Need to know where to find paint for a vinyl landau top. Any of you folks able to help me? Had a dude ruin it and it looks terrible.
landau A cheap and brief fix is to paint a vinyl top and if the top is all cracked and oxidized it will not hold up. If the condition of the vinyl is faded but not cracked you can use leather/vinyl/fabric dye that will actually penetrate the fibers of the top to either renew or change the color. If the top is showing alot of cracks in it you may want to try coating it in vinyl decking sealant or many coats of marine canvas top sealant. Any of these sealants come in a variety of colors including transparent and can be brushed or sprayed. Or just go to a body shop and ask how much. It depends on whether you want it to look good from 10 ' or 10 " away. There are alot of x factors except for complete replacement.
it would look best if you just finish the job and rip 'er off lol jk jk welcome abord. lets see some pics. it'll make it easier to pass judgment
sorry no pics I used to detail cars at a Ford dealership in another life. Anything that came in on trade with a vinyl top was most likely destined to be wholesaled at auction. It was my job to make them pretty or at least try. The dyes always worked on faded (not cracked) vinyl. The key to getting it right is to make sure you have properly cleaned it. Easier said than done. You'll need the finest grade steel wool you can buy (it doesn't scratch glass), you also need a non-oil based tar&wax remover (foam engine degreaser will work), steel-bristle brush and pressure washer. Wash it well with suds, dry it, coat the top in small workable sections at a time 30"x30" is lots. Use the steel brush first, small circular patterns pressing down hard. Wipe it dry with towel using same pattern. Take a close look at the result and pay attention to which way the texture of the vinyl is. The circular motion will clean all texture but you may find that you have to scrub a specific direction just like grease stuck in the cracks of your hands. Go over the entire top one section at a time with the steel brush wiping each section dry. Pressure wash the whole roof. Dry it and do the exact same procedure with the fine steel wool as you performed with the steel brush. The steel wool smooths and softens the vinyl in preperation for the dye. Again pressure wash it very well and make sure to let it dry very well. Mask and cover car, (do this in a well ventilated area), get a respirator the dye is very bad for you, spray or brush it on light even coats. Before you tear off all the masking be sure to take it out and inspect it in the natural sunlight as it will reveal where you might need to do some touch-up. If your landau top is cracked you would want to prep it the exact same way but remember that the foam or whatever it is under the vinyl is going to wick alot of water so make sure it's dry, poke it down near a crack and see if any water rings out. I used white marine canvas sealer on a dodge caravelle top with pretty impressive results, it more less rubberizes it but requires alot of coats to fill in the cracks. A relieable source once told me of similar results using some vinyl decking sealant that was brown, both of the products mentioned probably is made in the same factory. You could still go to a body shop with a tradesman who knows the black art of installing vinyl tops!
Welcome to the board! Vinyl dye works well, especially if you aren't going too far from the original color. A long time ago, I had a 71 Torino and dyed the top black to change it from an original dark blue. My prep for this was to wash it down well, and then wipe it down with acetone, which etches the vinyl a bit. That car sat outside all year in the Florida sun, probably as bad as conditions would get for this. After two years time, and repeated washings, it started looking a bit rough, so I dyed it again. If your car is garaged, I see dye lasting a good long time.
