Vinyl top replacement questions

[EaOutlaw1969]

Hi guys has anyone ever replaced a vinyl top on a Whale? I have been quoted $995.00 to have the vinyl replaced yet I am unsure what quaility of work and materials I will get for my money.

I have considered and I am still on the fence about just having it removed and just making it a smooth top.

I was quoted from keeautotops a universal presewn vinyl top with a center seam for $120.00 plus shipping I would also need to purchased some supplies to install the top and opera lights.

Either way I will need a replacement passenger side quarter window and rear door felts and seals to do the job right.

The current paint job is a decent ten footer or in direct sun light at 2 feet away it looks perfect since you go blind looking at it because of the performance white paint. LOL

Basically there is enough panels that need painting anyways that a good all over paint job would make me feel better about the car yet paying to have it done I am sure I will not be happy with the results, yet with enough time and touch up paint I could make acceptable 90 percent of the car.

My current mind set is to remove the vinyl top and see what condition the car is under the fiberglass shell then decide what to do.

I have looked everywhere I have not seen any videos or guides on how to remove a whale vinyl top without damaging the fiberglass shell or the car.

I know how to remove the alluminum trim without damage, my thoughs are I could use steam and my plastic razor blades to get the vinyl off the edges near the seals along the roof line and trunk area yet I am sure they used some sort of marine grade silicone to glue down the fiberglass shell to the car.

I do not see how to get this silicone to break loose without some sort of chemical, I have thought about using some wood door and window shims to wedge under the top to try and break the bond yet not damage the fiberglass.

has anyone done this before or came across a link to a how to guide.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

So those vinyl tops added to essentially any ‘90+ Town Car and ‘92+ Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis are aftermarket dealer upfits, so they get some weirdness going on with each install.

Typically the piece that goes on the roof may be glued on, or uses little tack welded studs near the perimeter to hold clips in place to hold the top in place. Usually the same attachment methods are used on the doors. If your top has little coach lights, usually the upfitter drills a hole in the lower chrome trim around the window and pulls the wires through. They also usually love to drive screws and such through that piece of trim for attaching certain pieces that go on the door, so some trim would need to be replaced. Something tells me that removal of the shell in one piece may be difficult since I doubt they were installed with thought of being recovered at some point.

FWIW, removal of the tops isn’t that bad if you don’t have any issue about it going back to having a regular roof. It’s just small stuff that would need to be fixed to get everything proper again. I don’t think it’s really worth trying to fix those aftermarket ones anyway. From a personal standpoint they don’t look good on the later Panthers regardless of how you cut it. The last Panthers that could really pull it off were the ones that came from the factory with them.

[EaOutlaw1969]

Yeah I pretty much decided that I have to get the shell off before I decide what to do. Obviously it would be less expensive to just replace the vinyl.

I guess I will have to wait and see.

I am not wanting to start this project until I can afford to get the car repainted if I end up going that route.

[Mainemantom]

A few things to be cautious about.
1. Shop strips the material off of the top, then sands the adhesive off. What is left behind, bare or scuffed metal ? Rust magnet.
2. Shop laying new top over old top. I had a "cheap" shop do that once. Did not know that until months later. I had it all redone.
3. If the paint is worn down and a top is put over it, rust will develop under the top. Repaint top before installing vinyl top if you want the car to last.
4, Top with seams. If the seams overlap like a factory top, there is little chance of water seepage through the seam. If the seam is a straight seam, water will seep through.
5. Vinyl top material is specially treated to repel water. Regular vinyl or cheap top material will not last.
6. Pre made tops made to fit your car is the only way to go. There was a factory in Los Angeles that made tops. Dont remember the name now. They only sell to shops. You can expect to pay $700-$900 for a decent top to be purchased and installed. If the headliner or wiring has to be taken out, that might cost more.
Do it right the first time or you will surely regret it. I did a few tops many years ago. It is not an easy job. Worst part is prep work getting the old adhesive off the car. Can't get in a hurry.
Never use Armor All on tops or dashes !!

[sxcpotatoes]

Also, (sorry for being too lazy to find pics of your ride) but is it a VINYL top or a MOCK CONVERTIBLE/CLOTH top?

[EaOutlaw1969]

My car is a 2000 it has the vinyl coated fiberglass shell that is stuck to the car with supposedly marine grade silicone plus some screws and aluminum trim. Along the side of the roof edge and other places where the vinyl does not tuck under and get glued to the fiberglass shell it is stuck to the car with adhesive.

Yes I am well aware the amount of prep that will be involved, yet my main concern is getting the marine grade silicone to break loose without damaging the fiberglass shell in the process.

I am hoping the silicone in question will not be stuck too well after over 18 years of Florida sun.

The top I will be using if I do the Job will come from Kee Auto Tops and I will be using the Elk Grain single center seam Medium Royal Blue pre sewn universal top that they supply to body shops and upholstery shops that do this type of work.

I will also be using the cleaner and protectant they recommend for their product, all of this is assuming I replace the top at all.

If the fiberglass shell gets destroyed during the dissembling process I will have no choice but to have the car painted and replace any trim that has been drilled through.

When the dealer originally installs this type of top the painted area that gets covered by any vinyl also gets painted with flat black paint.

So yes I do plan on saving as much of the original performance White paint that I can and re coating the flat black.

However I am aware I more than likely I will have some rust to deal with under the top which will be treated with oshpho, primer and paint.

I attached a few pictures of my car, I previously installed a window regulator on the driver rear door you can see the flat black paint has all but washed away. Even some of the glass has to be painted all over again so you do not see that fiberglass shell from inside the car.

Thanks for the help