Yup. Vinyl tops suck. They breed rust and hide lousy bodywork.
You are not kidding!
That's a heck of a deal. Now, my 66 Dart had a vinyl top. It was painted body color underneath and no rust issues. They don't cover the sail panel though.It made dealing with the roof to quarter seam MUCH easier. Painted roof cars got lead and filler to cover the quarter seam, and bodywork had to be done for paint. Vinyl top cars got a little filler slapped on, no finish quality bodywork. Had this been lead it wouldn't have rusted out underneath it, and it wouldn't have peeled off with the top. Vinyl tops were a sales gimmick.
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Gotta say I disagree. The weather is hard on them and they get water damage in the lower corners because of the construction. But it is a correct look for the years and done right is very cool. I replaced mine after repairs and painting body color.It made dealing with the roof to quarter seam MUCH easier. Painted roof cars got lead and filler to cover the quarter seam, and bodywork had to be done for paint. Vinyl top cars got a little filler slapped on, no finish quality bodywork. Had this been lead it wouldn't have rusted out underneath it, and it wouldn't have peeled off with the top. Vinyl tops were a sales
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Is that your Dart Mike? That thing is beautiful! Myself, I really like the look of the vinyl top.Ma Mopar didn't do anything different to the roof body work whether it got a vinyl top or not except spray on some adhesive and install the top. It was for style and not to "cover up" bad body work.
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In some cases, Vinyl tops were meant to give the impression of a convertible top.
I love vinyl top cars, I think they look awesome. I don't think the factory ever intended to cover up bad bodywork at all. Moisture and salt could wreck any roof, it all depends on how car was taken care of
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Yeah vinyl tops are lame. The factory sold them because it was a cheap way to cover the roof/quarter seam. Easy fix and the customers bought it.