Hey guys, I and starting the body work on my 72 Chevelle. I will definately be putting on full quarter panels. My question is: should I replace the black vinyl top or leave it off. The car will be Pewter w/black stripes. Please give me your opinions or experiences. Any problems that might arise, or pros or cons of having a vinyl top. Thanks again.

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Ray (NJ)
72 BB Chevelle
A.C.E.S #3750

I like the look of the vinyl top. Sets it apart from the rest. I would recommend keeping the vinyl top as it caps off and balances the look of the 'velle, like a nice headdress - black tires and black top. But, it is more of a maintance problem. Which brings me to the topic...........What do you guys favor in using to keep your vinyl top in good looking condition? I have used many a product, and am not satisfied with any. I have used Amour-all, Stp, boot polish, nu-vinyl, mineral oil, future 2000, and some others, but none have a long lasting finish.

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Joe G.
ChicagoChevelle68
Any car past 1972 is just transportation.
josephguzman@yahoo.com

I scrub mine with a soft brush and warm,soapy water.I do that once a year.Then I apply Pledge to it.Had a new top put on my 70 about 7 years ago and that's what I do to keep it looking just right.Pledge gives it a nice,not so glossy sheen.I also use it in the interior.works great.I would go with the top myself.They look classy and they do break it up rather well.Pewter with a black top.Sounds great to me.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I have seen too many cars with rust around the vinyl top, including the Cutlass I ordered new. I got a vinyl top because it was in style back then. Now I am paying the price with a rusted line around the edges. I will someday pay to have this fixed because it is a super rare factory 5sp car.
Anybody want to buy a cheap soapbox?

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Tom Parsons

I definately think the black top would look great, but I would only install it if the car is going to live a garaged life when not in use..I have had cars with NO metal left around the rear window under the vinyl top, a good push and the whole rear window was out. I doubt you are building your car to drive through winter and neglect, so more than likely I would say put the top on.

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70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv
55 chevy prostreet
69/71 camaros
91 formula
TC member #493

The POR-15 folks now have a vinyl top dressing in their product line.
www.por15.com (http://www.por15.com)

I agree with droptop70SS. My car has a vinyl top on it.

Don't keep the vinyl top unless there is an important reason such as maintaining the original status of the car or if the appearance of the vinyl top is very important to you. Also, as droptop70SS said, a vinyl top must be kept out of the weather.

All this is related to the fact that vinyl tops accelerate rusting tremendously! Water gets underneath the vinyl; it does not readily dry out, creating ideal conditions for development of rust. Almost without exception, Chevys with old vinyl tops will have serious rust problems, especially around the rear where the top meets the body.


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Larry
Gold Member #245
Seattle WA

I have to agree with the "lose the vinyl top" folks here. I have a '70 with a vinyl top. The next time the car gets painted we are losing the vinyl top, and possibly changing the color. The only thing with removing the vinyl top is that some colors don't look so hot without the top. The champagne gold color of my car would look kinda washed out without the top. Good possibility that the car will be corvette yellow. Wife's choice, not mine. I'd prefer a deeeeeeep maroon if I had my druthers.

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Better Late than Never Fred
Team Chevelle #400
Last night I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky, and I thought to myself, where the heck is the ceiling?
1970 Chevelle Malibu (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/Riffers70_1)

If your car is to be stored inside, the vinyl top should not be a problem, provided the old top is removed and the roof prepped and painted as well as the rest of the body before the new top is installed. Many of the original cars didn't have a lot of paint under the vinyl, especially cars from the eighties. We are replacing the top on our '72 and it did have some damage in the rear window area, but then again the car did see a few winters of salt which it will never see again. Some of the older vinyl topped cars have the roof badly rotted so be careful when buying one of these cars as it can be expensive to repair.

When I pulled the old top off my 1970 I almost fainted. Had to replace the whole top. But, I like the looks of the vinyl top and will replace it. Plan on doing alot of prep work before top goes on.

Thanks guys, before I started the body work I had never thought about losing the top. I just figured I would replace it. But after pushing below the back window and hearing that dreadful cracking noise and feeling rust under drivers side sail panel, I started to wonder... Anyway something that I will ponder for awhile. The car will definately not see much weather again. Keep suggestions comming. Thanks

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Ray (NJ)
72 BB Chevelle
A.C.E.S #3750

Hi Ray,

I would suggest that you don't go with the vinyl top, especially if your car is going to be a daily driver. Mine used to have a vinyl top, which the previous owner had already removed, and it did quite a number on the rear channel below the glass. I just paid a small fortune in rust repair, body, and paint. The body man showed me a spot where the metal was almost paper thin.

What you could do is have the top painted black and reinstall the vinyl top chrome trim. This way, you can still keep a black top to set it off from the rest of the car. I've seen one Chevelle with this and I thought it looked great. Ultimately its your decision, and remember, there's no right or wrong here. Do what you like best and good luck!

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Brian R
'69 Malibu Coupe

My Elky came with a new vinyl top,and the body media blasted when I bought it. I like the looks of it, but I think I'm going to lose the top because I discovered some poor prep work below the rear window, which makes me uncertian about what lies underneath the rest of it. I think vinyl tops are moisture traps,even if you do keep them out of the elements, eventually you will have problems.

My 72 is an AZ car that originally had a vinyl top. The trim is still there with rust under it. This was a desert car! When I get to doing body and paint the trim will come off and no vinyl will go on. Just seems to be a rust magnet.

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Honey, its not a $200 hat. The distributor was $200, the hat came with it. kevin d
Maryland Chevelle Club #362
Classic Cars and Trucks of Beaufort #72

My car is an original Colorado car that had a vinyl top on it. Car was in northern NM for some years after that as I can tell from documentation. Although the metal was rusted on the lower right rear window channel and driver front pillar. It was not too bad to repair. No other roof damage. Since I have an original SS car that came from the factory with a white vinyl roof, I'm going to restore it with the vinyl top. Have build sheet and PoP as well to document the vinyl top. Car is cranberry red with pearl interior, white stripes and white vinyl top. I can hardly wait to see what it will look like. Car STILL has not been painted yet. Long resto since raising kids is 1st priority. Car will stay mainly garaged, so I will not worry of rust, especially out here in the SW.

Ray -

One more thing to consider is that if you lose the vinyl top, you'll have additional prep work to get the sheet metal on the roof straight enough for paint. From what I can tell on the vinyl top cars I've owned, the factory did not spend as much time concealing the quarter panel seams on the sail panels if the car was to receive a vinyl top. You can often make out the location of the seam through the top. Also, if there has been rust damage under the top, it will take some effort to eliminate any evidence of repair or pitting.

Good luck!

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Rainer Seitz
Vancouver, WA
Team Chevelle Gold #50

'68 SS396 (soon to be for sale!)
'70 LS3 400 Malibu
'70 Malibu convertible 350/300hp
rseitz@chevelles.com

Ray, your Chevelle will look good with or without the vinyl top, but my $.02 worth is that it will look better will a painted/gloss top.

Ray,

I prefer the look you get with the vinyl top.
The Pewter w/black stripes is a good looking package with a Black Vinyl top.

Look around the web for pictures of a pewter car with and w/o the black top then decide what you like. What I like or anyone else likes means nothing. It't your car so what do you like???

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Bill Taylor
TC Gold Member #73
December 1999 Feature Car
www.chevelles.com/feature/december99.htm (http://www.chevelles.com/feature/december99.html)
www.chevelles.com/showroom/BillTSS70-2 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/BillTSS70-2)
www.chevelles.com/showroom/leaves2 (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/leaves2)

Thanks, I really appreciate all the responces. BillT: I have found a pewter car w/out the vinyl top, but I haven't been able to find one with the top. (still looking) Rainer: I am concerned that there will be a lot of work to get the roof to look straight if I go without the top. I haven't taken the top off yet. I just hope it's not that bad. Thanks for the ideas guys. Ray

I say loose the top. Thank GOD someone had the presence of mind to take the top off my SS396 about 20 tears ago when it was stll down in Florida. It spent the last 13 years up here in Buffalo without the top, no rust damage. Even if you store a car up here during the winter, if you don't have a perfectly warm dry environment, the top can get moisture under it & cause problems!

Put a top on. They look great!

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Dan Orgill

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.

1969 Chevelle SS396/325hp Canadian built and proud of it!

Joe. G

Try Vinylex made by Summit Industries 800-241-6996. It won't last forever but I've had good luck with it. It will also protect against UV.




[This message has been edited by ZZ4U (edited 04-26-2000).]

Vinyl top is just another word for sponge.
They just suck up water and stay wet underneath.
Unless your car is an all original matching numbers car leave it off.
Both my cars came with vinyl tops.
this time on my 72, i decided to leave it off,
I'm glad I did. it looks better.
But on my 72 Montecarlo I kept it on because it is an all original matching numbers car with options.

Jeff Litka
72 Chevelle SS
72 MonteCarlo

[This message has been edited by JSL (edited 04-26-2000).]

Thanks for the info on the Summit product and the pledge application. I shall try them both. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

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Joe G.
ChicagoChevelle68
Any car past 1972 is just transportation.
josephguzman@yahoo.com

JSL, How does a vinyl top suck up water like a sponge? The material is vinyl and water or moisture in the air should not penetrate it unless it is old, torn, and/or dried up (if it is FIX IT!). If one keeps the vinyl in good shape you shouldn't have a problem with it. I'm sticking with the vinyl for reasons stated in previous post.

Vinyl top like a spongwe??!!Hmmnn...I had mine replaced 7 years ago beacuse it started to shrink around the edges.I had a reputable shop do it(Jim's Auto Top,Ansonia,CT)and although my car didn;t feel crunchy anywhere,I still was waiting to get a phone call from Jim's sounding like:"we took your old top off,and man,what a mess!"Instaed they called and said"WOW,it's perfect under here!"My car(at the time)had 59,000 miles on it or so,and was well taken care of.Obviously,I lucked out and some cars aren't as lucky.It's all personal preference if you want to have a top or not
but I do have to disagree with the "sponge" theory.

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1970 Chevelle SS396/L78/M21/4.10
1969 Corvette L46/M21/4.11
1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass 350 Olds,Th350(daily driver)
"Be aware of the possible ramifications of the potential outcome"

I have the vinyl top on my 82El Camino.

I like it. It makes it good with my gold paint. the only reason i have my top on is to keep more of a orignal look. i might take it off if i get a certin paint job. Really its up to the owner. just keep in mind that vinly tops = hard work keeping it looking good.