How To Stretch Vinyl On Hot Rod Roof

With the vinyl centered on the roof re install the aluminum track.

How to stretch vinyl on hot rod roof.

Place the wood frame with the vinyl attached to it on the roof. Then hold a heat gun 6 to 8 inches above the fabric and use it to warm the material for 1 to 3 minutes. You don t want a billowing top going down road. The vinyl supplied in the kit is a high quality vinyl that is completely waterproof.

The top is not formed to this shape so you may need. It works great on stretchy materials like lycra spandex or cotton and it s also fabulous for cotton poly blends polyester and even leather. Glue and work the compound curve area at the back corner of the roof separately so you can pull hard on the vinyl as it forms around the curve. The measurements were 1 front and rear and 2 1 2 on both sides to keep a stretch 6 1 2 all the way around.

Recently done this very job on my 32 5w i would suggest that you take a mould of the roof so that you can take a replica out of it this panel you make would want to be about 3mm thick cut it to the desired shape and rad the edges cover that in vinyl and stick it on to the roof of your car with stikaflex or similar as it was moulded off your roof it will be a perfect fit. It has an ultra matte finish that is really pretty. Draw them as dark as you can with a pencil and with a straight edge. Many hotrodders choose to weld a metal insert into their roof for various reasons but we chose to use fabric for a more traditional look.

Seal edges with a modern rubber sealant to keep water out. My little coupe rocks a stock body so it hasn t been chopped or had its roof filled. Now that the foam has been trimmed the vinyl material is ready to be installed. Stretch heat transfer vinyl is an iron on vinyl that has well a bit of stretch to it.

Transfer those measurements to the backside of your thin cardboard and round the corners as before. Do centers front and back centers on sides then start working toward corners stretching tight. All this needs to be done in a warm shop or preferably in the sun so that vinyl will stretch as much as it can. This makes it ideal for applying to all kinds of fabric.

To stretch out a piece of vinyl fabric first place the material facedown on a smooth working surface. This post has a lot of photos but like speedy bill always said a picture is worth a thousand. Hopefully that s as clear as mud.