Armadillo Designs Aluminum Hardtop

[Slei]

for me… it’s worked so far with the gorilla spray adhesive. I know in time I’ll probably have to reapply. But in terms of removing the glue I’m not sure… you can look up if glue gone is safe to use on a powder coat finish.

Heres hoping it keeps working for you.

For what its worth goo gone softens it a little but not much. 3m adhesive remover works a little better but still not great. Ultimately lots of plastic scraper, an eraser wheel, and elbow grease and it all came off with no damage to the powder coat. The main issue now is getting it off the foam. I can rub it off using a plastic burnisher/scrapper without damaging the foam but a single panel will take hours. I have an old spare panel and will have to test the solvents to see if they help and all and if it will damage the foam or not.

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[rayofsi]

funny thing is, i've had no real hot or warm days here since the install, we had 1 day in the 80's
have 2 of the longer thinner foam pieces dropping . getting worried when i get warmer days
my bronco is garaged monday to friday during the daytime as well.
sits in the sun in late afternoons and nights, and weekends.

 

[mangelo]

Thank you EVERYONE for sharing. My front panel came off this winter, strange as Nor Cal not particularly hot compared to rest of country, did some desert travel last year, but nothing crazy hot.

@Slei looks like @Chritaka used 3M adhesive remover and tho a PITA, said it worked to remove old adhesive from both top and panel, so guess I'll go with that.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/armadillo-designs-aluminum-hardtop.79639/post-2772128

To the group, wondering if scuffing cured powder coat lightly
to create texture for adhesion is key since sadly can still fall off after repair? Per research, maybe use 3M Scotch-Brite General Purpose Hand Pad (Maroon, #7447) medium grade (roughly 320-400 grit equivalent), apparently scuffs without cutting through?

I reached out to Fabian, he shared link to DP, but before I saw today that even after repair panels can still come off. Definitely want a future proof repair before moving forward!

Gratitude to the group and despite this issue, still agree, best top option out there, it's incredible. Hopefully we can solve this for benefit of others.

 

[Dtrimpi87]

Thank you EVERYONE for sharing. My front panel came off this winter, strange as Nor Cal not particularly hot compared to rest of country, did some desert travel last year, but nothing crazy hot.

@Slei looks like @Chritaka used 3M adhesive remover and tho a PITA, said it worked to remove old adhesive from both top and panel, so guess I'll go with that.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/armadillo-designs-aluminum-hardtop.79639/post-2772128

To the group, wondering if scuffing cured powder coat lightly
to create texture for adhesion is key since sadly can still fall off after repair? Per research, maybe use 3M Scotch-Brite General Purpose Hand Pad (Maroon, #7447) medium grade (roughly 320-400 grit equivalent), apparently scuffs without cutting through?

I reached out to Fabian, he shared link to DP, but before I saw today that even after repair panels can still come off. Definitely want a future proof repair before moving forward!

Gratitude to the group and despite this issue, still agree, best top option out there, it's incredible. Hopefully we can solve this for benefit of others.

I would definitely scuff the powder coat for better adhesion and I will be doing that when my panel gets worse and I make the fix. Hopefully we can all find a fix.

 

[rayofsi]

whats the best glue to fix half hanging sound proof panels? i have a long thin strip behind my rear seats. wide but skinny, half of it is hanging off, other half is still fully stuck on. it'll fall down every day even after pressing it back up.

 

[Dtrimpi87]

whats the best glue to fix half hanging sound proof panels? i have a long thin strip behind my rear seats. wide but skinny, half of it is hanging off, other half is still fully stuck on. it'll fall down every day even after pressing it back up.

Fabian has been recommending this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092NJH6XL

I bought some but I havent used it yet. I'm trying to do a bit of research on different adhesives that may handle the heat better. I've been taking readings of the temperature of the hardtop but we've only had mid 80's as our hottest so far, although my Bronco does sit in direct sun. Hottest I've seen so far is 136F metal temp. I'm trying to hold off until we get our SoCal hot weather so I can see what it really gets up to.

I've been considering the DAP Weldwood Original Contact Cement in the brush/roll on formula. Has the same service temp as the Landau Top and Trim (180F) but in my mind I feel like a brush/roll on may coat better than the webbed spray.

 

[rayofsi]

This was disappointing. Another 2 panels. One fully dropped off. And another half off.. mind you, this is in nyc, our warmest day has been like 80f outside and I'm parked indoors Monday to Friday when the sun is up.

 

[Pseudoko]

Tbh gluing back in headliner panels is minor when you compare the quality of the top to any of the Ford tops. Not sure if the manufacturer of the foam has a thinner product that they can use. Cutting the weight of the panels would help (though heat can still affect any adhesive and gravity will eventually win).

 

[ThunderFlash]

I feel for Armadillo. Adhesion problems are almost always poor adhesive selection or poor surface prep. Both can be difficult to resolve. Most adhesives products seem to have at least one significant down side when compared to another product (longer cure time, shorter pot time, cost, smell, etc) and the surface prep problem can be incredibly difficult to resolve out side a lab and in a production environment.

 

[Bronco21Maybe]

Might need to just tack some aluminum bolt nubs to the underside and fasten them.

 

[rayofsi]

Tbh gluing back in headliner panels is minor when you compare the quality of the top to any of the Ford tops. Not sure if the manufacturer of the foam has a thinner product that they can use. Cutting the weight of the panels would help (though heat can still affect any adhesive and gravity will eventually win).

while the hardtop quality is definitely great compared to any other available options. What they charge for the interior liner is not cheap. Definitely some bad adhesive or prep, for a lot of people. Anyone that has had the hard top for more than a few months with no sagging panels, are very lucky people.

 

[EasternSierra]

while the hardtop quality is definitely great compared to any other available options. What they charge for the interior liner is not cheap. Definitely some bad adhesive or prep, for a lot of people. Anyone that has had the hard top for more than a few months with no sagging panels, are very lucky people.

I got mine at the end of 2025, and as of today the ceiling panels still aren't sagging in the least. The vehicle is normally in the garage and has a white top, so heat exposure is less than some other people are getting. We'll see how it holds up this summer on trips.

 

[userdude]

So the Arabs can build the tallest building in the world (Burj Dubai) sans fasteners, only using fancy adhesives, while America can't stick acoustic tiles to a ceiling that stay in place.

 

[userdude]

Is the metal it adheres to magnetic? Maybe some strong magnets could be put on some spots where it's helping keep it adhered and remove some of the weight stress on the adhesive.

 

[Bronco21Maybe]

Is the metal it adheres to magnetic? Maybe some strong magnets could be put on some spots where it's helping keep it adhered and remove some of the weight stress on the adhesive.

Aluminum. Non-magnetic. Unless there are some steel parts in key locations, a magnet isn't going to help.

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