The Oldsmobile Connection

88ATLED28 · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 3:44 pm Post subject: Ripping off Vynil top....

Im going to be ripping off the vynil top on the Olds Delta 88 and was wondering if anyone knew of any consequences that might occur, like things that I might not like to find and/or deal with. Thanks

OldsGuy · Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 269 Location: Lees Summit MO

All you will find is pad material if it was a padded vinyl roof and glue, maybe some rust too.. :x

88ATLED28 · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 11:01 pm Post subject:

it looks to be just like vynil wrapped, no padding unless its 1/16th of an inch thick. will i be happy when i take it off? or should i wait to take it off until the very last days before buff/repaint?

88 Coupe · Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:15 am Post subject:

Hi 88ATLED28, hello All

Quote: ..................... or should i wait to take it off until the very last days before buff/repaint? Yes, and be thinking repaint, not buff.
Since you won't be able to put it back on, be prepared for the worst.

Regards, Norm

TheDarkShadow · Joined: 18 Jan 2004 Posts: 113 Location: Virginia Beach, VA

My suggestion, don't do it unless u want to have fun with body work. From what i understand with reading what other olds owners dealt with, during the assembly process, if the car was going to have the vinyl top, the skimped out on the body finishing, as in, the didn't go into detail on the welds where the roof meets the sail panal *between doors and back window.* Stuff like that.

88ATLED28 · Posted: Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:54 am Post subject:

I frimly agree with everything stated above so I found out tonight. I ripped the piece off of the sail panel, it seems pretty bad with body rust and without the top the seals around the window is just sad. I mean it wasnt the best before with it just hanging there but it was something to stop a little bit of it. I dont know now though, I got a piece off and it looks even worse then it did and I cant stand doing just a little bit of one thing at a time. I am afraid for the time being until I am ready for body mods and paint (feb-mar 05), I was thinking rip it off sand down what rusted areas I see and primer them off for the time being. Right now all my work is being concentrated on the interior and engine bay. Im not ready for the exterior yet but I cant stand ANY type of cloth roofing on a car/truck/van/suv/, so whenever Im on a break from working on the inside I just stare at it until I finally give in and rip a little piece off. I found body rust in some other areas of the car and was going to do the same thing with them, and thought why not? what would it hurt? it would just be 3 tones-(previous owner sprayed the driver rear quarter panel with spray body matching paint to cover up some body rust).

I do need some help in anoother area though, I know off topic, and if it doesnt get a response on this thread Ill make a thread about it. I am wanting a fuse display-(telling what fuse is for what and where it goes and such) . Thanks alot for the hlep too bad I didnt read this before today!!! I will see how things go tomorrow.

bdyman · Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 161 Location: chicago baby!!!!

a vyinl top is like a big ole sponge i ripped mine off my buick when i restored it i got very lucky and no rust at all car came from down south
but if you are goin to do a concourse show car restoration i say ya put it back on with a gm vyinl if not rip it off leave it off and let the professional`s like my self fix your car lol

88ATLED28 · Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:58 pm Post subject:

pros like yourself?? oooook....yeah im taking the top off for sure this week. i cant stand any cloth type roofing on any car as stated before. painting and body work on metal is not my field so yeah im definitely going to let someone else handle it. I do plastic/fiberglass work. I DO want to know the original color though. Due to her age it doesnt match ANY of the colors Ive been given so I need someone older from that era and knows GM colors to tell me exactly what color she is. I mean I can guess but I dont want too, I want her to be the exact same color. I AM however going to ri it off AND PRIMER it lol i know it sucks but better then how it is now until mid next year for paint.

88ATLED28 · Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 1:16 am Post subject:

i didnt get any more of the top ripped off but i did manage to get in some time on removing the chrome door/rocker/skirt panels and wheel well flares. I got a little time into the CAI, just taking what I didnt need off. Ready to be prepped for fitting-fiber-fitting :D

bdyman · Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 161 Location: chicago baby!!!!

[quote="88ATLED28"]pros like yourself?? oooook....

ummmmmmmm ya dude 10 yrs in body fender work kinda qualififes me as a professional
hence the screen name
"bodyman"
8) gesshhhh kids these days 8)

Brando · Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 3038 Location: Michigan, USA

bdyman wrote: 8) gesshhhh kids these days 8)

Ya, those damn kids!
Er...wait.... :lol:

:P

88ATLED28 · Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 8:01 pm Post subject:

its not that fact, it came off as you mr all mighty know it all of the automotive kingdom i mean whoopdi do ive been in it since i was 15 so take hmm let me think 2 years of jerkin around with crap. im 23 now, so 5-7 years of modding half of your years and im a *kid* seems pretty good to me. Sure I dont know *everything* but no one does, but what I do know I AM good at.

I DONT know everything about vynil tops, why would i want too? i hate any cloth on any roof of any automobile but if its like that give me till the end of the week and ill write you an essay mr. professor teacher sir. i got half of it off today, *everything* is a learning experience. with that attitude, the work that I DONT do on my cars is work that you WOULD NEVER see. I do know the time frame and money that I have and have it mapped out. Oh yeah the fixing, im not fixing anything im ripping it off. If you want to *fix* my crappy shitty ripped apart vynil top or should i say magically mend the rips and tears and the rot of 23 years and you are such a pro at it, do it, ill send it to you and for you *fixing* it you can keep it, put it on one of your cars. old farts geeeeeesh

88ATLED28 · Posted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 8:17 pm Post subject:

^---SLOOOOOWED down version

This is my first vynil top on a car. Why? Because I hate vynil tops on any automobile-car/truck/suv/van/bus/semi/motorcycle/boat/train. All of my previous cars never had them for what is stated before. I got this one for another project/daily driver for a damn good price and didnt care. For the money anything I dont spend on any of my other cars is spent on her, time same thing. When I get a free moment I work on her. Admitting things such as: Do I paint? No. Do I do metal work? No. Do I design? Yes. Do I fiberglass? Yes. Do I plasty? Yes. Am I a guy that buys a car to *restore it back to factory specifications*? No. It isnt yours unless you customize it, add your own personal touch to it, that goes for anything. Car, house, tv, computer, bed, cd player, anything.

I did get half of it off today, when i could, before it started to rain. i learned something as well. its not fun, but the car looks soooo much better without it-even with the adhesive and some rusty portions. so come on flame me because I have no clue to wtf im doing and will be doing the other half tomorrow.

Brando · Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 3038 Location: Michigan, USA

Keep on doing what your doing man...everything is a learning experience...and you'll never learn anything if you don't try it.

TOC Admin
Brando

88ATLED28 · Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:38 pm Post subject:

i got the other half ripped off yesterday, now just gotta clean it up...not too bad on the rust only on the passenger side, trunk meets panel weld...and a lil teeny bit of surface rust right on roof in middle of back window.