Can you dye a cloth top on a '01 Deville?

[ChickenInABreadPan]

Hi there! New poster here, but me love Cadillacs big time. This is my third one, a 2001 Deville. Sweet. I'm not in love with the color of the fabric top, though -- a dark shade of navy blue. Is it possible to go to a specialist (I live in a large city) and have it DYED black? Or is that just stupid? Looking forward to any advice, and thanks to all of you -- I've gleaned a ton o' info from here!


M

[Ranger]

I am sure it can be done. I once had a white '71 Deville with a black vinyl top (They did that back then). I had the top sprayed white by a guy who traveled to dealers and did it there. It looked great.

[codewize]

Amazingly enough you'll find that glass shops are the ones that do the tops so I would ask them about dying. I don't know what a dye job will cost but it's only about $1200 to have a new top installed.

[cadillac_pimpz]

Sounds stupid, but I don't know. I've never heard of anyone dyeing a soft top or interior. It seems like you would just have to get a different color of the top material installed. Im sure it's not gonna be cheap, Vogue is pretty expensive. You could always just change the paint job to match the top. hahaha. something like candy green. ; )

[codewize]

No I agree. I'm sure they can dye it. No problem. It probably won't be cheap though. People do interiors all the time and I'm sure you're not the first one to ask this. I would start by calling the local dealer and ask them who installs the tops for them. Give them a call and take it from there.

[ChickenInABreadPan]

Thanks Codewize (and others). I called Kuni Cadillac (my local Caddy dealer) and inquired...was met with Huh? Cloth top? Huh? We don't see many of those. Carriage top, what's that? You mean that mock convertible look? Huh? Yeah, we have no idea. Here, call this number.

*calls number*

No, sorry, we only do interior leather and interior trim.

Guess I'll be ringing the other dealer tomorrow. So funny that this is difficult -- I'm not even looking to ask my dye question at this point, I'd just love to find an experienced company that does fabric tops for Devilles. Guess if I lived in DeVille land like FL or TX I'd be set.

[cadillac_pimpz]

Move to TX, Massey is good.

[codewize]

Where are you?

[ChickenInABreadPan]

I'm in Portland, OR. Luckily, I called another Cadillac dealer across town and they knew all about the cloth tops and have been doing them/repairing them/dealing with them forever. And you were right, Codewize -- to replace it would be around $1095. Sweet. Still haven't found an upholstery shop that knows about dyeing them and whether that's even a smart thing to do.

This 2001 will be the 3rd DeVille I've owned...it's en route from Florida and it will be my first carriage roof. I know they're a love it or hate it thing, but I'm definitely in the LOVE IT stage with the mock convertible tops. Although I may be singing another tune in 2 years when the cloth top turns out to be a bird poo collector and pollen sponge. We'll see!

[MachX]

Go to a reputable paint shop. You can buy the dye for convertible tops which will work just fine on your vinyl roof.

[jsp2002]

It can be done, you can do it yourself. There are several vinyl dies that would work. Do a web search for vinyl top die. I recently used "forever black top die". It worked to restore a faded black top, it might turn the dark blue into black. I was thinking about dyeing the top on my brougham, but it got a good crack in it that will need replacement. There are other products that use a two stage die and sealant. In pics it looks good, but I have never seen it in person. Try buying a swatch of vinyl simiular to ours and do a small sample test.

[jas386]

as far as bird poo, it wont catch any more than a metal top would. Pollen isnt that bad on them either. I have a Town Car with a cloth top. i wash it about once a year with Tide and warm water, and a soft brush. still looks nice and its an 89