Damaged Convertible Top
Veteran Member
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 1,759
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From: near Austin
I do a 303 application once per year and simply have my wife hold an old bath towel over the glass surfaces and painted surfaces as I move around the ragtop with the spray bottle. She stays just ahead of me with the bath towel. No masking required and if we take our time (maybe a total of six to eight minutes) and don't try to perform this application on a windy day, there is virtually no clean-up required afterwards....
wj
Veteran Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,713
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From: New Jersey
... If I don't see water getting in, I'll learn to live with the small hole that the spray washer bore into the fabric rather than spend the $1,900 for a replacement top.
But if anyone knows from experience that this is a bad idea, and that I should be replacing the top now, please let me know.
But if anyone knows from experience that this is a bad idea, and that I should be replacing the top now, please let me know.
Even with a completely in-tact top, it's this rubber thingy that keeps the water out. The rayon layer on top of it does not.
So if the rubber is now exposed you're in a pretty vulnerable place. If it gets damaged and stops sealing, you'l be forced into getting a new top.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 118
Likes: 25
From: Oklahoma
llucky,
This thread is a little old, but if you still have stripes on your top, it's possible that you could reduce the visibility of the "fuzzy" part by careful use of a heatgun. I've used this technique to make worn webbing look much nicer. This only works with synthetic fibers and you have be very judicious with the heat, but it might give your top a reprieve.
Mike
This thread is a little old, but if you still have stripes on your top, it's possible that you could reduce the visibility of the "fuzzy" part by careful use of a heatgun. I've used this technique to make worn webbing look much nicer. This only works with synthetic fibers and you have be very judicious with the heat, but it might give your top a reprieve.
Mike
Heat Gun for Damaged Top Repair
Interesting suggestion to use the heat gun to make the damaged areas on the top "disappear". It'll be a month or two before I get a chance to try this - if it works, I'll post my answer.
Member
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 64
Likes: 1
From: Jersey City, NJ
Update on Convertible Top Damaged by Car Wash
My cleaning and my spraying of the top with protectant did not remove the doodles in the fabric from the car wash sprayers, but has improved the water repellency of the canvas.
That said, as has been noted, the top's water repellency is ultimately secured by the rubber membrane beneath the canvas, not by the repellency of the canvas itself.
I have not noticed any water getting through the top, despite of the hole bore through the canvas by the car wash sprayers.
To provide additional protection to the membrane, I have glued a canvas patch on the membrane where the hole was bore through the original Twillfast canvas.
My 1999 top is getting worn in several places and I will likely replace it altogether next spring, but for now, I'll defer that $1,900 cost.
Unless you are close up, the top doodles are not that noticeable.
That said, as has been noted, the top's water repellency is ultimately secured by the rubber membrane beneath the canvas, not by the repellency of the canvas itself.
I have not noticed any water getting through the top, despite of the hole bore through the canvas by the car wash sprayers.
To provide additional protection to the membrane, I have glued a canvas patch on the membrane where the hole was bore through the original Twillfast canvas.
My 1999 top is getting worn in several places and I will likely replace it altogether next spring, but for now, I'll defer that $1,900 cost.
Unless you are close up, the top doodles are not that noticeable.
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