VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
#2309955
05/23/17 07:09 PM
05/23/17 07:09 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 10,645 Houston, Tx
AlexP
OP
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OP
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Posts: 10,645
Houston, Tx
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Basically, I've got a rotten rear window area from a vinyl top. I pulled the top off and surveyed the damage. I wan't to do as little fab work as I can, and I'm already budgeting a new roof skin. I've got the following problems: THE BAD Roof skin needs replacement (pinholes and previous bondo repairs) There is no getting around this. I'm happy the roof is available new. Rear window frame is rusty at the lip, filler pannel is full of bondo and extensions leading to the trunk have body filler. Lower portion of the A pillars has rust and is shot. The rivets for the vinyl top rusted out. Area above the quarter is rusty. The C pillar below the roof skin and up to the edge of the window on the bottom is bad. The good: The car has been sealed with a cruddy enamel paint job for years. Engine bay is rust free as well as fenders and its painted. Trunk floor is new. Rockers were replaced years ago. Floor panels are new. No frame rot. Rear quarter skins are new from several years ago. Goodmark pieces. Bottom of front windshield frame is rust free. Cowl has no rot. Everywhere that there is a hole, was full of body filler. I knew that the car had bondo, and that there was rust under the top but this was overdone. It looked pretty until I started poking holes in it. I'm going to strip back all around to fresh metal. Once I get all the parts, I'm going to find a shop that only wants to do the top half of the car and do a basic paint job. Can someone here post their experiences with these replacement panels? I'm looking at buying the following to address the top. Roof Skin Pair of Drip Rails Deck filler panel Deck filler support Deck Filler Patch Set Lower rear window frame Currently searching for salvaged A Pillars and lower C pillar sections. This and the new AMD stuff will get me 90% of the rotten metal fixed. Any experience is appreciated.
Last edited by AlexP; 05/23/17 07:12 PM.
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: AlexP]
#2309988
05/23/17 08:33 PM
05/23/17 08:33 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 18,582 Rust Belt, SW PA
Silver70
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I Live Here
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Rust Belt, SW PA
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If that's an amd dutchman/deck filler panel, they fit worse than the cheap bare metal Taiwan made ones... Honestly I think you would be better off finding a used roof that was cut down past the quarter seam and with a pillars cut down into the cowl. I worked on a car that had an amd roof skin put on, it was really flimsy vs oem sheetmetal. I'd even consider buying full quarters to at least to get the upper area to roof and rear corner. That's honestly probably the most rusted I ever saw b-body roof/pillars and I live in sw PA where they rot in half.
68 Road Runner, 69 Belvedere, 71 Challenger Vert 340 barracuda, 01 Ram CTD, 95 Ram, 04 Ram, 85 Daytona turbo Z 66 GTO, 06 Magnum RT AWD. 07 Ram CTD, 07 Ram
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: 65pacecar]
#2310457
05/24/17 05:13 PM
05/24/17 05:13 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 10,645 Houston, Tx
AlexP
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OP
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I was just in Desert Valley and they had a nice solid 68 Satellite that would be a great donor for that issue. I called them first, and they didnt have it any longer. I'm talking to a place called wild cat in oregon. They had a front cowl set up and a rear window section.
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: AlexP]
#2310518
05/24/17 06:46 PM
05/24/17 06:46 PM
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,717 KY
65pacecar
master
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master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,717
KY
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I was just in Desert Valley and they had a nice solid 68 Satellite that would be a great donor for that issue. I called them first, and they didnt have it any longer. I'm talking to a place called wild cat in oregon. They had a front cowl set up and a rear window section. I was looking for 65 Fury stuff, but the Satellite was a pretty new arrival and there was a guy hovering around it, must have made a deal on it. Wildcat in Oregon is good to deal with too. Did you try Texas Acres (If they are still in business), they are expensive but the shipping cost would be much better.
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: AlexP]
#2310589
05/24/17 09:31 PM
05/24/17 09:31 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,637 Florida
GMP440
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,637
Florida
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I just finished doing metal work on the right and left lower window patches. I used the large , lower corner patches you pictured. The work came out great. The mouldings even fit the round corners very well. This was on my 68 Coronet. If only the front part of your dutchman is rotted use the front piece that is pictured or if everything is rotted get the roof and all the other pieces you have pictured. Here is a link to a thread on this kind of repair on "For Bbodies only". Look for the postings by GMP440; that's me. It shows pics of the lower corner repairs. http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/69-rr-b-body-rear-window-corner-repair.119437/
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: 68KillerBee]
#2311074
05/25/17 05:47 PM
05/25/17 05:47 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 10,645 Houston, Tx
AlexP
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OP
I Live Here
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Houston, Tx
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Look up Clay Kossuth in Catawissa Missouri. All mopar junkyard outside of St. Louis. I just gave him a call. I'm hoping he has what I need. If I can get a front cowl, I'll be in good shape. I also went ahead and bought the Goodmark Filler panel for the rear. Next up is quarters and a roof skin. If I don't find a rust free top by the end of next week, I'll buy the aftermarket stuff.
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: Silver70]
#2311276
05/26/17 12:09 AM
05/26/17 12:09 AM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,414 St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
David_in_St_Croi
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: May 2003
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St. Croix, US Virgin Islands
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That's honestly probably the most rusted I ever saw b-body roof/pillars and I live in sw PA where they rot in half. Wait until I start posting what I need to do metal work wise. I need similar parts but not roof (I hope)so interested in seeing any pictures of how this lower roof, window, deck filler panel, quarter panel goes together. If you replace th quarter panel and the deck filler panel do you need that outer patch panel or just the inner one? I hope you are planning on not replacing the vinyl top.... Cars down here rust from the top down, and anything with a vinyl roof it is as if you added an accelerator to the process.
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: David_in_St_Croi]
#2311358
05/26/17 02:39 AM
05/26/17 02:39 AM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 18,582 Rust Belt, SW PA
Silver70
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 18,582
Rust Belt, SW PA
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That's honestly probably the most rusted I ever saw b-body roof/pillars and I live in sw PA where they rot in half. Wait until I start posting what I need to do metal work wise. I need similar parts but not roof (I hope)so interested in seeing any pictures of how this lower roof, window, deck filler panel, quarter panel goes together. If you replace th quarter panel and the deck filler panel do you need that outer patch panel or just the inner one? I hope you are planning on not replacing the vinyl top.... Cars down here rust from the top down, and anything with a vinyl roof it is as if you added an accelerator to the process. Look at my thread in the members projects, did a full roof/cowl, quarters etc, but not because of rust... the roof sections like this one needs really isn't that hard to do. If he goes aftermarket full quarters, he'll still need the smaller inner corners, although I prefer to make my own... they didn't used to have the right bend when I tried them years ago.
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: AlexP]
#2311650
05/26/17 05:48 PM
05/26/17 05:48 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,907 S.E. Michigan
ZIPPY
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I Live Here
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Big Job, Alex. Good luck to you. My junker needs some of the same, hopefully won't be long now.
Rich H.
Esse Quam Videri
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: GMP440]
#2312599
05/28/17 09:11 PM
05/28/17 09:11 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,733 Eagle, Idaho
Neil
The Doctor is in.
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The Doctor is in.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,733
Eagle, Idaho
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I know a guy who just had to replace the roof on a GTO with a new AMD roof because the guy who installed it many years ago trimmed the edges of the top with a utility knife and cut into the new paint job underneath. Water held in place by the top crept inside the cut and the rust quietly took over.
Many cars rust out because the factory didn't put much, if any, paint on the roofs of cars destined for a vinyl top. My Dart had super thin primer dusting on the roof only. I was tickled to death it wasn't rusty as it sure could have been.
If you have the roof painted with a nice epoxy primer and paint then a new top is nothing to worry about. They also made these cars with two-tone painted roofs so you could paint the roof white or black and put the vinyl top moldings back on and still call it "factory".
Make sure to protect the glass from any grinding sparks if you do the work yourself.
Last edited by Neil; 05/28/17 09:13 PM.
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Re: VInyl top woes: Why I'm replacing the top half my 68 B Body
[Re: AlexP]
#2312898
05/29/17 12:16 PM
05/29/17 12:16 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 18,632 jersey shore
flypaper
I hate Texas
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I hate Texas
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 18,632
jersey shore
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that is the best way to go! the extra time it takes to harvest and prep will give you a much better job in the end!
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