How To Stretch Vinyl On Hot Rod Roof

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.

How to stretch vinyl on hot rod roof.

Carefully center the vinyl on the roof. 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. 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.

With the vinyl centered on the roof re install the aluminum track. Draw them as dark as you can with a pencil and with a straight edge. To create the padded look brian was after kramer first covered the cab s roof with a layer of 1 4 inch closed cell foam followed by a form fitting cover of haartz stayfast material. It works great on stretchy materials like lycra spandex or cotton and it s also fabulous for cotton poly blends polyester and even leather.

The top is not formed to this shape so you may need. Stretch heat transfer vinyl is an iron on vinyl that has well a bit of stretch to it. 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. Hopefully that s as clear as mud.

Transfer those measurements to the backside of your thin cardboard and round the corners as before. You don t want a billowing top going down road. To stretch out a piece of vinyl fabric first place the material facedown on a smooth working surface. Monitor the vinyl with a surface thermometer and when it is about 100 f turn off the heat and pull the fabric toward yourself to stretch it.

It has an ultra matte finish that is really pretty. Seal edges with a modern rubber sealant to keep water out. This makes it ideal for applying to all kinds of fabric. Place the wood frame with the vinyl attached to it on the roof.

This post has a lot of photos but like speedy bill always said a picture is worth a thousand. Then hold a heat gun 6 to 8 inches above the fabric and use it to warm the material for 1 to 3 minutes. 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.