i have a tonneau cover and when i got it, i was told not to put any kind of dressing or anything on it, because it will cause premature aging. is this true? also if it isnt true, what can i do, or use to give it a little more shine?

 

What kind of tonneua is it? Leather, Fiberglass, is it color matched? Please specify.

The answer really depends these facts.

 

Not sure who would've told you that... other than someone that doesn't understand that today's dressings (well, most of them) offer very good sun protection which is the first and worst thing that you should think about when stretching a piece of vinyl out and across your bed. Vinyl, in most cases, doesn't play all that well in the sunlight...

That said, most of us here would recommend either 303 Aerospace Protectant (www.303products.com) or Vinylex (www.lexol.com).

Both products offer EXCELLENT sunscreen characteristics and will offer a bit of shine.

The drawback to just about ANY protectant product on the market is that you'll likely have a tad of streaking after rain...

Nearly all dressings in today's market are water-based and, as such, typically will also rehydrate in water. That, in turn, will cause some run off of the product that can streak a painted finish - especially a dark painted finish.

RP

 

sorry... it is a black vinyl cover by tonneaumasters. i dont know my dad had one on his truck and he liked it so i had him get me one.

 

Follow RP's advice you wont regret it

 

i also have a 97 f150, and the rear window surround is a light grey. if i was to strip that with a paint prep, and paint it black, should i use a vinyl paint, or a metalic paint. also, will either of these keep from cracking or peeling, and will it look a lot different from the body paint? the truck is black.

sorry i put this in a different thread...

 

In all honesty, if you're going to have to remove it from the truck anyway -- have you considered replacing it?

Also, FYI... removing that is kind of a booger as you have to remove all of the interior trim from the inside around the rear window to get to the mounting hardware.

-RP-

 

is there any way i could just mask off body and glass, and get enough paint to fill the gaps without removing it? i want to sell the truck, well not really, i want to keep it but at the same time it would be nice if i could. but if i did do everything to paint it would the finish come out close enough to that of the body?

 

Before I went after it with paint, try the Vinylex or 303 that you're going to snare for your tonneau on it.... that might save you the trouble.

 

that is the thing though... the 97 had the lighter grey, smooth surround. in 98, they went to the darker grey matte finish. if i put any kind of dressing it just absorbs, and leaves a smudged look to it. i have a picture, i just dont know how to get it on here.

 

Ahh... I see.

Not sure about masking it off and all... I know that you're going to have to use some sort of plastic paint or adhesion agent to get paint to stick to it. Plus, you've slathered silicones all over it (the dressings) and thus, you're going to really have to give it some serious prep work to get all of that off and out before coating it.

I'm not a paint man... never claimed to be one... but, it may be a difficult task.

 

i cant remember what i is called, but it is for paint prep, it is basically a stripper, it takes of wax, silicones, dirt, grease, and that type of stuff. i figure if i use that a couple times, it should make the surface ready to accept paint, but im not sure about the finish and coverage of the area.