...As The Boss Stated...the Vinal is already separate at the TOP, No need for cutting! There Must be Some slack remaining to be Glued around the TOP of the Fiberglass Bubble*.
Yes!! This was one of the best mods I ever did on the Pantera, NOT very Common. It Saves a Lot of Time and Effort, to get to the Engine. As can be seen in the Pics, On Each SIDE, Enough of the Vinal EDGE is left, so it can be Stretched OVER Each Stud/Pin. Don't forget the Washers, must be small size, and You'll reuse the Original Nuts. Working here, a Nut-driver works Best! The Bubble Itself Nicely 'Snaps' Back Into Place, and remains there, Solid. A Black Marker works at hiding anything exposed. A Thin, Smooth piece of 'Sheetmetal' Works Greatest as a 'Spatula' to UN-Snap the Bubble, for Removal...Without Marring.
As far as Securing the Vinal Edge on the Fiberglass Bubble, Itself, I remember Gluing the Edge all around the inside of the fiberglass, using Rubber Cement, Clamped/Weighted and set for Over-Night.
Such a Convenience, I would Not Hesitate to perform this Mod, Again. Now, all You must do, when it's time to Check the Timing, Adjust Belts, or Other Work...is Merely Lean the Seats Forward, pop out the Fiberglass Cover and unscrew 10 (or less) Screws. You'll need a slim 'spatula' to get under and pop things out. I used a Dremel tool with Disk Cutter to do the Sawing, worked great.
Look at the finished Pictures. A great project, done properly, the work will be un-detectable, excepting for those who know it's there. Beautiful!! Convenient...You won't regret it! Take your time, draw up the lines accurately, Measure Twice!
Good-Luck with it, Make it fun!
MJ
* The Vinal is OLD, bending around the Top of the Fiberglass...the sheet vinal WILL Crack, this can be hidden using the Black Marker, after gluing...can use Black adhesive.
P.S. Measure 3 Times from Both Directions and CUT only Once! Know What You are Doing! Last, On mounting the Steel Cover, You might think of changing to a better Fastener. I use Stainless Steel 'Oval Head' Machine Screws with a Flange, 'Flange Screws', Adding a washer is Not Necessary. The Screws are 'Allen Head' Screws, so I can use a 'T' Handle Allen Wrench. Another Convenience!