Just ordered the HotHead Headliners and have been thinking about painting the inside of the hardtop black prior to installing them. Idea is that it would blend them in better and not pop-out visually. Concerns of course about the paint cracking or bubbling over time and any additional heat it might generate going from white to black.

Has anyone done this before? Thought or comments?

Thanks!

//D

 

I painted mine 4 years ago no issues I just used krylon semi gloss black

 

I'm going to be painting mine once I put my soft top back on for the summer. There's an AEV350 for sale near me that is painted and it looks great.

 

I used bedliner back in 2012. Many top removals, yet to have a problem.

 

I gave it lots thought myself 4 years ago when I installed my HotHead headliners, but didn't paint mine. I actually like the contrast. Good surface prep is the key to any paint job. Do that and you'll be fine. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. Decided to go ahead and paint them and so far so good. I'm up in New England so the weathers not the best for removal of the hardtop this time of year so for now, just doing the Freedom-Panels. Removed all hardware, lightly sanded the surface and cleaned-up with Accetone. For paint, I used a Semi-Gloss Black "Rust-Oleum 2x Ultra Cover Paint+Cover" which is good for outdoor/indoor plastic use. For 3 coats, it took 1 full can per panel. Letting it sit for at least 24 hours before re-mounting the hardware but am very pleased with the results so far. Can't wait for the HotHead Headliners to arrive!

 

That looks fantastic, hopefully it holds up well

 

Looks good. I have a friend that did that and kinda makes me want to do it just as it looks so much better. My concern has always been where the freedom panels latch to the rear portion, and having the paint rub off due to the pressure when the latches slide back and forth to lock/unlock em. My friend's has held up decent, but he doesn't use the hard top year round, nor does he remove it much once it's on.

Curious to hear how it holds up......or if others that have painted experienced any issues in that area in particular.

 

Had the same thoughts and concerns which is why I applied multiple coats and giving it plenty of time to properly dry. Also, paint I chose is supposed to be durable so hopefully it'll stand-up to a little wear but, like your friend, don't expect to take my panels off often. Others have also used Bed-liner paint which seems to also hold-out well. I just wanted a smoother look. Time will tell....

 

How are you liking your headliners? Any issues?

//D