2020 has probably been the worst year of our lives. Not allowed to travel more than 5 km from home, and our classic cars in lockdown too. I haven't driven our Stag since March. Every now and then I've gone out and started it just to listen to the exhaust note.
One job on my bucket list was to make the soft top black again. It had gone from a healthy black to silver, just like my hair. It didn't leak, it just looked terrible. I tried shoe polish about three years ago and that was a complete waste of time: it only lasted a couple of weeks.
Eddy Madden put me onto Vipond in Tullamarine (03 9688 3800), who sell Tautflex, a water-based paint that recolours vinyl, leather, canvas and rubber. They'll even colour match your interior if you take them a sample. I ordered a litre of satin black vinyl paint and $54 later it arrived in the post.
How I did it: 1. Wash and scrub the roof with soapy water, and let it dry. 2. Clean it thoroughly with methylated spirits. Do this outside or in a well ventilated shed. 3. Mask up everything around the roof. 4. Brush on a light first coat. This took me about 1 hour 40 minutes. 5. Wait. The suggested wait is two hours; I waited three as it was very hot. 6. Brush on a second coat, which went on a little easier. 7. The next day I put a third coat on the top of the roof only. There's still enough left over to paint my hair.
The result is probably an 8 out of 10, and the Stag definitely looks a lot better with a black roof.
What I'd do differently: - 28 degrees was way too hot, and a bit windy. It was hard to get the paint to flow smoothly. - Use a better quality brush. - I think a sprayed finish would look a lot better.
Overall I'm happy to have a black top again, and it's saved me buying a new one for a while. The next test is how it holds up after being lowered and raised a few times.
Stay safe, Graeme
