Everybody has a comfort zone when it comes to working on their cars. Many have no issues about turning wrenches, building engines and transmissions, modifying brakes and suspensions, even doing custom engine swaps and programming engine management computers. Some don't even flinch at difficult sheetmetal swaps, narrowed rearends, or installing tubs.
Our fear factor usually goes up as the ability to back up and do it over goes down. This is especially true with something that you can't practice first-where it's all or nothing on the first try.
Installing a vinyl top could be considered an "all the way or nothing" kind of job, especially when it's going on an A12 Six Pack Superbee. We first learned of this car at Muscle Car Restorations (MCR) when we did the framerail swap story in 2007. Now it's ready for a vinyl top, and we wanted to help you add this to the list of things you're not afraid to do. The truth is that installing a vinyl top is not all that difficult once you have a few professional tips to guide you.
MCR doesn't install their YearOne sourced vinyl tops at their shop. They send all their vinyl work to Auto Top Shop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where Larry Gabus has been replacing vinyl and convertible tops and doing all types of upholstery work for more than three decades. He's MCR's number one choice for all their restoration projects.
The first step: check to be...
The first step: check to be sure that all the trim fits correctly. Ideally, this should be done before the paint, but at least do it now while it's still possible to make adjustments. with the trim in place, draw a pencil line along the bottom of the trim and then place masking tape about an eighth of an inch up from your line. The tape will mark where to cut the vinyl. The entire roof should be scuffed with a medium Scotch-Brite pad to cut the gloss and to help the contact cement get a good grip.
With the tape in place, you...
With the tape in place, you can also mark the locations of all the trim holes so you can find them after they are covered by the top.
In order to find the emblem...
In order to find the emblem holes after the top is on, use a straight edge to mark their position and distance on the tape before it's installed.
Before you start anything,...
Before you start anything, turn the top over and measure between the parallel seams and draw a line down the exact middle of the top. Do the same on the roof of the car by measuring the center from the drip edges. This will center the top side to the side on the car. Use a regular pencil, not any type of grease pencil. Larry has seen colored grease pencil lines bleed through and discolor the top. White vinyl is especially sensitive to this.
Next, turn the top over and...
Next, turn the top over and roughly position it on the roof. The front corners of the top have welded seams that need to be positioned a few inches down the A-pillar. It is important that the seam is between the window clip locations. More specifically, you don't want the screw that holds the clip to the post to have to pass through the seam itself. This seam should also land in the same position on both sides, but you can't fix it if it's not (short of getting a different top) because if you twist the top you'll angle the roof seams.
Contact cement is normally...
Contact cement is normally very unforgiving. Once you press two pieces together, they are usually stuck for good. The tip here is to fold the top back to reveal the center lines and apply a narrow strip of cement along both the vinyl top and the roof center lines. Now all you need to do is to press the two lines together, and the top will be perfectly centered.
With the center lines glued...
With the center lines glued together, you can double check that the top will look centered by measuring from the edge of the seams to the corner of the roof or the driprail. If need be, you can reposition the top fairly easily since the glue is just a narrow strip . . . if you do it within 5-10 minutes.
A lot of vinyl tops are applied...
A lot of vinyl tops are applied by spraying the glue to both surfaces, but if you don't have the proper spray equipment, then brushing it on is just as good. You'll need about two quarts for a roof this size. Apply the contact cement to both the roof and the top about one third of the way across the roof and all the way from front to back. Spread the cement as thin as possible without leaving any gaps. Definitely no puddling allowed. You'll have about 5-10 minutes to work each area.
This is the part that makes...
This is the part that makes most guys nervous, but it's really not all that hard if you can recruit a couple of helpers. Lift the material up in the center and pull it over towards the edge. Don't try to bring the whole top over, just the middle for now.
Keeping the material tight,...
Keeping the material tight, pull it out and then down onto the roof. Once the two parts come into contact they will not slide, so don't let the top touch the roof until it's in position.
Some incidental contact will...
Some incidental contact will not cause you any trouble, but once you pull it down tight, it's stuck for good. Don't worry about stretching the top out of shape while you are pulling out the wrinkles because this material really doesn't stretch all that much.
With the middle in position,...
With the middle in position, just move to either the front or the back and repeat; only this time you will also pull a little towards the front and the back. Remember, you are only gluing one-third of the way at a time. If you've got a couple of helpers, they can hold the front and rear corners up and away from the roof while you are pulling at the center. Once you have the top pulled into place, press it down firmly with your open hand. Then, fold the top back again and brush more cement over the next third of the way and repeat the process until you get to the edge.
Before you move down the pillar...
Before you move down the pillar and glue it fast, lay it out and mark...
around the area you need to...
around the area you need to keep so you can trim off the excess.
It will make it much easier...
It will make it much easier to handle the material.
After trimming, roughly position...
After trimming, roughly position the top on the quarter-panel, roll it back, and mark where the vinyl will be cut so you know how far to spread the glue. Spreading the glue past where the top will end only makes a mess.
Apply the vinyl top material...
Apply the vinyl top material to the rear pillar in sections just like you did the roof, but don't wrap it around into the window channel or the driprail just yet. Leave glue out of those areas for now.
There is a piece of trim that...
There is a piece of trim that fits over the driprails, so it's important that the vinyl material get all the way to the bottom of the rail or it will prevent the trim from fitting correctly. Because the cement will stick to whatever it touches first, you'll need to roll the material into the driprail so it touches the bottom of the rail first. Make relief cuts in the vinyl as needed, then wrap the material around the rail.
When trimming the material,...
When trimming the material, don't push the razor blade through the vinyl as you drag the blade along. You'll cut into the paint and possibly give moisture a chance to cause bubbles that could end up showing below your trim. Instead, hold the blade steady and pull the material back against the blade. You'll get an easy clean and accurate cut.
When you get to the rear end...
When you get to the rear end of the driprail stainless-even though there is a trim piece that covers this area-fold the material over and glue it in place under where the trim piece goes.
The window channel is a little...
The window channel is a little easier. Push the vinyl down into the corner and draw a line. Then simply cut off the material with scissors and glue in place.
If you mark the position of...
If you mark the position of the window trim clip holes in advance, you'll save a lot of time and frustration locating them after the vinyl is fully installed.
Using the marks you made ...
Using the marks you made earlier...
...locate the trim mounting...
...locate the trim mounting holes with an awl and poke them through.
The A-pillar installs much...
The A-pillar installs much the same as the rear pillar...
...but you can glue it in...
...but you can glue it in one step if you like.
Just as you did for the rear...
Just as you did for the rear quarter, trim the excess material, roll it into the driprail, and cut and glue it into the window channel.
The reason we previously told...
The reason we previously told you that you need the A-pillar material seam to avoid the trim-clip location is so the extra thick material of the seam doesn't move the clip out of its proper position, which would cause an uneven gap between the trim and the A-pillar at this point.
Here is the finished A-pillar...
Here is the finished A-pillar with all the trim in place.
Getting the vinyl properly...
Getting the vinyl properly cut and rolled around the edge allows the trim to fit perfectly with no uneven gaps between trim and vinyl.
The finished top looks absolutely...
The finished top looks absolutely perfect. you can use these same procedures to put a vinyl top on your car even if it didn't come with one from the factory. All you would need to do extra is to locate the trim parts needed, correctly position the trim, and drill the needed holes.
This detail shot shows how...
This detail shot shows how the trim fits into the quarter window's rear-most end. The small piece of vinyl that shows from behind the corner trim is what Larry previously rolled around the corner.