There is no doubt convertibles appeal to a different segment of the enthusiast marketplace, especially when it comes to muscle and other high-performance vehicles. The sun in your face, the wind in your hair — you are telling the world your brain exists in a time of wide-open spaces, an era before air conditioning was the norm in cars, when no one worried about the harmful effects of the sun (or carjackers). You’re the embodiment of a Beach Boys song every time you pull out of your driveway (at least in your mind). But sometimes your street machine needs a new convertible top.
This ’69 Camaro got a new white top in O.E.-like “pinpoint” vinyl. The end result is stunning, an epic contrast to the red paint and a perfect complement to the white stripes. (Photo courtesy of Randy Butler)
A new convertible top is the cherry and whipped cream on the ice cream sundae that is your street machine. Reality check: Unless you drive your ragtop only on sunny days, chances are your top is up more than it is down. That means the very thing that protects you from the elements can either enhance your muscle car or detract from it.
Time For A New Top
Yeah, in this day and age a ratty, torn, and frayed top can be considered cool in some circles, but if you take any pride in your car’s appearance, then you are more likely to be mortified by such a crime against automotive nature.
This Saleen Mustang convertible came with a pinpoint-style top from the factory. Technique Interiors replaced it with this gorgeous Stayfast canvas top from Haartz. (Photo courtesy of Randy Butler)
Factory convertible tops are better now than ever before, and replacement tops for vintage cars are much improved also — as are your top options.
Randy Butler, Technique Interiors
Most convertibles from ’55 until the end of the muscle car era were vinyl, or what is called “Pinpoint.” Mopars of the late ’60s-1971 had a leatherette-like vinyl; it was pretty upscale for a B- or E-body, but nothing like the canvas-style tops that are in vogue today.
This mid-’60s Olds 4-4-2 (check out the manual gearbox!) not only needed a top, but definitely a new back window. This Pinpoint vinyl convertible top looks like new. (Photos courtesy of Randy Butler)
If you are working on or restoring a car that needs a new top today, you definitely have more options than before. Haartz is the king of convertible top material, manufacturing the top materials for every new car on the road. Its top materials are used on virtually every replacement top, too.
Its Stayfast and Twillfast tops use a three-layer design, and the elastomeric film Haartz uses as an inner later for both materials holds everything together, acting as the waterproofing and providing improved acoustics, too. Naturally, it makes traditional vinyl replacement tops, too.
A new Stayfast top just makes any convertible look better. This fifth-gen Corvette looks like a new car with a perfect top. It retained its factory glass rear window and defroster. (Photo courtesy of Randy Butler)
We spoke to Randy Butler, owner of Technique Interiors of Greenwood, South Carolina, who has years of experience replacing both tops and restoring interiors. His shop can provide any new top (or interior refinishing) you could imagine.
Making The Top Choice
So, what should your go-to material be if your car needs a new top? Well, the easiest and most economical solution is to stay with your original Pinpoint-style top, according to Randy. As you can see in the photos at the top of the story, it will look amazing and work like — or better than — new.
True, if your car had a plastic rear window when it was built, so will its replacement top. But that does not mean you have to stay with original style. If you’ve added custom wheels, a bigger-than-stock hood and/or other custom body parts, why not upgrade your top at the same time? According to Randy, you can upgrade from Pinpoint vinyl to a more luxurious Stayfast top from Haartz, and the cost is only about $300 extra. Haartz offers Stayfast materials in 11 different colors, so ask your installer about upgrading to a Stayfast top on your classic car.
Yes, there are special cleaners and protectants you need to ensure your new top looks good for the next couple of decades, but they require no more effort — perhaps less — than applying countless coats of polish and wax to a painted hardtop. Caring for your convertible top is a simple, worthwhile effort.
Convertibles are definitely less popular with the muscle and sports car crowd than their solid brethren. Ragtops are usually heavier, noisier inside, and a tad slower than their steel-roofed counterparts. Still, the sun-in-your-face and wind-in-your-hair benefits will always outweigh the negative for some. What’s another hundred pounds or two when an aftermarket supercharger will add 300 ponies under the hood?
