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Thinking of going half vinyl instead of full what.
Do I need to make this happen on a 1975 cutlass. Salon
The car has a full vinyl top, I'm thinking of when I replace it going with the half vinyl . Like my dad's 77 had..
What trim, etc is needed at the front lip of the vinyl, ?
You will definitely need separate pieces to install a 1/2 vinyl top vs. a full vinyl top. I suggest contacting an interior shop that you would have do the work. Sometimes they can install a vinyl top with aftermarket pieces. When you look for a parts car you might find cars with a factory vinyl top and an aftermarket vinyl top.
I considered installing a vinyl top on my 71 98 when I repainted it. I even bought the trim to do it. I found that there were 2 different vinyl tops available for the 71 98 Luxury Sedans. I figure one was installed from the factory and the other was installed by dealers.
On WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to many cars, a vinyl top is a tragic, horrible mistake-----------------------RUST, big time!!!!
Back in the day EVERYONE had to have a vinyl top-----------it was the big fad. Well, after all these years of moisture being trapped under the vinyl and under the trim around the edges of the vinyl, rust has formed and continued to spread more than what is visible. I ordered my Cutlass S new with a vinyl top. The rust that has formed is enough to make a grown man cry! When I finally get it into the body shop, the vinyl top is coming off ------------- PERMANENTLY, and all the rust areas will be replaced with metal.
Not only is this my personal experience, but I have observed it on MANY, MANY cars which had vinyl roofs installed.
The rust can be felt "crunching" underneath the vinyl near the rear window.
If your go from full vinyl to 1/2 vinyl top you will have to get studs for the trim clips to install on the roof. They make them that have a sheet metal screw end. Essentially, you just screw the studs into place through the roof. You will also have to use an angle grinder to remove the studs on the roof that you won't reuse. Definitely not an easy job, but doable.
March 25th, 2018 | 10:58 AM
