The roof is all still solid. you are not telling me anything I don't know about cars with vinyl roofs. There are some leaks in the vinyl, it accumulates on the bottom passenger side and has done what is there. The under carriage is in very good shape (I've had it on a hoist, and been under it enough to know). I've been keeping it covered during most precipitation to halt the advance of the rust. Part of me has been considering deleting the vinyl, removing the rust, painting/filling pits in the bare metal and maybe putting the trim back and doing the paint on the former vinyl area in a way that gives the visual impression of vinyl. If my circumstances were better I'd probably have started on that already... I'm now starting to think about shifting my attention back to Improving it. The driver door needs the power locks revisited, and the window angle adjusted, the 8-track mech has slowed and started a periodic grinding noise, I've got the money to address the exhaust (the muffler is going and makes a moan I've joked is the ship's fog horn), and I've always been curious about body work...This could be a good excuse to learn.
I can't stand letting squirrel boy have the last public shot at political debate here and I believe his opinion and characterization of my views is thoroughly misguided, but I'm going to be the bigger man and instead of posting the paragraphs of retort I've just written to his last comment, I'll instead say publicly say that 'I respectfully disagree with you squirrel boy' and take the political debate portion of this conversation private.
Now hopefully back to pure car talk.