Save the Manual Wagons!

Not long term success...yet. But I finally got around to patching my top this summer. I had one actual tear that I stitched up and several other "thin" places that I added reinforcement patches (original 22 year old top!)

I used the PVC adhesive linked in the OP and vinyl material from a craft store. I tested the adhesive on a couple scraps of the vinyl first. Sure enough, after it sets it becomes completely inseparable.

I did a lazy job patching the top. No prep, just applied some adhesive and stuck the patches in there. I hate crawling around under there... I figure if they come off, I'll do a better job next time. I have tons of vinyl and almost an entire can of adhesive left. So far, so good. A couple of the corners are peeling. I blame this on not getting the adhesive in the right spot on the top. Next time, I'll put the patch in place (dry) and trace around it with a marker or maybe masking tape. That way I'll know exactly where to apply the adhesive to the top.

notaloafer

Glad to hear some feedback. I ended up using a piece of white chalk at the time to mark the placement. Great because it washes off easily after the job is done too.

Branrr

I tested this PVC adhesive on some OEM soft top material prior to trying in the car, and unfortunately it didn't seem to bond for me. I tried to bond the vinyl side to the cloth side, such that when looking up from inside the car, you'd see cloth side on both the top and the patch.

It very easily pulled apart after 24 hours cure time. I tried both a thin coat and thick, saturating coat, thinking it might need to soak through the cloth. Not sure why it didn't work for me, but my test was enough to not want to try it in the car.

I tried a few different adhesives on sample material and 3M spray was the strongest, however it dries very stiff. I ended up using silicone adhesive, which I can still pull apart if I really try (on my samples), but not as easily as the PVC adhesive. I think in the actual car the bond will hold well enough, and others have reported success with it.

Chuck S

Black GoreTex patches (for my Army parka) worked for several years. Got them at Dicks. Good color match and sealed well.

-- Chuck

A.O.

Hey notaloafer, read your DIY post but did not see any pics...