Should I dye the white vinyl top black?

Discussion in 'Color is everything!' started by Canadian GS 350, Feb 5, 2019.

  1. Canadian GS 350

    Canadian GS 350 Well-Known Member

    The white top has seen better days, spent a lot of time cleaning it. As unpopular as it may be, I may dye it black until I take her in for a couple paint repairs, a new vinyl top. Oldsmobile had these mixed color combos, they all look unique.

    Given 72 has the black rubber strips on front bumper, black around tail lights, black hood scoops, a black headliner and dash and carpets..........I’m going to try the black top on her for a while.
     
  2. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru

    I've always thought a black top on a flame orange car was like throwing a bucket of water on a flame and putting it out
     
  3. FJM568

    FJM568 Well-Known Member

    When I had my car painted bright blue, I had the whitest white interior put in it so that the paint would look brighter. In my opinion, the black top will make the flame orange paint look darker or duller. The white just makes it "pop".

    If you're going to dye it until you replace it later, how about dyeing it white?
     
  4. Redmanf1

    Redmanf1 Gold Level Contributor

    The black top does tone down to color. If I had not had a deal on mine while it was in the paint shop I would have removed the vinyl top... You can see how much better it looked without the vinyl top even seeing the top trim studs....
     
  5. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru

    All that said, if I had a F/O car with a black top and black interior or white top and white interior I wouldn't change it from original, either one would look better with a matching interior
     
  6. Duane

    Duane Member

    Something that has not been discussed here is that dying the top is a used car dealer trick. Almost always the paint will only look good for a while and then peal off somewhere.

    If you are going to make it look nice for a while (as the original poster is talking about) that is one thing, but don't expect it to last.

    Personally I would leave it white, but if the OP wants to see how it would look in black, before he puts a new vinyl top on, then so be it.

    Remember white top cars sell, if you ever decide to go down that route.
    Duane
     
  7. Canadian GS 350

    Canadian GS 350 Well-Known Member

    It’s very interesting seeing everyone’s responses - thanks for the feed back. It’s sub zero in vancouver right now, if I was to change the top color......I have lots of time to think about it.
    The wife likes it white.......so what are the odds it stays white! Lol
     
  8. Smokey15

    Smokey15 So old that I use AARP bolts.

    It sure is a used car dealer trick. When we had a faded, or starting to peel, vinyl top, we painted it. The painter mixed flex agent and flattening agent in Centari enamel. Nice, even, heavy coat and it looked great. Longevity? Not sure. But, the flex agent along with the Centari gave it a better chance.
     
  9. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    My Delta had a white top we painted brown to match the car. I drove it for 4 years like that, and as far as I know 15 years later it's still hanging on.

    delta.png
     
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  10. 64 skylark mike

    64 skylark mike Well-Known Member

    Wow Lucas, that brings back memories! I had a Delta 88 Royale about 35 years ago. It was a light green with a cream vinyl top and parchment interior. Best of all it had an Olds 455 Rocket engine and ran like crazy! I think it was maybe a '73 car. Should have never traded it in.
     
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  11. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    Mine was a '71 that I was the 2nd owner of through consignment at a little dealership called Gabe's Auto in Great Falls. Always had cool stuff and looking back its crazy how cheap back in the day. They were outside and you could walk right up to the cars at 2 a.m. unattended if you wanted to, but they had a 1 car showroom with a checkerboard floor and neon for the best one. I remember a 409 4 speed Biscayne, 406 three 2 barrel '62 box top Galaxie, LS-6 Chevelle, 340 Demon, 'Cuda convertible, and many street rods being there. My older brother's '74 Nova hatchback that was his first car came from there. I traded a ratty '88 5.0 GT that I built with ALL the bolt ons and $1500 for it. All original other than the cut coils, billet 17s, cruise, painted vinyl top, and a hidden stereo. C code heads and a Flowmaster exhaust, brown power bench, crank windows, and factory A/C. Documented 80k miles. Loved it.

    I let my dad drive it to a big cruise and I drove my Mach 1 back when I was 24. Some guy in a nice 383 4 speed road runner pulled up and wanted to race the Mustang (I was running high 11s on a nitrous Cleveland at the time). I told him he'd have to beat my old man in my brown boat behind me 1st. Well next stoplight I pull over and let them have the front. After 3 blocks you see the Roadrunner give up and pull off. Didn't see him again all night. My 2nd favorite car I've ever owned.
     
  12. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    Dammit I'm already on eBay looking at Oldsmobiles hahaha........
     
  13. 64 skylark mike

    64 skylark mike Well-Known Member

    That's funny! And cool story too! But yeah, those old land yaughts would get up and go! It was one of my favorite cars too.
     
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  14. Smokey15

    Smokey15 So old that I use AARP bolts.

    ..........and you sure could sneak a lot of friends into the drive-in theater in the huge trunk!;):D
     
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  15. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    Oh yeah, my Delta 88 had at least a 2 corpse higher capacity then even my '70 Coupe Deville, and that's saying something. I was actually kind of disappointed in my Caddy's trunk when I got it because I was expecting it to be like the Olds's. The Olds had by far the biggest trunk I've ever had on a car.
     
  16. Red Skylark

    Red Skylark Well-Known Member

    I am going to be different and say dye it purple and then you would have Clemson Tiger tribute car. Maybe put a big tiger paw on the hood LOL! no but seriously if the top has seen better days on the color then I would go ahead and dye it black but when you put a new top on it I would go back to white. Makes it unique.
     
  17. Canadian GS 350

    Canadian GS 350 Well-Known Member

    Spent another 3 hours cleaning this top, ended up scrubbing with Vim....man it turned out good. It’s staying white!
     

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  18. Ken Mild

    Ken Mild King of 18 Year Resto's

    Ha!! Rhetorical question of the year! :D
     
  19. OHC JOE

    OHC JOE Mullet Mafia since 2020

    What did you use to clean the top with
     
  20. Canadian GS 350

    Canadian GS 350 Well-Known Member

    Vim bathroom cleaner with crystals (vim bottle says it contains crystals)and mr clean magic mark erasers - scrubbed like hell, make sure you rinse this stuff off quickly. For an old vinyl roof - it looks pretty good now.
     

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