Gary56 Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 What do I need to glue the roof material down? Any advice on how to lay and stretch the material down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 What car, what type of roof? Lot of difference in installing a vinyl roof on a full steel top vs installing a top insert over chicken wire on a 30s closed car. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted February 14, 2022 Author Share Posted February 14, 2022 The type of roof I'm replacing is the chicken wire type Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 25 minutes ago, Gary56 said: The type of roof I'm replacing is the chicken wire type Still not enough information: Many cars had a chicken wire type support. But some had everything tacked down around the edges while others had the top material stretched around a frame that was then pressed into the car body. I am sure there are more variations that I haven’t seen or heard about. What make, model and year? It will make a difference on who is knowledgable and what the correct procedure is for installation. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 I have a 1929 graham paige that has a cloth center roof. There is no chicken wire under it but has slats running front to back. I have installed thin vener to support the cloth insert. Is this ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 (edited) Is there a molding that runs across the front and rear to secure the fabric and is tacked in place by nails? what about the sides as well? Maybe a photo or two would be better since most of what is being talked about here is asking you questions that you don't seem to be to clear about the need for us to know to help you out. This is not a put down by any means but we can't help if we don't know exactly what was there. Edited February 15, 2022 by Walt G (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 The problem with the thin veneer is that now you’ve made a sound board, and it might be noisy in the rain. Over the slats should be either chicken wire or a fabric, extending to the inside edge of the metal. Next comes a thin cotton batting, DON’T use foam as it will disintegrate. Over the batting is topping material, such as a cobra grain or similar, tacked around edge (there should be oval holes in the metal edge, one side of oval for material tack, other side of oval for trim strip tack). Some cars had metal pieces to cover edge, some cars used a wire on or hides welting. Either way, make sure the edges of the topping material are sealed with a waterproof sealant so that water doesn’t wick under top. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted February 16, 2022 Author Share Posted February 16, 2022 The top was partly missing but no checking wire. The slats were damaged so I replace it with vinegar. I will be putting matting on top of the viner. I have not treated the matting to prevent water from getting through. Any suggestions? I will send pictures when I can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 What? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted February 16, 2022 Author Share Posted February 16, 2022 The chicken wire was missing and slats were mostly broken. I put vener down and will cover that with canvas. What do I use to glue the roofing material down with? No body can tell me what trim to use around the canvas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) Like Trimacar said, do not use a plywood substrate. Best to do it correctly or you WILL have issues. You do not glue the roofing material down. Best to send some photos so that everyone is on the same page! The top bows, if missing , should be replaced. There is no quick and easy fix! There are several good Youtube videos that cover this topic and the advise given here is sound! I think that you'd be wise to do some research and check photos of that vehicle to get a better idea of how the top is configured! Edited February 16, 2022 by jpage (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 (edited) The reason no one can tell you what to use around the edge is that no good options exist. Many cars had a formed metal strip, some with nails that were filled in and painted, some, like Model A tops, with a metal strip with a slot, nail in slot, and a rubber piece goes in to hide nail. The difficult thing on inset fabric tops is making the curves front and back, I think Model A strips were mostly straight. Some people use a vinyl trim such as wire on or hide-‘em, which is fine as long as edges are sealed well. The hot rod guys have kits with metal strips one can bend, and have a cover that goes over them. See that here…. https://www.hotrodhotline.com/pr/2009/09julianostopkit/ Look at one of the Model A catalogs, or search for hot rod top pieces. Edited February 16, 2022 by trimacar (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 I have tried to find the utube site telling how to do the roof but it only explains about doing a soft top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 I thought that you were installing a soft top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted February 23, 2022 Author Share Posted February 23, 2022 It's not all soft top. The center area is cloth where the outside area is metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 If you want factory quiet and look there is a bit of work to do. Like rebuild the slatted roof with the chicken wire. If you are looking for a quick fix then whatever works, but... some tops were assembled then screwed in to place from inside the car. Let's hope it is not one of those. Most tops require good nailing strips around the edge , a good air stapler and some upholstery batting. A layer of scrim cloth is placed on the chicken wire support and stapled down. Then a thin layer of batting is laid evenly across the top. Mark the center of the topping material. Backtack the front. That means you place the material upside down and put a strip of thin, heavy card along the front and staple that down, then flip the material back and stretch and staple in place. it should look smooth and soft. The edge trip can be a problem but the Ford suppliers have a few styles. Some are very difficult to bend if necessary so choose carefully. Tops can be fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 That's is considered a soft top insert as opposed to a steel insert top. Most all, if not all soft inserts were installed basically the same way. The types of finish trim and sealing methods will vary from make to make. You might try getting in touch with a local antique car club in your area and ask for help. A club member should be able to actually show you and explain the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Gary, I sent you a private message Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 Does sny body know of any old car clubs in this area? I live in Glenolden area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 The op mentions veneer but he could be using 1 7/8” wide strips of 1/4 veneer for the slats. In many cases, this was the material originally used. I don’t used chicken wire anymore, instead I’ve opted for heavy denim. Staple from the middle out pulling it tightly and make sure I staple the denim through the slat into a bow about every 6sq inches. This helps prevent the puffy roof syndrome when driving down the road with a window open or when you close a door. I use 1/4-3/8” polyester padding and cut the padding about 1/2” shy of the nail area. Some spray adhesive helps hold the padding in place when the vinyl roof is put on. I install a lot of roofs with custom bent aluminum moldings and I’ve spoke about my process so many times, I can’t again. I get $1200 to install a roof this way and not one customer has opted for the amateurish wire on method. I have pictures of my completed roof if people want to see them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary56 Posted March 1, 2022 Author Share Posted March 1, 2022 Thank you chistech. I will try and keep the roof as close to original as I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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