Roof restoration

[BuckMark]

I would highly suggest taking your top to a boat repair body shop, in other words a boat fiberglass body shop. There is one here in Nashville and I'm sure Atalanta would have one. But those guys work with busted up fiberglass all the time, I think it would be right up their ally to fix your top. I personally would not attempt to fix it, the top is thin and I don't have that skill set.

The guys at my paint shop worked on my top.. they repaired a couple of gouge marks I made while removing the headliner and then they added a layer of fiberglass mat and resin. And then for my headliner I asked for Raptor Liner ... All of this really help with the strength of the top!!

@oldschool4wheeling. Can you provide an update on how you like the Raptor Liner head liner? How’s it holding up? Thanks
BuckMark

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

@BuckMark

I really like what the body shop did when they added a layer of fiberglass mat.

I also really like the Raptor liner. It is colored cygnus white, it has a nice texture that can be easily cleaned. It has also added some sound deadening to the top as well. It is holding up just fine after 2 1/2 years.

I would do it again if I found another truck to restore.

 

[BuckMark]

@oldschool4wheeling, glad to hear it’s holding up well, I‘m about ready to get my interior tub done in Cygnus too. Is there a need for any sound proofing under the liner? or does the liner provide enough? I hadn’t thought of liner for the roof top, i would imagine that it adds strength as well.

 

[Vae Victus]

Ok, so I'm a friend of @oldschool4wheeling and I'm working on my roof now - we are using the same painter (at his recommendation). Thought I'd share some of my experience.

The roof rail "rain gutter" was rusted up front, so I replaced it with the CCOT part: Rain Gutter Visor Set (Only) 2 PCE ~ '67 to '84 - https://www.coolcruisers.com/raingutvis58.html.

Took a good 6 weeks to get it, and cost a lot of money for 2 littles piece of sheet metal. I cut it out, welded the new pieces in, then media blasted it, and POR 15'd the "up" side where it catches all the water. I left the bottom raw so the painter could do his business on that side.

 

[Vae Victus]

Also, My PO did the unthinkable and sprayed the god awful body color on top of the roof. Good news is that he helped to protect the fiberglass. Bad news is that it took me (so far) a good 8 hours to sand all of this off (and I just make life harder for the painter since I sanded it unevenly, creating pits where I was heavy handed with the flap wheel in lots of places. Oh well that's why he's a painter).

 

[BuckMark]

Wow! You guys have put it some major work on your tops. Well done. Those fiberglass work pics are making me itchy!! I’m fortunate that mine only needs a good repaint . ...but, I think it’s the Only part on the 40 that I can say that about .
BuckMark

 

[Vae Victus]

@BuckMark i do disagree with my good friend Doug - I'm going with smooth finish and going to add a layer of dynamat (current plan anyway) and then a good headliner to keep heat and noise down some.

I realize that most of the heat and noise is going to come from the floor, but I'll address that separately.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

@Vae Victus - what is your experience with POR15 over "good" metal? I've always heard it needs some degree of surface rust to "bite" appropriately.

 

[Vae Victus]

@Vae Victus - what is your experience with POR15 over "good" metal? I've always heard it needs some degree of surface rust to "bite" appropriately.

Hey @RWBeringer4x4 Rick! Sorry for the late reply (4 months). I used the zinc phosphate etching liquid to pretreat the rain gutter before POR was applied. The POR went over the new metal exactly the same as the old metal. Time will tell on adhesion but I'll bet it is perfect.

Oh and I also media blasted the metal prior to etching it, so it had plenty to bite on.