Anyone used a heat gun to restore hard top color?

S

Stockli

TJ Enthusiast
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I know this trick works on fender flares, but they are made of plastic and the hardtop is fiberglass. I know the wax and oily buildup,burns off the flares but will it do the same for the top?

Anyone tried it?

My only concern would be getting the top too hot and having the glass separate.
 
The hardtops are not made of fiberglass. They are made of SMC (sheet molded compound).

I've never tried a heat gun on the hard top, but what I did to fix my faded hard top was to rough it up with some grey scotch brite pads, then go over it with some acetone, and then paint it with some SEM trim black paint.

Looks brand new, and all-in-all it probably took me half a day. It's held up amazing through the seasons, and like I said, it looks brand spankin' new again!
 
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I had no idea it wasn't glass.

I'm glad I asked lol. Don't need to be ruining the top.

Great suggestion Chris, I may wait till next season to paint but i can at least mak a plan.

Thanks for offering suggestions guys, good stuff
 
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No problem! I was rather surprised with how easy it was to paint. I did it during the Summer when I knew it would be off for at least 3-4 months. That way I didn't feel like I was rushed.
 
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I have a similar question. Can the heat gun trick be used for the interior door or steering column areas? The top part of my steering column is a sun faded and I can't find a new replacement part. I checked with the dealership and every mopar online site. I may have to resort to a junkyard find if the heat gun trick doesn't work. I can buy new interior door panels but they're a coupe hundred dollars apiece. Anyone know or tried this?
 
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the only reason the heat gun method works is because it's lifting wax and grease from the plastic?

If so, it stands to reason that it's not going to reverse fading (which is ultimately caused by UV damage).
 
UpperMI said:
I have a similar question. Can the heat gun trick be used for the interior door or steering column areas? The top part of my steering column is a sun faded and I can't find a new replacement part. I checked with the dealership and every mopar online site. I may have to resort to a junkyard find if the heat gun trick doesn't work. I can buy new interior door panels but they're a coupe hundred dollars apiece. Anyone know or tried this?
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Heat only works on the vinyl fender flares. Paint the faded plastic interior parts with Krylon Fusion for Plastics, it should turn out great.
 
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Chris said:
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the only reason the heat gun method works is because it's lifting wax and grease from the plastic?
Click to expand...
It's actually melting the top layer enough for the color underneath to come up to the surface. It's pretty amazing to watch how it works, it's like the heat gun is spraying paint and not heat.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
It's actually melting the top layer enough for the color underneath to come up to the surface. It's pretty amazing to watch how it works, it's like the heat gun is spraying paint and not heat.
Click to expand...

Interesting! I'm going to try this myself since I've got a heat gun in my toolbox. I thought it was just melting away the wax and grease.
 
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Chris said:
I thought it was just melting away the wax and grease.
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Nope, my fender flares were always cleaned and grease-free before using the heat gun on them. There was never any wax anywhere near them either.

This isn't my TJ but it shows how dramatic of an effect a heat gun can have on the flares.

Fender Flare by Heat Gun.jpg
 
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The heat gun process works great, just watch the amount of heat and the travel as the color comes back. It works great on the jugs also if you still have them.
 
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