30 replies to this topic

[Shifty]

Apart from the damp already there, the vinyl will trap water and not allow it to escape. Older cars with vinyl roofs suffered terribly from this. The wrap won't waterproof the roof and will stop the steel being able to breathe and dry out.

Ultimately its your choice and your money, but bodging it now will bite you later.

[Magic jason]

Apart from the damp already there, the vinyl will trap water and not allow it to escape. Older cars with vinyl roofs suffered terribly from this. The wrap won't waterproof the roof and will stop the steel being able to breathe and dry out.

Ultimately its your choice and your money, but bodging it now will bite you later.

semi-off topic, but have you seen the vinyl wrapped mini that was done on wheeler dealers? i watched that thinking it was a bad idea, would the same principles apply to trapping moisture and rusting underneath the vinyl?

[Shifty]

Heres a repair that I did..

http://www.theminifo...ic=133466&st=90

[mike.]

It doesn't matter how waterproof you make it really, the moisture in the air is enough to rust steel.

I reckon even if you do a really good job of removing and treating the current rot and then fibreglassing bodging the areas, it'll be a maximum of 1 year before the filler starts breaking away and the rust begins to come back.

[Miniryan09]

Apart from the damp already there, the vinyl will trap water and not allow it to escape. Older cars with vinyl roofs suffered terribly from this. The wrap won't waterproof the roof and will stop the steel being able to breathe and dry out.

Ultimately its your choice and your money, but bodging it now will bite you later.

semi-off topic, but have you seen the vinyl wrapped mini that was done on wheeler dealers? i watched that thinking it was a bad idea, would the same principles apply to trapping moisture and rusting underneath the vinyl?

Yea, i know its a better idea to cut it out and fill with new steel but the whole guttering is littered with small pin sized holes every now and again, the only bad bit is the bit shown in the pic, should i filler all of it but cut out and steel the worse effected areas, i have a welder and steel but just dont quite undeerstand how ill do it on the gutter? and yea I saw it, looked good! the car should be fully dryed out before the wrap, ive got a proffetional doing the wrap so they should do it well

[dklawson]

First, this thread is better suited to the paint and bodywork part of this forum.

Second, there are proper permanent repairs involving metal and money, then there are band-aids (plasters) to keep your car on the road until you have money to handle a more permanent fix. You said you were on a budget so I have a suggestions to buy you an indefinite amount of time.

Remove the headliner from inside the car. Sand the rusty areas from the inside everywhere you find them. Do the same on the outside sanding all the rust and pin holes down to sound metal. Sand all the way around the car inside the gutter. I do NOT recommend the type listed as a "rust converter". I prefer to use simple phosphoric acid to remove the rust and leave a phosphate coating. Treat both the inside and outside where you have sanded to bare metal. Once the metal is cleaned and treated, wash it with clean water and towel it dry. Give it some additional time to dry, then apply a THIN layer of glass fiber and polyester on the INSIDE of the car. After the fiberglass has cured, coat the entire gutter (on the outside) with seam sealer (it should be available wherever you buy automotive paint). Sand and paint the fiberglass inside the car, then refit the headliner. On the outside of the car, prime and paint over the seam sealer.

Depending on how much effort you put in the prep work, this repair can last for years. No, it's not as permanent or nice as welding in new metal but it will be functional for more than a year if you put the effort into the prep work.

[Shifty]

You're right Doug, I never noticed where the topic was, I've moved it to bodywork.

I still wouldn't be happy with that repair, especially considered the vinyl wrap going on top and the amount of condensation that can form in the roof.

Personally I don't see it lasting more than 12 months and I know that I wouldn't be happy putting an expensive vinyl wrap over the top of it. I'm sure I've heard people talk of how the wrap can aggravate any rust underneath it.

If the OP is happy to risk it then fair enough and it would be interesting to see just how long it does last and I'm happy to be proven wrong.

[dklawson]

Shifty, you are more diligent than I. I normally don't fuss moving threads to bodywork unless I think they will get better answers there. A lot of the tech section posters do their own bodywork. I was just saying....

I neglected to add to my previous post that I would NOT put vinyl on the roof. To each his own regarding the appearance of such things. However, when the practice was common on U.S. cars, it also was common for rust to eventually gain a toe hold under the vinyl and silently rot the roof away. Without the vinyl the treated metal coated with seam sealer and paint will last quite a while and patching the holes from the inside with a skin of glass fiber will make the repairs a tiny bit less obvious from the outside.

[Nicks217]

Or maby just sheet weld it and not replace the guttering? Ie de seem it?
just a thought?

[benjy_18]

Or maby just sheet weld it and not replace the guttering? Ie de seem it?
just a thought?

deseaming a roof will take at least 2 days to do properly, and you need to be SERIOUSLY good with a welder else the shell is scrap.

all you need is a dremel so you can cut the rust out in the seam and you'll be fine. welding in the gutter isnt as hard as it seams

[Miniryan09]

but the roof is rounded? can you get roof repair panels?

[benjy_18]

its not that rounded, only on the corners.

on the edges its pretty much straight, will only take a bit of work with a hammer and you will get the new patch the right shape. its the same on the corners it'll just take longer

[Nicks217]

Oh right, i thought it was a easyish job to do. guess i was wrong.

[Miniryan09]

Cheers for the help everyone, ended up cutting the bad bit and replacing :) the rest was just fibreglass though, but didnt want to use too much! so the majority was new steel...

also, decided vinyl was bad idea, so now getting it sprayed!

once again thanks for your help!

Be sure to check out my new project thread http://www.theminifo...project-mayhem/

[dklawson]

Back in my youth I owned a Toyota whose roof was partially covered in vinyl. I never liked it and rust was starting to grow underneath. Eventually I removed all the vinyl and spray painted where the vinyl had been. I was happy with my decision and I'm sure you will be happy with yours. Now with the repairs done, go enjoy your car!