[GOAT WHORE]

So the poll I started on the which is better 68 or 69 surprised me. Let's see if this does too. I am guessing no vinyl top is going to crush this poll!

[The Boss]

You forgot to add the poll.

No vinyl top.

[GOAT WHORE]

Originally Posted by The Boss

You forgot to add the poll.

No vinyl top.

No, I didn't. You were just to quick!

[1oldgoat]

It depends on the car but mostly I like them.

[north]

Vinyl tops have their place in 60's cars (I believe 69 was the highwater mark for GM in terms of vinyl top sales) but 68-72 A bodies is NOT the place. I'm not a purist in terms of hating vinyl tops, for example I actually prefer the look of 66-67 GTO's with them but the whole point of the 68-72 A body cars was the elimination of the division between the roof and the lower body. I'm sure the designers cringed every time they saw a 68-72 GTO with one of those line spoiling Cordova tops.

Just my 2 cents!

[300deluxe]

Being from Minnesota, and for the last 30 years seeing what is underneath them...rust, I shy away from vinyl top cars. They do look good on certain cars, but me personally, I stay away from them....painted tops are cool...I had a 71 Cutlass 2 door post that was brown with factory white painted top, that looked pretty cool.

[GOAT WHORE]

I used to hate that my Grandma's car had a vinyl top when I was a kid. Also hated the gold. Even was a little upset it wasn't a square body style (66-67 for me back then).
Fast forward to now and I would have it no other way, love the 69 body style, love the gold and love my vinyl top!

[Half-Inch Stud]

I like the vinyl tops on A-Bodies for the practical aspects of;

less surface area to worry of dust & waterspots,

the texture adds an artistic appeal,

the texture & trim add a "finished vehicle" appeal rather than a teen's unreliable hotrod appearance.
GM got the trim right on the A-bodies. Not so for the F-bodies.

less surface to paint.

[ponchjoe]

Painted top is my favorite so I guess that means no vinyl top for me. It does depend on what you are trying to do with your car though. Stock maybe, pro-touring, probably not in my opinion.

[300deluxe]

how do you start a pole, I want to start one of my own?

[north]

Ask Hillary ;-)

[Jerry H.]

1. If they came from the factory with a vinyl top, then they need a vinyl top. If not, then by all means don't add one!

2. I grew up in that era. Vinyl top cars were all the rage. I would go as far as to say that in a lot of models more cars with sold with vinyl tops that without. When I worked at the Plymouth store in 69-72 practically every car on the lot had a vinyl top. We even had a man that came by once a week that installed factory style vinyl tops on our used cars. $60 was what he charged the dealership; if someone from the public wanted one he charged them $75 and gave the dealership $15 for using their lot and supplies,etc. Great times to grow up around new cars!

['ol Pinion head]

Originally Posted by north

Vinyl tops have their place in 60's cars (I believe 69 was the highwater mark for GM in terms of vinyl top sales) but 68-72 A bodies is NOT the place. I'm not a purist in terms of hating vinyl tops, for example I actually prefer the look of 66-67 GTO's with them but the whole point of the 68-72 A body cars was the elimination of the division between the roof and the lower body. I'm sure the designers cringed every time they saw a 68-72 GTO with one of those line spoiling Cordova tops.

Just my 2 cents!

my thoughts exactly!

[north]

I think in 69 GM put vinyl tops on about 50% of all the cars they built.

Some of the dealers back then here in Canada were having aftermarket tops added and selling them as factory. Simply math; retail price was about $150, dealer cost from GM was about $115 and jobber tops cost the dealer about $75, instant doubling of profit! Remember that in Canada dealers didn't have to leave wolindow stickers so you didn't know the factory retail price. Another common trick back then was to charge customers extra for stuff that was standard.

Of course those jobber tops were junk, the moldings were chromed plastic that deteriorated in months. The vinyl was cheap so it rotted very quickly and the installers scratched up the paint when removing the windshield and back glass causing even worse rust problems than the factory tops.

['ol Pinion head]

Originally Posted by Jerry H.

1. If they came from the factory with a vinyl top, then they need a vinyl top. If not, then by all means don't add one!

2. I grew up in that era. Vinyl top cars were all the rage. I would go as far as to say that in a lot of models more cars with sold with vinyl tops that without. When I worked at the Plymouth store in 69-72 practically every car on the lot had a vinyl top. We even had a man that came by once a week that installed factory style vinyl tops on our used cars. $60 was what he charged the dealership; if someone from the public wanted one he charged them $75 and gave the dealership $15 for using their lot and supplies,etc. Great times to grow up around new cars!

One of my HO cars was molested by "that guy". Cheap plastic looking one piece "hoop" vinyl top trim & all. JUNK! Many years ago I peeled the top off, car has been inside for all but 3 years of its life. Less than 50K original miles & I'm replacing the catwalk & one 1/4 panel with NOS because of the top being added.

[GOAT WHORE]

My Grandma's car, with vinyl top, sat outside in Portland Oregon weather from 69 until about 90 or so. Never undercover and it rains a ton in Portland.
When I tore car apart of course there was rust around lower portion of back window but the roof was fine. Pitted some but very solid. Kind of hard to believe myself.

[300deluxe]

Originally Posted by Jerry H.

1. If they came from the factory with a vinyl top, then they need a vinyl top. If not, then by all means don't add one!

2. I grew up in that era. Vinyl top cars were all the rage. I would go as far as to say that in a lot of models more cars with sold with vinyl tops that without. When I worked at the Plymouth store in 69-72 practically every car on the lot had a vinyl top. We even had a man that came by once a week that installed factory style vinyl tops on our used cars. $60 was what he charged the dealership; if someone from the public wanted one he charged them $75 and gave the dealership $15 for using their lot and supplies,etc. Great times to grow up around new cars!

Did you see any Mod tops?

[Greg Reid]

I fought tooth and nail (with myself) over my vinyl top. I really never liked them as much on the '68-'72 body style. My friend/painter talked me into going with one, since it came with one AND since I had to replace metal there, and I'm glad he did. I don't think my car would look nearly as good with all that turquoise- body, roof and interior. Plus, I thought back over some of my favorite cars that I have owned- two of them had vinyl and I KNOW those two cars looked better than they would have without the vinyl tops. In fact, I can't imagine them without the tops. That's when I gave in on this one.
I'm kinda like Jerry, if it came from the factory with one, it probably should have it.

[charles bledsoe]

I do like both. I remember my first car a 65 Mustang coupe I got when I turned 16 was bought in primer and I was able to pick the color and trim. I had to have a black vinyl top installed and wanted it to be painted a dark navy blue color. The vinyl top back then was all the rage, though now I wouldn't install one on a car that did not come with it from the factory. When I bought my first GTO 10 years ago it had a painted roof and though my preference would have been a car without one, it has grown on me and it will stay the way it came from the factory. I do have another 69 which is the Judge, so I guess I have both types. I have thought about changing the color of the 69 non Judge (Expreso Brown with black painted top) but the paint is in to good of shape to warrant the expense of a paint job. If I ever do re-paint it, maybe it will be blue with a black vinyl top

[GTOnly70]

I prefer the 65-67 models with vinyl top. Prefer the 68-72 models without, as it breaks up the flow of the body line. If I was restoring a vinyl top car, I would keep it. Don't hate 'em - I had a 70 Atoll blue car with a black interior and black vinyl top and it was a nice combination.

I looked at an Expresso Brown '69 GTO with a vinyl top a number of years ago - the top had basically turned that car into a convertible...