Factory Interiors

Melrose T-Top International – GM Licensed Corvette Roofs, T-Tops & Headlight Components

Melrose T-Top International is the premier GM licensed manufacturer of Corvette T-tops and targa roof panels. Since 1983 the company has built its name on a narrow, deliberate specialty — the removable roof — and the parts that surround it: glass and painted roof panels, frames, weatherstripping, latch hardware, and GM licensed headlight assembly components.

Because Melrose manufactures the overwhelming majority of what it sells, fitment is controlled at the source rather than sourced from a catalog. For an owner facing a delaminated lens, a cracked frame, or a roof that will not seat correctly, that difference is the whole job.

The Melrose Story

Melrose T-Top has served the Corvette market with restoration parts since 1983, operating as a family owned and operated manufacturer from its facility in Cortland, Illinois.

The company’s position is unusual in the restoration industry. Years ago General Motors granted Melrose the use of its original tooling, under license, to continue producing the aluminum targa roof and T-top frames after factory production ended. The quality of the finished parts led GM to extend that license to nearly all of the C2 and C3 headlight assembly components as well — parts that are still cast from the original GM tooling today.

Four decades of growth has expanded the line well beyond roofs alone, into headlights, weatherstripping, roof hardware, and the accessories that go with them, shipped to Corvette owners across the globe.

Why Melrose T-Top?

A removable roof is not a part that tolerates approximation. It has to seal against weather, latch under load, and sit flush with body lines that were never quite identical from one car to the next.

Melrose produces roughly ninety percent of its own product line in house. That control shows up in consistent fitment, in stock that is actually on the shelf, and in a company that can answer a technical question about its own tooling rather than reading from a supplier sheet.

The carbon fiber frame program is a good example of the approach. Carbon fiber was only beginning to appear in factory automotive applications when these cars were built, and slower production times and higher costs kept it in premium and race-spec models. Melrose carbon fiber frames are both stronger and lighter than the original GM aluminum — a meaningful difference for an owner lifting a panel on and off alone.

Product Coverage

Melrose T-Top International manufactures and supplies roof system components for C1 through C8 Corvettes, along with third generation Camaro and Firebird T-tops, including:

• Targa Roof Panels (transparent, smoked, painted, fiberglass, and carbon fiber)
• Glass T-Tops and T-Top Frames
• Roof Hardware (latches, handles, locating pins, shims, brackets, and bolt kits)
• Roof and T-Top Weatherstripping
• GM Licensed Headlight Assembly Components (buckets, bezels, actuators, vacuum kits, and hardware)

Coverage spans every Corvette generation with a removable roof, from early headlight assemblies through current C8 panels.

Cast From Original GM Tooling

The GM license is the part of the Melrose story that cannot be reproduced by a competitor. Licensed headlight components are cast from the original General Motors tooling and machined in the United States, which means the parts are not reverse-engineered approximations of the factory piece — they come off the same tools the factory piece came off.

American manufacturing lets Melrose hold tolerances, keep quality consistent from batch to batch, and maintain the availability that a restoration timeline depends on.

Why Buy Melrose from Factory Interiors?

Factory Interiors proudly offers a full selection of Melrose T-Top International products, making it easy to find the correct roof panel, T-top, weatherstrip, or headlight component for your Corvette.

Our platform is built specifically for automotive restoration, allowing you to shop by year, make, and model with confidence. Each listing is structured to ensure accurate fitment and clear option selection, so the difference between a panel, a complete kit, and an exchange unit is spelled out before you order.

Our team understands what is at stake when a roof does not fit — and we are here to help you choose the right part the first time.

Built for the Roof. Licensed by GM.

Melrose products are made for owners who want the roof on their Corvette to look correct, seal correctly, and stay that way. Whether you are replacing a clouded lens, restoring a set of headlight assemblies, or fitting a fresh panel to a car that has been apart for years, these components are built to install cleanly and hold up in use.

With more than four decades of specialization and a manufacturing license granted by General Motors itself, Melrose T-Top International remains the definitive name in Corvette roof restoration.