How about vinyl or naugahyde to cover teardrop?

[Sparksalot]

Only the finest genuine naughas gave their hides for use on my tear.

[Shadow Catcher]

Ya but a great deal depends on whether it is wild Nauga's or domesticated. The wild ones have slight imperfections in the hide but are much tougher. They are genetically very similar to Vinyal's which come from higher altitudes.

[Mauleskinner]

Personally, I like the "gamey" taste of the wild Naugas, too. The domestic ones seem so bland.

[angib]

We don't have Naugas in Yurp and I've always wondered what they look like - something like a large rat?

My Mini is available in the US with seats covered in leatherette skins which sounds absolutely awful to us - over here, leatherettes are a protected species.

Andrew

[CPlater]

Naugas.

[kennyrayandersen]

REALLY! only free range will do -- and they have to be happy.... REALLY happy

[angib]

I love the idea that Uniroyal very cleverly thought up the idea that Naugas shed their skin every year (like a snake?), so they didn't have to be killed to make naugahyde.

But I don't believe it. I think they are shot and skinned by ruthless Nauga hunters and the reason they invented headrests is so they can use the piece of naugahyde with the bullet hole in it for the bit where the headrest post goes through......

Andrew

[Sparksalot]

Are you sure these aren't really naughalopes? They look kinda suspicious.

Naugas.

[Creamcracker]

So.....has anyone actually skinned their roof with fresh Naugas? or has everyone just purchased the skin after processing?
Philip

[teardrop_focus]

"The Nauga is ugly, but it's hide is beautiful" ...was the slogan in an advert in Life magazine sometime in the 1960s.




Now then, in all seriousness, if one were to use vinyl as the covering for one's teardrop, would just a three or four-inch-wide swath of contact cement (on both the tear exterior and the underside of the vinyl covering) along the center of the roof result in bubbling in summertime heat?

I don't like the idea of even the slightest lift of the tear's skin at highway speeds.

[BK One]

Is 1/8" plywood enough under vinyl? Should I make it 1/4" minimum? I was planning on an aluminum roof, but the vinyl is really growing on me.

Brian

[teardrop_focus]

Is 1/8" plywood enough under vinyl?

If you're concerned, do two layers of 1/8" and stagger the seams. I dunno if 1/4 will bend as easily.

In the Vintage Plans link at the top of the page, a 1936-homebuilt used "leatherette", or, vinyl, for it's exterior...

[b.bodemer]

Kate finished hers with a real convertible top. It has roof spars, a screen and then the vinyl. Sshe can unsnap and roll back the vinyl. Way cool!


Barb

[teardrop_focus]

b.bodemer

She can unsnap and roll back the vinyl. Way cool!

Barb

More pics of this ingenious idea, please! A link, perhaps?

Thanks, Barb!

(I don't know who Kate is... )

.

[Aaron Coffee]

Was thinking about my aluminum for #2 the other night and got me thinking about this thread. Vinyl would be cheaper, easier to transport. Easier to store until needed, and doesn't need polishing. By the way Dguff excellent price on the link, how was shipping. So I guess #2 may become Hyde-away #2.
Thanks
Aaron
Oop's sorry I looked again and found the shipping calculator on that link. Hmmm, enough to cover the tear with shipping and less than one sheet of aluminum.

question for those that used foam underneath. Did you just use standard upholstry foam?