Full Vinyl Top

[uwantbreadbai]

Also, how do i remove the rivets from the side trim and this thing

[uwantbreadbai]

Alright, I got the things in the previous picture out, all I had to do was take a deep socket and go on the opposite side from the inside of the car where there are holes. Inside the holes you can see the nut to remove, but on the other two above the one in the pic there is sound deadening in the holes, really easy, but I still don't see how to take the rivets out from where the side trim used to be . A buddy of mine said taking a drill and boring it into the center of the rivet will pop them out so I will have to try it. Btw is there an easier way to take the cotton stuff off the roof? I tried goo gone but that didn't work at all. Sand paper is working okay, but it takes awhile. I saw a thread about aircraft stripper I think its called, but it says it would take off paint and I don't really want to do that yet.

[Bowman85merc]

when i did mine i used 3M adhesive remover let it sit for a bit then used a plastic putty knife to scrape off the slim, then used a brillo looking thing for my angle grinder and that took the rest off. as for the paint, i can't see no way of saving it. there's no clear coat or anything on it to prtect it. even with a plastic putty knife if was gouging it. i just took mine completly down and repainted. hope this help any.

[uwantbreadbai]

when i did mine i used 3M adhesive remover let it sit for a bit then used a plastic putty knife to scrape off the slim, then used a brillo looking thing for my angle grinder and that took the rest off. as for the paint, i can't see no way of saving it. there's no clear coat or anything on it to prtect it. even with a plastic putty knife if was gouging it. i just took mine completly down and repainted. hope this help any.

You took it to the metal all the way around? Right now I got most of the cotton adhesive stuff off of both of the sides, only the top is left. I used the aircraft stripper on the sides and it went kind of quick, but the stripper doesn't really work on the top. So I don't know what to do for that.

[Bowman85merc]

yea it takes some work, after i relized that there was no saving the paint i also used a razer blade to scrape the stuff off. that brillo
pad thing i used on the grinder worked great and they also sell them for use in drills. that thing took it right down without hurting the metal, i wish i would of thought of it 3 days earlier, would of save alot of time.

good luck

[uwantbreadbai]

Yeah, I bought that drill brillo pad thing today, it works pretty good, my drill battery kept dying though. Did you paint your car yourself after you had finished the top, or did you get a shop to do it.

[Bowman85merc]

i did all the work + painting myself. not bad i think for being the first time spraying with a paint gun

[1987cp]

i did all the work + painting myself. not bad i think for being the first time spraying with a paint gun

First time? Wow - it looks great, at least in pics!

[uwantbreadbai]

If I just buy the primer in the spray cans will that be okay to use?

[1987cp]

Quite possibly. I found some "Duplicolor Professional" high-build primer surfacer at a local paint supply house, but I sealed it with Duplicolor primer sealer before spraying any color on the bumper I've been working on. Then I got a ding in the surfacer .... grr......

I also found some Duplicolor self-etching primer at the AutoZone where I picked up the primer sealer. If I'd had that at the beginning of the project, I'd have used that as the very base layer instead of the Rustoleum Bare Metal Primer I did use.

[uwantbreadbai]

So on the bare metal I should just spray some primer sealer?

[LTDMan83]

No, Primer Sealer is made Not made to seal Bare Metal, it is very porous and will Not seal up the Bare metal from moisture, causing rust to form under it. It is made to seal already Primed surfaces only, to prevent Bleed-through into the Base Coat.

You need an Epoxy based Bare Metal Primer or Self-Etching Primer, which is made for sealing up the bare metal from moisture. Then on top of that goes your Surfacer Primer, then your Sealer Primer.

[1987cp]

You need an Epoxy based Bare Metal Primer or Self-Etching Primer, which is made for sealing up the bare metal from moisture.

That I had not known. Do you then apply more of this stuff to spots where you sand through to bare metal?

I'm thinking the bottom line is that it takes a heck of a lot of primer to get a decent coat of paint. :p

[LTDMan83]

It's best to apply it to anywhere that you break through the paint/primer and into the bare metal, even if you are gonna be Priming/Painting the area again right away, just for the extra insurance against corrosion, and the eventual flaking of the paint that will follow.

And yes, it does take a heckuva lot of primer and sanding, to get that Glass-Smooth surface we all crave.

[1987cp]

Interesting, will have to take that into account next time I'm doing block-sanding.

Random question - is primer-sealer the stuff one uses for a "primered" paint job?