Vinyl roof
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Vinyl roof refers to a vinyl covering for an automobile's top. This covering was originally designed to give something of the appearance of a convertible to models with a fixed roof, but eventually it evolved into a styling statement in its own right. Vinyl roofs were most popular in the American market, and they are considered one of the period hallmarks of 1970s Detroit cars. Vinyl roofs were also very popular on European- (especially UK-) and Japanese-built cars during the 1970s, and tended to be applied to sporting or luxury trim versions of standard saloon (sedan) models by pretty much the whole gamut of manufacturers.
History
The first use of this technique goes back into the 1920s, when leather and canvas were sometimes used along with landau bars, to give a fairly accurate reproduction of a horse-drawn carriage's movable top. The technique fell out of favor in the 1930s and 1940s, when smoother, "envelope" bodies began to be fashionable; for these designs, the look of the modern, integrated metal roof was important.
Lincoln used the convertible look on some of its Cosmopolitan coupes in the 1950s, as did the Kaiser firm on its Manhattan sedans, although the material was still canvas. In the very late 50s, Chrysler's Imperial made a limited use of true vinyl on some models. Probably the first modern vinyl roof as it would later be accepted, though, appeared as an option on the 1962 Ford Thunderbird, a car which also re-introduced landau bars as a styling touch. The vinyl covering proved popular, and some form of vinyl trim would be commonly be seen on Thunderbird roofs for the next two decades.
Other manufacturers noticed immediately that the new look could be profitable – it didn't cost very much to add, but many buyers willingly paid a premium for it. Vinyl appeared on some coupe models in GM's 1962 full-size line. Chrysler took the first step toward moving the look out of the higher-price class, however, when they made a partial vinyl roof available on the compact 1963 Dodge Dart. Ford soon offered it on the first Mustang as well. By mid-decade, four-doors as well as coupes could be topped with a number of colorful vinyls.
From that point on, vinyl proliferated rapidly and became very common in most car classes by the late 60s, even appearing on some station wagons. Vinyls were produced that mimicked other materials such as (ironically) canvas, and even alligator hide. Chrysler briefly produced some very bizarre " " patterns, with paisley or floral designs – this was called the "Mod Top" option. The Mercury Cougar briefly offered a houndstooth pattern. There was even an aftermarket spray-on product that claimed to add that factory vinyl look, but mostly it just added the spray-on look. By 1972, even the humble Ford Pinto sported a vinyl roof option, and a Ford sales brochure of the time conceded that vinyl was mostly for looks, but gamely averred that a small case could be made for its sound insulating qualities. In a hailstorm, that might have been true.
At about that same time, the modern opera window first appeared, and it went so well with a vinyl surround that the two together became emblematic of American body design in the 1970s. During this period, vinyl with padding under it was sometimes used, allowing the top to somewhat mimic the feel as well as the look of a genuine convertible.
European and Japanese manufacturers were not immune to this trend. Chrysler used it on upmarket models of its Hunter and Avenger saloons; Ford had vinyl roofs on Escorts, Cortinas, Taunuses and Granadas into the early [1980s]]. British Leyland had vinyl roofs on the last Wolseley and top-end Leyland Princess models. Toyota adopted vinyl roofs for its Corona sedans in the mid-1970s, and they could be found on Nissan Laurels and Cedrics.
Vinyl continued to appear in many car lines through the 1980s, but the coming of the "aero look," first introduced to the US market by the 1983 Thunderbird, tended to militate against both opera windows and vinyl roofs, as their more formal style did not go well with the sleek profile designers were beginning to emphasize. During this final phase, canvas-look tops, often called cabriolet roofs, with simulated convertible top bows under the fabric, gained some popularity. The availability of all vinyl styles dwindled in the 1990s, until the 1998 Cadillac Fleetwood Limited offered one of the very last ones.
Hearse and limousine bodies almost universally still have vinyl tops. Not only are they part of the expected style of those vehicles, but they have a practical advantage in covering up the welded body seams that result when standard sedans are stretched to greater length. Aftermarket customizers also continue to install vinyl roofs of various types for drivers who want them. These are usually seen on Cadillacs and Lincolns, but can be fitted to virtually any kind of car.
Styles
Four major styles of vinyl roof evolved during the 1960s and 1970s, with a couple of odd variants thrown in:
- FULL - this is the most commonly seen style, in which the vinyl simply covers the whole top of the car, including the rear quarter panels. The windshield pillars may or may not be covered. If a center sedan pillar exists, it is usually not covered, but exceptions to this rule were made. This is the type that was almost always used on four-door models.
- HALO - this type is similar to the above, but the vinyl stops just short of the tops of the side windows and windshield, allowing a "halo" of painted sheet metal to appear between the vinyl and the glass area.
- CANOPY - in this style, the vinyl covering is applied only to the front half or two thirds of the roof, usually ending at the trailing edge of the rear side windows. The windshield pillars are very commonly covered in this style, but the quarter panels never are.
- LANDAU - this is almost the opposite of the canopy, as the vinyl covers the rear quarter or third of the roof, including the quarter panels, coming as far forward as the trailing edge of either the rear or front side window. In common parlance, this was often called the "half roof," although logically that term could apply to the canopy as well.
- Chrysler had a design for its large and intermediate coupes in the mid to late 70s that was often called "up and over." These cars all had opera windows, and the vinyl extended to only a couple of inches behind the opera window rather than all the way to the rear window as with a full vinyl treatment. The line of the vinyl then turned upward to run over the top of the car, leaving a margin of sheet metal almost like a roll bar sticking up at the very back of the roof. No one else used this style.
- Ford in the late '70s managed to install both the landau and canopy styles on one vehicle. On vinyl-equipped '77-'79 Thunderbirds, two separate vinyl areas existed, one starting at the base of the windshield pillars and extending back to the trailing edge of the front side windows, and another starting at the base of the rear window and coming forward as far as the leading edge of the rear side window. These were separated by a targa band of sheet metal in the middle of the roof, which swept down at the sides to form a thick sedan-like pillar on the sides. The opera window was mounted in this pillar and was surrounded by sheet metal, not touching either vinyl area. Three pieces of glass were mounted on each side of these cars; the Fairmont Futura had a very similar style, differing only in not using the center opera window. Although it is rare, a comparable two-piece roof was available on the AMC Pacer.
Issues for Collectors
Many 60s and 80s cars will have vinyl, and most 70's ones. Unfortunately, vinyl surfaces are not as durable as sheet metal and are particularly prone to sun damage, so faded, cracked, or actually ragged tops are commonly seen. Even where this is not the case, the trim around the tops often trapped water and caused rust, and this could percolate under the vinyl itself, where rusting even to the point of sheet metal perforation could rapidly occur. The only real exceptions would likely be cars from a dry climate which were well maintained and kept garaged. Replacement of a vinyl top can be costly, even leaving aside repair of any rust damage. For unusual vinyl grains and patterns, an exact replacement could be impossible to find.
External links
Fast vinyl
Formal vinyl Final vinyl Odd vinyl Practical vinyl
- [Pontiac Firebird vinyl tops - removal & installation]
- [Installing a new top]
- [Purported restoration product]
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