Dan:
ERA 684 is a 427 car with the battery in the rear and I carry the top, side curtains, bows and a ton of other stuff in the trunk all the time. Here's a thread from a little while back about stowing it in the trunk. You might be able to use some of the ideas to get yours to fit. The pictorial starts about 4 or 5 responses down.
Getting soft top in trunk
DonC