# 82' cutlass vinyl to convertible?

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/82-cutlass-vinyl-to-convertible/32121>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** cutlass, oldsmobile\
**Created:** [June 20, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/82-cutlass-vinyl-to-convertible/32121 "2009-06-20T15:17:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![kals13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/848f3c/32.png) [@kals13](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kals13)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/82-cutlass-vinyl-to-convertible/32121/1 "2009-06-20T15:17:14Z")

</div>

i just bought a 1982 oldsmobile cutlass. anyone know how much or even if its possible to put on a ragtop?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/82-cutlass-vinyl-to-convertible/32121/2 "2009-06-20T18:55:47Z")

</div>

This applies to any vehicle that wasn’t orignally designed as a convertible. [http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2124201.page](http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2124201.page)

Tester

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/82-cutlass-vinyl-to-convertible/32121/3 "2009-06-20T19:04:28Z")

</div>

Pardon the intrusion, Tester, but what does a Toyota igniter malfunction have to do with making a hardtop a convertible? Oops, you fixed it

What I believe Tester’s correct link would explain is that on modern cars, the roof is a part of the rigidity of the entire car, and without it, it would fold in half. Factory convertibles are made with extra reinforcing to compensate and prevent the car from folding. To actually do this, you’d need to add a lot of steel to stiffen the rest of the car, or get an engineer to determine how to design the correct reinforcing to compensate.

Basically, if you want a convertible, buy one that was factory made.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\
**Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/82-cutlass-vinyl-to-convertible/32121/4 "2009-06-20T23:22:51Z")

</div>

Would you settle for a moonroof?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/82-cutlass-vinyl-to-convertible/32121/5 "2009-06-21T00:32:52Z")

</div>

With enough money you can do almost anything. In this case you are going to need to spend far more than the car is worth to do it.