old vinyl top question
- Thread starter saylor
- Start date
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
saylor
Senior Member
welllp the plastic wrap is gonna have to do for now. I just got a new job finally so no more layin around all day talkin about cars :/
ill get it to the shop sooner or later to have this estimated whats it gonna take to fix it...
ill get it to the shop sooner or later to have this estimated whats it gonna take to fix it...
Rattle Trap
Member
If you don't have rust bubbles coming up under the top that tarp is doing more damage than help. Even a proper car cover with a soft inner liner will bold moisture against the car body as it seeps up from below. I currently have a 23K mi '77 Volare with destroyed paint from the beltline up. Spent its life covered up. Now, here's where it gets worse. A TARP has no liner. That plastic will act like sandpaper on every surface it touches. Outdoors with the wind rustling that tightly wrapped burrito? You imagine what's going on under there.
Its not so bad to leave it bare. I'd seal it up first though.
Using WD-40 applied to a rag, wipe down the dried out vinyl. Do not get any on the exposed paint areas. Once you have rubbed enough in to manipulate the curled up edges at the damage, use some quick drying adhesive to stick them back down. Be careful to only use enough to make the vinyl supple. Not saturated. You can hold the vinyl down with magnets as you go along. Once its all glued back down, coat the splits with thickly brushed on Rustoleum. That'll get you by for as long as you need it to. Also, ifyou have other priorities than replacing the vinyl, I have painted many a removed vinyl top a ccontrasting color. If you do remove the top and still have other cashflow priorities theres another alternative. You could just coat the whole roof with 20% thinned semi-gloss Rustoleum. Thinning it will allow it to flow and self eliminate the brush marks before drying. 2 coats minimum. A quart will do it.
Just don't let the wind have its way with your car under that tarp. Its not like things do more than form a pretty scale of patina'd rust when simply left alone in Texas.....
Its not so bad to leave it bare. I'd seal it up first though.
Using WD-40 applied to a rag, wipe down the dried out vinyl. Do not get any on the exposed paint areas. Once you have rubbed enough in to manipulate the curled up edges at the damage, use some quick drying adhesive to stick them back down. Be careful to only use enough to make the vinyl supple. Not saturated. You can hold the vinyl down with magnets as you go along. Once its all glued back down, coat the splits with thickly brushed on Rustoleum. That'll get you by for as long as you need it to. Also, ifyou have other priorities than replacing the vinyl, I have painted many a removed vinyl top a ccontrasting color. If you do remove the top and still have other cashflow priorities theres another alternative. You could just coat the whole roof with 20% thinned semi-gloss Rustoleum. Thinning it will allow it to flow and self eliminate the brush marks before drying. 2 coats minimum. A quart will do it.
Just don't let the wind have its way with your car under that tarp. Its not like things do more than form a pretty scale of patina'd rust when simply left alone in Texas.....
I don't have a garage so I have to cover my NYB with an Ironshield car covers from carcovers. I have used this car cover for the last 3 years and it has protected and kept my NYB dry. I literally live very close to the Chesapeake Bay and the cover has withstood some very fierce storms. I had to use a couple of ratchet straps during Hurricane Sandy last year and it did a great job and didn't tear. This will be the ONLY car cover I'll ever use.
http://www.carscover.com/Description/Ironshield-Car-Covers-pd38.html
I used the security cable around the middle and ratchet straps around the hood and trunk during hurricane events.
http://www.carscover.com/Description/Ironshield-Car-Covers-pd38.html
I used the security cable around the middle and ratchet straps around the hood and trunk during hurricane events.
Rattle Trap
Member
Sounds like proof positive.that you get what you pay for.
My cars story getss worse. Apparently after realizing the damage done by a cheap car cover, it sat uncovered in a carport for many more years. So the hood, front bumper, and whole.passenger side are faded as well.
Still, I wonder how far the money spent on a quality car cover would go toward a new vinyl top...?
I'd still opt for the cover if the chrome is good, only one.way to keep it like that....
My cars story getss worse. Apparently after realizing the damage done by a cheap car cover, it sat uncovered in a carport for many more years. So the hood, front bumper, and whole.passenger side are faded as well.
Still, I wonder how far the money spent on a quality car cover would go toward a new vinyl top...?
I'd still opt for the cover if the chrome is good, only one.way to keep it like that....
I thought for sure the Ironshield cover was going to get shredded during Sandy last year. The wind pulled the cover up on the trunk a little but no damage to the car. I was lucky because there was trees, lawn furniture, shingles, garbage cans, sheds, and debris blowing all over the place.
Rattle Trap
Member
Yeah it's not just the wind, but what's In the wind!!!!
I haven't had a chance to have a new vinyl top added to my 67 Fury yet, so it's just been bare metal. Just had the transmission seals and torque converter replaced. Its slowly coming along. Dang it takes a lot of $ to fix these up. I did spray some Rustoleum rust prevention on top to help protect it. It seems fine for now. It didn't have paint on the metal below the vinyl though. I'd love to get a new vinyl top so its better protected.
I'm just down the road in Lewisville. If you find a good place to repair the top, please let me know.
I'm just down the road in Lewisville. If you find a good place to repair the top, please let me know.
70bigblockdodge
Old Man with a Hat
There not that bad to put on a top on once you get the chrome off, put a line down the center of roof and underside of vinyl do one side at a time about a foot at a time use 3m super trim adhesive let dry over a bit stick down working center out.
saylor
Senior Member
roger that. I just got a new job after being laid off 3 months so im catching up $wise, haven't done a thing yet.
there are a couple of places in downtown garland im planning on checking out. ill let ya know.
- saylor
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