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'73 Gremlin with vinyl top?

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ArdsleyTank View Drop Down
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    Posted: Jan/12/2022 at 6:17pm
So my '73 Gremlin apparently had a black vinyl top. Best I can tell, this was not a factory option, but it does have a special chrome trim piece at the back of the roof so I'm going to assume that it was a dealer option and not stabbed together. 

The previous owner bought it 2nd hand in '74, and the car was practically new and had the vinyl top so it would seem to be original. 

Does anybody have any pics of a similar car with one fitted?

Many thanks,
Peter
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pacerman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/12/2022 at 7:25pm
My Data Book doesn't indicate a vinyl top was offered in 1973 but I could have missed it.  A vinyl top was a factory option in 1976 at least and the trim piece for that top matches what you describe.   So perhaps a dealer installed on sometime after the car was built.  Joe
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ArdsleyTank Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/12/2022 at 9:03pm
Originally posted by pacerman pacerman wrote:

My Data Book doesn't indicate a vinyl top was offered in 1973 but I could have missed it.  A vinyl top was a factory option in 1976 at least and the trim piece for that top matches what you describe.   So perhaps a dealer installed on sometime after the car was built.  Joe
  It's very possible. Could have also had it done at a 3rd party place at the time.  I don't suppose there's a place that I could get a "birth certificate" for one of these?  You can get them for Fords, and british cars where they show all the options selected and date of completion from the factory records. (I'm guessing no, since Chrysler was brutal to AMC stuff during the buyout)

Many thanks again. I'll take a picture of the car to give an idea of what I'm talking about. 

Peter
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mramc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/13/2022 at 5:23pm
I checked my Data/upholstery book for 1973  and no Gremlin did not have a vinyl roof available . But the Hornet did. A dealer could added and maybe used Hornet vinyl roof trim ??? LRDaum
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ramblinrev Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/13/2022 at 5:59pm
That would be aftermarket by a Trim shop....very commonly done back in the day....just not so common on a Gremlin.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote kirkwood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/13/2022 at 7:04pm
There was a factory option of a vinyl top but I think it came out later than '73 as has been mentioned.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fluffy73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/13/2022 at 7:18pm
Originally posted by kirkwood kirkwood wrote:

There was a factory option of a vinyl top but I think it came out later than '73 as has been mentioned.




I thought I had some documentation on these. There were several styles and yes, the factory did offer for a select few years - I wanna say '74, '75, '76.... but....  arg.  I "cleaned up" and now can't find half my stuff.

The aftermarket ones I've seen commonly end at the drip rail and just have a single chrome strip that runs over the roof to the other side.  Thus, leaving the rear "lip" of the roof, exposed body color paint.

I've also seen alternate styles where one will cover the A-pillar to the fender like the factory ones, OR has the exact same piece of trim, just at the top of the A-pillar leaving the pillar exposed paint.

The blue Levi's Gremlin that Jeff Dunham owns had an aftermarket roof on it at one time.  Probably why Jeff had it removed since it wasn't factory.  But that car was also a '73.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ArdsleyTank Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/13/2022 at 11:56pm
Originally posted by Fluffy73 Fluffy73 wrote:

Originally posted by kirkwood kirkwood wrote:

There was a factory option of a vinyl top but I think it came out later than '73 as has been mentioned.




I thought I had some documentation on these. There were several styles and yes, the factory did offer for a select few years - I wanna say '74, '75, '76.... but....  arg.  I "cleaned up" and now can't find half my stuff.

The aftermarket ones I've seen commonly end at the drip rail and just have a single chrome strip that runs over the roof to the other side.  Thus, leaving the rear "lip" of the roof, exposed body color paint.

I've also seen alternate styles where one will cover the A-pillar to the fender like the factory ones, OR has the exact same piece of trim, just at the top of the A-pillar leaving the pillar exposed paint.

The blue Levi's Gremlin that Jeff Dunham owns had an aftermarket roof on it at one time.  Probably why Jeff had it removed since it wasn't factory.  But that car was also a '73.



That's exactly what I've got.  From the A-pillars (no fancy trim piece like the blue car) back to the end of the drip rail with what almost looks like a piece of chrome belt trim bent across the roof, leaving the last bit of the roof body color.

So it must have been a aftermarket thing.  Neat.  Any suggestions on where to get new suitable material?
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