Hello my first time trying this i'm trying to surprise my husband with info on how to do it your self vinyl replacement he has a 87 oldsmoble cutlass brougham 2 door he is soon going to get it painted but must get the vinyl top replacement and i called around and people want like 700 dollars to do it and that is to much for our pocket any guidance would be truly appreciate.

 

Welcome to the site... First and foremost, removing and replacing a vinyl top is not an easy task for many individuals... Since the plan is to repaint the vehicle, a suggestion would be to remove the top completely and paint the entire roof... You will need to obtain the non-vinyl top trim and side windows, but those are not difficult to find... Here is a link to removing the top to give you an idea of the work involved in just removing it.... The reinstall would be more tedious and time consuming...

 

I assure you the $700 is well spent to replace a vinyl top. Its a royal pain in the butt and if not done correctly will create major headaches down the road. So if he is not really handy, patient, or thorough, instead of surprising him with instructions surprise him with a top.

 

In my experience, in NJ, when you remove a vinyl top, there is usually extensive rust underneath it. This has to be repaired first, and correctly, before even thinking about putting the vinyl on. Most customers opt to just do the repairs and paint it, instead of having the extra expense of the vinyl install, on top of the repair/paint.
Just a warning, unless you live in a very dry climate.