Sprucing up my 1980 Mercedes 450SL for springtime, I noticed the canvas convertible top has a small tear in it, about 1" long. The rest of the top, windows, etc is in great shape. Does anyone have any experience with a canvas top repair? The one tricky bit- it's a sort of dark blue color. A lot of the patch kits I'm seeing on google are either black or gray.
Thanks!
Did the patch repair on my Snaab's black canvas top. Good quality canvas fabric. Even aligned the fibers. It was all but invisible when I was done.
By next week, it was brilliant grey. In a month, it was almost white. It was also pulling up on the leading edge.
I've re-dyed it several times (shoe dye seems to hold the longest, a few weeks). The patch is glaringly obvious, and there is really nothing I can do to improve it.
As a bonus the iron left shiny spots on the fabric top around the iron-on patch that are still shiny to this day.
Would I do it again? No. I'd try something else. Not sure what, but something else. Or at least leave the proposed fabric patch out in the sun for a month to see if it really is color fast.
I'm thinking about just buying some canvas and patching it with an adhesive from the inside, so it's not visible.
Rather wish I'd have done it from the inside as well.
Look up Tear-Aid and see what you think. If you like it, they sell the Type A (for fabric) at Dicks there in Westminster.
If you use it, please let us/me know how it goes.
Go from the inside of possible, unless it's a temporary fix to hold you over until a new top is put on.
I did the iron on ones on my s2000 and had the same problem above: the patches faded quickly and I had big shiney spots from the iron. Ugly, but it worked for a few months until I bought a new top.
In reply to foxtrapper:
Will do. I'm actually looking to sell the car this year, but want to patch up the top right. It's just a small tear, it honestly doesn't seem to leak even.
My '03 S2K top is on it's last legs. I know it won't last long so I used contact cement to attach iron on knee patches on the inside. I have three 1" tears. I used polyester thread and sewed them closed. It adds character....,
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