How Could Mopar Vinyl Top Cars NOT Have Been Painted?

Dibbons · Feb 29, 2020

if I am not mistaken, both our full and canopy vinyl top classic muscle cars are all rusty under the vinyl top. My question is how was that even possible, I can't picture the factory painting a car with the vinyl top already in place. What am I missing here? Thank you.

Photo is my '72 SSP with canopy vinyl roof removed (it's rusty under there).

kiwigtx · Feb 29, 2020

Vinyl tops are porous....water gets through eventually, and sits there festering away for years unchecked.

turbine68rt · Feb 29, 2020

Dibbons said:
if I am not mistaken, both our full and canopy vinyl top classic muscle cars are all rusty under the vinyl top. My question is how was that even possible, I can't picture the factory painting a car with the vinyl top already in place. What am I missing here? Thank you.

Photo is my '72 SSP with canopy vinyl roof removed (it's rusty under there).

View attachment 916751

Maybe this will help answer that question. When I removed the original vinyl top to be replaced I saw that the car was only painted body color past the areas that the top would be covering. The rest of the roof was gray primer only. If it was known to the painters that a particular car would receive a vinyl top, it wouldn't make much sense to have the top of the car receive the same attention as the body if it was going to be hidden anyway. Primer? Not the greatest rust prevention.

Dibbons · Feb 29, 2020

I guess the vehicles were hand painted back then, which would explain a lot.

moes · Feb 29, 2020

it was to save money!!!!!

dadsbee · Feb 29, 2020

Only primer on top, body colour by the guy in the "booth" only far enough up to make sure he had it covered. No point in wasting paint when it was only 50 cents a gallon! LOL

kiwigtx · Feb 29, 2020

dadsbee said:
Only primer on top, body colour by the guy in the "booth" only far enough up to make sure he had it covered. No point in wasting paint when it was only 50 cents a gallon! LOL

Exactly.

Furthermore....it is likely that there will be more rust marks underneath the area where the stitching is...as water can get through there easier. And it more likely there is an air gap under that stitching for rust to grow.

Randy Marsh · Feb 29, 2020

I've also noticed most vinyl top cars got much less attention at the quarter/pillar seam.

Chargerjase · Feb 29, 2020

Bearing in mind that Chrysler never meant for these cars to last 50 years. Leaving primer under a vinyl top typically, would have lasted the expected life of the vehicle.

kiwigtx · Mar 1, 2020

Chargerjase said:
Bearing in mind that Chrysler never meant for these cars to last 50 years. Leaving primer under a vinyl top typically, would have lasted the expected life of the vehicle.

Precisely. :thumbsup:

These cars were never intended to outlive the guys who built them.

Kern Dog · Mar 1, 2020

My '70 Charger after I stripped off the rest of the shredded vinyl:

Darter6 · Mar 1, 2020

My 72 had the vinyl top. The car had many pin holes rusted thru. Hard to fix. They came back as I didn't replace the top,just paint after a few years.

Polara426 · Mar 1, 2020

Talked to a guy that worked at the Twinsburg Ohio stamping plant said if a roof panel had defects was marked for vinyl top install.

Slap Stick · Mar 2, 2020

By brother worked at the STL plant for a while around 1970. Anything that got roof damage, even if the car was being built to order got a vinyl roof. And if it was already on order the vinyl was gratis.

How Could Mopar Vinyl Top Cars NOT Have Been Painted?

Dibbons

Well-Known Member

kiwigtx

Henchman #4 and Jack-Stand Racer #2

turbine68rt

Turbine Bronze Member

Dibbons

Well-Known Member

moes

Well-Known Member

dadsbee

FBBO Gold Member

kiwigtx

Henchman #4 and Jack-Stand Racer #2

Randy Marsh

Well-Known Member

Chargerjase

FBBO Gold Member

kiwigtx

Henchman #4 and Jack-Stand Racer #2

Kern Dog

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.

Darter6

Well-Known Member

Polara426

Well-Known Member

Slap Stick

Well-Known Member

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