2000 MGM half vinyl top removal with pictures what to expect

[EaOutlaw1969]

First off this is a how I did it not a how to do it thread.

If you know of a better way than what I did please feel free to post your thoughts and opinions.

I decided to remove my vinyl top because of found rust holes during my initial inspection under the tops leading edge.

I am not sure what I will do at this point with this car but I intend on cleaning up and prepping as much of the car as I can at home to hopefully save the car and some money.

Anyways I started by cleaning the car really well then I dried it off, I put a tarp inside the car covering as much of the interior I could.

All of the thin aluminum trip pieces can be removed with a plastic pry bar- crows foot.
The large aluminum trim going along the front on the vinyl tarp is held down with 4 screws for each side of the trim totaling 8 screws in all. The center screws are hidden under a small trim piece that was just siliconed in place.

The four outer screws are hidden under the rubber weather strip which just pulls out easily.

Once all the trim and trim clip screws are removed the only thing holding the fiberglass shell in place is large globs of black silicone and spray adhesive that is holding the vinyl to the car along the weather strip area.

I was able to use cedar window and door shims to separate the fiberglass shell from the silicone by jamming the wooden wedge along the silicone blob scraping away at it while pushing in other wedges on either side of the silicone blob I was working on removing..

The center of the top has some blobs of silicone that I couldn’t reach with a large paint stirring stick or the wedges so I used a long thin rope and my Wife and I sawed through the silicone pretty easily.

I will be happy to answer any question for anyone doing considering doing the same thing to their similar year MGM yet keep in mind I am no expert.

I cleaned up as much as I my back would allow me but I still have a lot left to do before I can send it off for paint and body work.if that is what I decide to do.

I have four holes that I know of and perhaps more, I treated all the rust with Ospho rust converter
And cleaned the car again.

I put a tarp over the exposed body work and a car cover over the entire car.

It will sit this way until I can afford to do something about this mess..

I hope this is readable with not too many spell check or grammar corrections needed yet if there is I guess it’s too bad because I am too tired and sore to correct them. lOL

[Kodachrome Wolf]

I have never been a fan of the landau tops after the Box era cars. They never looked quite right on the later cars and the way upfitters just tossed them doesn’t help their cause. Luckily everything there can be repaired and cleaned.

[DerekTheGreat]

I have never been a fan of the landau tops after the Box era cars. They never looked quite right on the later cars and the way upfitters just tossed them doesn’t help their cause. Luckily everything there can be repaired and cleaned.

This. I think that's because none of them were factory equipped with them. Like you said, they're all aftermarket jobs.

[EaOutlaw1969]

I mainly posted this for people that are considering buying a used MGM or Crown Vic with one of these crappy tops on it, this way they can see what involved in removing it, replacing it or trying to make it a smooth top.

to make this a smooth top and do a good job at it my car would need a new Roof Panel - Ford (XW3Z-5450202-AA) which cost $505.34 plus frieght shipping Ford parts shows it in stock but who knows until you place the order.

My car has two holes in or near the package tray which is a discontinued part, the rust would have to be cut out and metal fabricated and welded back in. Cost ?? if i had a welder and fab tools plus a good back the job would take me about 1/2 to a full day not counting paint.

To get the roof skin off the molded plastic trim pieces they call them Weatherstrip pieces would most likley need to be replaced those part numbers are Weatherstrip - Ford (XW7Z-5451822-AA $68.16 and Weatherstrip - Ford (XW7Z-5451823-AA $76.22 both look like they are still availible.

To make this a smooth top car I would also have to replace both Reveal Moldings - left Ford (6W7Z-54255A61-BA) at a bend over and grab the ankles price of $376.12 plus shipping the price of the
right molding is much cheaper at Reveal Molding - Ford (6W7Z-54255A60-BA) $162.16

With this in mind and considering paint and body work that would be needed for the doors as they have many holes drilled in them that would need to be welded and painted etc it would be better off just buying used doors and worth waiting for the correct color doors to come up for sale.

Sure the used doors may need paint and or body work yet I doubt they would have to be painted in the jam areas would might save some time and money.

Same goes with the truck it has many holes drilled in it that would ahve to be welded up worked and painted or just replaced..

So the moral of this story is if your cgoing to buy a MGM buy one with a smooth top and avoid all of this hassel and expense unless your getting the car free or nearly free it is just not worth it.

Thankfully I do not have much time or money in my car added to the very low mileage on the car has me on the fence to spend the time and money fixing it or not.

If i went the scum bag way of fixing this I could just cut out the bad metal with a metal nibbler to eliminate sparks from a cut off wheel then using a penel bond system from 3M I could just patch in some repair panels with the 3M panel adhesive and some rivets then coat the vinyl top covered area in a truck bed liner coating and reinstall a new vinyl top.

The scumbag way of doing this is very appealing to me right now since I do not have the cash to pay someone to re roof and repaint the entire car not to mention door swaps etc.

Once my back and neck allows me to do more I will updatet this thread with what i decide and pictures of how I did it, whatever that may be which might include just driving this rust bucket into my pond. LOL

[Giraffe]

The roof would have been the same up until 2011, so it makes sense that it would still be available. A lot of 98+ parts are still available from dealers.

[EaOutlaw1969]

The roof would have been the same up until 2011, so it makes sense that it would still be available. A lot of 98+ parts are still available from dealers.

I agree some parts are available, while other parts a person would want or need to buy new are no longer sold or reproduced.

My Old 2002 Ford Ranger had a 2.3 DOHC and simple valve cover grommets are near to impossible to get, Ford and Mazda sold them with the valve cover bolts are a bend over price now you can only find a few here and there on eBay.

Which means any 2.3 DOHC reman engine you find either has old rotted grommets on them or some other rigged grommet on the engine which will be a leak waiting to happen.

Things like that piss me off, when everyone is up on their soap box saying things like we need to be green and recycle and produce less waste and less pollution.

What is more green than keeping a older vehicle on the road and out of the junkyards?

[87gtVIC]

Give them a call and thank them for their crappy work.


I'd go the scumbag way. Panel bond is legit and easier to do than welding! Will hold your car over for many more years without issue.

[sly]

That's not the scumbag way... That would be sand it and bondo the F! out of it and put the top back on and call it good.

[EaOutlaw1969]

I guess you guys have seen or completed panel bonding repairs, I have only seen it done on a Saturday Powerblock TV Show, trucks I think.

It is something I would have to gear up for and research before I attempt it. But from what I remember it seemed simple enough and best of all I wouldn’t have to remove the interior of my car to keep it from catching fire.

Talk about scum bag body work, My Dad found me a Low mileage 1983 Mustang that I had to make payments on around 1987 the mileage and price was great the interior was like new, yet my Dad did not bother to tell me about the two inches of metal that was missing from the left front turning signal to the left rear tail light, it was like someone took a giant can opener to the car.

I fixed that car with chicken coupe wire fencing and about 3 full gallons of bondo and color matched spray bombs.

I had that car for years and the bondo never cracked or had any signs other than mis matched paint that any body work was ever done to it.

It went to a scrap yard once I blew the 3.8 engine in it.

Somewhere I have pictures of me as a kid applying and sanding and bondo in our gravel driveway in Fredericksburg VA.

[Kodachrome Wolf]

As far as the trim bits and things that may have gotten messed up, the junkyard provides decent sources for parts. Given any '92-'11 GMQ or '98-'11 CV should be able to give you what you're looking for, especially like the window trim on the doors that has screw holes through them. I love how easy it is to get decent parts given how many donors are typically available.

[EaOutlaw1969]

Here is a picture of my Bondo Stang that my Fiancé took, I never knew she took this picture till years later.

That was a miserable job working every chance I had on that damn rock drive way.

[DerekTheGreat]

Wow, your neighbors across the street had some real sweet wheels! I spot a real F series truck, Fox turbo coupe, a Chrysler Cordoba and what looks to be a New Yorker on the right.

[EaOutlaw1969]

Yeah they were all great neighbors, back then I worked at Firestone as a mechanic and I worked on many of those cars you see in the background.

The one on the right I tried to buy because it was sitting for along time, when I went over there to talk about it he ended up having me fix it.

The carb needed to be rebuilt and it needed a new timing chain which is why it wouldn’t start.

I had to soak the rings with a oil transmission fluid mixture to get them to spring back to life and build compression. Man on man did I smoke out the hood once it came back to life.

I am not sure it was a Chrysler though for some reason I thought it was a GM product like. Olds or Pontiac I will have to look at the picture again to see if it is the same car I remember.

One thing about getting older you forget more than you knew LOL.

I looked at the picture the one with the bad chain was the grey car just barely in the shot on the left side.

The White Renault Encore was my Dads commuter car that he drove back and fourth to DC
He sold the car for junk when the original clutch went out at over 300k that little car which should have been a shit box at 50k like most of them just kept going and going with only minor repairs and maintenance.

[EaOutlaw1969]

Here is a picture at the same house that shows my poor Corvair convertible buried under a lot of snow, I drove that car or a motorcycle year round neither had heat which is why I got the Bondostang.

[DerekTheGreat]

LoL the same truck & T-bird are in the same spot but with snow on them. That one off to the right could be a Ponticrack, was my second guess, Grand Prix. The C-pillar doesn't look very Chryslerish. I'm starting to think the reason why most of these cars were never driven beyond 10 years or 100k is due to carb neglect, that and points type ignition. My mom used to throw cars away when the brakes went bad, sheesh...