Vinyl Top in Cold Garage?

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domdart

domdart

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My 68 Dart is ready for a vinyl top install. I want to do the vinyl, then the headliner, than put the front and rear glass back in. I have an unattached garage with a pellet stove in PA.
Is it ok to put a vinyl top on a cold car? How warm does the garage have to be for the install? I don't want to wait till it warms up. Thanks for any advice.
 
It's always better to put soft items on when it's warm, and I typically wait till a nice sunny day comes along, then lay the item to be installed out in the sun for a while, then do the job in the shade! You can rush it if you want, and put it on in a cold garage, just don't come back crying how you have to do it over because it didn't come out right!!! Better to wait and do it right the first time, but that's just me!!!
 
cosgig said:
It's always better to put soft items on when it's warm, and I typically wait till a nice sunny day comes along, then lay the item to be installed out in the sun for a while, then do the job in the shade! You can rush it if you want, and put it on in a cold garage, just don't come back crying how you have to do it over because it didn't come out right!!! Better to wait and do it right the first time, but that's just me!!!
Click to expand...

I agree unless you can get the shop up to 70 for a few days and lay the top over the car to let it form into shape. I would wait until it gets warmer.
 
Crank that pellet stove up and get it at least 70 in the garage. Let it run all day (or even all night if need be). You want The roof surface to be at a comfortable temp before spraying the adhesive. I have painted cars in a detached garage in the middle of winter. Prior to painting the heat was left on all night - the sheet metal was not cold and the paint layer down great. Same principle for doing a vinyl top.
 
100 degree day is better than 75 degree day for a vinyl top install.
After installing hundreds of them over the years I would have to say
its a hotter the better deal. 150 better than 100 degree.
Get the garage as hot as you can stand or wait for warmer weather.
Its the wrinkles from being folded up in a box that need the heat for removal
before top is glued down.
It is also very hard to pull a cold top onto the shape of a cars steel roof and it look smooth.
Can be done almost effortlessly when its hot.
Contact adhesive works faster when its warm and dry also.
 
ssba said:
100 degree day is better than 75 degree day for a vinyl top install.
After installing hundreds of them over the years I would have to say
its a hotter the better deal. 150 better than 100 degree.
Get the garage as hot as you can stand or wait for warmer weather.
Its the wrinkles from being folded up in a box that need the heat for removal
before top is glued down.
It is also very hard to pull a cold top onto the shape of a cars steel roof and it look smooth.
Can be done almost effortlessly when its hot.
Contact adhesive works faster when its warm and dry also.
Click to expand...

I agree, Hotter the better. This applies to every service in your post, especially front and rear windows.
 
My wife and I did ours on a March day in the garage, propane heater got it up to maybe 60. It was a fun day.
TBH it wasn't too rough, it came out excellent and we had a lot of laughs. Just go slow, let that glue flash.
 
I bought a vinyl top from Legendary for my '70 E-Body several years back. Turns out the seams that run from front to rear were cut unevenly. The top is made of three pieces of vinyl sewn together with two seams running from front to rear. The seam itself was sewn straight as an arrow, but the extra material that makes up the edge ends that are folded over for about an inch were not. They lay under the top to make the raised seam next to the stitching that's sewn from front to rear. Well,they were cut uneven for some reason.

I took pictures and Legendary warrantied the top with no issue, but the second top was about 1/2 as bad on that seam's trim job too. Bottom line, make sure your extra material along the seams is trimmed perfectly straight, so that once the top is glued down the seam looks straight along the raised portion of extra material. Does that make sense?

If you heat your garage and put an electric heater inside the car while you work, you can probably pull it off safely. Heat rises, which will help heat the roof of the car, but large drafty garages are hard to keep heat in.
 
Did mine ( Duster 3/4 canopy) outside in 70F or so. Sun had the metal hotter. Not bad doing center, but Definitely would have been easier if the vinyl was warmer/more flexible for the edges.
 
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