Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

Hi all, I am restoring my hard top and just wondering if anyone has painted them before and if so what paint etc to use? If anyone has any information about new seals and windows I would love to hear where to get my hands on them.

A quick search of the forum should turn up a few answers. Several people have painted their tops, the amount of effort depends on what you want to achieve. If going for a smooth, glossy paint finish, there is a lot of work involved. If you just want to renew/refresh existing color and are OK with the texture, I think that is straight forward. As far as seals, there appear to be no direct "factory" style orderable, but many have used aftermarket offerings from McMaster-Carr and others. Good luck, and post pictures of your Roadster, and make sure it is in the registry!

Thanks for the info...only new to restoration so any tips are welcomed!

Hey David I am also restoring my hardtop (well... when I get more time to get back to it). I have the fiberglass hardtop with the circular quarter window and the textured top (wish I had the glossy top but oh well).

Here is what I have done:

- I stripped off all of the pieces and weatherstripping and have put it aside. I plan to bring the weatherstripping to a local shop and hope they can match it. If not then go the McMaster-Carr route.
- Both windows were shattered so I removed them (wear proper breathing gear and gloves since you will be exposing asbestos and who knows what else) and I went to Home Depot and bought a few small sheets of lexan and cut the circles to replace the shattered ones.
- For the outside top I haven't exactly decided what to do, but one guy who said he professionally restores cars and hardtops recommended the following product to use : Brillo Color Spray - Leather Coloring (black) . I can't yet say if it works great b/c I haven't applied it yet but he said he swears by it... maybe check it out?
- For the inside I plan to just clean it up and that's it. No vinyl/carpet/whatever for it. I like the clean white contrast on the inside. Plus I'm afraid if I put on any material it will make it feel even more cramped.

Not sure if any of that helped. I have some pics on my post too if you wanna check them out.

Happy restoring!!! AND YES WE LIKE PICTURES hahaha

The Krylon “paints plastic” rattle cans work well, don’t use any cleaning solvent stronger than IPA for surface prep.
No asbestos in these tops. Plenty of fiberglass dust though.
Pics of Before, mid-surgery, and after. This one got thrown across a parking lot by a storm that kicked up.

I got the weatherstrip from a vendor at the local Hot Rod swap meet (Long Beach CA), but it took some searching, Pomona might be better. McMaster Carr is always a good resource. Use a bulb seal around the back to save paint.

If I was to do it again, I would not bond the skins at back window opening, as it took a set that I am not sure matched the rear window glass, and the bonding made it rigid, so not a good thing.

Thanks for the hot tips team, very helpful. I will try a combination of these and see how I go. I have gone the McMaster Carr route and I will post photos to let you all know how I get on.

If you want a smooth surface, just use a high fill epoxy primer, spray enough coats to fill the texture and block sand to smooth. That's what my dad did!! He's an automotive refinisher.

Datsun AshLee wrote: ↑Thu Oct 11, 2018 1:25 pm If you want a smooth surface, just use a high fill epoxy primer, spray enough coats to fill the texture and block sand to smooth. That's what my dad did!! He's an automotive refinisher.

Hm that’s not a bad idea. Very clever. Do you by chance know how much weight was added from this method? Was it a substantial amount or not enough to make a huge difference? Thanks for the tip!

I want to smooth out my top as well

I don't know for sure but my dad said it doesn't add much weight maybe 5 pounds at the most because it is only filling the texture and when its dry it doesn't weigh much at all. A gallon of wet primer weighs about 17 lbs. and my dad said that it only took about a qt.

Datsun AshLee wrote: ↑Wed Oct 17, 2018 2:01 am I don't know for sure but my dad said it doesn't add much weight maybe 5 pounds at the most because it is only filling the texture and when its dry it doesn't weigh much at all. A gallon of wet primer weighs about 17 lbs. and my dad said that it only took about a qt.

Thanks again for the tip! I’m going to talk this over with a buddy of mine who is helping me with the restoration of the top.