Vinyl top: to keep or not to keep?

[Chargerrt340]

 

I did a garage restore on my 73 Charger in high school 15 years ago. Family likes body work, and restores Mopars for fun, sick huh!

I replaced the vinyl top and had a bitchen car. After joining the military the car sat in a garage for years, driven monthly, and is now again in my garage.

I want to restore it again, only better, and found minimal rust under the vinyl top in the normal areas. Namely the rear window body seams. Many Mopar buddies are telling me to take it off all together, paint it, and never deal with the rust ever again. But the top does look kinda good. I am not worried about being stock, I have a new engine, super bee hood scoops, building a custom center console, RT TL's, .......

Oh yea and to add insult to injury I now live in southern California near the beach. 

I like the lost old school hot rod guy, intimidating muscle car vibe...I drive it because I built it and I know its bad ass... the kind that makes a mans jaw drop and a women's panties wet when you drive by... the car that screams respect..... to be continued... 

[Ghoste]

Keep it!

[Lord Warlock]

vinyl tops are a thing that aren't seen anymore, so they make the older cars that came with them that much more distinctive with having a top that is a contrasting color to the body.  I say keep it.  removing and fixing the roof while rust is minor is not that big a thing to worry about, provided you catch it early and fix it right.  The tan top on mine is what sets it apart from all the other y3 or y2 chargers out there.  wouldn't dream of removing it and painting it, much less having to fill all the trim holes.