| 1977 Mustang II T-Top |
| The convertible is dead. Long live the T-top! |
by John Etheridge
|
| The demise of the convertible, which had been predicted from time to time during the past 20 years, was slow in coming because there wasn't anything really satisfactory to take its place. But judging from the proliferation of the T-top, T-roof, Hatch or whatever you wish to call it, it seems that an acceptable substitute has at last arrived. It could be argued by some wind-in-the-face freaks that the removable panels don't accomplish the same thing as a folding top, but most convertible fanciers will be more than pleased with the new arrangement. |
| Two big pluses in favor of the panels are the protection they afford against thieves and vandals, and that they're unlikely to require replacement due to damage or deterioration during the life of the car. The $750 or so price tag at first seemed a bit steep to me until I recalled that the last convertible I owned (a Mercedes) had it's fourth top by the time I sold it, as a result of rot and depredations by slashers and rippers. I would have been money ahead with a T-top. Also, when I figured the rue cost of a T-top, it shouldn't be overlooked that most insurance companies charge a premium for fabric tops, an item that must be paid each year. |
| Our test car represents Ford's debut into T-tops and is the prototype installation by American Sunroof Corporation, which will supply them. It consists of dual tinted, tempered glass panels which, when removed, can be stored in a special pouch and stashed in the luggage compartment. The treated glass screens out most of the sun's rays but is sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of scenery, overhead signals and the like. Either one or both panels can be removed in a jiffy with less hassle than lowering the typical convertible top. The T-top is available on the Mustang II 3-door models but not on the 2-door Ghia notchbacks. (you have to be content with the "moon roof" on Ghias.) |
| Credit for the idea of the T-roof probably lies between the original Porsche Targa and the Corvette, but worth mentioning are Ford's earlier attempts at solving the convertible problem. The early Thunderbirds were available with both folding soft tops and removable hardtops, the latter usually being stored on overhead hoists in garages when not in use. Then there were the 1957-59 Fords with folding hardtops. These worked okay, except the folded top occupied almost all of the luggage space. |
| Part of the cost of installation of the T-roof goes into the addition of extra structure to the floor as well as to the roof itself to restore some of the rigidity lost by chopping away most of the roof. Decreased rigidity is evident from slight top rattles heard when traversing uneven surfaces, a flaw that probably was aggravated by the rather stiff rally suspension the test car had. As experienced, there was no problem with wind noise, the bane of fabric tops.
|
| The test car was equipped with the 302 V-8 and 4-speed gearbox, which made for highly satisfactory driving. Changes in the form of reduced size intake passages and slightly higher compression ratio give the engine lots of low-end punch. Obtaining the best acceleration time required slipping the clutch to avoid wheelspin. The way this combination gets you off the line gives the impression that the car is a lot faster than it really is. But with your foot full in it, the crackling of the octane-number-deficient tachometer serve as a reminder that there are only 129 ponies pulling for you.
|
| The good news is that these ponies won't eat you out of house and home. As can be seen in the spec chart, the car yielded highly respectable fuel mileage, considering the size of the engine and the performance available. Also in the good news department is that a 16.5-gal. fuel tank comes with the 302 V-8 in place of the standard 13-gal. tank. We discovered the way to get the most out of this engine/gearbox combination - economy and performance - is not to try squeezing out the last rpm in each gear but to get into top gear as soon as possible.
|
| The Cobra II finery, consisting of decals, emblems, spoilers, slotted window covers, a padded steering wheel rim, etc., proved to be a real attention getter, exactly as it is intended to do. It's doubtful if any of the airfoils help or hurt anywhere within the car's actual speed range, but they certainly impress the average beholder.
|
| The combination of the rally suspension and large-section steel radial tires yield a ride definitley on the firm side - perhaps a little too firm for some people. Rear roll stiffness is augmented by an added-on anti-rolll bar. The car remains a basic understeerer, but with the stiff rear end, oversteer can be induced with power at lower speeds. The car feels as if it might do very well in twisty, slalom-type competition.
|
| The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering gets high marks because it doesn't over-assist and leaves a good feel of the road.
|
| The brakes did a fine job stopping the car in the panice stop tests with virtually no sluing to one side. They did, however, emit strong odors when used hard to stop at the end of our acceleration runs. The hand brake proved powerful and easy to use when driving uphill in stop-and-go traffic.
|
| Air conditioning ws one option not included on our test car, but the fresh air system did an adequate job of cooling the occupants while the car was in motion. When at rest, lowering a window was required.
|
| A Johnson CB with a magnetic base antenna provided fun and entertainment. As well as could be determined just by using the CB, the radiation characteristics of the antenna weren't greatly affected by replacing a large percentage of the metal roof with glass and losing some of the ground plane. The magnetic antenna solves the theft problem nicely, because it can be unstuck and stowed out of sight when leaving the car.
|
| For the young or the young at heart, a Mustang II T-top optioned about like our test car makes a prideful and pleasing piece of transportation.
|
