So, I started on the daunting task of de-vinyling my GP this afternoon. I am very glad to say it went much easier than I anticipated. I had already taken off(ripped off, actually) the chrome trim surrounding the vinyl a while ago, so today I just had to rip and tear.
Good news:
The roof underneath the vinyl was 150% rust free! Not even the slightest hints of any damage whatsoever, even from under the filler.
Most of it came off incredibly easy. No heat gun, so putty knife, just my hands. The rest was not too hard to scrape off. There is still stuck in places where there was a lot of glue, and in the pockets where the windows sit, but not much.
The dreaded 'black oozing goo' that seals the windows was not oozy at all. I thank the ~40 degree weather for that.
Interior trim and such was pretty easy to take off, and will be cake to put back together.
Bad news:
None!!
So, here are a crap-load of pics of the process. The quality is pretty bad because they were taken with my camera phone, which was all I had. Deal with it. haha.
Like I said, this all came off just by hand, nothing else. The only hard parts were the edge closest to the hood, and around the windows and opera lights. Most of the padding around the lights is still there, and will have to be removed next time I get a chance to work on it.
You can still see (maybe) some of the padding and glue around the window hole, but most of it will actually be covered by the window trim when it goes back on. You can also see what had to come off from the inside to access the nuts that hold the window and opera light on.
Holes from the opera light that will have to be filled in.
The paint under the top was so dark compared to the faded roof, that it almost looked like the top was still there.
After removing the plastic piece around the rear window, under the vinyl.
Passenger side, in and out. Same deal as the driver's side. The window was a little toughr to remove, because this side was in the shade, and the sealant was colder and tougher. 30 seconds with a heat gun fixed that.
The plastic piece/filler that was riveted on around the rear window. I will have to drill out the rivets and fill the holes.
For now, the paint and roof are in such good shape, that I am not going to worry about any major body work. I am getting a piece of trim for the rear window, and have duct tape over all the holes, so no water gets in. Next weekend, if I have time, I will get the rest of the padding off, and start filling in holes.
The crappy pics really do not do it justice. It is really really clean under the vinyl. Even the half-assed bondo job on the 1/4 panel-roof seam isn't that bad. Cant even really tell from 15 feet.
I'm kinda liking the project/beater look the car has going on right now, so paint is going to wait for a while. Let me know what you guys think.
Good news:
The roof underneath the vinyl was 150% rust free! Not even the slightest hints of any damage whatsoever, even from under the filler.
Most of it came off incredibly easy. No heat gun, so putty knife, just my hands. The rest was not too hard to scrape off. There is still stuck in places where there was a lot of glue, and in the pockets where the windows sit, but not much.
The dreaded 'black oozing goo' that seals the windows was not oozy at all. I thank the ~40 degree weather for that.
Interior trim and such was pretty easy to take off, and will be cake to put back together.
Bad news:
None!!
So, here are a crap-load of pics of the process. The quality is pretty bad because they were taken with my camera phone, which was all I had. Deal with it. haha.
Like I said, this all came off just by hand, nothing else. The only hard parts were the edge closest to the hood, and around the windows and opera lights. Most of the padding around the lights is still there, and will have to be removed next time I get a chance to work on it.
You can still see (maybe) some of the padding and glue around the window hole, but most of it will actually be covered by the window trim when it goes back on. You can also see what had to come off from the inside to access the nuts that hold the window and opera light on.
Holes from the opera light that will have to be filled in.
The paint under the top was so dark compared to the faded roof, that it almost looked like the top was still there.
After removing the plastic piece around the rear window, under the vinyl.
Passenger side, in and out. Same deal as the driver's side. The window was a little toughr to remove, because this side was in the shade, and the sealant was colder and tougher. 30 seconds with a heat gun fixed that.
The plastic piece/filler that was riveted on around the rear window. I will have to drill out the rivets and fill the holes.
For now, the paint and roof are in such good shape, that I am not going to worry about any major body work. I am getting a piece of trim for the rear window, and have duct tape over all the holes, so no water gets in. Next weekend, if I have time, I will get the rest of the padding off, and start filling in holes.
The crappy pics really do not do it justice. It is really really clean under the vinyl. Even the half-assed bondo job on the 1/4 panel-roof seam isn't that bad. Cant even really tell from 15 feet.
I'm kinda liking the project/beater look the car has going on right now, so paint is going to wait for a while. Let me know what you guys think.
