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Old 05-30-2023, 08:32 AM
TAKerry TAKerry is offline
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Default Half Vinyl Top on T 37

Has anyone seen a half vinyl top on a T 37 or lemans or similar? My son was talking to a fellow that showed him pics of a T37 he had in the early 70's. It was only a couple year old used car at the time. It had a half vinyl top. I thought it was very odd, I have seen full tops but typically only seen the half's on eldorados and such. I am sure it was very low production with that roof.

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Old 05-30-2023, 09:09 AM
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Half on the driver side or the passenger side?






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Old 05-30-2023, 10:13 AM
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Half vinyl tops were not a factory option on mid 60's to early 70's GM A-body's.
What your son was presented was pics of a 1/2 top put on by a local vinyl top/sunroof business fairly early in the 70's. Over the years, I've run across such 1/2 vinyl top installs but more often on '71-72 Skylarks & Cutlass Supremes.

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Old 05-30-2023, 11:48 AM
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fashion is so weird...at least it wasn't woodgrain

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Old 05-30-2023, 12:59 PM
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My old Buick GS Stage 1 car had one.
Like this one;

https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-pr...uscle-machine/

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Old 05-30-2023, 01:31 PM
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I think one of my college classmates had a 1973 Le Mans Sport Coupe with the Landau vinyl top similar to this 1976:

https://1976lemans.blogspot.com/

His was dark green with the black top and window louvers - nicknamed "The Armadillo". My 1969 Buick Skylark was affectionately referred to as "The Tuna Boat".

https://www.flickr.com/photos/autohistorian/50722433772

Strange how I always wound up driving when there were six of us going out....

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Old 05-30-2023, 02:21 PM
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This was an earlier car, and the vinyl was on the back half. I grew up in that era and have no problem with vinyl tops, I like them on some cars. On this one it doesnt particularly look that good IMO. I would not be surprised if its aftermarket. Thanks.

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Old 05-30-2023, 02:47 PM
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Picture of Kenny Gregrich's 72 LeMans Sport. I believe it was his grandmother who bought it brand new, and now he has it.

KennyG from the old ClassicalPontiac page.
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Old 05-30-2023, 03:59 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lee View Post
Picture of Kenny Gregrich's 72 LeMans Sport. I believe it was his grandmother who bought it brand new, and now he has it.

KennyG from the old ClassicalPontiac page.
Looks like a factory type stainless trim in the back. Is that vinyl or painted?

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Old 05-30-2023, 05:05 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TAKerry View Post
This was an earlier car, and the vinyl was on the back half. I grew up in that era and have no problem with vinyl tops, I like them on some cars. On this one it doesnt particularly look that good IMO. I would not be surprised if its aftermarket. Thanks.
Have no issue with a factory installed vinyl top on something as rare & desirable as say, the above '73 Stage 1 GS, a ton of 73-74 GS's had that style of vinyl top. Dealing with such a performance Buick, the partial vinyl top would be replaced upon restoration, if I was fortunate enough own the car.

Aftermarket vinyl tops, installed on a whim, are another story.
In the late 60's to early 70's, such tops were a popular addition @ new car dealerships to make a sale, & even as an aftermarket addition a few years later in the mid '70's. On the '68-72 A-body 2 door Pontiacs with a full aftermarket vinyl top, the edge molding was typically a one piece plastic semi-hoop. This is unlike the factory stainless pieces & chromed potmetal corner pieces. Very easy to spot a full vinyl top aftermarket style. This style of chromed plastic edge molding would get a yellowish cast to it within just a few years. With an aftermarket vinyl top, even on cars that have spent their entire existence in fairly dry climates, its fairly common to find rust damage to the roof & catwalk. Ocassionally, it will also rear it's head on the A & B pillars of the car. A view that several of us have come to is the common spray on glue of the time interacted with the original lacquer paint, eventually creating trapped rust. Peel off the top, & one will see the damage.

Years ago this opinion was further confirmed when i brought up the aftermarket vinyl top subject with one of my friends who has done high quality metalwork & bodywork for over 45 years. Like myself, he has had his hands on a ton of A-body's of this era. The particular car that am dealing with this issue has been well stored indoors since the mid 80's, & had been stored under a carport throughout the 70's when it was not being wrenched on or raced. All it took was the original owner having an aftermarket vinyl top installed in late '74 (at his wife's desire) to start the rust process. The damage evident by the mid 80's was rust pocks in the B pillar area of the roof skin, above & below, the leaded seam of the passenger 1/4 panel. Nothing a lot of labor, a roof skin, & nos 1/4 panel couldn't solve, but an absolute frustrating ordeal.

Buyer beware on vinyl top car purchases.

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Old 05-30-2023, 06:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scott70 View Post
Looks like a factory type stainless trim in the back. Is that vinyl or painted?
Vinyl. I've seen it in person.

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'67 Firebird [sold], ; 11.27 @ 119.61, 7.167 @ 96.07, with UD 280/280 (108LSA/ 109 ICL)solid cam. [1.537, 7.233 @93.61, 11.46 @ 115.4 w/ old UD 288/296 108 hydraulic cam] Feb '05 HPP, home-ported "16" D-ports, dished pistons (pump gas only), 3.42 gears, 275/60 DR's, 750DP, T2, full exhaust

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Old 05-31-2023, 06:20 PM
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OPH is dead on... at my GM dealer, when the Nova Concourse Landau showed up, people wanted that look on a Pontiac. We had some Phoenix with odd partial tops too.

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