Topic: Painting the Hardtop

[hippiejesse]

Hey All,

I have my hardtop off, and have a dark grey softop on, and much prefer the darker color of the soft top as opposed to the tan hardtop.

Do you have any suggestions on what paint to use? What kind of prep should I do? I was thinking of using aresol duplicolor bed liner for it, what do you guys think?

My hardtop is on primarily in the winter, so I don't really know that heat is a problem, but for those of you with black hardtops and no a/c like me, is it super hot? I have a garage so there is no real hurry for this...

Thanks alot!

[Banshee600]

I just got a hard top a few months ago it to was tan at one time some one had shot it with gray primer so I went to napa and got some black acylic paint my buddy told me that the lacquir (can not spell for s**t ) would not sticl to the fiberglass
Good luck

[jfrabat]

I remember reading about someone here painting theirs with a rattle can type paint.  Came out nicely (dont know how long it lasted, though).  Do a search, you should find it...

[Banshee600]

thats what I did rattle can of semi gloss black 4 cans

[Banshee600]

a pic

[rubberducky]

I bought a 97 top amd painted it with bedliner to avoid scratches. Worked great painted over 5 years ago. paint is only flaking when I did not prep it well.

[Jesse-James]

I used Rustoleum hammered for plastic. Held up very good.

Before.....



After.....



2 years later.....

[hippiejesse]

I finally painted it. I painted it with Krylon Camoflauge OD green, it was a type of krylon fusion. The texture on the very top is all jacked up, but other than that it looks great. I'll try to get a pic.

[mrcabinet]

Yes, the black hardtop will get hot in the summer. Back in July, when it was 114 here, I used my IR temp. gauge on the underside of the top. It read 152 degrees! No wonder my bald head was sweating so much! My 80 year old mom is in the process of sewing a headliner for it as we speak.

[Jeffy]

Yes, the black hardtop will get hot in the summer. Back in July, when it was 114 here, I used my IR temp. gauge on the underside of the top. It read 152 degrees! No wonder my bald head was sweating so much! My 80 year old mom is in the process of sewing a headliner for it as we speak.

I don't doubt it.  I had a black top and it was HOT.  The radiant heat even heated up my cage!  I'll stick with a tan top.  You can stop the heat some by applying self-adhesive heat shielding to the top then gluing carpet to it.

[sharpxmen]

You can stop the heat some by applying self-adhesive heat shielding to the top then gluing carpet to it.

that also saves you the trouble of painting it, just make sure you pick a nice furry carpet so will also keep you warm in the winter 


(sorry, couldn't help it i did get it that you meant on the inside, but it remided me of that Pinks episode with the woolly mammoth if you guys seen it)

on the other hand speaking of heat, my charcoal softtop heats like crazy as well 

[Jeffy]

That's normally the problem of having a black top...
It feels like your inside the oven toaster when the sun is sharp...

I used to live in the tropics so it was more so.  The glue used for weatherstripping didn't hold up long either.  5% tint helped a little but made night driving dangerous.

[rubberducky]

Down here in texas is not that hot (104) but the top keeps the A/C in better that the heat so it works.

[jfrabat]

Yeah, mine also gets hot, but once it cools off, it also makes the AC cool better, so I'm sticking with it.  The only issue is that the glue that holds the liner in place is giving up on me, and the liner gets ends up on my head sometimes...

[neale_rs]

Your hard top has a liner?  Wow, mine is bare.