Review: 303 Fabric Convertible Top Kit - 1949 Mercury Convertible Kustom Streetrod

[JWilliams.RadiantDetail]

Welp, after a super scrubbing of the top, there's still white bird poo visible. I'm assuming bird poop does some nasty things to fabric if left on. Probably not etching like paint, but uh yeah those spots look slightly better but aren't going anywhere. Maybe 303 cleaner would give me better results. This isn't a car I really drive for anyone reading this. But I know that's not an excuse to let it get to that point, but it is what it is.

[Mike Phillips]

Excellent post Mike, my convertible top looks awful awful awful. I haven't done anything to it in like 2 years, and my car was sitting outside non moving for close to a year and a half of that time broke. I need to do this + probably would some sort of convertible specific dye kit to make it black black again.

And the good news is there are products to dye or paint cloth that work pretty good. Maybe check into SEM products.

At least for me he was spot on about people with convertible tops not taking care of them.

Sad to say but this is my experience. Dang near every car that has been here in the 10+ years I've been here, I can't remember a single convertible in which you could look at the top and say,

Your convertible top looks good! What do you use to keep it this way?


And of course, most of the time the paint is all swirled-out and also contaminated. This just goes to show that what I wrote in the Introduction of my how-to book is accurate, that is

Most people look at their cars as a mode of transportation to take them from Point A to Point B


Most people are not, Car People. and they think we're the weird ones.


Like in all things, there are exceptions to the rule. For example, often times a person buys a car used and it was the previous owners that didn't take care of the convertible top, or the paint. That was the case for this 1949 Mercury. The good news is we brought the top and the paint back to showroom new quality for the owner and the next owner.




[QUOTE=JWilliams.RadiantDetail;1668422]

The 1st few years I owned this car I ALWAYS did the top, but after it broke and I stopped driving it I just stopped. Not to steal Mike's thread but here's a current picture of my top as proof how right he is. This is perfect proof you need to do as Mike says here.

Wow! I don't ever think I've seen a top in this bad of condition. The good news is, this will make for a GREAT EXTREME MAKEOVER.

As a detailer I should be super ashamed to even post that pic, and I really am.

I wouldn't feel bad. I haven't owned a cool car since I sold my last Monster Truck. My current daily driver is a mundane SUV and I will often times go months before washing it. All it is to me is dependable Point A to Point B transportation.


I get the VIP Newsletter from this company every Thursday night and one of these days I'm going to pull the trigger and get another toy.

Worldwide Vintage Autos

But this thread was like an unintentional intervention.

Hey if this review for 303 Products inspires you to tackle the convertible top, that's a sign of success for my efforts in doing all the work to clean and protect it, taking and then processing the pictures and then adding all the words. Reviews like I do take a lot of time and the info I share has to be dead-on accurate and hold up to the test of time.


Thanks for chiming in and sharing your new project.

[Mike Phillips]

Welp, after a super scrubbing of the top, there's still white bird poo visible. I'm assuming bird poop does some nasty things to fabric if left on. Probably not etching like paint, but uh yeah those spots look slightly better but aren't going anywhere.


Maybe 303 cleaner would give me better results.

Not sure what used but my guess there's probably nothing you can spray out of a bottle that's going to get it any better than what you've achieved so far. Time for some dye, some type of paint or a new top.