Thanking all in advance for any advice. I have a 74 yellow convertible and picked up an aux vinyl hard top that is black.Going to dye the inner panels saddle to match and was toying with the idea of dying the hard top saddle also. Has anyone done this and if so is it worth the effort or just bite the bullet and have it rcovered. The vinyl is in very good shape just think a saddle hard top would be a better match for my exterior.
Buddy

 

I went from brown to black and it wasn't all that hard. Make sure that the vinyl is clean. I wiped it down with paper towels soaked in rubbing alcohol and then did a final spray down with SEM vinyl prep.

Make sure that you mask off all of the glass and trim too.

 

probably easier to put on a new vinyl top and have the color you want, won't chip or scratch down to the original color that way.

 

thnks for the replies. kinda thought replacing would be the way to go , just thought I would get some opinons.
Buddy

 

I certainly wouldn't dissuade you from replacing the vinyl. But keep in mind that the kits (pre-cut with correct seams) from vendors such as Eckler's only come in white or black. Also all the SS trim has to come off and those pieces are rather delicate and can be bent/dented easily. The rear deck weatherstrip should come off as well. The vinyl is glued to the entire fiberglass surface and has to removed along with the old glue. And the new vinyl glued back on. Wrinkles/bubbles have to be taken out with careful use of heat and stretching. The vinyl edges have to be cut/fitted/glued/clamped on every edge for curing. It's a time-consuming job.

 

For what it would cost to re-color the top, you might as well try it. If it doesn't work like you want, you're only out the cost of the dye and a bottle sprayer (less than $40).

Clean the top really, really well with detergent. Then, rinse the heck out of it to get all the detergent off. Let dry completely.

Get a pint of SEM [liquid] "ColorCoat" dye (formal title is 'recoloring agent') from a pro auto paint supply store. They can mix it to any color you want. If you have spray equipment, great. If you don't, buy a Pre-Val gas/bottle sprayer there, also. It's about $10; also buy a couple more of the gas canisters.

Mask well before spraying and give the top a last-minute wipe down with some lacquer thinner on a lint free cloth. Now, shoot 2 or 3 light, covering coats of the vinyl dye. The dye is thin, so don't shoot so much that you get runs. But, if you get a run, don't wipe it; just let it dry. Shoot another coat after about 15 minutes. Repeat as necessary, but more than 3 coats is excessive. Usually, 2 will do on most surfaces.

Finally, when you get done and it's dry, buy a polymer protectant to put on the top...like, Mequiar's for plastics or Nu-Vinyl (my all-time favorite for plastics, rubber and leather). The polymer coating will last for weeks, will not peel or turn yellow, blocks UV rays, and will make the top look like new FOREVER. Trust me on this. NO MORE ARMOR-ALL FOR THE TOP.

If the top material is still in good condition and just needs a re-color job, this IS the way to go.

 

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I will place this on my list of winter projects. I just had no idea of which way to go on this. The top is black and in excellent condition ,just wanted t go with saddle as that is the color I replaced the convertible top with. I attended the Corvette Expo over the week end and talked with Al Knock and couldn't get as much info from him as is available here.
again thanks to all who took time to read my post and reply.
Buddy