Re-finishing the PH Top (Raptor Liner)

[hogasm]

Do not wipe a polyester based finish that is going to have a top coat of anything other than polyester based with acetone

Prep-all or isopropyl alcholhol

lacquer thinner is ok if the top coat will not react to it

[bemerritt]

IPA it is! Thanks, definitely my first experience with anything of this nature, so I appreciate the timely response.

[Flyview]

Originally Posted by bemerritt

IPA it is! Thanks, definitely my first experience with anything of this nature, so I appreciate the timely response.

Just finished reading this entire thread. Looking at your avatar it would look like you completed the penthouse top install and liner spray. Wanna post about how it went? Did you end up spraying the metal roof as well?

I am starting to have a bit of rail rust on one side. I thought I took care of it 5 months ago when I scraped off all the rust, acid treated, and touched it up with paint, but the rust is now showing through the paint again. The problem is I couldn't get under the sealant in the gutter and I'm sure it spread back up from there. Now I'm really tempted to actually remove the sealant (with what?) until I chase out all the rust to bare metal. Then when I spray my top with Raptor Liner, I can spray the gutters and roof as well, at least the sections that the top rubs on which are now exposed metal.

If I do the roof, does it have to be sanded down to bare metal?

[bemerritt]

I did not do the top of my van, mainly because I wanted the top black and did not want the top of the van black. If I was color matching I would have for sure done it after I cut the hole and before I attached the top.

I dont think you need all of the bare metal showing, but definitely would get thru the clear coat. There is metal etching primer and adhesion promoter for the liner as well.

[Flyview]

Originally Posted by bemerritt

I did not do the top of my van, mainly because I wanted the top black and did not want the top of the van black. If I was color matching I would have for sure done it after I cut the hole and before I attached the top.

I dont think you need all of the bare metal showing, but definitely would get thru the clear coat. There is metal etching primer and adhesion promoter for the liner as well.

I see, thanks. Did you use the primer or adhesion promoter on the fiberglass top too? I wish my paint was cleared, it's single stage. It's such a pain, it stains so easily.

[bemerritt]

Originally Posted by Flyview

I see, thanks. Did you use the primer or adhesion promoter on the fiberglass top too? I wish my paint was cleared, it's single stage. It's such a pain, it stains so easily.

nope, here is a couple pics from when i sanded it. At first i was going to completely remove all signs of red paint, then i got over it haha. I am still wiping red dust off of my garage walls

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...-15158-18.html

[Steve C]

Finally got around to refurbishing my aging pop top like so many before me... Thanks to all of you who have posted on either this thread, or the others, on how to effectively finish this project.

I spoke to the folks at a "local" LineX shop and they were definitely not interested in dealing with removing and re-installing any of the trim, Thule cross bars and penthouse through bolts. Thus the project reverted to myself.

I went with applying the tintable Raptor with rollers instead of spraying (due to the unavailability of a compressor). Overall, I was very pleased with the results. Using the rollers was definitely a little more persnickety and time consuming. Care must be taken to utilize constant uniform pressure and can get a little tricky when going over the creases and curves in the top.

I ended up giving it two coats (as recommended by Raptor when rolling) and went through approximately 2 1/3 bottles of the liner. The Raptor rollers I purchased would start to unravel rather quickly and I went through 4 of them. Overall, I think spraying is the preferred method, but the lack of a compressor certainly shouldn't prevent anyone from completing this project.

I also got the opportunity to install my new stainless "T-Bolts" from Gooseberry's most recent batch

[Flyview]

Originally Posted by Steve C

Finally got around to refurbishing my aging pop top like so many before me... Thanks to all of you who have posted on either this thread, or the others, on how to effectively finish this project.

I spoke to the folks at a "local" LineX shop and they were definitely not interested in dealing with removing and re-installing any of the trim, Thule cross bars and penthouse through bolts. Thus the project reverted to myself.

I went with applying the tintable Raptor with rollers instead of spraying (due to the unavailability of a compressor). Overall, I was very pleased with the results. Using the rollers was definitely a little more persnickety and time consuming. Care must be taken to utilize constant uniform pressure and can get a little tricky when going over the creases and curves in the top.

I ended up giving it two coats (as recommended by Raptor when rolling) and went through approximately 2 1/3 bottles of the liner. The Raptor rollers I purchased would start to unravel rather quickly and I went through 4 of them. Overall, I think spraying is the preferred method, but the lack of a compressor certainly shouldn't prevent anyone from completing this project.

I also got the opportunity to install my new stainless "T-Bolts" from Gooseberry's most recent batch

Looks great!