Author Topic: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?  (Read 11585 times)

KERR

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vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« on: December 03, 2013, 04:08:05 PM »
Ill be traveling to look at a 69 camaro on Dec 4th,    its the usual bla bla bla,  perfect car that grandmother owned.   Anyway the guy said its rust free.  In the low quality photos he sent it looks to be.   The trunk is clean as well.   What has me worried is it is vinyl top car..   The top is ripped in the photos and will have to come off.  This isnt a big deal as i dont like the top anyway. 

My question is,  have any of you figured out how to spot rust under these tops.   Im assuming that if there is bubble in the top go with the idea of rust,  or if the top is spongy in places..    Im also guessing that one should check the rear pannel,  below the rear window and side to see if there is anything

Any suggestions, ideas, how to's would be awesome

Thanks

69Z28-RS

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2013, 04:23:34 PM »
Feel down around the lower parts of the top, especially near the lower corners of the rear glass.  If there are 'lumps or bumps' in the vinyl top, then that probably indicates rust on the metal under the vinyl.  if it's 'spongy', that would be worse, as it would indicate the metal had deteriorated to the point of having holes and great weakness in the metal of the roof.  If the car is nice otherwise, and the spots of lumps were not large, I'd not worry too much, just know that you'll probably have some repair to do there, but if you are removing the top and repainting (the roof at least), then it shouldn't be too bad!  :)
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KERR

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2013, 08:15:09 PM »
thanks for the info,

The car looks like it been painted maybe mid 70's  picture bassboat flake lol.. so the entire car will be painted at some point..  Its just hard to find a rust free one,  and i cant weld so doing my own body work is out of the question..


KERR

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2013, 02:49:59 PM »
well i went and looked at the car,  put a deposit down and ask them to deliver.   I was going to bring it back with me,  but once i got up there the snow storm hit and well im out on trying to load car on a wet / frozen car trailer in a snow storm with 30 mph wind lol.. 


I felt all over the roof,  didnt find anything that felt soft,  there are no bubbles, but on very front above the windshild its lumpy.  Very hard and lumps..  its almost like glue or something under the top.   its on the crease i guess is what you call it,  where the flat part of the roof bend, then windshild set in the groove. 

 

click

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2013, 03:01:23 PM »
When you have a few minutes feel free to glance at the photos I took of my vinyl top before and after. It was very rusted out along the bottom edge with alot of bubbles under the vinyl. Good luck. I loved the look of the vinyl top cars.

http://www.carsbyjim.com/storage/VinylTop/
Click is Jim , central Minn.  Moderator at Team Camaro www.camaros.net

69Z28-RS

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2013, 03:21:34 PM »
Click:  The vinyl top you pulled off looked too good to be original, and there appeared to be 'repair spots' under it?  so what that top a replacement and not original in your opinion?  and that didn't appear to be a car that sat outside very much in it's life...  not too bad at all in my opinion...

Kerr:   Was the car you purchased sitting outside?   uncared for? in the north?  if so, I'd suspect it could be lots worse than the pix that Click showed.  Seeing bubbles/lumps at the top front would concern me more than ones near the back glass I think.
09C 69Z28-RS, 72 B 720 cowl console rosewood tint
69 Corvette, '60 Corvette, '72 Corvette
90 ZR1 red/red #246, 90 ZR1 white/gray #2466
72 El Camino, '55-'56-'57 Nomads, '55-'57 B/A Sedan

Sauron327

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2013, 04:20:44 PM »
but on very front above the windshild its lumpy.  Very hard and lumps..  its almost like glue or something under the top.   its on the crease i guess is what you call it,  where the flat part of the roof bend, then windshild set in the groove.  

 
That's hard scale build up from corrosion and chances are it needs a roof skin. Two of the last 3 roof skins I replaced were vinyl top cars. One of those was previously butchered in an attempt to repair the rotten channel.

click

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2013, 07:45:38 PM »
I have no way of knowing if the vinyl was the 'original' vinyl on my car but it came from factory with the blue vinyl per the trim tag. My car was originaly purchased in So. Calif and then it went to Texas, so Im guessing it could have been stored inside alot but the area at the bottom of the rear glass above the trunk was pretty bad. There were no 'repair spots' on the metal roofing at all. The vinyl peeled off in one piece but alot of rust from that area near the trunk stuck to the underside of the vinyl when it came off. Im sure he will see more than he is thinking...we always do  :)
Click is Jim , central Minn.  Moderator at Team Camaro www.camaros.net

KERR

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #8 on: December 10, 2013, 03:13:59 PM »
to be honest with you,  i dont know the history of the car,   I just called about the ad i saw on line.

the story is its a rust free 69 camaro with 30K original miles..   I never believe that stuff unless there is proof,  and i didnt ask.    Then when we got there i started thinking it might be  true going by his "stuff",  Turn left off the road, and BAM,  Securit gate with cameras,  i had to buzz in. drove slow up the drive way but it took like 5 minutes to get to the top, then a huge log home  looked to be about 20,000 sq,  with views to kill for.  I might have missunderstood him but i think he said its setting on 500 acers,  deer and other animanls just walking around like they are dogs..     

i looked the car over we talked bla bla bla,  then he said he had a few restoration parts in the " barn "  i could buy and want to know if i want to take a look...  So being mr curious ;) i said sure, 

We walked in this " barn"  probably a 8-10K sq, ( and not a barn where say the cow stays,  im talking finished floors, heat, air, finished walls, tv etc etc)  there was more camaros in there,  a 6?,  had no front end or door,  looked like it was a race at some point, huge slicks, roll cage,   a 68 with no motor,  and i want to a say 70 or 71.  It didnt have any bumpers. 
a bunch of harleys and a lot of random stuff.   At some point i said i wish that the car i was buying was black,  He said well i have a 68 thats black but its not for sale,   I said everything is for sale if you have enough money..   he lol and said this one isnt but ill let you see if you want.     Sure why not ;)    So we go into another "barn" ( locked with a security system, still on top of this mountain,)  full of random stuff and behind a plastic wall, ( sorta like what you see in a store where the stock is held,  big thick plastic)  is some cars, all are under car covers,  He only turned on a few lights so i couldnt see how deep the barn went and how much stuff was back there,  I could see the out line of at least 10 somethings lol ;)

So he pull the car cover back and its a 68, RS/SS,   Black on black hounstooth, 396, 4 speed,  4:10 gears and 12 bolt. had the gauges infront of the shifter and the white stripe across the front,  He said he bought it new when graduated. it had 15K miles on it.   I ask how in the world he kept the miles that low and he said,  well i worked and camaro cant do the work we did then,  i parked the car and bought trucks...   

So by putting it all together,  either its a grate story or they use to do something very well,  all that land,  huge house, bunch of cars,   and i bet we past 15 chevy trucks just rusting away in a field,  along with tractors, and bull dozers etc..or they won the lotto and he bought it all and made up a story lol.. 

69Z28-RS

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2013, 03:50:04 PM »
Hopefully your '69 was kept in one of those 'barns' for most of the intervening 44 yrs..  :)
Where was this 500 acre estate, what part of what state?
09C 69Z28-RS, 72 B 720 cowl console rosewood tint
69 Corvette, '60 Corvette, '72 Corvette
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KERR

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Re: vinyl top, rust spotter guide?
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2013, 06:33:12 PM »
West Va, 

 

anything