# Vinyl Top Removal



## MITYGTO (Jun 10, 2011)

Have the typical rust bubbles under the vinyl roof around the rear window of my 70 GTO. Those of you that have done this and attempted a repair yourself, what was involved and would you do it again or hire it out? Now retired, I have more time than $ and ZERO body work experience although I am a DYI type.
Appreciate any input you may have.................


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

I did mine myself, and I did not re-install the vinyl top. Depending on how bad the damage actually is and how persnickety you are with the result, you could be looking at anything from a relatively simple repair to a full quarter panel replacement. Has it rusted through? Does water leak into your trunk? Are the bottom edges of the quarter panel also rusting from the inside due to water collecting behind them?

It can be done and you can do it. Time is on your side. The thing about body work is that as long as you take your time and don't get in a rush, it's a skill that can be learned and even if you make a mistake, you can always back up and start over.

Bear


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## Jerome Griffiths (Mar 25, 2021)

MITYGTO said:


> Have the typical rust bubbles under the vinyl roof around the rear window of my 70 GTO. Those of you that have done this and attempted a repair yourself, what was involved and would you do it again or hire it out? Now retired, I have more time than $ and ZERO body work experience although I am a DYI type.
> Appreciate any input you may have.................


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

When I did my 69, I had zero-none-nada-zilch previous body/paint experience. Two resources that were my lifeline were Kevin Tetz's forum (which, sadly, may not be around any more but there are others), and his "Paintucation" videos on DVD. 

I did 100% of the work on my car myself, including replacing the full passenger side quarter panel (169 spot welds!) and the black paint (in my garage), and it turned out very good. 

I watched his videos multiple times. What I noticed was that many times, in the middle of some task I'd run into a problem I wouldn't know how to handle. I'd watch one of the videos again and find the solution had been there all along, but that I had missed it on previous viewings because I hadn't realized it was important. 

Bear


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