swampdog
New member
So, with the beautiful weather this weekend in NC and no plans, I decided to tackle painting the inside of the hardtop. Here was my process:
1 - Remove Freedom Panels
2 - Remove hardtop. As you all know, this is not a 1 man job, so when your fiancée tries and can't lift it, bring your neighbor a beer and have him give you a hand.
3 - Remove all hardware from the freedom top and store in a bag, as they little jewels have a tendency to grow legs and disappear
4 - Tape off all exterior edges of the top as well as the glass panels in the rear. (Still had left edge to tape).
5 - Clean the entire interior surface of the top with mineral spirits to get all dirt / dust / residue off the surface. Wipe puddles away, the rest will dry quickly.
6 - Repeat step 6 with acetone to soften the fiberglass to more readily bond with the paint.
7 - Paint the interior of the top with Krylon Fusion in the color of your choosing. I went with black in a satin finish. As stated earlier in the tread, long strokes, and be quick in the corners to avoid runs / puddles. This paint has a super quick dry time (15 minutes), so go with more coats that are thinner. This will set you up for a better finished product with no runs.
Here are the freedom tops after 1 coat.
8- Repeat step 7 for 4 total coats
9 - Remove tape and re-install hardware
10 - Re-install the top, but be aware as the paint does not fully bond to the plastic until a 7 day cure time is complete. It will be fine to handle after 1 hour, but will not hold up to impact / scratches until day 7
That's it. Super easy upgrade if you take your time and do it right. Here are a couple shots of the finished product.
All in all, this was a great little project and it looks like it came from the factory if done correctly. I am very happy with this and think the JK should come with the top in black to begin with.
1 - Remove Freedom Panels
2 - Remove hardtop. As you all know, this is not a 1 man job, so when your fiancée tries and can't lift it, bring your neighbor a beer and have him give you a hand.
3 - Remove all hardware from the freedom top and store in a bag, as they little jewels have a tendency to grow legs and disappear
4 - Tape off all exterior edges of the top as well as the glass panels in the rear. (Still had left edge to tape).
5 - Clean the entire interior surface of the top with mineral spirits to get all dirt / dust / residue off the surface. Wipe puddles away, the rest will dry quickly.
6 - Repeat step 6 with acetone to soften the fiberglass to more readily bond with the paint.
7 - Paint the interior of the top with Krylon Fusion in the color of your choosing. I went with black in a satin finish. As stated earlier in the tread, long strokes, and be quick in the corners to avoid runs / puddles. This paint has a super quick dry time (15 minutes), so go with more coats that are thinner. This will set you up for a better finished product with no runs.
Here are the freedom tops after 1 coat.
8- Repeat step 7 for 4 total coats
9 - Remove tape and re-install hardware
10 - Re-install the top, but be aware as the paint does not fully bond to the plastic until a 7 day cure time is complete. It will be fine to handle after 1 hour, but will not hold up to impact / scratches until day 7
That's it. Super easy upgrade if you take your time and do it right. Here are a couple shots of the finished product.
All in all, this was a great little project and it looks like it came from the factory if done correctly. I am very happy with this and think the JK should come with the top in black to begin with.
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