Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: KaptKaos Mar 17 2012, 10:08 PM

Hello,

My targa top looks like hell. I'd like to refinish it. I'd like to get rid of the pebbled finish and have it smooth, but not sure of the best way to make that happen.

Looking for advice? What has worked for you?

FYI - I did the truck bed liner stuff a few years ago, and the results didn't last.

TIA

Posted by: audio_file Mar 17 2012, 10:21 PM

I'd like to know too, smoothing/refinishing the top is on my to-do list...

Posted by: Elliot Cannon Mar 17 2012, 10:33 PM

Sand it smooth and paint it.

Posted by: KaptKaos Mar 17 2012, 10:46 PM

I tried that Elliyut, but no matter what grade of paper I used, I couldn't get it smooth. That original pebbled finish was giving me fits. I worried that if I pressed too hard, I would get into the fibers. Am I being too chicken?

Posted by: mrbubblehead Mar 17 2012, 11:19 PM

i just sanded and painted mine. i also filled in the rain gutter. i used a da sander and 80 grit paper. just dont stay in one area too long. sand edge to edge. it took quite awhile to get it smooth. there is a primer then gel coat so you wont get into the fibers. you will see bumps slowly go away. and it will go from black to gray. stop when you get tho the gray....

Posted by: Elliot Cannon Mar 17 2012, 11:20 PM

Totally

Posted by: StratPlayer Mar 18 2012, 12:35 PM

If you don't want to go thru the hassle of sanding then painting check out this thread.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?act=ST&f=2&t=4286&hl=forever+black

Posted by: Vysoc Mar 18 2012, 12:53 PM

I painted mine White to better reflect the hot Florida Sun.
I also removed the sails.

Take a DA and just keep sanding until you get the rough texture smooth. Make sure you get it as smooth as possible, then I sprayed an epoxy primer and then applied the actual paint.

It is not perfect but it does look good, like anything else the amount of work you do getting the top smooth before applying the primer and paint will pay off in the finish work. I never got too far into the fiberglass, it was not and issue.

The white really does a nice job of reflecting the heat.

Posted by: ventedrib Mar 18 2012, 03:54 PM

Just sanded mine smooth as a babies butt have not painted yet

Posted by: Elliot Cannon Mar 18 2012, 04:20 PM

Be sure and wear a respirator/filter of some kind when you do.

Posted by: lonewolfe Jun 12 2012, 12:56 PM

I stripped the finish off my roof using aircraft paint stripper and a scraper. Probably takes longer than sanding but the fiberglass gel coat is intact and it came out perfectly smooth. If I was going to paint it I'd probably wet sand it down to get uniformly smooth. I plan to put another textured finish on it instead. Now, what's the best way put a new textured finish on? Searching for this is how a came upon your post right now. The paint stripper works best when used in the sunlight letting the surface heat up first.

Posted by: KaptKaos Jun 12 2012, 10:35 PM

I hadn't thought of using something like aircraft stripper. Interesting. Thanks!

Posted by: lonewolfe Jun 12 2012, 10:46 PM

Hey, it takes a little effort. Do it in about 12"x12" sections at a time. I'd say it probably took 3-4 passes over each section to get it really smooth. Use a scraper. Plastic is the safest to use as far as to not gouge the surface but a metal paint scraper works a lot faster. You just have to be more carful not to dig in with the front corner edges. You want to be careful not to get the stripper on you as it will burn your skin. Use some dishwashing gloves. I tried nytril glove and the stripper will disolve them in a few minutes. It's kind of nasty stuff. Now I just need to decide what type of finish to get as close to original as possible. If my sail panels were painted I'd probably just paint the top the same as the body. I have vinyl sale panels so am looking for a textured black finish. Good luck!

Posted by: rjames Jun 12 2012, 11:16 PM

Posted by: skaufmann Jul 2 2012, 02:25 PM

Somewhere here someone post about how they refinished it with light coat of Line-X and then rattle-canned to match the vinyl luster. It came out nice. The end result was a good texture and color match and good durability.

Posted by: patssle Jul 2 2012, 03:14 PM

I did Line-X to mine, it looks great. It's a tad shiny in the sun though - I'm sure some wouldn't like it. I didn't do anything to it after it was coated. I would take pictures but it's in storage for the summer and the driveway is blocked.

Posted by: skaufmann Jul 2 2012, 04:21 PM

Storage for the summer?!? You south of the equator?

Posted by: patssle Jul 2 2012, 04:27 PM

Texas. It was 104 last week with a heat index of 118.

Posted by: skaufmann Jul 2 2012, 04:31 PM

Oh I get it. You live ON the equator.

Posted by: euro911 Jul 2 2012, 04:51 PM

I gave my 'summer top' a good scrub down and painted it Sand Beige (tan) to match my interior. It's still the pebbly texture, but it really does help to mitigate the scorching summer sun's effects on the occupants ...

... and I've seen Elliot slip people dollar bills to say it looks ugly

Posted by: kphimself Jul 2 2012, 06:32 PM

My girlfriend had a jeep and she wanted the fiberglass hardtop smooth. I found the easiest way to achieve this was to use a high build primer then sand with a 120 grit on the DA. It took a couple hours so i'm sure doing a targa wouldn't take very long at all.

Posted by: avidfanjpl Jul 3 2012, 01:10 AM

Keep the original pebble and get the Wurth's paint that is made for fiberglass.

I have 2 cans of it, but I have not gotten around to redoing the original top.

I found a really good other one and used that new shine stuff for black from Turtle wax and it glistens, which is one way to beat painting anything.

The TW stuff is new and 11 bucks, and hard to find, but it is downtown in terms of finish. I can look at it in the garage to see the name of it. The coat has lasted 2 months with no maintenance since.

The shine tones down in 2 weeks.

Not to be ignored stuff.

John