Vinyl or no Vinyl Top? • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **matt** » 16 Dec 2001 0:36

I need sugestions i am restoring a 70 challenger Originally (yellow). I think i am going to keep the color the same. My body man says it will look better w/o the vinal top,but i have concerns about the apperance of straight yellow w/o the black vinyl top. Can i Have your sugestions on vinyl or no vinyl and why? Thanks Matt

by **Jack T** » 16 Dec 2001 3:19

In my opinion the operative word is "restoring". If restoration is your intent and the car came with a black vinyl top, then it should have a new one as part of the process. Then, too, it's your car to make into what suits you as its owner, but it would be way too yellow for my tastes without the top to tone it down a bit.

by **dave-r** » 16 Dec 2001 15:20

I like them with or without but if I had to make a decision I would say go with the vinyl.

Why?

Well a hardtop is called a hardtop for a reason. The whole roofline is designed to look like a convertible top. Only with a slightly better shape.

Now I am not a car designer so who am I to argue with these guys? I figure they did a pretty good job on the rest of the car so if the car came with the top I would fit it unless you really don't like them yourself.

Get the roof painted first for rust protection though.

by **matt** » 16 Dec 2001 16:53

THanks for your suggestions. I am now probably going to put the vinyl on thanks.

by **Larry M (Larrylava)** » 17 Mar 2002 0:20

I just noticed the seam on my vinyl roof
runs straight back towards the rear window.Most
vinyl I see in pictures curve down toward the
quarter panels.Is mine done "incorrect"?

by **Dave R (Roppa440)** » 17 Mar 2002 9:18

No.
As discussed in another thread on here there were two different tops used. A narrow seam and a wide seam. The wide seam was originally intended for the S.E. version but seems to have been used on anything in practice. Possibly because fewer SE cars were sold than expected?

More common is the narrow seam top which is what you have. Over the years many Challengers have had their tops changed. Not always for the right one and sometimes with tops that do not have the correct material grain or seams the right distance apart. The examples they have in the Year One catalog is a good place to start when you want to see if yours is correct.