Roof assistance

[nmoncrief]

Ok, so I recently purchased a 1963 S&S out of California. There was only one primary issue with the car and that was the roof. It had a vinyl top on it; however, the vinal leaked and you guys know the rest.

I've talked to a body guy out in the area and we've come up with a few solutions to the problem and I just wanted to run them by everyone to see what the opinions were since it's my first car and I am learning.

1. Find a donor car, replace the roof and prep for paint. Less labor but I have to buy a second car for the roof.

2. Find a donor care, replace the room and prep for a Line-X liner. Wouldn't be much less that actually doing option 1 so I think this one is kinda out.

3. Leave the roof as it is and pay dearly for a vinyl roof to possibly be ripped up in a hurricane and leak again making the issue I currently have worse.

Any ideas? I'm stuck. Keep in mind if I purchase the donor car I'd only be getting it for the roof because I live in an apartment so I don't have a splace to just keep it around for pilfer parts off of when I need so the car will be used for the roof and then disposed of again.

[Boogeyman Con Carne]

Let's have a picture of the damage. If it needs a whole roof, this will be expensive...

[Abnorml]

I had Line-X put on my 1973 MM. She had a crinkle top. I have had a lot of compliments about Her top.

[deadw8mike]

find a good body man and have him cut out the holes and weld in new metal, unless the entire roof looks like swiss cheese. what you finish it with is up to you, I prefer painting the entire top and then installing a new vinal over the dried paint. That way if it ever leaks again, the water doesn't get on bare or primer metal. Primer is not sealed and allows moisture through. Paint seals and protects. For some reason manufacturers dont seem to get this for some reason. Whether the top leaks or not they rust from not being protected.

[Abnorml]

For some reason manufacturers dont seem to get this for some reason. Whether the top leaks or not they rust from not being protected.

When hearses were built they didn't expect funeral homes to use them for more than 10 years or so. They definitely didn't expect people to want them for personal vehicles. That's why people like us have to fix our hearses the right, so they will last.

[Flymanj3]

Another option - fix any holes, rough in to where the roof looks half way good - then cover with truck bed liner stuff (can't remember the name). Seen it done on a car and looked nice - has a bit of tecture and holds up pretty good... and is alot cheaper than a vinal top.

[Creepy Cruiser]

MIne was pretty bad when I got mine too, and it had been smashed up there also. I just cut and patched and fixed it right. Then instead of a vinyl top (just to be different) I sewed up my own top out of convertable top material, (it took 15 yards, lol), so it looks more like canvas and it's made to last outside with no leaks. It was a really lot of work, but I did it all myself at home in the driveway.

[nmoncrief]

My original plan was to paint the top; however, it was in such poor condition I was left with either patching, sealing and vinyl roof over it...or find and buy another 63 S&S with a good roof and Frankenstein the two together. I chose the patch, seal and vinyl simply because of the financial aspect of it. Maybe in the future when I'll revisit the issue but for right now it's solved.