The 72 LDO 4 dr I just got has a vinyl top that needs replacing. After getting a $950 quote from a local place, I was thinking paint might be a better option. However, I contacted a place in NC that makes universal kits and has one that just might work. She is sending me a sample of the material (mine is dark green). If it is a good match, the kit is only $85. So my long winded question is, has anyone ever installed one and how difficult is it. I'm thinking the worst I could do is waste about $100 in material and the best I could do is save about $800. Any comments?
I agree with this statement! You have surely seen the pics as to why... Sorry it doesn't help your search for vinyl install info. I believe that vinyl trim installed just like the top is there, then a contrasting/complimenting color paint inside the trim would look nice. Good luck whatever you decide. Dave
I'll reply here instead of PM .... The vinyl top was not hard to do just take patience to make it look good. I highly recommend going to the local Barnes and Noble and looking at a Camaro Restoration Book. Not sure of the title but they had an excellent step by step chapter on how to install the vinyl top. That is where I got my procedure ... The chapter in the Mustang Books sucked. Basically after you have removed all remnants of old top .. which I didn't have to do because the car I did never had a top. 1) Remove front and rear windshield chrome and clips. 2) Mark centerline on roof 3) Mark centerline on backside of new vinyl top. 4) Lay top on roof matching up centerlines 5) Trim top around all windows leaving about 6 inches or so of room to work with. 6) Begin using spray adhesive doing small area at a time. Move from center to side of car .. front & back. Do one side at a time. Try not to stretch or distort vinyl as you laying down. It has a cotton backing and you have about 2 seconds to work with it and it's stuck. 7) Once most of top is glued down use a pieve of chalk to trace around front and rear window edges. Then use a razor blade and cut about one inch outside of the chalkline 8) Cut slit in vinyl so it slides over rivets that are used to hold clips for the windshield chrome. Use Weatherstrip adhesive around all edges of the top to keep it down and sealed. Then place new Revel Clips on Rivits hold vinyl down even more. 9) Fill the rain gutters with weatherstrip adhesives and glue vinyl down into gutter. Leave the chrome on if you have it since vinyl is too think to fit under it (I tried). Trim as close to backside of chrome trim in gutter as you can. 10) Put your chrome trim back on windows ... Slick it up good with soap and water so you don't tear the vinyl installing the chrome on revel clips ... it will by very tight .. Good Luck ...
I dont think that stuff would be near as durable as a 30 y/o vinyl top....id contact upholstery shops and see where they get there contact cement.
If you look the product up on 3M's website ... it made for car vinyl tops .... http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...E3E02LECFTDQCEK3_nid=GS26K5X2RCbe6DTWTJQPBBgl
Actually the rain gutters are larger on a factory vinyl roof car. The factory vinyl wraps over the edge, then the gutter trim clips back on. I removed one and found this out. They can be removed with some effort but without any tools.
Try as I might I could not get the gutter trim to fit back on over the vinyl. I'll look in the parts book and see if the gutter trim was different on vinyl cars .. AHA!!!! Looked up the part ... Yes ... Vinyl Trim cars did have different part numbers for the drip moulding Trim ... No wonder I couldn't get it to fit .....
I would get 2 to be safe .... I'm sure I did not use two full cans .... EDIT ... although a 4-door may take more??
Here is a picture of the rear section of the rain gutter. I pulled the stainless trim off and you can see the vinyl is wrapped totally around the edge and side. The stainless trim snaps back on with a little effort.
