ok so who has tried to install one themselves,and are you going to tell me to farm it out?seriously ive heard different horror stories on this.

i have not installed a vynil top myself but from what i hear its preety simple. just take your time..

Personally, I would let a pro handle it.

I recently put one on my 72 and it was fairly simple. I was hesitant to try it because of a fiasco I went thru putting a conv. top on an '89 LeBaron smile.gif It was easier for me also, because my front and rear windows were out of the car. Use the search function and you''ll find a lot of tips and how to's on the subject.

Do a search back a couple of weeks.was talk on how to do.A fellow that goes by vettefellow posted some good tips.E-mail him he'll help ya.

graemlins/waving.gif
Rick

dont put the viynl on they just trap moisture and end up rotting out your roof!! paint it that color instead and use the chrome to break the colors!! i`ve seen alot of this done in my area and i think they look very nice and best of all no rot!!! just my 2 cents

I'm not a big believer in the " trapping moisture " argument. If the car is an all season vehicle ( read: winter ) then it may be problem. If it's for fairweather use, then put it on.

I ruined my roof by putting a vinyl top on my car. It didn't have one to start with. I just removed it a little while ago after about 8 years and half the metal came off underneath the top as rust. The surface looks worse than the suface of the moon now. I don't think the guy at the paint shop prepped the roof properly before he put it on. Now I have to put another top on to cover up the roof. I have to say they do trap mositure. This car did sit outside year round also.

Originally posted by 4spdrat:
I'm not a big believer in the " trapping moisture " argument.Hmmm... one picture is worth a thousand words...

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/BillsCamino/repair.JPG

This picture was taken at the body shop last week of my previously vinyl topped '70. This damage is on an otherwise rust free car that has all it's original body panels and floor/trunk pans...built, sold and lived it's whole life in GA. Damage obviously caused by water trapped under the vinyl. the metal that was removed was not rusted thru, just severely pitted.
My car WILL NOT be having another top put on it.

To counter that, there's a '77 El Camino and a '71 Chevelle sitting outside of my house right now, both with factory vinyl tops. The El Camino's been an all-season car that sits outside for over 10 years. I replaced the vinyl top a year ago, and the metal underneath was just fine - except for the places that had been cut through nearly 15 years earlier (which also scratched the factory paint underneath). The Chevelle also has no rust under the top (that needs replacing).

I'm thinking that the key here is probably to seal the roof somehow (perhaps with an epoxy primer) before putting the top on, since the vinyl's not gonna do that for you. If you're real paranoid, POR-15 the roof first - that stuff won't ever come off, though, so you're kinda stuck with it... smile.gif

A vinyl top does not last forever, anyone ever hear the word maintenace. If your top is to the point where it is letting water get between the vinyl & the roof it's due for replacement. Most people will leave this leaking vinyl top on their cars for another 10 years and then cry the blues about how the roof on their car has rusted. It's the old story, pay a little now or alot later. Dave smile.gif

How do you know when it's time to replace it? We've all seen tops that are in bad shape, but you would want to catch it as soon as it's allowing moisture through. Are there any signs, or things to check?

My 70 SS came with a vinyl top. I am restoring back to original with the vinyl top. With enough primer and paint below the top, I don't see a big problem in having one. Depends on what your intended usage of the car is and whether or not you leave it out in the rain, snow, hot sun, garage, etc.