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C5 Removeable Top Refurbish/Paint??

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Old Sep 6, 2010 | 07:05 PM
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Default C5 Removeable Top Refurbish/Paint??

I just picked up a 99 C5. Apparently the car spent alot of time in the sun because I immediately had to replace all the tint on the windows. However, the removeable top looks a mess. It almost has a "shattered" look to it, but its not shattered. What are my options? Replace the glass, replace the whole top, get it painted black.. any ideas??

Thanks,
tb
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Old Sep 6, 2010 | 07:36 PM
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Just have it painted black. Will keep the sun off you, look better, can be waxed like the rest of the car, and you won't have to mess with re-finishing it. That's what I did.
There are plenty of threads on how to re-finish your top if you want to go that route. Just search "targa re-finish".
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Old Sep 6, 2010 | 07:39 PM
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I've got some Word files that talk about refinishing the glass top. If you'd like a copy, PM me your e-mail address.
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Old Sep 6, 2010 | 07:47 PM
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I posted a similar question on the forum the other day concerning my '00 C5 roof. There is a lot of info in the forum concerning painting or refinishing the top. Search under Lexan top repair, transparent roof coating repair, or acrylic roof as the subject.

I did find that the top can be re-sprayed using a clear coat, but my local body shop says the clear coat he uses won't last. He's curious as to what product was used in other repairs that will adhere to the plastic top. Anyone know?
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Old Sep 7, 2010 | 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by rownvette
I posted a similar question on the forum the other day concerning my '00 C5 roof. There is a lot of info in the forum concerning painting or refinishing the top. Search under Lexan top repair, transparent roof coating repair, or acrylic roof as the subject.

I did find that the top can be re-sprayed using a clear coat, but my local body shop says the clear coat he uses won't last. He's curious as to what product was used in other repairs that will adhere to the plastic top. Anyone know?
Spraying the Lexan top is no different than spraying any other body panel. It is prepped the exact same way. The only difference being that it is wetsanded down in stages until there are zero sanding marks.
Normally, you sand down to about 600 grit, spray primer(which fills the sanding marks) paint(fills the sanding marks further), then clear.
With the top, you're spraying clear right over the Lexan, with no primer/paint to fill the sanding marks. Hence the need to wetsand down smooth before clearing.
Hope this "clears" things up for ya.
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Old Sep 7, 2010 | 10:45 AM
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Originally Posted by sneakelman
Spraying the Lexan top is no different than spraying any other body panel. It is prepped the exact same way. The only difference being that it is wetsanded down in stages until there are zero sanding marks.
Normally, you sand down to about 600 grit, spray primer(which fills the sanding marks) paint(fills the sanding marks further), then clear.
With the top, you're spraying clear right over the Lexan, with no primer/paint to fill the sanding marks. Hence the need to wetsand down smooth before clearing.
Hope this "clears" things up for ya.
Thanks for the info. Between you and Vetteman Jack, I finally have enough info to get the job done. I'll post the results after I get my top refinished. Thanks to both of you.
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Old Sep 7, 2010 | 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by rownvette
Thanks for the info. Between you and Vetteman Jack, I finally have enough info to get the job done. I'll post the results after I get my top refinished. Thanks to both of you.
That's why we're here.
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Old Sep 12, 2010 | 03:44 PM
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Default Wet sand and re-clear

My buddy did mine in a few hours. Came out great!



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