I'll paint my own dam top: MOD vs MIC

[Jeep4bronco86]

So I've been doing a lot of research on how I can just paint an MIC top and say the hell with waiting.

Few challenges:
-The texture issue: spoke to some shops, it can be taken down, not an issue
-Plastidip: sure, but that's no fun
-The big one: apparently what makes painting these tops a challenge is there is a mold release agent within the plastic that leaches over time. Paint over, and it will bubble in a few months. Looking through Jeep threads, chemical solutions will not work to remove these release agent. The only option - which is one used at the factory to ensure paint adherence in plastics in general - is to heat treat.

Heat treat is relatively simple. Quickly run a torch over the plastic at approx 10-14 inches per second. Wipe away with an alcohol solution, finish prep, and you should be fine.

Perhaps someone out there can provide more color (no pun intended) on how Ford does this at the factory for items like the mirrors, door handles and grills.

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[Silver-Bolt]

So I've been doing a lot of research on how I can just paint an MIC top and say the hell with waiting.

Few challenges:
-The texture issue: spoke to some shops, it can be taken down, not an issue
-Plastidip: sure, but that's no fun
-The big one: apparently what makes painting these tops a challenge is there is a mold release agent within the plastic that leaches over time. Paint over, and it will bubble in a few months. Looking through Jeep threads, chemical solutions will not work to remove these release agent. The only option - which is one used at the factory to ensure paint adherence in plastics in general - is to heat treat.

Heat treat is relatively simple. Quickly run a torch over the plastic at approx 10-14 inches per second. Wipe away with an alcohol solution, finish prep, and you should be fine.

Perhaps someone out there can provide more color (no pun intended) on how Ford does this at the factory for items like the mirrors, door handles and grills.

I have been around the paint world a very long time and have never heard of this "heat treat" process. It does not sound plausible at all. Torching a plastic roof without knowing anything about the polymer doesn't seem like a wise decision. Trying to paint an unknow polymer is again a bad idea. No doubt it can be done but you risk ruining a top worth several thousand dollars on an internet recipe.

 

[ZackDanger]

 

[Parsa]

Perhaps it's best just to let the sun warm it for a year, and then paint it.

 

[HotdogThud]

I'm with him ^^^. heating the plastic before painting to that degree will just cause more of the VOC's to come off, making paint adherence even harder. I'd see about finding out what the material actually is (some form of PVC, presumably), and then looking for compatible sealers that you could throw on there *under* a coat of paint.

Option 4 tho, is to just get some good vinyl and cover it that way. It's squarish, it really shouldn't be that hard, plus you could throw test patches on the top to see how they fare in the sun, and try out different colors as well.

 

[Jeep4bronco86]

I have been around the paint world a very long time and have never heard of this "heat treat" process. It does not sound plausible at all. Torching a plastic roof without knowing anything about the polymer doesn't seem like a wise decision. Trying to paint an unknow polymer is again a bad idea. No doubt it can be done but you risk ruining a top worth several thousand dollars on an internet recipe.

The heat treat process is apparently very common with plastic. Just about anything plastic - at the factory - is heat treated.

 

[Razorback]

With the luck on Webasto roofs, what could go wrong?

 

[Jeep4bronco86]

If Jeep owners can successfully paint their MIC tops, we can do too. End of the day, painting the top will likely still be far cheaper than purchasing a whole new top; moreover, I highly doubt we are going to be able to buy already painted tops. Likely what we will be given access to is a primed top. It'll be thousands for the top, thousand ish to paint and at least $500+ to ship it...

 

[Parsa]

Option 4 tho, is to just get some good vinyl and cover it that way. It's squarish, it really shouldn't be that hard, plus you could throw test patches on the top to see how they fare in the sun, and try out different colors as well.

Sanding and wrapping could be an option.

 

[Jr87mustang]

One thing I know for sure, I am going to let a whole lot of people try these different ideas before I try one. It will be two years before you can get a replacement top to fix screw-ups.

 

[ZackDanger]

If Jeep owners can successfully paint their MIC tops, we can do too. End of the day, painting the top will likely still be far cheaper than purchasing a whole new top; moreover, I highly doubt we are going to be able to buy already painted tops. Likely what we will be given access to is a primed top. It'll be thousands for the top, thousand ish to paint and at least $500+ to ship it...

I thought the whole point is that Jeep owners have a terrible time painting their MIC tops. They always flake and peel in about a year.

 

[Jeep4bronco86]

Sanding and wrapping could be an option.

This is also another option...

 

[Jeep4bronco86]

I thought the whole point is that Jeep owners have a terrible time painting their MIC tops. They always flake and peel in about a year.

It's all in the prep.

I have a friend that paints plastic bumpers all the time without issue. Bronco MIC aren't made of some super special polymer here guys....it's highly likely the same plastic used for plastic bumpers and the like.

 

[ZackDanger]

This is also another option...

No offense, but thousands of words have been spilled over painting the MIC on the forum… some threads even had Webasto employees chiming in and Autobody paint Speacialists… it may benefit to go back and read through those to see what was already figured out, and start by determining what new info we may have since then.

 

[Bronc-Itus]

This should go well. Please be sure to post a video of this. No way in hell imma take a torch to the top we’re all waiting for.

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