Topic: Painted my top

[Helios]

I saw this video a few years back.

Painting Miata Convertible Canvas top from Tan to Black

I finally made the leap and did it because i hated the tan top. I used 4 cans of the Duplicolor flat black vinyl/fabric paint. I painted the rear part of the top first with the flaps up and trunk open. After it dried, I closed the trunk painted the outer parts of the flaps and the sides of the top up to where the seams are toward the middle. Lastly, i painted the middle section. It looks pretty good. The paint has made the top a little "hard" in texture. I'm hoping it'll soften up as it wears/ breaks in. Overall, I'm happy with the result and spent less than $100 in paint, tape, and masking paper vice $900 for a new top.

[Critterman]

Follow up on how it is holding up in a few months, please

[Helios]

Sure thing, Critter.

[elff]

You just had to copy my Sky didn't ya?


I think you made a good choice.  The Black IMHO looks better on the white.  The Tan top accents a dark paint well, but just seems out of place on the white.

This is also nice from a long term maintenance on our tops.   If the top has faded over the years, this can make it look brand new

[Gadget]

Wow! That looks fantastic. Great job!
 My favorite is the shot from the rear.
(That's usually the case with me though)

[Helios]

I actually thought about painting it charcoal gray to be different, but I wanted to hide some of the defects that are in the top from the previous owner. Maybe when the black fades or I get tired of it, I'll revisit painting it the charcoal gray color.
The top has now gotten rained on for the past 3 days. It seems to be wearing in nicely. Some of the initial "hardness" is fading, but when I run my hand over it I can still pick up small specks of black. I might scrub the top when the car gets a wash to remove more of the loose particles. I'll probably add a water repellant at that time as well.

[DigiSol]

www.neverwet.com Its gonna be big.

[droptopsf98]

I think a dye would have been a better plan of attack.  I'd be willing to bet the look doesn't hold up.  For your sake though...I hope it does.

[1LILNDN]

Unless its a rubberized paint ,What will keep it from cracking with Hot and cold weather plus putting it ( up & down )

[Helios]

So far the paint is holding up. The top has been raised and lowered numerous times. It has seen a number of rain storms here in South Carolina as well. I washed it two weeks ago and scrubbed the top with a hard bristle brush. Doing so "softened" the top a little bit and doesn't feel as course to the touch as when it was freshly painted. It does look like I may need to apply one or two more coats and brush it in as the scrub lightened it in color a little bit. I still believe this is an inexpensive, viable option instead of buying a $900 replacement.

[Sly Bob]

Any updates? How's it holding up?

[Helios]

Yup. It's still holding up. I never did apply another coat of paint after the wash and scrub of the top I posted about last. I would definitely paint the top again instead of buying a new one if the only thing that's wrong is discoloration.

[CarolinaSolstice]

Any updates on the top??

[Helios]

It's still black. It has faded a little. The car hasn't been driven in ages because I have yet to finish the V8 swap I started 4 years ago, though.

[ChopTop]

The owner of this car posts on FB sometimes, I've asked him about the red top but he never responds so I'm assuming he doesn't want anyone knowing how he got a red top.  But then I realized it was probably a tan top that was dyed red so I asked, he didn't respond to that either.  But I'm thinking that's how it was done.

[TomatoSoup]

That's a cool idea!  Maybe I should try to get a tan top and dye it orange/red to match my Brazen?!

[Steelmesh]

That's a cool idea!  Maybe I should try to get a tan top and dye it orange/red to match my Brazen?!

If you don't get a good color match, it may not look right.

Found these two pictures, the blue isn't that bad even though it doesn't match so maybe it will work out okay.