Interior Query

[Mr-Toy33]

Currently, my interior is pretty much all stock and black in colour.

I'm wanting to change it a bit and I've found one skyline of interest to what I would like to make mine look like -

Just wondering as to how this would be done.

Now, I do know just from basic knowlegde that the bolts that hold it all in need to be take out. It would then need to be sanded back and then resprayed.

So, questions are -

What type of sandpaper is needed to make it smooth?

What type of paint/spray can is needed to get this perfect colour?

Thanks!

[uneekwahn]

in all honesty, unless you have it done professionally and have some clear coating put over it, you'll find that it'll wear in places and chip quite easily.

to take the dash surround off, take a look in the Tutorial / FAQ / DIY section, there is a how-to there.

[Konrad]

What you need is not paint, use stuff from autobarn VHT colour dye (should be in the same section as the engine enamel, chrome paint etc..).. works great, and i'd only sand it if your current dash trim has got scratches, paint worn off etc... Just make sure you make heaps of coats, depending on what colour you pick it will be harder/easier to get to look bright, as its not a paint its a dye.

I used it on my old charade and came up a million. B) Red dye over black plastic, no sanding, just a decent cleanup with wax and grease remover.

Sorry thats the only pic i could find, and yes, its the same stuff i used on the vinyl to cover the door trims (they were red vinyl but could not leave them like that cos the vinyl itself faded to pink!! sprayed that stuff on and stayed red).

[Mr-Toy33]

I used it on my old charade and came up a million.

How long did it take to do and how long did it take to dry?

You leave it out in the sun to dry during the day or you put it back into the car once it was slightly dry enough to not drip and then allow it to dry in the car?

[Konrad]

Left it in the north queensland sun for a couple of hours, till it was touch dry. But like i said you really need heaps of coats to get an even finish, eg: one coat is barely visible over black plastic cos its a dye....

Its fine then to put back in the car but u need to be careful as its still quite soft and hence easy to scratch, ideally i'd leave it out of the car at least 24hrs.

Then once its back in the car it will stink for about a week aswell, but i used a shitload on the charade...

Go buy a can of it and use it on a test piece of plastic. Then you will get an idea of how careful you have to be handling it.

And remember its critical to use wax and grease remover to get rid of any residue of shit like armour all, cos it wont stick to that very well.

[Konrad]

Also while i think about it, i dunno if white would be the best choice... I imagine it would show up any dirt/dust very easy, and any scratches chips would make the whole thing look shithouse (even that pic you posted has wear on the side where the drivers probably been resting his/her leg).

Oh and btw: the whole process should really take a couple of hours from preparation till final coat, then leave to dry..

I did my charade in the red, and my brothers car in silver, both looked really good. As long as you take your time and prepare the surface you will be happy with the result.

[nizmokid]

well I have done the my dash, because the rubber coating over the the plastic started to come off! and it look like crap.

So I remover the dash parts and used thinners on the rubber (just a little on a rag) and that will breakdown the rubber and it can be scratched off with your fingernails. Sanding would take forever and as it is rubber clogs up the paper.

when removed all the rubber wax and grease reomve it and give it a light sand.

use plastic primer before painting it the color you desire.

I sprayed mine in a silver, give it a few coats of colour and then load up the clear coats.

a light cut and polish when dry and will look a million bucks!