1957 Soft top and hardtop values

[willcarterdc]

I'll bet it was residue from the original gaskets. I took alcohol and lots of elbow grease to remove the residue from my rear panel after having new seals installed. the vinyl protector would leave no residue.

Hm. Maybe! Hadn’t thought of that: I guess I just assumed it was from the vinyl protector, but you’re right that it could have been residue from the hardtop weather stripping at some point before the previous owner got the vinyl protector. No real way to know, I suppose…

 

[Ward 57]

Hm. Maybe! Hadn’t thought of that: I guess I just assumed it was from the vinyl protector, but you’re right that it could have been residue from the hardtop weather stripping at some point before the previous owner got the vinyl protector. No real way to know, I suppose…

Elbow grease my Friend. Mineral spirits are a little stronger but will do no harm to your paint. A little tell tale evidence may remain but don't we all have some authentic scars on our own bodies? Just ads to the authenticity.
There is a big swing in the auctions between resto-mods that look great and more attention is being paid to authenticity and actual normal wear and tear but still functional and most of all drivable to really experience the machine.

 

[zeroroadkill]

Can you not deny it was worth it?

Haha well worth it!!!

 

[willcarterdc]

Hm. Maybe! Hadn’t thought of that: I guess I just assumed it was from the vinyl protector, but you’re right that it could have been residue from the hardtop weather stripping at some point before the previous owner got the vinyl protector. No real way to know, I suppose…

For what it’s worth: I can now say definitively that the marks on my rear deck were not from the vinyl protector. I had the vinyl protector on all winter under the hard top. When I got the car out from winter slumber a few weeks ago, the first thing I checked was whether the marks re-appeared. They did not. So, the marks that were originally on my rear deck must have been from the weatherstripping on the hard top or soft top, before the previous owner started using the vinyl protector.