Re: Erichs 76' Laguna - White devil.

by 77mali Tue May 05, 2015 3:54 pm

Unfortunately, you won't know until you remove the vinyl top. I removed mine and surprisingly, it was not that bad. When they put these on back in the day they used a vinyl with a "built in" backing pad. The entire thickness is about 1/8". They used adhesive over the paint to bond the vinyl top to the roof so eventually that will fail. The worst of it should be around & near all the trim pieces where water/humidity collects.

by wunderlich_33 Tue May 05, 2015 6:16 pm

Ya i dont have a choice i think. Saturday it rains big and if it gets under and pools up im screwed. So i need to tear it , scrape it. Sand it. Prime and paint temperarily to save the car

by 77mali Tue May 05, 2015 6:28 pm

Be careful & very patient. If you're lucky you can peel it off with the help of a plastic putty knife to where you can get it down to the "hairs" where the backing is stuck to the paint. Don't pull too hard or you might take up paint & primer both, then you'll have to use filler. The trim piece around the back glass where it meets the body panel before the deck-lid might have to be unsecured from inside the truck (not sure on you're car mine was secured with two little nuts).

by Roadcaptain S3 Tue May 05, 2015 6:37 pm

Ya know, I've been wondering about that top since your first post.

I THOUGHT the 76 had the "front half" vinyl tops over the driver...above the windows. Or no vinyl at all. I thought about it after your post about the sunroof.

Yours is the first I ever saw with the same type (back half of the roof) as the Malibu Classics.
I also thought the trim was usually chrome (like on my 75)

I'm wondering if yours was put on later, and might not have been on there long enough for much damage.

Just a thought.

And I may be talkin' out my a$$ too, as usual.

by wunderlich_33 Tue May 05, 2015 9:19 pm

sadly i ws not luck 77. the paint came with, but the primer mostly stayed. so ill have some filling to do.

No im backing you up captain. i have never seen it either and the trim isnt the usual pop on pop off, its all been pop-riveted on. so to get it off ill have to drill it all out.

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by Roadcaptain S3 Tue May 05, 2015 9:21 pm

Hey! It doesn't look that bad!

Any rust through?

by 77mali Tue May 05, 2015 9:42 pm

Looks mostly like mold/mildew, hopefully.

by wunderlich_33 Tue May 05, 2015 9:46 pm

no rust going all the way through. some real bad pitting in some areas, and the whole padding inside the vinyl was soaked

by Hawk03 Tue May 05, 2015 9:58 pm

Never cool to have any issues but glad you were able to catch it before anything ate through the metal, which would have been more time and money.

by ant7377 Tue May 05, 2015 10:49 pm

That dosent look like the original grain on the vinyl so I dont think you lost your original top. Its a blessing in disguise because now you can clean it up real good before you put the top back on.

by knightfan26917 Wed May 06, 2015 7:06 am

Hawk03 wrote:Never cool to have any issues but glad you were able to catch it before anything ate through the metal, which would have been more time and money.

Yes, exactly ... too many are not "caught" until after rust ate through the metal in multiple areas ... quite nightmarish.

Cort Smile

www.oldcarsstronghearts.com
1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve
"I know I told you that I could survive" __ Deborah Allen __ 'Baby I Lied'

by wunderlich_33 Wed May 06, 2015 8:19 am

Yeah im really starting to believe that the vinyl was an after thought by the original owner when he installed the sun roof.
but now I have to drill out all the rivets (cause that was a smart way to attach trim ) and then get the little pieces of vinyl as best I can cause its not like I can remove everything. I don't even have a garage so im doing all this in the middle of the street.
if I can get the pits filled and it sanded and primed for Friday ill be safe, but its gonna be close.

ive never done body work in my life. I just reaqlly hope it doesn't come out looking like garbage for the next how many years till I can get a body job or a garage.

gotta say though im learning quite a bit about my car, cause I had to take the interior apart to get at the screws for the loovers. but on of the screw in needs to be repaired now cause it snapped, not too badly.

by wunderlich_33 Wed May 06, 2015 8:23 am

ant7377 wrote:That dosent look like the original grain on the vinyl so I dont think you lost your original top. Its a blessing in disguise because now you can clean it up real good before you put the top back on.

im not planning on putting on vinyl again. too many problems down the road, like right now..

I was gonna remove it eventually I just was thinking in the next 2-5 years or so when the whole body got done. I just wasn't ready or prepared for it. hell of an improve on my part,

by Roadcaptain S3 Wed May 06, 2015 8:27 am

On the upside, the 75-76 Laguna looks good without the vinyl. The louvers make up for it.

You'll find that the filling and sanding isn't that hard, just time consuming. You might even enjoy yourself.

Gotta friend's garage or carport you can borrow? You can always throw a tarp over it if it rains.

by wunderlich_33 Wed May 06, 2015 8:41 am

Yesh I find without it it looks far more likea muscle car and like less of a cruiser.

oh don't get me wrong, I love working on my car, and wood working and plastic work is what I do for a living and I love it. its the rushed feeling/ time constraints that make it stressful.

sadly I live in the city so every one I know lives in an apartment. but luckily where im making a mess is public property. lol

by ant7377 Thu May 07, 2015 6:15 am

Just make sure you get a good rust neutralizer on there before you use any filler or glaze or anything. You dont want it coming back.

by wunderlich_33 Fri May 08, 2015 7:42 am

yeah the whole process was:

sanding
2 coats of rust inhibitor
body filler
lots of sanding
3 coats of grey primer

by Roadcaptain S3 Fri May 08, 2015 8:53 am

I'll give you credit for knockin' it out that quick.

Good on you!

by wunderlich_33 Fri May 08, 2015 9:10 am

lol thanks Captain.

If im backed into a corner like with the weather coming im not opposed to putting in an 8 hour day on the car. id rather take my time but just didn't have it,

sadly I must say.... you can tell it was rushed. and the 1/4 holes from the trim need to be welded but they quoted me $1000, so for now the wholes are blocked off with small pieces of waterproof aluminum tape till I can get her in sometime before summers over.

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