1980 Mustang Carraige Roof Removal Questions

[BangShift McT]

Ok, it's time for a springtime ritual of mine: turning my wrenches and time towards my wife's 1980 Mustang Ghia and I finally have approval to yank the carriage roof off of the thing. Hallelujah, it has been one of the few things about the car that I have wanted to change, especially when we've had replacement quotes north of $1,000. After a couple of hours looking, all I've learned about this deal on the Internet is the following:

1) There don't seem to be any "project threads" on the Internet of someone ditching the carriage top on a Fox Mustang,
2) There doesn't appear to be any instructions anywhere, and
3) My apologies, BBR, but the folks that hang out at FourEyedPride are more clinical about "keeping it original" than Mopar guys. That's saying something, right there.

What we are looking at is similar to the "cap" on a 1982-89 Chrysler Fifth Avenue: it's a fiberglass unit laid on top of the metal to form a different roof shape, covered in a material that resembles a thin duck cloth. It also has a plastic/metal band that wraps around the back, from the rearmost point on the quarter-windows around and onto the trunk, that is riveted in place. The "vinyl" itself is completely dry-rotted, with seam stitching all but gone and sections hanging and flapping in the breeze. I'm reaching out one last time before I go get assessments on getting the holes welded up and paint quotes...any of you Mustang guys know anything?

[BBR]

FourEyedPride gives the rest of us four eye people a bad name. I hate that place.

I know zero about the carriage roofs. Yours is the only one I have ever heard of. That means it must be rare and worth a bubazillionkillion dollars. Better leave it original.

lolol I keed. Shred that pup off and let us see all the gory details.

[Deaf Bob]

Never did no seed one of dem roofs!
Me? Yank it and store it untill a fool buys it or something heavy falls on it..
Hope the metal under it is intact and not rusty..

[STINEY]

I guarantee you will catch some crap from someone AFTER you tear it off.

I also guarantee that particular person would never pony-up the cash to prevent you from tearing it off.

Rare doesn't necessarily equate to valuable.

Rip that ugly sucker off. Save it in one piece if relatively easily possible to sell to that person who gives you crap. Has to be worth at least a gallon of rum?

More pictures are necessary though. Surely your phone has a camera?

Indulge us junkies?

[Deaf Bob]

Them who bitch loudest pay the least (nottadamnthing)

[TheSilverBuick]

More pictures are necessary though. Surely your phone has a camera?

Indulge us junkies?

x2!

[BangShift McT]

More pictures are necessary though. Surely your phone has a camera?

Indulge us junkies?

Ask and ye shall receive.

Here's the basis for why I'm seriously considering this. I have never been a fan of fake convertible roofs, but I wouldn't mind this one...IF it wasn't falling apart. It only looks good from the front. Everything else has some fault, be it lifting, cracking, tearing, seam-splitting or the nautical trim bar breaking off.


Passenger side. Any prolonged speed over 40 mph is going to cause that already-brittle seam to split into two pieces, which means that I'll get to hear the roof self-flagellate the window.


Passenger rear @ trunk. The biggest issue without question is that the rear trim bar was riveted on. They are small holes, but they have to be dealt with no matter what if the top is removed. The trim itself is so warped that returning it to the track isn't in the cards...that's how the chip on the trunk piece you see happened.

[BangShift McT]

Just above driver door. You can see the cap clearly here.I don't know yet how this is attached to the roof. Looking at where the vinyl ends above the windshield suggests adhesive, however...


...at the driver's quarter window, you have this bit: the cap is riveted to a piece of metal that (I'm guessing) is bolted into where the quarter window louvers would go.


...and the roof band, which is screwed in at least on the ends.

I'm holding off on completely ripping everything off until I have a better understanding of what lies underneath. Let's remember: the last two cars I tore the tops off of, the Chevelle and the Mirada, turned out to be nightmares of the highest caliber. I don't think that would be the case here, since the car wasn't left out in the elements for years like the other two and because, unlike the other two, there is the cap between the metal and the vinyl. I'm more concerned with having to fill in a ton of holes, and if I've got to start sourcing notchback Mustang trim to complete the car after the cap comes off. I am not messing with those big chrome A-pillar covers...they look like more trouble than they are worth. I'm also going to make one more shot at getting it recovered. There is somewhere local that is skinning new Cadillacs and Lincolns, so getting the material (or something close to it) shouldn't be a problem and a competent shop should be able to trim it up without having to send the car out of state for measurements.

[STINEY]

I have to admit - as far as fake convertibles go - they did a pretty convincing job.

That actually looks very much like a convertible mustang. Most just look like puffy-turds covered in vinyl with tacky trim.

Anyways, that is considered a "Carriage Roof" only available from '80-'82. Yeah, low-production cars.....probably because demand was low.

Found a picture of one with the cap recently removed. Looks like you are going to have some adhesive on the sides at least to deal with. No doubt the roof skin has some too.

Quarter window louvres (if you want them) and A-pillar covers should be the only things needed?

There is a picture somewhere on the internet that shows the window sticker - apparently this was a $643 option.

Before

After

[BangShift McT]

EEEch. That doesn't look pretty. If we go for it, the plan is to yank the top, re-shoot the paint (it's about shot as it is) and I'd prefer to go with the 1987-93 notchback quarter glass. At least it doesn't appear to be too damaging, but I'm wondering what the paint will look like underneath the cap...a quick judging from that picture says it's either shot or the factory didn't bother painting.

[Scott Liggett]

It's just a fiberglass cap glued on the roof. No different than vinyl roofs you have dealt with.

Stop hemming and hawing and go all Cro Magnon on it and just rip it off.

I hear these Carriage roof Mustangs are uber rare along with your Pumpkin Spice metallic paint, your car is one of who gives a turkey..

[Dan Barlow]

I'd prefer to go with the 1987-93 notchback quarter glass .

That larger quarter glass that takes out the louver or fake vents would really smooth the look out .

[Russell]

They way I see it you have two options, sell it to some # matching guy and get a different car. Or rip it off, if you can get it off it one piece you might get a few bucks for it. If you have a might welding the holes are not that bad, get a copper spoon pratice some then go to town, grind down the high spots smooth with filler if need be.

[STINEY]

^^ what Russell said.

Harbor freight has the copper backing spoons cheap. Grab a free old hood or door from anything - drill some holes in it if it doesn't have any trim holes already - fire away practicing.



There is another method....although I'll be labeled a hack for bringing it up.....on my old yellow van I debadged it before turning it yellow. Slightly dented the trim holes in with a ball-peen hammer and a second hammer, then skimmed with filler.

Lay the filler gently and carefully - the only sanding needed was the same as needed to rough up the original paint.

The most hackish was the antennae hole on the top curve of the front fender. Looked like a few antennaes had been torn out of the metal, it was ugly. I straightened with a dolly and hammer, then slightly caved in the edges, backed with tape and did the filler thing again.

That was 25 years ago. The rest of the van has just about rusted back into the earth, but all those hack-filled hole areas look fantastic. Go figure.

I can snap close-up pictures of those areas if you want. Not to try to turn you into a hack like me, but just to illustrate that this body-work thing CAN be over-killed and over-thought at times.

[Loren]

The rest of the van has just about rusted back into the earth, but all those hack-filled hole areas look fantastic. Go figure.

Look at it this way...when you weld a hole up you create an-at-least 3/4" diameter area behind it where any rust-preventative coating applied from the factory is compromised from the heat, and if you can't reach it...or can and didn't...there is sits to corrode away in the dark forever. I have never had a problem doing small holes by grinding out any rust around the hole as it exists, then dinging it in by putting a center punch in it and whacking it with a hammer, pushing some bondo into it enough so that just a small amount extrudes through, and finally after that is starting to set up, applying another bit to level it.

I've come across some very old repairs done that way and they were fine, I believe in many (if not most) cases it's an acceptable fix probably good for decades. These days I weld all holes up but I'm generally doing a different-type car than an '80 Mustang and will have a customer who wants to see a photo of smooth bare steel.

I should add...don't just lightly smear plastic filler onto steel especially in this case. Put a little on your (clean) finger and rub it into the steel hard, back-and-forth. The only thing sticking that plastic onto the metal is physical bond and the more you can work it into the pores of the steel the better, and moisture will have much less of a chance of seeping in there. Having done that, then you can go ahead and get a blob into the hole and continue. At the end of the day you'll have some pretty bondo'd-up fingertips but it'll come off on it's own as your skin produces oils etc. that get under it.