[ddriver]

Working on the interior for a '28 that will have buckets. Want to put vinyl on the inside aluminum behind the seats. Glued 1/4" sew foam to the vinyl, but cannot figure out how to get the wrinkles out of the inside curves. Any helpful hints/suggestions??? Anything is greatly appreciated. Thanks - Dianna

[54merc]

It looks to me that you used a thick vinyl to try and make this turn with. I suggest that you try to pull the vinyl/foam back off and apply new glue and warm up the vinyl with a heat gun to make it more workable, than reapply to the panel.

Also, in the future try not to add too much pressure to the vinyl right after you glue it. Wait about 10 to 20 mins to let the glue dry. If you add too much pressure while the glue is still wet the foam will collapse and leave indents like you have in your rear panel.

If the vinyl still wrinkles after you reapply it, try using a thinner vinyl that can make the turn.

[ddriver]

54Merc, Thanks for the suggestions!!! I was kind of wondering about my beautiful 'divots' . Haven't permanently applied the panel to the body - just have it tucked up under the top pieces, so I can make a new rear panel (letting the glue dry properly this time). The idea of heat during the application of panel to body is wonderful! Wish me luck. And thanks again!

[ddriver]

Started looking at the 1/4" sew foam, this is what the back looks like. Either I didn't notice when I cut and glued or I didn't think it would telegraph. Not sure what caused it, but wont be using this piece for anything large..lesson to self 'check the foam before you sew or glue'

[DanTwoLakes]

Am I understanding you correctly? You glued your vinyl to a piece of 1/4" sew foam with both pieces flat on your work surface and then glued that assembly to the curved aluminum walls of the car? If that's what you did, the vinyl, being the stiffer of the two, being on the outside, and also not being able to conform to the curve exactly like the foam does will cause wrinkles at the curve.

If you glued the foam to the car and then glued the vinyl over the foam, it would work out a lot better for you. It would also be easier if you used stiffer closed cell foam. In either case, you need to do each operation in the car, not on a flat work surface. Your straight piece could be done that way, but not the curved area. Another way to do it would be to make a curved panel to fit the car, glue the foam on the panel, and then glue the vinyl over that. In any case, doing it one layer at a time will stop the wrinkles.

These pictures will show you what happened. I glued a piece of vinyl to a piece of 4 1/2" thick foam flat on my work table. (1st picture) If I curve that assembly so the curve of the foam is in back, (3rd picture) it works fine, actually smoothing out the vinyl even more. When I curve the assembly so that the curve is the other way,(2nd picture) you can see what happens. The thicker the foam, the more pronounced the wrinkles will be. But, when I curve the foam first, and then glue the vinyl on, (4th picture) the vinyl can be smoothed out. Good luck.

[ddriver]

Dan, thank's much for taking the time to show me on your own stock, visuals are always helpful! Haven't glued anything to the car yet, so it can be changed as necessary. Thinking I will go with the 1/8" closed cell glued to car first, then the vinyl (working from center outward) glued over the closed cell.