leather top

i have a 1985 buick lesabre custom. it has that leather crap from about mid roof back. i want to take it off. is there anything i should keep in mind when doing this. im not a noob to body repair, ive just never done this before. and i dont like to just dive into things. should i leave the metal trim piece in the middle when i take it off. any help and suggestions are welcome.

Well maybe this will help. I do not know on GM, but the Lincolns used to have the half tops. You have the covering then you have foam padding, then you have a piece of plastic or fiberglass board about a 1/4, or 3/8 to a half inch thick,to give it the raised look. The strapping stuff...metal or plastic it held on with body moulding clips which are then screwed into the roof, well maybe not screwed in but welded pieces to hold the mouldings on. I hope that gives you some kind of clue as to what you are getting into. It should not be a big deal to take off. Good luck.