Hey Guys, I am new to these forums but not new to Mavericks. I have a 1970 Ford Maverick all original with the 250 straight 6. I just bought a 72 maverick that apparently had a vinyl roof or I guess a vinyl roof lining because there is sheet metal underneath the vinyl. My question is this: When I got the car the vinyl was painted over. Now the paint is peeling along with the vinyl (layer?) revealing the sheet metal underneath. Suggestions for how I should handle this is what I am looking for. Is sanding away the vinyl a valid option and just painting the sheet metal? The current roof lining is not salvageable. I am not as concerned as keeping this car 100% original in the sense that I don't like the original roof style so I am ok with getting rid of it and just painting the roof... anyways, I would appreciate you input. I hope i explained my question well enough... John
John the roof on a lot of cars that had the vinyl tops have rust holes under it. strip off the top and see what you have. I've seen some replaced with Linex bedliner and looked pretty good. Frank
I figured rust could be a problem. I felt the roof from the outside and couldn't feel any bumps or bulges so I am hoping that it is rust free. Unfortunately the previous owner just painted over the vinyl : I am just going to strip it down and hope there is not any/a lot of rust damage... fingers crossed.
Is it possible to remove the vinyl liner and paint? That is what I am leaning towards. Just to have one color.
the vinyl is put on the roof over metal so there is metal under it just strip the vinyl away the paint that is on it will come off, you can use a knife or scraper but actually grabbing what you can and tearing it off is probably the least abrasive to the metal and paint if theres any paint under the vinyl. I dont know if theres a proper way to remove the vinyl top but I would think just tearing it off is going to be the best way call an upholstery shop theyll tell you.
I've removed vinyl before, it's a messy job and allot of work. First there's no difference in the vinyl car and the regular hard top car. The sheet metal is the same for both. The vinyl covers are glued to the roof and then trim added to finish off the look. IMHO there are three options, remove the vinyl, sand, paint and re-vinyl the roof (I would use an experienced upholstery shop to do the vinyl part). Second, remove, sand and paint. Third, leave it alone. We chose the second option. We used a putty knife (not sharp) to get under the vinyl and removed it by hand. Then hand sanded the left over glue and paint. At the same time we painted the whole car, so it just became part of the process. At the time I would have given anything for a da sander (LOL). After it was all said and done, you couldn't tell it had a vinyl roof. Things to be aware of, vinyl is prone to trap water and that causes rusts. If it's bad, you'll need sheet metal work to fix. If it's medium rust, you'll find pits even after sanding. A good body shop will be able to address this type of issue or it's time to ramp up the learning curve on your chemicals! Then skim coat, sand and ready for paint. If you're lucky, it'll be light. You'll just need to put a nice sand on her and go to paint! Be careful around the windshield trim, front and back, most of that stuff is now fragile. If you're going for the solid color (no vinyl), there will be trim holes that will need to be filled (two or three on each side, it's been a awhile I can't remember the count). Good luck and take your time!
Actually...there can be a difference. I have seen many vinyl roof cars that were not "finished" under the vinyl top. This would include not being painted at all, or the lead line being very, very rough. Bottom line, got to remove the vinyl top to see what is going on.
It's a gamble either way, I have 2 halo top cars, one is perfect under the top, the other is like the moon...
Good copy. I am going to remove the vinyl then and see what I have to deal with. I am leaning towards removing,sanding, painting. But I will document the effort so you guys can see how crappy and inadequetly I did the work. haha!
Apologies, I meant the "steel" is exactly the same. There is no difference in the steel stamp used to create the roofs. The finish can very during any manufacturing. I don't think I was clear enough on that part!
