Vinyl top pros and cons?

My cuda left the factory w/ a black vinyl top, but it had already been removed when I got it, holes for the trim filled in, etc. I'm pretty sure I have the trim for it...came w/ the car when I bought it.
I am considering putting a black vinyl top back on it when I redo the body and paint in the future. Now, this car is not original at all and never will be (was originally Go Mango, now it's B5), I just kinda like the look of the vinyl tops. The car will most likely remain B5 blue.

I've never had a car w/ a vinyl top and wondering what the pros and cons are? Any reason to leave it a hardtop?

they can cause rust problems, that cuda looks AWESOME like it is.

Top dressing on the paint looks bad, wax and polish on a vinyl top looks bad. Basically it makes more work cleaning & detailing the car.

Unless you are going to keep the car outside for an extended period of time (years), or in a damp environment, getting rust under your vinyl top is very unlikely to be a problem for you.
It's all a matter of personal taste. If you like the look, or are restoring a car to the tag on a car that was built with a vinyl top, go for it! If you prefer no top, that's cool too.
I have a friend who has a red Challenger T/A with a black interior that was originally built with a white vinyl top. He has owned the car almost 40 years and removed the top shortly after he bought it. Restored it a few years ago and did not put a vinyl top back on it. Lots of us give him a hard time, who has ever seen a red T/A with a white top? Super rare! But he hated the look and kept the trim for if he sells it some day and the buyer wants to return it to how it was built by putting a top back on it. So that's cool, all a matter of the owners taste!

The car is definitely not parked outside. I do have the fender tag and a lot of the original stuff for the car, but the original 340 and 727 are LONG GONE. The original owner scrapped the 340 when it blew a head gasket and gouged the deck surface back in the '70s....probably made a couple Hondas out of it by now. No idea where the 727 is.
Never realized it came w/ a vinyl top until I decoded the FT.

the holes for the trim is where most rust starts.

I've had 70 'Cuda's with and without. With the way these cars are treated these days rust is NOT an issue (provided we're talking about a fresh installation).

I can appreciate both looks. To me the vinyl top 'desses-up' the car. Sorta like putting a sport jacket on.
A vinyl top also works very well with hi-impact colors (including B5 even though its not technically high impact) as it lessens the flood of color.)

One advantage that nobody has mentioned is that it makes the car MUCH easier to paint!!!----easier to maintain a wet-edge.

Also--not many cars on the road sport a vinyl top compared to years ago--its another difference in our vintage rides verses the millions of everday cars on the road.

One problem I see with the OP's car is that the gloss level of the hood might not match the vinyl gloss very well, and you will have a LOT of Black on the topside of that car.

Vinyl top made for a great place to set the hood when working in the engine area...

I added a vinyl top to my 70 Challenger and like the look of it. You could lay the top on with no glue to see how you like it. The only con I have is make sure you get the proper glue and be patient while it off-gases.

Mine wasn't factory but the previous owner changed the colour and added the vinyl top, been on there 6+ years doesn't seem to be any rust bubbles forming in the usual spots. Plenty of older cars over here do rust but like the reply's have stated good prep work and should be right. I like my top good contrast between the colours and a quick wipe with vinyl spray and looks good too.

To me some cars depending on the color look best with one. Yours looks great to me.

Looks great either way. I like your car better the way it is. What is it with all you Cuda dudes trying to make your Cuda's looking like Camaro's. Lol. Stop it...

My red Charger has a the factory vinyl top on it still. It does have some rust bubbles forming under it in places but it has taken 46 years to do so.

The factory did not paint the top on a vinyl top car. These cars spent many years outside as daily drivers. The rust is a long term problem.

If your collector car has been restored and kept indoors rust under the top will not be an issue.

Agree with above, I have a sublime challenger with v/top, all green would be too much for me.

^^^^ THIS.

My last 70 Gran Coupe was B5 with white top. To me, that is just about the best color combo there is for an e body. So striking. Now what you got under that hood that couldn't be covered up by a mopar scoop?

One option is a vinyl wrap in the old mod top colours, I think it would look stunning but when you are sick of it you peel it off and your back how it is now. might even look at doing my 71 Barracuda.

Are you sure about that? Seems that they spread filler on the C panel seam, primed the car and put at least a cursory coat of paint over the primer.

Thanks for all the comments yall, much appreciated. And thanks for the compliments on my car!

When I get around to repainting the car, the hood will be painted body color. It being black is one of those "temporarily permanent" situations, lol.
I like the idea of wrapping the roof for now just to see. I have a friend that does wraps...might be an option there.

So as far as maintenance on a vinyl top, just wipe it down w/ some vinyl spray every so often? Kinda like conditioning leather I imagine?

My first muscle car was a 1964 GTO that I dragged home. Red with black vinyl top. I was prepping the car for paint and I removed the vinyl top, only to find the panel below the rear window to be completely rusted through for about the whole width of the car. Major bummer! This was in around 1976, so the car was 12 years old.

Unless it's a points type restoration, the only reason I can see to reinstall a vinyl top would be if the sheet metal under it is too scabby to have out in the popen. In that case the vinyl will hide the imperfections.

R.

I was lucky that my current car had no rust at all under the vinyl top. Hardly any paint on the top of the roof at all - just red oxide primer overspray. Tons of glue though, and that is probably what saved it from rusting?

Be sure if you put a top on to not cut into the paint when trimming it to size. Seems obvious, but it does happen.

If that Cuda was mine I'd do a white top and white hockey stripes.

Not sure what is safe to put on them. I have had two darts with vinyl tops that were in nice shape, but dry. As soon as I started applying stuff to shine them up they split in the middle of the roof. I'd probably get ahold of Kee and ask them what to do to make them last.


Edit: You could also paint the roof a different color and put the vinyl top trim on as Mopar did offer two tone paint schemes.

Want something nobody else has? Vinyl wrap the flower pattern onto the roof and then do the hockey stripes the same way.

What paint would you put under either a vinyl top or a wrap? Enamel, base/clear, or an epoxy primer? Under a wrap, I could see painting the top with the rest of the car, but under a vinyl top, is it needed? Will the glue react with the paint causing additional problems? I'll also be putting a vinyl top back on but now I'm wondering about a wrap instead.
Terry

I think installing a top over catalyzed paint would be better than just primer. Maybe scotchbrite the surface and try spraying a little glue on a spot and then dig at it and see if it comes off easily or not.

I've had a few vinyl top cars and without fail they were painted up to the top of the pillars and sail panels with red oxide primer exposed on the top. All were 69-70 model years.

In my opinion, vinyl wrap is much more practical and gives awesome look to your car. My vinyl wrap project was installed by Gatorwraps and I am very satisfied!

Got a pic John?

My first legal NHRA stocker was a 1970 Baracuda with a hemi and 4 speed, it was originally a 383 4 speed car, slime green. It was grey or silver with a black vinyl roof when I got it in 1973. I had it painted B5 blue and kept the black vinyl roof That car was a slug with the 4 speed and 9 inch slicks, 2160 lbs on the front tires and 1280 lbs on the rear tires with no driver when I finally did the front and rear weight check I took it home and never race that car again after that race , that was probally one of the smartest things I've done racing