Going to paint it...need some advice

[mmrseed]

If you will refer to the pics below, I shall explain my attempt at a new project. The tan interior on a stock expy is gross....not the tan part but the two day old coffee meets two week old baby shit brown used for accent pieces....see pic


that's not my interior...I found it on google so if you see this and it's yours then well...we have the same crappy interior colors but your has less french fries on the floor...anyway I want to PAINT the accent pieces but do it well. I do NOT want to paint it per the instructions of all these truck mags I have which detail very well how to smooth and paint pieces for truck show circuit. I want the bumps and texture of a stock dash...I want a stock looking piece but in the color scheme reflected below (94-95 mustang...cobra to be specific)


however, if I don't smooth out the plastic pieces will the paint be unwilling to stick and look like crap. What are the best products to use for a professional but stock look? Thanks

 

[panda24619]

my engine paint has yet to chip on my center console. i just did about 2-3 light coats and i can still see the texture and feel it. no sand paper just cleaned let it dry and paint. then let it dry again. but dont do anymore than 2-3 coats. other wise itll be too thick and you cant see the texture. some of my center is like that as well. but its black no tan. so if you want anything black use that paint. i use it for everything! works great and it can withstand high heat. used some in the new fireplace me and my dad put in. haha

 

[dcarr]

biggest thing is prep. CLEAN it really good. use a quality paint too. light scuff with a scotch brite pad and clean it again. also an adhesion promoter is always a good idea.

 

[alaskanexpy]

prep is key!

i've had my interior parts painted in my explorer now since 2004. i had them done at a body shop but i kept the texture and just color matched them to the outside. something i plan to do to my expy also.

 

[panda24619]

im actually in the process of two/tri toning my interior. but im using bed liner on all the little pieces. ill take a pic.

 

[GAINMOB]

i plan on doing the same as alaskanexpy

 

[mmrseed]

anybody have any favorite product brands for paints or adhesion promoters? Also, since I want black, I know I don't want gloss but do I need flat or satin?

 

[dcarr]

dupli color makes decent stuff. as far as satin or flat or semi-gloss you have to decide how flat or shiny you want. top of the can will give you somewhat of an idea but you can sometimes change it a tiny bit depending on coats/thickness

 

[mmrseed]

so will a can actually work and get professional results or should I invest in a sprayer? Again, I'm only doing a few brown plastic pieces black

 

[dcarr]

if you take your time and do it right a can will be fine for what your doing. practice on a couple things if your not sure how smooth you can lay it out

 

[walnuts4x4]

I painted mine with regular spray paint... I think it was krylon the stuff for plastics... been over 2 years now and still holding up... best pic I currently have

 

[LameSuburbanDad]

Since the parts you are likely to paint are made from hard plastic, the prep is quite simple.
pull your pieces off the truck and clean them with regular household rubbing alcohol.
then give them a few light coats of primer (white for light colors, greys for mediums, and flat black for darks) or any combination you want to get the right "texture" or color tone.
once the primer dries you can use krylon in a rattlecan. gloss colors wont fade if you also use a spray on clear coat, flat black however must remain flat to get the right effect, so you must redo it every few years, but that's ok because it's just a quick wipe and a few finger presses.

I wanted a sort of " dark gunmetal " accent inside so I just hit a few pieces with cheap walmart flat black $.98cents a can

there's some pictures of the door panels in my album if you want to check it out,
I just flat blacked the part behind the door handle, the window button cover, the top corner triangle pieces, and the little plastic part that surrounds the door lock at the top
I'm going to do some of the center console at some point as well... something tasteful, not to vulgar or aggressive, just complimentary accents, maybe mixed with a little body color here and there. But I rather like the grey interior with the leather, way better than sand tan.

 

[mmrseed]

ok so rubbing alcohol, then scotch brite scuffing, then primer and paint. I'm going to start on that next weekend hopefully.

My only dilemma is the a/c vents. That is going to be hard because I can't leave them brown if everything else is black

 

[LameSuburbanDad]

the easy answer is to go to the hardware store and buy a roll of 2 inch wide painters, or masking tape,

tape off a large area with the tape and some old newspaper...anything you don't want overspray on!!

then use a cotton swab to clean the vents with alcohol, make sure to remember more light coats are better than one heavy coat, and allow for proper drying/tack times for re-coats, and also make sure to hit it from all four directions top bottom left right, and make sure you move the vent slider thing during the process to insure total paint coverage.

and the idea comes to mind....are they at all removeable? if they are just go the junk yard and swap them for ones with a better color.

 

[redrebel66]

I used Krylon in my old Ranger and it held up great for 3 years till I sold it. I did smooth out all the pieces though as i didn't want texture.

I did all the black:

 

[JTKustoms]

my neighbor is a professional painter and when i asked him about he said that SEM is one of the best brands for this sort of stuff. He used it on his mustang and its held up perfectly for years

 

[mmrseed]

thanks all for the advice and while I don't like the smooth glossy look generally, that ranger looks good. I like that

Anyway, since expys never had a black interior, going to the junk yard isn't an option...although I do believe the Harley F150's had black interiors...I think...or maybe it was the lincoln pup

 

[redrebel66]

When I did my Ranger I went to junk yard and got extra parts so I could have the originals if I messed up.