textured paint to simulate vinyl top - i hate rusty roofs

has anyone used any kind of textured paint to look similar to a vinyl top?

thinking of doing that on the chevelle, as vinyl tops cause so much damage, but it just looks so right. i peeled the top and found - of course - rust. i peeled it because there were bubbles, but it's worse than i hoped because it's the second top. so in 1997 according to the vinyl, the top was replaced. during that time, they ground down nothing, welded nothing, and did nothing correct. they packed rot holes full of bondo without even blasting down to clean metal. so i have a mess but would love to keep the look.

i'm going to cut out and replace the panel between the trunk and the back glass because that's a horrible mess. this is what i've found so far, and cleaned off less than 10% of the area that looks bad.

Paint the roof straight gloss, it was even an option on the a-body Chevelle's.

yuck.. I really dislike vinyl roofs on anything that is not a drop top

Paint it with truck box liner, then paint it whatever colour would be correct.

Vinyl tops look great on the right car.

FYI - Car Craft's 70 Chevelle ended up getting a POR15 painted roof or something like that, and it ruined the car. They tried to re-do it like 5 years later and couldn't get it off.

patgizz wrote: but it just looks so right.

On this we will agree to disagree, but....

U-pol "raptor" bed liner sprayed with the regulator turned way down gives a very fine texture. We did it to the removable top on a C10 K-5 blazer and get a lot of compliments on it.

The trick will be to then spray just enough to get the texture you want, then cover that with a low sheen black paint. If you try to go full opaque with the Raptor you will get more texture and thickness than I think you want.

In reply to Jumper K. Balls:

Clever girl.....

2 cents- I have had terrible luck with the box store roll on bedliner.

Thick nap roller and latex house paint.

This is the closest product I've used. Spray technique determines the "look" of the pebble grain. http://www.semproducts.com/protective-coatings-chip-guards/heavy-texture-chip-guard If you top coat with BC/CC using a matte clear it will look pretty close to a vinyl top from 10'.

The problem was the factory did virtually no prep to the roof before putting on the vinyl - there may have been a thin coat of primer but I think they were basically bare steel. If you were to put on some proper primer and paint, chances are the roof wouldn't rust nearly as fast (of course, if there is a gap or crack in the vinyl and water does get in there, it won't have a way to escape.)

Lancer007 wrote: In reply to Jumper K. Balls: Clever girl.....

Am I the only one that got that?

Btw, does that wrinkle finish paint come close to being the right texture?

Can you roll semi-cured paint with a textured roller?

ebonyandivory wrote:

Lancer007 wrote: In reply to Jumper K. Balls: Clever girl.....

Am I the only one that got that?

I don't get it. I thought my masculinity was being called into question, but that wouldn't be the first time today that has happened.

In reply to Jumper K. Balls:

Jurassic Park and the Raptor bedliner

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YKRnEOUxZm0

First the disclaimer "I have never used this stuff". However I came across this website looking for bed liner that I want to apply to the deck of my car trailer. http://www.durabakdepot.com/durabak18.php I was looking for something with texture so the deck would not be slippery, something with good UV resistance, some thing that came in colors so it wouldn't have to be over coated with paint and something that will adhere well to aluminum plate. This seemss to fit all I am looking for and might work for a vinyl top look.

Should have mentioned at the bottom of the page is a section for Help & FAQ, click on the gallery section and then automotive/trucks to see what kind of textures it leaves on the surface.

You need ta dip that yo !

stuart in mn wrote: The problem was the factory did virtually no prep to the roof before putting on the vinyl - there may have been a thin coat of primer but I think they were basically bare steel. If you were to put on some proper primer and paint, chances are the roof wouldn't rust nearly as fast (of course, if there is a gap or crack in the vinyl and water does get in there, it won't have a way to escape.)

Even if the factory did prep the surface, there are probably much better products out today.

After 5 decades of being covered with vinyl and with the poor workmanship of the previous top, the damage isn't anywhere near as bad as it could be.

If you fix it and prep it right, you should have less rust after 50 more years than it did when you started.

I say go with vinyl if you like the look, just do a good job on the repair and prep, and use high quality vinyl.

The stars must be in alighnment, I have the opportunity to be the first one to suggest that you "Don't get it on your Hootus".

Rad_Capz wrote: This is the closest product I've used. Spray technique determines the "look" of the pebble grain. http://www.semproducts.com/protective-coatings-chip-guards/heavy-texture-chip-guard If you top coat with BC/CC using a matte clear it will look pretty close to a vinyl top from 10'.

This is what I'd do - Stone Guard basically exists to create a texture.

Stipple roller?

ok screw this thing. i got out the wire wheel today and started at it. two words describe what i found besides a layer of bondo on the entire roof. swiss cheese. just ordered a new roof panel, trunk filler, trunk floor, and left front fender patch.

with a shiny new smooth panel, all will be fixed except the area between the roof and trunk panel around the back window, and i'll have to fabricate panels for that area. had they not cheaped out when they did the car last time, they would have done full quarters. but they did partials, and i'm not spending $800 and chopping 2 new quarters off.

with that, i'll probably ditch the idea of sticking with a vinyl or otherwise top and just paint it body color. won't feel great doing it, but i can keep the top trim and go back at any time.

In reply to pirate:

I used this (Durabak) on the floor and inner roof of my interior on a 78 Camaro

No help now but being as old as I am I do remember when vinyl tops were the thing. I do think they look good but hate what they do to the metal underneath. Personally I would strip the vinyl off and leave off unless going for concourse restoration. If prefer the look then textured paint. The guy that painted my Opel GT used texture under the nose, looks good. Don't know what or how he did it though.
Had a K5 Blazer with a textured top on it too.

When I read your question I recalled doing it but after thinking about it I realized in was in the early 80s. I used lacquer with an additive. It was on two 914s I restored. It didn't perfectly match the original but looked good and lasted a long time. I'd go to NAPA or another automotive paint supplier and see what's available today. There's probably a better product today.

I also used a "stone guard" which created a tough textured finish for Porsche rocker panels. I'm sure that's still available today. I hope you'll post some pictures of how your car turns out.