Now that the foam has been trimmed the vinyl material is ready to be installed.
How to stretch vinyl on hot rod roof.
Place the wood frame with the vinyl attached to it on the roof.
My little coupe rocks a stock body so it hasn t been chopped or had its roof filled.
Stretch heat transfer vinyl is an iron on vinyl that has well a bit of stretch to it.
This makes it ideal for applying to all kinds of fabric.
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.
It has an ultra matte finish that is really pretty.
Carefully center the vinyl on the roof.
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.
The top is not formed to this shape so you may need.
With the vinyl centered on the roof re install the aluminum track.
You don t want a billowing top going down road.
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.
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.
Transfer those measurements to the backside of your thin cardboard and round the corners as before.
Draw them as dark as you can with a pencil and with a straight edge.
It works great on stretchy materials like lycra spandex or cotton and it s also fabulous for cotton poly blends polyester and even leather.
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.
Seal edges with a modern rubber sealant to keep water out.
The vinyl supplied in the kit is a high quality vinyl that is completely waterproof.
Hopefully that s as clear as mud.
To stretch out a piece of vinyl fabric first place the material facedown on a smooth working surface.
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.