The roof of my daughter's car was heavily oxidized and damaged by
the sun. There were a couple small spots
above the windshield that had just begun to rust. We wanted to address those rust spots right
away and do something to protect the roof from further damage. We also wanted to make it look better.
Before |
After - no more rust |
After taping along the upper edge of the windshield I used wet/dry
sandpaper to remove the rust which was easy enough to do as it was just barely
on the surface. Once dry and clean I
sprayed it with a coat of automotive primer and let that dry while we prepared
the roof for the next step.
She did one half of the roof and I worked on the other |
First we gave it a light sanding to remove the oxidation and
smooth out the surface. We were careful
not to sand any areas outside of the roof area we were going to repair.
Smooth as a baby's bottom |
Then my daughter washed the roof and we let it air dry. It was a warm sunny day so that happened
rather quickly.
I taped along the edges of the roof with painter's tape to make
sure we had good clean lines.
My daughter used paper towels and acetone to do a final cleaning
of the roof.
All wrapped to protect what we don't want painted |
While she did that I draped and taped off the rest of her car with
plastic creating a protective shroud all around the car. I didn't want to risk any overspray. I also moved the rest of our vehicles far
away from our work area.
We opted to coat the top of the car with truck bed liner instead
of going through the whole process of repainting. The top of the car had some pretty
significant gouges in it from hauling cargo along with the oxidation issue so
it made sense to us to do it this way.
First coat |
We did three good coats of the spray on coating, allowing it to
dry in between each coat. Not only did
it do a nice job covering up the roof it will protect it now so we won't need
to worry about rust becoming a problem in the future.
Shroud of plastic removed |
It will also provide a much more durable layer of protection should
she decide to add a roof rack later on and place cargo on top. I think it looks pretty good too, which is
every bit as important as maintaining the integrity of the car. Kind of adds a little bit of a sporty look to
it. Total spent on three cans of bed liner and a roll of tape = $29.20 + tax. All of the other supplies she needed I already had on hand. That made it very affordable for us to fix the roof.
The light filtering through the trees makes it looks spotty, but it really isn't |
As far as projects go this one wasn't too terribly difficult. We took our time to make sure we got all of
the prep work done that needed doing and I truly do think that makes all the
difference with how well these things turn out.
Good prep work is everything.
She is looking really good! |
My daughter is quite pleased with the final results. That in itself makes it all worth it. Now onto the next phase.
Okay, that is just super-cool! I had no idea there even WAS such a thing as truck-bed coating spray! And to apply it to a car roof?? Yet it makes perfect sense--a car roof takes a lot of abuse, just like a truck bed. Especially if she gets roof racks.
ReplyDeleteYour ability to think out of the box is amazing--and so is the end result! Love it!
Thank you!!!! I'm so glad you like it Sue. It is really cool looking. She is super excited about it.
DeleteI actually like the look of the roof. It gives it a sportier overall look even if it was just a happy accident!
ReplyDeleteExactly! I'm the Bob Ross of rattle cans! LOL
DeleteThat is really smart and excellent execution. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteIt looks fantastic! Should your daughter decide to sell it at some point, I'm sure it will help with the resale value as well.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking so too. So far it is in far better shape then when we bought it and it is only going to get better. Thank you! :)
DeleteThat goes to show that a little love and elbow grease goes a long way! It looks great!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo true! Thank you. :)
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