> I've got some holes in my top courtesy of the PO. Two are are 90 degree
> tears where he hooked the top on the square corners while putting the top
> down. The other is a small tear where the top joins the body near the snap
> (this is a Mark I crossover body with metal covers). The top is relatively
> new and otherwise in excellent shape. Right now I've patched everything
> with some duct tape on the inside. Any ideas for a more permanent repair?
>
> Jim Pickard
> B9473298
Here's what I've done- Use a strong fine thread to stitch larger tears
Get a tent packing kit at a sporting goods or hardware store and glue
patches on the inside. There are a number of tube vinyl repair products
on the market. Clean the outside of the patched area with alcohol.
Squeeze a thin layer of clear vinyl repair into the tears and holes.
Smooth it out so that it is a bit below the level of the surrounding
outside material. Most auto parts stores sell kits with with several
containers of paste-like material in different colors that can be mixed
to match the color of the vinyl being repaired. For black, mixing
probably isn't necessary. These kits also contain a selection of paper
squares with different textured surfaces and a curing tool with a small
flat head. Sometimes these tools plug in like a soldering iron,
sometimes they have to be heated externally. Spread a thin layer of
repair paste over the outside of the patched areas, place the textured
square with the best match on top and heat with the curing tool per the
instructions in the kit. In some cases the repaired areas very hard to
see.
Roland
|