Those that have had vinyl tops redone or removed for paint only, was the top of the car painted the body color UNDER the vinyl convering or still in a primer state?

Trying to fill in some blanks on research.

Thanks!

Dale, My 72(Kansas car) was painted body color under the vinyl.

Dale,

My 72 (Oshawa) was also painted under the vinyl top.

Mike

Peeled back part of my Baltimore built '68 today and its that same Grecian Green as the rest of the car. Found red under the top on my code 75
'70 Elky as well.

Dale, I've removed the original vinyl roof on many makes and models of cars including several A body cars. I've never seen an original, unmolested car that didn't have the body color paint underneath the vinyl. If yours shows primer, start looking for the other indicators that body/paint/new vinyl roof has taken place at some point in its life since it left the factory.

I'm just doing research for my ChevelleStuff website; I've only owned one car (a 67) w/a vinyl top.

All U.S. body number plates I've seen have a lower/upper paint code where, when a vinyl top was ordered, the lower color gets a single code followed by the vinyl top color. Some Oshawa plates have lower/upper paint codes and then a code for the vinyl top, like one '68 with FF (Island Teal) and then 'T-27' for a black vinyl top and a 68 Beaumont with NN (Cordovan Maroon) and 'T-21' for a white vinyl top. Two '70 Osahwa plates I have are like their U.S. counterpart with lower paint and upper vinyl top code like '19 B' (black/black). Maybe it's a '68 thing?

All had color. I had a 71 SS that even had the stripes painted under the vinyl top, the car had been repainted a solid color and I found the stripes when peeling off the top. Just peeled a top off a 72 hardtop last summer, all painted body color but the quarter to roof seams were not finished off as nicely as would normally be on a non vinyl top car.

Thanks for posting our 71 on your site.Same body color under vinyl roof here also but must of been ordered with the rust option ha ha

Came across this while searching - my 70 Monte Carlo had the roof painted the body color under the vinyl top.

Part of the area between the rear side windows and rear glass looked like it was evened out with a rake at the factory.

Dale, a previous '69 SS I had was body colour under the top as well. Car was built in Fremont.

Looks like it's pretty well confirmed that the body was painted completely as if no vinyl top was planned (i.e., not just left in primer) and the top added at the appropriate station. Appears as though they even went so far as to paint the stripes before applying the vinyl top.

Also, apparently even Canadian-built convertibles continued this theme of lower/upper body colors defined even though a convertible top was installed. I have a 67 convertible that's coded YY (and has C06 and M35 coded) but also has "TP02" code on tag which doesn't show up as an RPO code but may stand for "Top Padded" and 02 for black (?). I would assume a black to on this particular car since the interior is black.

Thanks to all that replied. graemlins/waving.gif

Originally posted by Dale McIntosh:
Looks like it's pretty well confirmed that the body was painted completely as if no vinyl top was planned (i.e., not just left in primer) and the top added at the appropriate station. Appears as though they even went so far as to paint the stripes before applying the vinyl top.

Well, not exactly. Even though the vinyl top cars had the roof painted body color, the joint of the roof and quarter panel was very roughly finished, so it would seem to me that the factory simply sprayed the roof body color as rust prevention since primer wouldn't repel moisture. Know whadda mean?

That joint at the roof and rear 1/4 panel was what I was talking about (I'm not good with body language) where it looks like it was smoothed out with a rake. Looks like it got the same paint treatment, but not the same prep before.

I believe the roof is always painted body color for preventing moisture. Primer doesn't protect from the moisture like real paint will.

I think they knew ahead of time if it would have vinyl. Seems that all vinyl top cars had body filler at the sail/quarter panel seam and the hardtops had lead. The body filler was in no way done to perfection. Vinyl hid a lot of imperfection, unlike that hard top. The seam on a hard top would be the first thing anyone would notice if it was wavy or raked on like you said. I just removed my vinyl top and it was painted across the whole thing and had the putty too. Oh yes and the rust to go with it.