Plasti Dip White Hardtop – Budget Heritage Vibes Achieved

[Tybh88]

Location can have an affect. Living somewhere with a lot more sun and higher temps could accelerate the process were an owner in a more temperate climate might not ever see it.

I get that argument if I just had it done. 12 years sitting in the driveway ive had to replace 2 sets of headlights due to clouding/yellowing from the sun. My white linex is still white. I think 12 years is enough testament.

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[Mirage]

Before I Raptor lined mine, I checked with a vinyl wrap guy, he said he "might" have been able to do it and no guarantees on it peeling..., so I kept checking.

I called my local Line-X company and they said they could do every color except White and said the same thing, that if you found someone to spray it White, it would "yellow" in a couple of years...

Rhino Linings said all they could do is Black....

I thought about the Plasti-Dip route, but we go offroading and it would definitely peel off or tear off.
Then, I found a Raptor Liner DIY kit and everyone online said Raptor Linings were a top notch liner! I bought it all and a former Bronco owner and I sprayed it. He had recently sprayed his old Grand Wagoneers' floor pans with Raptor liner and said he'd help me. He made a video comparing my Raptor lining and his Plasti-Dip spray.

So You Want a White Bronco Top...PlastiDip vs. Raptor Liner

 

[Bigred86]

Did you see mine before you did this? I sprayed mine with Raptor liner in my carport 2 years ago and it's had limbs/brush hit it and it has not chipped/scratch at all!

I do want to know where you got your "FORD" letters for the tailgate though? I've looked for something like that for 2 years and eventually gave up.

I have seen yours before! It’s one of my favs in this community for sure! Glad to hear your top is holding up, I will most likely go that route after the Plasti dip starts to ware.
I purchased the Ford decals from StickerFab. They were reasonably priced, and of great quality. They have a really nice acrylic coating on them. I also had them make me a race red vinyl oval to cover my Ford emblem.

 

[Steve_In_29]

I get that argument if I just had it done. 12 years sitting in the driveway ive had to replace 2 sets of headlights due to clouding/yellowing from the sun. My white linex is still white. I think 12 years is enough testament.

It is a sample size of one.

I highly doubt the LineX dealers would be turning down work for no reason.

 

[Mirage]

It is a sample size of one.

I highly doubt the LineX dealers would be turning down work for no reason.

They told me they couldn't do it either...

 

[PNBLWZD]

Could plasti dip be used for the fender flares also? Not a 6g heritage color, but my ‘73 back in the day had white flares that matched the top and grille

 

[toybox06]

Could plasti dip be used for the fender flares also? Not a 6g heritage color, but my ‘73 back in the day had white flares that matched the top and grille

Yes you can plastidip may chip and peel as its main purpose is that it is not a permanent coating but a peel able coating. That said I know quite a few that have used it as a “bug guard” and it holds up fairly well.

 

[SHANUT]

So ever since I picked up my Bronco back in ’23, I’ve had one vision: white top, heritage style, done deal. Simple, right? Yeah… not even close.


I went down every rabbit hole possible trying to figure out the “right” way to do it:

• Painting? My body shop basically said “it might look good… until it doesn’t.” Apparently adhesion and long-term durability are a gamble.
• Line-X? Called them up and they hit me with “we don’t do white, it yellows.” Cool cool cool.
• Vinyl wrap? Looked into doing it myself… immediately realized I value my sanity.
  Reached out to two wrap shops:
  • Shop #1: “Yeah that’s too difficult, we’re good.”
  • Shop #2: ghosted me harder than a bad Tinder date

At this point, it was clear the universe wanted me to make questionable decisions… so I chose Plasti Dip.





The Game Plan


I ordered:

• 10 cans of white Plasti Dip
• Tape, plastic drape
• Those fancy little spray trigger handles (highly recommend unless you enjoy finger cramps)

All in, I was under $200. Which, compared to every other option, felt like I was basically committing a crime.





The Process


Grabbed a buddy, set aside an afternoon, and got to work. Took us about 4 hours total.


Not gonna lie… there were moments.


About halfway through I started getting these lovely thick droplets spraying out of the cans. Looked absolutely terrible at first. Like “wow I just ruined my roof” terrible.


BUT… with each coat, it started leveling out more and more. We ended up doing 5 coats total, and by the end it actually came together way better than expected.





The Results


Is it perfect? Absolutely not.
Does it look good from 5–10 feet away? Absolutely yes.


The finish isn’t perfectly even if you go hunting for flaws, but realistically, nobody’s gonna notice unless they’re inspecting it like it’s at Barrett-Jackson.


Most importantly:
I finally got the white top look I’ve wanted since day one.
And if I ever change my mind… I can just peel it off and pretend this never happened.





Final Thoughts


For under $200 and a few hours of work, I’d 100% do it again. It’s not a show-quality finish, but it nails the look without the stress (or cost) of the other options.





Disclaimer


This write-up was partially assisted by ChatGPT, because after inhaling just enough Plasti Dip fumes, I felt like I either needed help writing this… or I was about to invent a new color.

Nice. Are the flares and bumpers next?

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