Top Dressing for Roof Inserts

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I am looking for suggestions regarding the care of original and old top insert material specifically what product can be applied to preserve and improve its appearance. Auto Geek has recommended a product called “303 Fabric Guard” whose writeup suggests its use on boats and open weave fabrics. When questioned regarding this, they still stuck with their recommendation.

Joe Malone

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Here’s a link to the product which Joe is asking about:

http://www.autogeek.net/303fabricguard.html

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I received the 303 Fabric Guard recommended by the supplier- Auto Geek- and based on the directions and cautions on the container, it does not appear to be a product that I would even test on an original top insert in need of a dressing. Reasons? a)it is primarily a water repellant and not a preservative/ enhancer b)it shouldn’t be used on rubber(and presumably rubber derived coatings)c) its high solvent content may remove color.

I’m still open to suggestions.

Joe Malone

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Joe, here’s a link to a top dressing sold by Mac’s Antique Auto Parts. They are primarily a supplier for Model T applications, but I’ve used this product on top inserts in other early cars. Might be worth a call to their tech people to check it out. Copy & paste this link: http://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_model_t/vinyl-top-dressing-black-1-quart-can.html

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Thank you Tony and Pat,

The answer I gather from a discussion with Macs is that you’d be wise to experiment with the product before reaching any conclusions about its suitability for our purposes. The technical person had used the Top Dressing ( a black liquid, thinner than paint) on the vinyl roof of his Ford LTD and he ‘liked it’ and the somewhat glossy sheen that it left. I don’t count that as a ringing endorsement when it comes to the preservation and enhancement of an original 8 decade old top insert and am beginning to think that a cleaning with something mild such as saddle soap followed by a treatment of some equally benign and absorbent oil may be the safest approach.I’ll try to contact Eric Haartz to see if he has an opinion on the matter.

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I did speak with Eric Haartz and he agreed with the inadvisability of using any kind of a treatment with a high solvent content. His recommendations for cleaning included a soft brush and water. As far as a dressing , that does depend on the chemistry of the original top insert material and that is a detail that has not been established that I am aware of. So, experiment and proceed with caution.

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