Why I hate vinyl roofs (Or, is it too late to get my tetanus shot?)

[Rican87]

I'm anxious to see you fix it. Looking through your profile it looks like you could just build a whole car from scratch in a day with hand tools lol. I just took my top off and I'm completely lost. I'll be checking for updates every hour.

 

[airboatgreg]

I cannot wait to see finished product. I am not a big vinyl roof fan either but I have seen some that click

 

[Wraith]

While that sucks to find that much damage, I might be one of the few that sees some fun in fixing that.

 

[TURNA]

YAY quick fix!!

 

[Rktpwrd]

It's ugly, but I've seen worse. It looks that rear deck and window frames seem to be intact. Good luck im sure it will be better than new once you do your thang to it.

Thanks for the support man, appreciate it.
That was the conclusion I came to as well when I was able to assess the extent of the damage. That right there was the deciding factor to repair the existing roof, rather than replace it.

whats the history of that car as far as garage kept/outdoor? (didnt see you mention that, curious)

To be honest, I'm not sure. I've only owned the car for the last two years.
I ran into the (previous to me) owner a couple weeks back, and I quizzed him on what he knew of the previous owner to him, and what history he knew of it. Unfortunately he wasn't able to be of much help either. Near as we can tell, he was the second or third owner of it, and I'm the third or fourth. We both agreed that we thought it was likely originally bought by an older gentleman or couple tho, based on its options.
As far as garage kept vs. not, neither of us know.

I think that's why I have been too scared to fully remove the top on the GP, looks all too familiar in a few spots...

Darren, get that thing off there ASAP!
Lol
It's kinda like removing a band-aid:
Rip it off, and get the pain over with quick! The slower you remove it, the more painful it'll be!
Yes, you can likely expect to see similar carnage with yours removed, but then you can at least form a plan of attack and get it fixed. Just think of the piece of mind you'll have afterwards!

That is a rough looking roof but I have faith that you can fix it Donovan. I'll be looking forward to seeing the repair updates.

Thanks Opie. I appreciate the support. It means a lot.

Wow, that sux. So much for cruising Old's Cool this summer, that looks like it will take a while to fix right. I feel lucky for myself though, I just had all my trim off to strip and re-paint but found not one indication of ant rot at all. My car had been garage kept.
Will be keeping up with the good work you do on this one Donovan

Glad to hear you fared better with yours than I did Rick.
As far as missing out on cruising time in it, I've gotten in some substantial seat time already this year. That'll help ease the down time that I'll have during the critical repairs. I hope to go hard on getting it solid again quick, and still salvage most of the season. Wish me luck!

There is no question you will fix this.

The difference between wood and metal is: you can always add to metal.

Funny you should say that Mike. I've thought and said almost the exact same thing for years!

Damn, those pictures are going to give me nightmares. My car has a landau roof and it was left in place when the car was painted. There's no indication of rust but I'm still scared. Why did I buy a car with a landau roof??!! If it ever runs again I want to change the vinyl from burgandy to black. I guess I will find out then.

Thanks for saving that car Donovan. I have no doubt you were its last hope. I also have no doubt in your ability to repair it beautifully. I hope you still get to enjoy it some this season. I will be following along with the progress. Thanks for sharing the journey with us.

Thanks Jared.
Your climate there in Texas is quite a bit different than ours here. We have brutally cold and snowy winters, and they salt and gravel the roads to combat the inevitable icy conditions.

As if that wasn't enough, Calgary is one of the few places in the world that occasionally gets a weather condition during the winter months called "chinooks". This happens when warm dry air descends on the backside of the Rocky Mountains. This has the effect of warming everything up during its stay, sometimes as much as 30 degrees or so. This can literally happen overnight.
This sudden and rapid temperature change plays havoc with our cars and accelerates corrosion as well.

The point of all this is that your roof, if it's not showing any signs of rust, is probably fine as it likely hasn't been subjected to the same harsh conditions as mine. I wouldn't sweat it too much.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Just make sure that you continue to keep it dry and well sealed up, and you should be fine.

I'm anxious to see you fix it. Looking through your profile it looks like you could just build a whole car from scratch in a day with hand tools lol. I just took my top off and I'm completely lost. I'll be checking for updates every hour.

Wow, that's quite the vouch of confidence! Thank you, I'm deeply flattered. If I can be of help in your endeavours, let me know. I'd be happy to help in any way I can.


Thanks to everyone, for all the support, kind comments, and related experiences. I'm gonna let this thread die a peaceful death, and continue on with the repair posts on Olds Cool's build thread:

https://gbodyforum.com/threads/project-olds-cool.62181/

Thanks again!
Donovan

 

[Qdub24]

YAY quick fix!!

Speaking from experience, that's a no go. Lots of cutting, welding, and fresh sheetmetal are the best method of repair.

 

[thunderball]

this thread reminded me i saw 2-3 cheap craigslist find recently i found that were at the top of my list if i add to my fleet. all of which have vinyl top and i perhaps should reconsider lol. i think in one of the few who likes the look on them on some cars in some colors. burgandy vinyl on white to me looks good.

 

[SSpev]

Ooooo. I'd fix it and put the vinyl back on I like vinyl

 

[pagrunt]

YAY quick fix!!

Body man in a can, fixes everything that nobody wants to put money into. But that smell....

 

[ItsnotaGN]

Tell me about it. Currently trying to reasonably straighten my kid's 80 K10 with an 84 cab, 81 and 84 doors, aftermarket fenders and rockers......