73 Mustang Mach 1 Vinyl Top Rarity

[timachone]

Theres a junk yard not too for from me with about 4 vinyl top 71-73 mustangs in it. Must have been a popular option around this part of SC. I would've ditched it too. I think they only look ok on white cars.

Any chances you could look after a sportsroof one there and it's complete vinyl roof trim I perhaps would need without any bigger efforts?

Tim

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I don't think it was when he ran a Ford but Richard Petty actually had one on his race car. I think it was a superbird. It came loose during the race and they had to pull it off, lol. I ordered a 71 Maverick Grabber, Grabber green with a black vinyl roof. I was on one of my cross country trips when I came out of Death Valley California the vinyl roof got a big bubble under it like 2 feet in dia. and an inch high. It was hot.

Everything on a car has a cycle, wire spoke hub caps, wide whitewalls, blue dot tail lights, vent windows, high bumper guards each looks good on the car it came on but put it on one that did not and it just does not fit.

Great discussion,

David

 

[jeff8877]

How about some facts to go along with this discussion...

1971...60,453 fastbacks and 150 had vinyl roof...<1%

1972...43,297 fastbacks and 866 had vinyl roof...2%

1973...46,260 fastbacks and 8,050 had vinyl roof...17%

 

[timachone]

1973...46,260 fastbacks and 8,050 had vinyl roof...17%

:exclamation:

wow - that were MANY!

 

[Kit Sullivan]

8000 seems like a LOT of cars to have a vinyl roof. You sure it wasn't 800? That seems more likely...

And Chryslers were notorious for putting vinyl roofs all almost all "floor plan" (dealer inventory) cars for a good financial reason: less labor to finish sheet metal on top of vehicles on assembly lines, less paint needed to finish car. Saved considerably on manufacturing time and expense, vinyl roof added literally about $5 expense to vehicle, added about $100 to dealer invoice. That is why you see so many old Chryslers with vinyl roofs.

as Navin R. Johnson would say: "Oh! It's the profit deal!"

 

[jeff8877]

8000 seems like a LOT of cars to have a vinyl roof. You sure it wasn't 800? That seems more likely...

The Mustangs by the Numbers book has 8000, when I saw that number a while back I sent an email to Kevin Marti asking him if it was correct and he confirmed that was the correct number. Still seems like WAY too many based on what you see out there and the fact that it is near impossible to find used trim for it anywhere.

 

[detritusmaximus]

How about some facts to go along with this discussion...

1971...60,453 fastbacks and 150 had vinyl roof...<1%

1972...43,297 fastbacks and 866 had vinyl roof...2%

1973...46,260 fastbacks and 8,050 had vinyl roof...17%

I'm curious about the 71 numbers. Was this the half vinyl roof like on the 73?

 

[rpmcarter]

Personally, I have always felt a vinyl roof covering, which is an homage to the classic luxury coaches of days gone by is horribly out of place on a GT or street-performance styled car. The two styles are incongruous to me and clash.

But thats just me...not an important opinion, for sure...

reflecting back on your former comments the lack of street performance or GT types that our 71's are....then it could be deemed as perfect for the car?

 

[cudak888]

I don't think it was when he ran a Ford but Richard Petty actually had one on his race car.

Here's the story. It was a textured finish on the roof, not vinyl:

http://richardpettyfans.proboards.com/thread/840

The problem that led to the roof "fixing" was due to the acid-dipped bodywork. The front window channel hadn't been reinforced properly and started to pull up from the windscreen - like a loose convertible top (!)

-Kurt

 

[coreysvt]

Theres a junk yard not too for from me with about 4 vinyl top 71-73 mustangs in it. Must have been a popular option around this part of SC. I would've ditched it too. I think they only look ok on white cars.

Any chances you could look after a sportsroof one there and it's complete vinyl roof trim I perhaps would need without any bigger efforts?

Tim

if I remember correctly they where all sportsroof cars. I'll check with the guy but its tough to get him to sell anything. You may have better luck with OMS or another vendor.

 

[Boss1Ray]

More info about racing using vinyl tops.

http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/2010/03/01/hmn_feature6.html

Some of the story:

Some may know about Roger Penske acid-dipping Camaro bodies (one so deeply that he needed to install a vinyl roof on the car after the fact, to hide the damage that had been done), but fewer knew about the practice of acid-dipping engine blocks and getting up to an additional 75 pounds of weight out of them. (Or that Ford never needed to acid-dip their cars: they just stamped body parts with a thinner-gauge metal, which drove the shop foreman nuts, and made the car an inch shorter in just about every dimension.)

there was another story about Sam Posie and the tech inspector leaned on the roof and the vinyl top - which was an attempt to hide the ultra thin acid dipped roof. It easily dented in where he leaned and Posie was forced to cut a roof off a locsal dealer's car and attach to race.

Ray

 

[hyena429]

How about some facts to go along with this discussion...

1971...60,453 fastbacks and 150 had vinyl roof...<1%

1972...43,297 fastbacks and 866 had vinyl roof...2%

1973...46,260 fastbacks and 8,050 had vinyl roof...17%

Jeff, does that include mach 1's in that % ? or is that just fastbacks only?

 

[jeff8877]

How about some facts to go along with this discussion...

1971...60,453 fastbacks and 150 had vinyl roof...<1%

1972...43,297 fastbacks and 866 had vinyl roof...2%

1973...46,260 fastbacks and 8,050 had vinyl roof...17%

Jeff, does that include mach 1's in that % ? or is that just fastbacks only?

Includes Sportsroofs and Mach 1s as the data is combined for those into one number.

 

[hyena429]

Ugh...that kinda sucks, i wonder if they just did not have the data to split that... Ummm i would expect a lot more fastbacks got the vinyl treatment than Mach 1's.

 

[Kit Sullivan]

Personally, I have always felt a vinyl roof covering, which is an homage to the classic luxury coaches of days gone by is horribly out of place on a GT or street-performance styled car. The two styles are incongruous to me and clash.

But thats just me...not an important opinion, for sure...

reflecting back on your former comments the lack of street performance or GT types that our 71's are....then it could be deemed as perfect for the car?

I don't recall saying that "our 71s are" not GT or street-performance styled cars...in fact I think I may have said the opposite. What I may have said was that a GT or a Mach 1 was not as authenticly a true performance car as the serious near race-ready BOSS 351 was.

Clearly the entry-level Mach 1 from 71-73 had more the appearance of a performance car than it did the functionality of a true performance car. Not so the BOSS series of cars: Every one a serious performer.

But whatever...even a 302, 2-V, 3-speed manual Mach 1 looked the part, and adding a vinyl roof to that image seemed a little out of place to me.

But, who cares? They look good with a vinyl roof too. It's just not my style, thats all.

But seriously, if it really bothers you so much that I have different tastes and opinions from yours, just ignore my posts. ( it won't hurt my feelings )

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Do you know the first Ford to have a vinyl roof? Was it the 1950 Crestliner? I am thinking it was but not 100% my uncle Charlie had a yellow one with black accents and a black vinyl roof.

In the beginning all Fords had a vinyl insert in the roof that was supported by chicken wire. You got a tool set that was in a pouch made from the same material. In the early days of auto production they did not have power presses large enough to press the roof panels so they had small pieces around the outside with the vinyl insert. The first presses were actually large screws that were turned by hand to form the metal. Ford was a leader in taking the auto to an all steel body investing in the large presses. Chevy had invested in large timber tracks and had to use them up before going to all steel. It was easier to fix rot on those old cars you just whittle another part out. Not too good in a crash. The switch to all steel by Ford is the reason you see so many more Fords in the 30's than Chevy. The Chevys simply rotted and people did not fix them.

David

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

How about some facts to go along with this discussion...

1971...60,453 fastbacks and 150 had vinyl roof...<1%

1972...43,297 fastbacks and 866 had vinyl roof...2%

1973...46,260 fastbacks and 8,050 had vinyl roof...17%

Jeff,

While looking around cl yesterday I found one of the 150 71's with a vinyl roof it is a green Mach 1 with incorrect stripe color and hood color without locks. He wants to sell it he bought and is just flipping it. http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/cto/5880946737.html

I asked where he got the number and it was from this info on the forum. I have asked if the car is a M code or maybe an R code but no answer yet.

He does not have a Marti either.

David

 

[6972boss]

Here are two 73's with vinyl 3/4 roofs. The blue mach 1 was originally gold glow with a ginger interior, exactly like the gold one pictured, two different machs. The blue one was a T5, German export.

Strange, I have owned more vinyl top 73 machs than without:chin:

 

[cwalker509]

Resurrecting this thread somewhat. I found a 73 Mach 1 with the half roof (waiting for more pics). Oddly I am not the biggest fan of the 73 nor of vinyl roofs but something about this car clicks with me. I have seen way too many cars rotted out thanks to exterior vinyl! Does anyone know of a way to treat/seal the vinyl to help protect against this?

 

[Hemikiller]

Resurrecting this thread somewhat.  I found a 73 Mach 1 with the half roof (waiting for more pics).  Oddly I am not the biggest fan of the 73 nor of vinyl roofs but something about this car clicks with me.  I have seen way too many cars rotted out thanks to exterior vinyl!  Does anyone know of a way to treat/seal the vinyl to help protect against this?

Easy - replace the vinyl when it starts to crack or fail. 

Keep in mind that 99% of the reason the roofs rotted under the vinyl is that people left the cars outside without care, as they were either used up used cars, or a project to get to. If you keep the car stored where it sees minimal UV rays and limited water, you have nothing to worry about.