I am restoring a 70 Chevelle SS396, Astro Blue, Black SS stripes, Black Vinyl top. My question is the rear SS stripes (trunk lid) and how far they extend to the rear window. One restoration book that I have states that SS stripes ended at the trunk lid and did not extend onto the body (below the rear window) on "coupes equipped with the vinyl top option". However, we have seen restorations that have the stripes extended to the vinyl top trim. Who / what is "correct"?

Originally posted by 57chevbelair:
I am restoring a 70 Chevelle SS396, Astro Blue, Black SS stripes, Black Vinyl top. My question is the rear SS stripes (trunk lid) and how far they extend to the rear window. One restoration book that I have states that SS stripes ended at the trunk lid and did not extend onto the body (below the rear window) on "coupes equipped with the vinyl top option". However, we have seen restorations that have the stripes extended to the vinyl top trim. Who / what is "correct"? It starts on the trunk lid and goes all the way under the rear glass stainless trim.

They all go to the bottom of the window, the vinyl top will cover them.

Hmmm,
As far as I know, my car is a factory 1970 SS 396. My stripes only went over the trunk lid, and did not extend up to the wondow molding. All other vinyl top cars that I have seen have been the same way. The books that I have confirm this to be true. Yet I have seen SOME cars with the strips running up to the window.

The stripes extended to the body.
Check out this picture from a fellow TCer's site.
(One of my favorite sites - Thanks richr)
http://my70ss.homestead.com/files/Speaker_grills_2.JPG

The car is very original.

My 70 ss came with a vinyl top and the stripe went under the vinyl to the window well. Apparentlly the paint was on first and vinyl went on after the stripes.

I agree with most of the above, my car had the original vinyl top on it when it did my restoration, and the stripes went all the way to the window moulding.

"On coupes with a vinyl top, the stripes should end at the lid opening" (Chevelle SS Restoration Guide by Paul A. Herd) If this is wrong, it will be very shocking for someone who thinks they are doing a "correct" restoration just to find out this guy was full of crap and that your $10,000 paint job is "wrong"....... :( How many other things in this book might be "non-correct" :eek: I'm not doing a correct resto, so I am not concerned, but I sure feel sorry for the guy who thinks he is.

That book is full of errors and not regarded as accurate. My 71 SS454 with a vinyl top had the stripes all the way to the window, I found them after removing the vinyl top. The car had been repainted without the stripes but the factory original ones were still under the top.

Originally posted by drptop70ss:
That book is full of errors and not regarded as accurate. My 71 SS454 with a vinyl top had the stripes all the way to the window, I found them after removing the vinyl top. The car had been repainted without the stripes but the factory original ones were still under the top. Thanks drptop... The book is trash. I'm glad we have this forum to find these things out graemlins/thumbsup.gif