The good part is that to replace the vinyl fabric and get the metal painted and ready for new vinyl will be pretty much the same labor. Getting the existing moldings off, the old adhesive sanded off of the metal, the old vinyl removed, and then the exposed metal "rust removed" and finished to not rust again . . . all pretty much the same.
If it's is like my '70 Monaco, NONE of the body seams in the C-pillar were completely filled with body filler, so there can be rust under there, too, which must be addressed. Something most people are not aware of. Still, in order to recover the top OR repaint, something that will need to be done.
With all of that done . . . you have the choice. Replace the vinyl or put paint in its place. If it were me, I'd repaint AND re-use the existing body moldings to make it a two-tone paint. BUT not a usual two-tone. Doing things THIS way, you take all of the labor time out of having to braze the molding holes closed, get them smooth with the existing surface, and possibly, for good measure, putting some paint on the backside of those holes so rust will not reappear! With the molding use, you can find some of the molding clips with a rubber foam gasket on them for moisture sealing.
Locally, there is a guy who re-did a '57 Chrysler New Yorker 2-dr hardtop in black. Car looks fantastic as it is done pretty much back to stock, in this respect, with the factory chrome trip accenting the beautiful lines of the car. BUT, for the black paint that was put on the top, they added some silver metallic to it, which further gives it a fantastic look. Something that you notice, but don't quite know WHY you like it, until you look closer.
Not knowing the base color of the car, metallic might not work, but a "flattening agent" might be used with the existing color to make it a more satiny (NOT FLAT) sheen color. Or perhaps combine that with a lighter color and the satiny agent? Something to be paint but to also make it look different from OTHER Malaise-Era Chryslers.
ANOTHER option, after the body work and primer are done, get the top wrapped rather than finish-painted. That could accomplish the "slightly less shiny" aspect of things while also allowing the flexibility to later change whatever you did, several years later.
In any case, DO be prepared to find more rust under the vinyl than suspected. Might be surface rust, which can be easily removed, but there can be some places which are worse in that respect. Not just an easy "R & R" situation.
Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
