That piece is metal and is textured to simulate the grain of the vinyl. When I repainted my car in '86 I removed that (and all the chrome), and re-sprayed it gloss black because it had faded / weathered over the years. I'm trying to remember how it is held on, I think it clips over the front edge of the deck lid (not 100% on this, it may just lay on top) and held in the back by the screws holding the chrome trim that goes along the back of it. It is exactly as wide as the deck lid (it does not wrap around the sides of the deck lid), and long enough to extend under that chrome strip. You could probably get away with just painting the deck lid the same color as the top, but that would not be "correct". Sorry I can't be more help.

 

Are you sure about this? Now that's interesting. The 68s used a strip of roof vinyl with the stainless, so I thought for the last 35 years.

My early production Z code 8 shows no signs of this simulated piece only vinyl/stainless.

If memory serves me I did see traces of the white vinyl on the underside of trunk lid when we stripped it for paint, (Factory K code/white top. Top changed to black before I purchased it. It's now red/black its 3rd vinyl roof).

That piece must be simulated well as I've never noticed it on an 8 or a 9? Or do I have yet another early production anomaly?

After the resto I did have a hard time fitting the lower back window trim. It interfered with the vinyl on the trunk lid, zero gap. I had to heat n tweak the C shaped lower window SS mount tabs to get the trim to suck up closer to the glass. I heat them and gently hammered them inward to gain a few 10ths of an inch.

Picture, please
Steve

 

 

it is a metal piece.... Shawn



underside

texture pattern

one 68, one 69

 

 

I have never observed this piece until today? It was never on my radar and was likely overlooked...many times, many times. I used to Junkyard crawl in my younger days out west when they were full of treasure.

Makes sense that whoever removed my white top for black didn't want to repaint that piece black and found it easier to simply install a strip of vinyl.
BUT why would I see remnants of white vinyl on my trunk lid on the underside lip and under the SS strip???
Could the OEM white have been replaced with white once before the second owner bought it and changed it to black? Plausible. Does that make 4 tops on this car?

Goes to show what you may have thought was original turns out to be false? Anything is possible in 51 years.

No wonder why I needed to adjust the window trim. The vinyl is thicker than that metal piece.
GRRR another piece I need to source to get it back to the day it was born...or maybe Ill just forget I ever saw this thread...lol

OK, all you 68-69 vinyl top cars:
1. Do you have this piece?
2. What are the build dates and build plants for your car... I'm interested to see if this was plant specific and or a later 68 cut-in. As my car has several early car anomalies.
3. Would it be model specific, CS/F85 vs S and 442? I'd imagine it was deleted with a painted top.
4. Pictures!

Billy Id imagine this piece was deleted with the two-tone paint???

Steve

 

This is cool stuff. I’m looking forward to hearing what other people say. I’d like to pull out my after market parts catalog and see if that piece for vinyl tops has been reproduced.
The molding I have I assume fits on top of the edge of the textured molding and the clips probably go into those holes.
I don’t remember on my 2 tone car I had in the 80’s how the molding looked but it’s logically assumed just the chrome molding was on there to demark the top paint.
So that’s the way I’m gonna install it.
heres my Cutlass (photo circa 1984) though you can’t see the molding on the back. —Billy

 

 

So a late build for sure.
Pic?
Vinyl top not painted right?

 

Interesting topic, I never noticed that on any of the vinyl trim or two tone cars before. So does that mean the long piece between the 2 trim pieces is a different length for 68-69?

 

 

Only if the width of the '69 deck lid is different than the '68. Not sure why it would be though.

I'm pretty sure my car was built in Lansing in the fall of '67, it has no headrests or shoulder belts, one of which I'm pretty sure was mandated to be installed on all cars built after 1/1/68. I'm going to take the cover off it this weekend and will check the body tag.

 

'68 & '69 trim is the same length. Painted cars did not have the textured trim, only paint. The trunk trim is held on with one screw at each end. My car was painted roof, no trim. Wife's car with vinyl roof had textured trim. Both cars Oshawa built in the spring. Was going to buy '68 convert with '69 lid. Someone filled in the corners. Looked good from outside. When you install the corner chrome trim there should be about 3/4 to one inch of space to the trunk upper lip.

 

Check out the trunk lid picture by 'epinkston' 68 442 coupe, all manual thread. Post # 10.

 

Very interesting! I had to go look again at the strip on my '68 4-4-2. It is vinyl that is glued down to the deck lid, with the chrome trim on it's lower edge. BUT, my car was painted a different color sometime in it's past, and I don't know the history of the vinyl covering. The vinyl appears aged and weathered, and even has a small blemish/tear in about the middle. Was the vinyl added when the new color was sprayed? It looks like a factory quality installation. The tag reads D-D for paint. The edges of the trim on the under side of the deck lid almost appear and feel to be plastic. I am thinking this is because of saturation of adhesive. it is clearly vinyl across the top, especially where the damage makes the backing material visible, and it is easily "flexed."

For the Good Doctor's questions:

1. No metal piece: it's vinyl
2. Build Dates: 12E (1967) Lansing
3. Model :4-4-2
4. Pictures Below.

 

 

OK, here's my cowl tag, looks like mine was built in the 1st week of October (10A) in Lansing:

This is how the trim is attached to the deck lid: One screw on each end holds the chrome trim and the black metal textured trim, and the front edge of the black textured metal trim wraps around (barely) the front edge of the deck lid. Note that the trim does not wrap around the sides of the deck lid.

Like I mentioned, I've known this car since new and I'm 100% positive that it has the original black vinyl top, and that black textured metal trim is how it came from the factory. Hope this helps.

My bet is if the vinyl top was changed to a different color (or added), that they simply wrapped a strip of vinyl around the deck lid in place of the correct textured metal piece like BackInTheGame's car. I wouldn't be surprised if this was (and is) a difficult part to find. Usually if the rear end was damaged enough in a collision to require replacement of this piece, the car was most likely totaled, so probably very little demand for it in the body shops back in the day.

 

Johnny, Cool. Mines 09C Z code, originally K5 Ocean Turquoise poly with white top n gut, Now its a twin of yours but from anotha *****.
That would explain why my textured trim is MIA. I'll have to contact the OCA Chapter member I purchased it of in Roseville CA in 86. I thought he had the first black top installed. Not sure if it was white or black when he did it as the car was copper with a black top when I purchased it off him. He said the PO did the copper paint don't remember what he said about the top. I did black again in 90 to get at some typical toad skin rust. Being a CA car for 20 years it could very well be top #4 it's wearing now?

Just when you think you know (almost) all...I'm baffled, to be honest. I've been around these cars most of my life and never caught this little detail.
This is the only vinyl topped 68-9 I have owned. The 70 Cutlass S had a white top white gut red body but it didn't have this piece...that I recall. I know the Saturn Gold 71 CS with black top did not.

My bet was it was easier to recover in vinyl or there was something not good about the textured piece and it was discarded. Maybe it didn't stay attached well? Or it was just quicker for the installer to cover it in vinyl vs refinishing. Love to speak with an old schooler that is familiar with this.

I may be a bit fuzzy here and Im too lazy to go look at the car or the book, but I seem to remember the lid has the trim post rivets which hold the rectangular plastic trim clips on for which the SS is clipped on to. Then the corners are held on with the two Phillips pan heads.

The SS trim snaps onto the plastic trim clips similar to how the fender/door/quarter trim does. The textured trim looks like it fits over the two outer post rivets then avoids the center posts, then is sandwiched between everything. Must have been a bitch to assemble.

Note the holes and scallops on the piece in Shawns post #5

 

 

Part numbers are not listed in the body manual. Group 12.116 Compartment lid finish moulding # 7773996. I had a hell of a time finding that number. Paint to Match. '68 & '69.

 

TX Yellowstatue. Where did you locate the PN?
You had a hell of a time with the number. I imagine Ill have the same fun trying to find this part.

 

I couldn't find it in my '74 book, so I looked in my '68 preliminary pts cat #X683A. Found it there because it has a lot less parts in it ('68 only) then went back to 74 book and found it staring me in the face.