69442murph

Just picked up a black 73 Hurst. Came with a roll of new vinyl for the top. Not sure it is correct. Is there anyone that can post a close up photo of the top material? He saved the old material but it is so old and brittle it is hard to see the detail or pattern in it.
Also, if it is not to much trouble, a close up of the rear side window to show how the top material is trimmed or wrapped?

I am so wrapped in 69 A body cars, and this is a new adventure, and I am sure I will have lots of questions....

thank you!
tim

texxas

Any stamps, maker's marks, or date codes on the back side of the roll? Black or white? Pictures of your new 73? Please? Thanks.

69442murph

Thanks for the response.....there are no marks, or stamps on the backside....
I have the receipt from the supplier, but would have to look at it again...

i will post some pics when i get them off my phone....its rough! But most of it is here....

thanks

70Post

Tim - I'm assuming it's black since you said the car is black (and the prior poster texxas also asked.....so...ANSWER THE QUESTION!! )

Not really sure what you are asking about...the color? The texture/grain?

My bet is since it's a Hurst Olds, they did what Hurst was real good at back then....MAKING STUFF GAUDY!

Gaudy in a good way IMO....but Hurst seemed to take things a "step beyond" when they got involved in graphics, air scoops, etc....you get the idea.

And when it came to vinyl tops..what would be more gaudy than some good old American Naugahyde Vinyl??

'72's used the white naugahyde grained vinyl and just to step it up a notch the stuff had some pearl and/or gold tinge mixed into the vinyl.

My thinking is they probably kept the Nauga trappers busy again in '73 and used the same textured vinyl.

You're old enough to remember Naugahyde....it's not a pebble type grain like mere-mortal vinyl tops were. It has more pronounced "wrinkles" in it and not really any pebble grain type look.

69442murph

I have not followed up on this thread, sorry....The answer to the question is: Yes, it is Black vinyl top car....

My question was related to the grain or texture of the material used originally...

This is a picture of the new material that the previous owner bought, and this rough pile of Lansing metal on wheels ( which are not the correct wheels, btw! )

Thanks for the responses....and Thanks Patton for kicking me to get me back to this thread.....I will also be in contact soon about another tank pad for current project.

tim

70Post

Man.....you're fast on the reply! Thanks.

The new material you have SURE looks like Naugahyde to me.

Next time I'm at a salvage place I'll take a look at a 74 (I think) H/O that's out there....car is very toasted BUT maybe it has some evidence of the original vinyl top material. It's a white car but the vinyl grain/type would have been the same I would think.

You could also contact SMS Auto Fabrics and see if they have any of this material.....possibly get a vinyl swatch/sample from them to compare to the new material you have.

If all else fails I recall that those Bean Bag chairs that first came out in the '70's used Naugahyde...you could go find a huge one and cut it up

EDIT AND ADD: I'll take my digital camera with me when I make it by the salvage place...maybe the top is decent enough to get some pics you need (grain and finish out/trim look)

texxas

The 74 would have both white and black vinyl on it's top. Patton could you take some pictures of that 74 H/O? Maybe a shot of the VIN and data plate. I think Gary would like the information for his 74 H/O registry. Thanks so much.

zodiacblue442

I'm glad you're saving that 73 HO! Those black 73 HOs look sooooooo good! There aren't many 73 HOs left. The 73-77 Cutlasses can be hard to restore because parts are difficult to find. I restored a 73 442 and it was a challenge. Thankfully my car was mostly complete.

Anyway, onto your vinyl top grain/pattern question. The vinyl pictured has way too much grain for what was originally used. I have a 74 HO W30 that I am currently restoring and it was a monumental Easter egg hunt tracking down correct interior and vinyl top materials. The original vinyl top material for your 73 was a smoother and glossier vinyl with a much less pronounced grain pattern. The good news is that I was able to find after weeks and weeks of dedicated searching a vinyl that is very close to the original material. I think it's currently available. At least it was a little over a year ago.

zodiacblue442

Patton, I have the registry for 74 HOs and if the car out in the salvage yard is a 74 HO, I would love to include it in the registry. Could you please take some pictures of the car, as well as the VIN and take a picture of the cowl tag on the top passenger side of the firewall? Even if the car is no longer on the road, I'd like to have a record of it.
Thank you,