Hardtop Refinished

[The06LJ]

So my hardtop was the victim of a failed attempt at painting the inside, which then partially flaked off, which was then covered in a DIY upholstery attempt, which fell, almost immediately leaving glue behind, that I could not remove easily, which was then given to a backyard body guy with the instructions of: please unfuck this and paint it black. However due to a language barrier, he just scraped it down a bit and plainted it light gray, but generally speaking, it looked like shit, and it had started bubbling a bit. I then decided to cover most of that with a Hothead Headliner kit, which was quite nice. Kept temps in check, and went a long way to quieting the jeep and making it more comfortable for roadtrip use. But, the velcro didn't like sticking the shitty gray bubbling paint and I wasn't thrilled by the quality of the fabric.

So, this eventually reached a point where I decided to throw hand fulls of cash at it until it was better. What that translated to was reaching out to a guy I know who does private jet interiors and he said he'd take it on. Fixed some cracks, sanded everything down painted it all black, then he installed 3/4" closed cell foam insulation everywhere he could fit it, and reupholstered everything with a nice charcoal Alcantara. It came out incredible. I didn't think it could get much quieter than it was with the dynamat and Hothead Headliner, but it did. Ran out of velcro, so ordered more and that will be fixed next week or so.

Anyway, here it is, another stage of the interior is done. Next is the rollbar covers and the seats.

 

[SPECWAR]

Why????

 

[TheBoogieman]

What's a hardtop and what is it used for?

 

[deadbeat son]

Why????

Because.

 

[SSTJ]

So the closed-cell foam was cut/shaped, and then covered in the charcoal Alcantara material? Or is the foam directly attached to the hard top, with this upholstery job added after that?

 

[The06LJ]

Closed cell foam was attached directly to the hardtop, and the headliner panels are attached to that.

As for the what is a hardtop, and why did I do this, the answer to both is pretty simple. As I have reached middle age, my tolerance for discomfort has decreased. My jeep used to rough and loud it was fun, but anytime I needed it to do real stuff it was annoying. I'd get to my destination and be tired and have a headache, so I decided a few years ago to increase comfort without decreasing capability. I put in new carpeting, but it's still removable, and there's plenty of sound insulation under there as well. And I still take it out with no roof and no doors. Just when they are on, I can hear myself think.

 

[SSTJ]

Thanks. What's the main material of the headliners, inside the Alcantara wrap?

 

[The06LJ]

It's my understanding that directly attached to the top itself is dynamat, glued to that is the foam, and then velcroed to that is the Hothead Headliner panels, which have been reupholstered in Alcantara. The velcro is failing at the moment visible in 1 of the pictures), but he had run out of time to keep it in his shop, so he will be redoing the velcro in my driveway next week.

 

[B1Toad]

Looks nice, I installed Hotheads too and it was a big improvement both on noise level and acoustics. What beach is that?

 

[DuckNut]

Your paint didn't stick because it is not fiberglass. It is SMH. More plastic than glass. Regular Bondo will follow you into believing it is going to stick but will eventually fall off. Most of the time, rare exception is it stays on.

Looks great. What is that old saying, do it right the ____st time.

 

[The06LJ]

It's beach on the North Fork of Long Island, NY.

Yeah the prior projects were done by the Jeep's 1st owner, when I got it the hardtop was in it's flaking paint and glue stage. All parties are agreed the paint and DIY headliner were a bad idea. The 2nd paint job was done poorly because I needed to be able to drive the jeep from shop to shop for it's restoration/build without chunks falling in my eyes and time was a factor. I usually am a "buy once, cry once" type shopper, but this time around it just wasn't practical, so I did it twice.

 

[CreepinDeth]

DIY headliner, I just did what this guy did
Simple headliner material sourced from Michaels
Insulation board from HomeDepot & 3M 90 spray adhesive
Plus double sided tape to the hardtop.

I store my hardtop outdoors in summer
So the only issue was my double sided Alien tape gave up on 1 of the pieces
Easy fix tho, and I could have epoxy’d it but thats a headache I dont wanna entertain if I have to remove it later

 

[chili_pepper]

Your paint didn't stick because it is not fiberglass. It is SMH

Not giving shit here, but it's SMC plastic and that's not why the paint didn't stick. The paint didn't stick due to piss poor surface prep (95% of a refinishing job) and cheap paint products. Personally, I would only recommend catalyzed finishing products, but no doubt there are plenty here who give their tops the Rustoleum rattle can treatment every couple of years and swear by it.

Regular Bondo

As you noted, should not be used. Only products specifically noted as being SMC-compatible will work.

Unlike many other FRPs where the release agent is applied to the mold before forming, with SMC, the release agent is actually mixed in the resin and remains in the part. As you grind/sand a damaged area to create a good repair base, fresh mold release agent is exposed.

 

[DuckNut]

Not giving shit here, but it's SMC plastic and that's not why the paint didn't stick. The paint didn't stick due to piss poor surface prep (95% of a refinishing job) and cheap paint products. Personally, I would only recommend catalyzed finishing products, but no doubt there are plenty here who give their tops the Rustoleum rattle can treatment every couple of years and swear by it.



As you noted, should not be used. Only products specifically noted as being SMC-compatible will work.

Unlike many other FRPs where the release agent is applied to the mold before forming, with SMC, the release agent is actually mixed in the resin and remains in the part. As you grind/sand a damaged area to create a good repair base, fresh mold release agent is exposed.

Yea, yea, yea...I hit the H button not the C. As an fyi for you, one off boat building is one of my hobbies so I have a good understanding of plastics.

Edit: I tried to correct the mistake and the edit function is not present.

 

[chili_pepper]

Yea, yea, yea...I hit the H button not the C. As an fyi for you, one off boat building is one of my hobbies so I have a good understanding of plastics.

Edit: I tried to correct the mistake and the edit function is not present.

I didn't want to suggest an SMH plastic didn't exist (though wasn't aware of one), just that the Jeep tops are made from SMC. I did wonder about the H but it seemed far enough from the C to rule out fat fingering, apparently it was a case of finger dyslexia instead. I am well familiar with both.

I used to be a body/paint technician in a former life and currently mess with strip built surfskis.