Shoot, just to be totally different and up to date, they are making some fabric that looks like Carbon Fiber. Grab some of it and replace the top with Carbon fiber.

 

dont just remove it and think it will be ready to be sprayed with paint ive seen guys spray right over the glue on there roofs not cool looks really bad but i dont see why you couldnt go with a regular roof

 

At the factory they paid very little attention to the surface finish if the car was slated for a vinyl top. You may need a bit of work at the "braze joint" where the roof meets the quarter panel. Other than that, I see no issues other than the usual surface prep.