can you patch a spyder roof?

[turbo98eclipse]

hey guys!! as you can see im working hard to find every possible way to stop the spyder leak prob and i have yet another question. well while doing my tech article i was inside the car and as i looked up (at the canvas roof, not the soft inside cloth) i saw some "wear marks", i guess from where the bars across the top rub when the roof is raised/lowered, and was able to see the sun shining in from outside!! the ~hole in the making~ was about the size of a quarter or so...i saw other wear marks which varied in size in other spots too!! i was just thinking of ways ppl fix holes in like clothes and stuff and know that when guys get rips in say blazer jackets (on theire elbows) or pockets they use those little "iron on" strips (usually made of leather or something?) with that said...would it be possible for me to "patch" the holes using a product such as this? leather iron on patches, if they make them..canvas patches? or just canvas, with some sort of adheasive, that will not let water through....or anything? any ideas guys???

 

[Kookykrispy]

I have not tried it with a spyder top... but I fixed about a 6 inch rip in a classic muscle-era Chrysler convertible top this way:

I got some scrap treated waterproof heavy duty cordura nylon cloth from a place in Santa Fe that makes ski and mountaineering jackets and equipment. I then used thin fishing line for thread and curved hand stitching needles made for heavy material or leather from a sewing supply place. I had a buddy hold the top tight while I sewed the patch in from the underneath. I'm not much of a sewer, but I managed to get the job done OK and I tied the ends off and then melted the ends very carefully with a disposable lighter. (Be REALLY careful not to catch your car on fire!) Afterward, I smeared Shoe-goo (available at Wal-mart) quitre liberally on both sides of the repair. We let it completely cure in the sun before moving the top. Shoe goo takes about 24 hours to cure so let it sit for a good long time before you try to operate the top. The next day, the top went up and down and the repair held. It was also waterproof. I didn't look all that great but it was a helluva lot better than the hole that was there before... and the price of a replacement top for that car was outrageous.

Good luck!

 

[turbo98eclipse]

so couldnt you see the stitching on the outside? on the top? although that does sound like a good strategy!!!