i want to put a vinyl top on a car that never came with one. another posters pictures of his 67 is very scary. the roof can be prepared so that this sort of thing (rusting all to hell) doesn't happen can't it?


EDIT: look to the bottom of page 3 of this threadhttps://mustangforums.com/forum/classic-mustangs/508763-sanding-my-67-mustang-coupe-3.html

 

I am thinking about doing the same thing and have the same concerns.

The short answer is vinyl roofs are a major problem.

I would think that without any unforseeable mishaps like garage door coming down on it or someone slicing the roof up with knife for fun that water leakage and rust would be more a regional thing to contend with.

Maybe some kind of a sealer on the outside would help more ?

 

Vinyl roofs can be a problem for cars that sit outside where the weather beats up the roof and then moisture gets under the vinyl. some of the problem was that the factory didn't care to waist paint under the roof and only primed it. For a car that has a painted roof now and is going to be sitting in a gagage the vinyl will not be a problem. I am partial to vinyl roofs. I think they look really nice on the right car. As you can see.

 

Vinyl roofs can make a cars paint pop if done right. It all about the prep work. I spent 3 solid weeks prepping my roof before I even thought about installing the vinyl.

I sanded the roof all the way down to bare metal and fixed any minor rust issues from the cars younger years. I then primed the roof and shot down 2 coats of flat black. Next I got a paint roller and rolled on 3 coats of por15. I went extremely heavy around the rear window a know problem area for trapped moisture.

Once the vinyl was installed I used a BLACK rubber silicone sealer on the top side of the drip rails to make sure no moisture would ever find its way in. Its been 4 years and the vinyl is still as smooth and bump free as the day I installed it.

Its a bunch of work and I would never go through the hassle again but at least I know its done right! Most people who have seen my cars color scheme think that it was a good call to keep the vinyl roof with the build. Good luck and take your time!!!!!

 

That sure seems like a lot of work for a car that will never sit out in the rain. I have to believe that beautiful car of yours is sitting in the garage at night, right?

 

yes its garaged but im 5 miles away from the beach in california. we get a major marine layer through the months of may and june. i wanted to take every possible percaution so moisture would never get trapped under my vinyl. in all honesty its solid peace of mind and definately over kill for a garage situation but the roof will never rust

 

Every vinyl roof i put back on any car i always made sure it went over a painted roof and sealed the edges really good.The last chevelle i did was 10 years ago top still looks great and no tears yet and the car is drove almost daily.

 

Love the vinyl roof look and many cars. If they are not done correctly your in trouble! You'll really want to inspect the edges each spring and fall for ripples, bumps or bulging from under the vinyl.

A painted roof is absolutely required for a vinyl roof! I've never understood people saying they aren't having the roof painted because a vinyl roof was going on. It needs to be well protected. I did pretty much what rst08tierney did about but used POR-15 and a 2-part Epoxy primer after the roof was striped down to the metal, cleaned, and prepped. It is a lot of work but our car will see 1 year of outdoor weather before having a garage.

I'm paying a guy to do it for me I think. He did a great job on my fathers car and cheap imo. For 125.00 he comes out, provides and installs the vinyl and offers a 2 year warranty on it. Last time I looked NPD and others want 100+ for the vinyl alone so this makes sense to me.

The biggest thing is to ensure you or the installer knows what they are doing. It needs to be installed correctly to have any chance of surviving.

 

thanks guys.

 

i'm still trying to find the snap-in drip rail mouldings that go with theses roofs