't need
the helmet. sorry but I had to say that.

 

[Jeff Lemke]

I'm glad to hear the positive feedback since I supposed to go pick mine up on Friday. Do you think that I would be able to paint the front of the scoop so that it looks functional?

Cayman,

Thanks for the nice comments about the top. I would definately paint some black in the front section of scoop to make it appear functional. It will look alot better. Looks great on your car though (love those wheels).

Call me if you need any help in your final adjustments.

Jeff

 

[ViperJohn]

They need to start offering a Gurney (sp?) bubble with that top. I do like the fact the top is in three pieces, but I actually prefer the lines of the Mopar Hard top.

 

[wastntim]

. I would definately paint some black in the front section of scoop to make it appear functional. It will look alot better.

Jeff

Jeff: Can you paint mine so that it looks functional?

p.s. I might be trailering the car up there due to weather on Friday.

 

[VPRVENM97]

That's a great looking top. The lines flow very nicely and it looks like it was meant to be there. Congrats to Jeff for designing great piece.

Is that a Hellcat you're building?

 

[KepRght]

the top looks tiny tiny bit low to the lines of the car, next version needs double boubles like the GTS

the fit and your paint job looks amazing

 

[cayman]

I'm probably going to get flamed for this but before I say it, THIS IS JUST MY OWN OPINION (and the opinion of some others)!! To me, the factory tops always looked like an after thought with it just sitting on top of the sport bar and not flush with it. I've had several questions from friends as well as strangers about the soft top and if it was aftermarket. They were in disbelief when I told them it was the OEM factory top. Of course they knew nothing about Vipers but it has become obvious that the general public, or at least the people I've come into contact with, disapprove of the factory tops. And, I've had nothing but compliments on this new top while attending a large car show this weekend. Some even thought this top was factory.

I'm sure there have been an infinite number of topics on the subject and I didn't mean for this thread to become one of them, but IMHO, I like this top better than the after thought bubble look.

There. I said it!

 

[cayman]

That's a great looking top. The lines flow very nicely and it looks like it was meant to be there. Congrats to Jeff for designing great piece.

Is that a Hellcat you're building?

Giant scale Corsair F4U, complete with retracts and full function flaps.

 

[wastntim]

I have a factory hardtop and think it looks good, but I think the 3 piece also looks good. In fact, I plan to keep the factory top and probably will use it when I know that I will not be removing the top but for the rest of the time, I will go with the 3 piece, for practicallity reasons. Living in Chicago, the weather is too unpredictable and changes to drastically to use only the OEM hardtop.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I'm probably going to get flamed for this but before I say it, THIS IS JUST MY OWN OPINION (and the opinion of some others)!! To me, the factory tops always looked like an after thought with it just sitting on top of the sport bar and not flush with it.

The factory hardtop looks ok in my opinion. The factory softtop is like putting a piece of dogcrap on top of your car and riding around. I dont use my tops enough to justify the $$ for Jeff's top, but I agree, the OEM softtop is one of the ugliest tops of all-time. They leak like you have no top at all, are a huge PITA to assemble/diassemble, can easily scratch the car when installing, and are just plain ugly. Make no mistake about it, Dodge never intended these cars to be driven in the rain and the softtop WAS an afterthought

 

[RoadiJeff]

I was considering one of these. Although I drive mine with the top off 95% of the time the only times I would have it on is during cold weather, such as the last few weeks. It has never been driven in the rain and it never will, so leaks issues are not a concern.

Anyway, I really like the look of the sport bar, open air, no rear window when the top is off. I understand the sport bar has to be modified or removed for this three piece top to fit. How difficult is it to return it to the original configuration when the warmer weather hits and the top heads for the basement until next October?

Also, do you have any pics of what your car looks like with the new top removed?

 

[OKViper]

I think that three piece actually looks good.
The factory hardtop looks silly - very afterthought and out-of-place. I think that there is a reason all the car mags made fun of it back in the day.
And I think Gurney bubbles only look good on a GTS, maybe the OEM is so bad that the bubbles make it look even worse.

of course, IMHO...

 

[cayman]

I was considering one of these. Although I drive mine with the top off 95% of the time the only times I would have it on is during cold weather, such as the last few weeks. It has never been driven in the rain and it never will, so leaks issues are not a concern.

Anyway, I really like the look of the sport bar, open air, no rear window when the top is off. I understand the sport bar has to be modified or removed for this three piece top to fit. How difficult is it to return it to the original configuration when the warmer weather hits and the top heads for the basement until next October?

Also, do you have any pics of what your car looks like with the new top removed?

The black sport bar is modified with pin recepticles that allow you to simply snap it back in when you have the top off.

 

[Parisianviper]

Hello Cayman,

Nice pictures !!
How about creaking noises when driving on eneven roads?

PS: you should contribute to the "Ultimate Wheel Thread" with the first pictures. Are these CCW 505A?
18" or 19"?

 

[snampro]

can anyone provide feedback on this top when installed on a GenI? I'm considering ditching my hard and soft tops for this...

 

[Jeff Lemke]

. I would definately paint some black in the front section of scoop to make it appear functional. It will look alot better.

Jeff

Jeff: Can you paint mine so that it looks functional?

p.s. I might be trailering the car up there due to weather on Friday.

Yes. All painted versions have a painted black insert in that area.

Jeff

 

[joe117]

I bought the one piece version with no scoop. I really like the way it looks and I plan to keep it on all the time.
I didn't go for the three piece because I plan to leave it on. I'm not much for driving an open car unless it's a really nice day. Most of the summer, it's just too hot sitting there in the sun.

I didn't bother to buy the windows to go with it as I don't drive the car in bad weather.
I still have the factory hard top and the factory soft top and factory slider windows. I could use those if I really needed to.

The factory tops just look so lame. It's obvious that they were just something that was thrown together after the fact.
But save them, some day they will be worth big money.

I think every R/T owner should get one of these new tops. They really look sharp.

 

[joe117]

Did you know that there was a Corsair that had a 4360 cu/in engine?
A 28 cylinder 4 bank 7.

 

[ViperJoe]

LOL!

Here we go..........Coke, Pepsi, McDonalds, Wendys, CORSA, B&B, Visa, AMEX................................and the list goes on and on and on and on and on...................

IMHO......IMO........

I would hope that most of the folks here would realize and have common sense enough to know that when someone makes a post about a product that they have.........

IT IS THEIR FREAKIN OPINION......humble or not! LOL

 

[JUCD VPR]

I AGREE the OEM top looks like crap TO ME. Thats why i had to have Jeff's three piece top, ever since i got the new top i've had tons of compliments. When you put my RT/10 next to another with a OEM top almost everyone likes the 3 piece better. Thats just from my experience i've seen!
Although i have the functional scoop, i like the look of it!
Great looking RT/10 Cayman!

 

[JUCD VPR]

Cayman ~ I think your car would look AWESOME...well even more awesome if you did some BLACK vinyle stripes, and a mopar spoiler. Just a thought?

 

[snampro]

what's the website for these tops?

 

[RoadiJeff]

A.P. Engineering, Inc.