So, whos got a vinyl roof? i have questions.
i will be vinyling my roof as it was originally vinyl, and the condition of the roof is not suitable for a high quality paint finish
so:
* how smooth should the roof be so that dents dont show through the vinyl?

i have talked to a trimmer, only brown and black are available in the specific vinyl as used in the 70's (80's im my case), however he said that he has done a few in marine vinyl, so i can do any colour i like, so its going to be white ,

* does anyone know what width marine vinyl usually comes in, as id like to avoid joins.

* has anyone removed their factory vinyl? how banged up was the roof from the factory?


cheers for any help!
jed

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speed costs....how fast do you want to go...

In Australia the vinyl roof was often used to cover hail dents so small dents will not be a problem.
Under the vinyl is a thin layer of sponge foam.

I removed the vinyl of the roof of my LS and there was a fair amount of rust in the corners where the vinyl had lifted over the years. I just painted the roof instead of putting on new vinyl..

I have wrecked a couple of vinyl roofed minis and seen a number of other vinyl roofed cars during that era.

By five years into the vinylation (like that word ?) the common feature was rust.

We had a thread on this not that long back although we were specifically talking about vinyl decals and a number hve said that modern viynal decals do not trap moisture the way the old '70's vinyl did.

Just be very careful on the choice of vinyls

i am aware of the rust issues, interestingly, my car had the vinyl on for 1981 - 2003 and i have a 99% rust free roof and gutters, just a few bits of pitting under the original primer, i intend on giving it a full rust treatment with por15 befor the vinyl goes on.

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speed costs....how fast do you want to go...

My LX torana has a vinyl roof fitted, when I painted my car I repaired the roof so it would be as good as a painted roof would be then made sure it was painted properly too, a good sealed paint job will keep out any moisture that might possibly sneak in.

A lot of cars built with a factory vinyl roof don't have much paint on them under the vinyl and a lot don't get any lead/brass/fillers over panel joins either (Camaros are a good example of this) this is mainly the reason the rust gets away on them.

As usual the less exposure to the elements the better the vinyl will hold up, the Vinyl will hide a lot of sins but personally the last thing i'd want is to not repair whats needed properly while the roof is bare and only be disappointed any old damage is still visible after you've paid a trimmer to install a new one.

Here's a pic of my LX torana with the vinyl roof

mmmmmmm thats nice! i will be puting alot of paint under it! cheers

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speed costs....how fast do you want to go...