Vinyl Top Molding Paint

Discussion in 'Color is everything!' started by CJB72Skylark, Jun 9, 2009.

  1. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    Whats the best way to go about painting this?

    On or off the car? Special vinyl paint or regular? Scuff and shoot or just clean?

    [​IMG]
     
  2. copperheadgs1

    copperheadgs1 copperheadgs1

    Interesting. I thought 72 used a stainless steel molding like 70-71?
     
  3. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    ??? I don't know, but mine is defintly vinyl, and it looks like crap right now. Is it possible the molding off a chevy or pontiac would fit and they guy who had the car before me used that instead? He was a piece of work...
     
  4. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Definitely aftermarket moldings. Was it an original vinyl top car? Looks like a dealer installed style top. Look at the trim tag. Tell us what it says for a paint code. I'd be curious to see.
     
  5. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    That will have to wait until tomorrow. I've always wanted to decode that stuff but I've been to lazy. Now I have an excuse.

    Not sure if it is an original vinyl top car or not. From what I can tell by the work I've done to the car- this is the cars 3rd different color, first an avocado green (not sure of the actual Buick name but there are a ton of these color of cars out there) then black then the current red. It's a quickie Maaco style paint job that looks decent from 20' that's probably 15 years old.

    I'll have to research the site and figure out where to find the tag I need to decode the options and colors.
     
  6. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    Okay I'm trying my best to decode this, here is my tag:

    ST71 43337FL 135076 BDY
    TR 100 42 G PNT
    03D

    Here is my vin:
    4D37J2H14659

    So evidently my car is a Skylark, not a Skylark Custom. It was made in Flint. It's original color was Emerald Mist? With a 2.73 rear gear.

    Anybody wanna help me out?
     
  7. pglade

    pglade Well-Known Member

    My '72 has the die cast chrome corners and stainless pieces like the 70 and 71's and it came with a factory vinyl top FWIW.

    That is probably some type of aftermarket, form-able moulding.
     
  8. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    Is it weird my Vin is a 72 while my body tag is a 71?

    I don't think the 42 paint was a option in 72 from what I can tell, so once again the VIN and body are conflicting...
     
  9. Steve Craig

    Steve Craig Gold Level Contributor

    Bryant,
    My '72 GS350 parts car has the same trim. Questioned it here & the general consensus was that it was aftermarket.
    Yours may have been replaced at one time, possibly when the vinyl was replaced?
    Held on by small plastic tabs that are screwed ( maybe riveted...I forget) to the sheetmetal. Moulding snaps on place. I can check condition next time I get to the yard. I'll also get a pic of the clips.
     
  10. copperheadgs1

    copperheadgs1 copperheadgs1

    I hope someone did not do some tag swapping? Anyway check you VIN on trans and see waht it is. Tag in 71 paint code is (42)Willowmist Green with a green(G) vinyl top.
     
  11. bullisbm

    bullisbm Well-Known Member

    Mine's a 71 and I know the molding is the original and it looks nothing like yours.
     

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  12. staged70

    staged70 RIP

    Looks like generic aftermarket trim. If you want just paint it wth a good vynil dye. Use Sem OR Bulldog adhesion promoter to make it stick. You might try to find the original trim if you prefer.
     
  13. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    If your gonna swap tags atleast put a GS tag on there!

    Can someone figure the build date? Maybe it was built late in 71 and thus labeled as a 72 car?
     
  14. 71GSX455-4SPD

    71GSX455-4SPD Nick Serwo Magic Car

    03D would be the 4th week of March, so built mid-year. Is that tag riveted on? Or screwed on? Something seems fishy....
     
  15. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    Riveted. It looked like the correct rivets, but I'll take a picture of it when I get off work and post it. I read it at 10 o'clock last night with a flashlight under the carport at my apartment, maybe I mis read something.

    It's been painted over and it's kinda hard to read, I chipped part of the paint off when I was trying to read it last night so don't focus on that when you think of something fishy going on- that was me trying to clean it off to read it better.
     
  16. Steve Craig

    Steve Craig Gold Level Contributor

    Looked at your pic again. Are the mouldings white under the paint?
     
  17. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    The track that holds the molding in is riveted to the body. The molding itself snaps in to that track. The molding is actually clear in color underneath the current fading white paint.

    Im working on getting the pics of the VIN and BODY tags uploaded. I double checked my alpha numberic on everything though and its right.
     
  18. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    VIN
    [​IMG]

    BODY
    [​IMG]

    Left Side of Body Tag
    [​IMG]

    Right Side of Body Tag
    [​IMG]

    I scraped the paint off so it would show up in the photos. There was some weird build up on top of the rivets, but it appeared to be paint not any kind of adhesive or bondo, but the tag is looser than I would think it should be.
     
  19. Steve Craig

    Steve Craig Gold Level Contributor

    Must have been more than one producer of the aftermarket vinyl roof trim.
    Back then many cars had vinyl.
    The mouldings on my '72 parts car snap directly onto the clips, which are in turn fastened to the sheetmetal. .
     
  20. CJB72Skylark

    CJB72Skylark Moderator

    Back to my original question- whats the best way to paint the thing
     

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