interior plastic color change

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Dart_Guy

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Hey all.

I know I read somewhere about a dye to change the color of the plastic in my car. And now I can't find a thread saying as much. I want to go from red to black.

Does anyone know if iwas hallucinating or is there such a product. I went to Napa and they looked at me like I was on crack. and pointed me to the paint. Is the paint good, I imagine it would scratch off easily and expose the red. Or will it work and does it look good?
 
Yea, paint works pretty good in non-stress areas. I painted my door panels and the only thing I've seen is some scuffing where the window crank makes contact. There are vinyl dyes but I've never seen dye for plastic.
 
There's several products you can use. I like SEM Products. (google it) Basically, like spray paint in a rattle can made for fabrics. I think you can probably find it at the local parts store now, or something similar. Main thing is to Clean , Clean and then Clean it again, so the new stuff will stick.

My .02 cents

Eric
 
Krylon Fusion is specifically made for plastic. It bonds well, has a nice finish and is available in several colors, including gloss black. You can buy it at Walmart.

You can also use SEM Trim Black which is a is available in semi gloss and has a slight orangasol texture to it that looks really good. I am planning on painting all of the steel parts in my interior with it. I have done steering columns with the SEM product and they have turned out very nice!:cheers:

Joe
 
they also make plastic prep paint that preps the plastic so you can use a variety of paints on top. sem is one of the best to use. i think it is called plastic adhesion promoter.
 
Yes you can change the color of the plastic and also the vinyl interior parts.
The hard plastic stuff can be painted.
For Vinyl there is special paints with some flexibility and also dyes. I've used SEM products (Landau black is an almost perfect match for my '66 Valiant), Eastwood has some prodcuts and Dupli-Color has some too.
As mentioned the important thing is to thoroughly clean everything. I used Simple Green, when the water doesn't beed up you've removed all of the Armor All and stuff like that so the new color can stick.
 
SEM is what you need. Check out this discussion:

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/painting-plastic-interior-parts-140090.html?highlight=sem+plastic

While you're there, sign up. It's the only other forum (other than FABO) that I visit frequently. I lot of knowledgeable fellas there and a number of memorable characters. But of course we have our own characters here, among them memike (world's most likeable guy) and 360scamp (one of the funniest guys you're bound to meet online). :hello1:
 
I just painted mine. No problems at all. Just prep prime paint then put a clear coat on. I just went to the Home Depot and picked out the color I wanted and went to town. I panted the whole interier including the stering column and wheel.
 
Another vote for the SEM Flexible Color Coat vinyl dye. SEM also makes a good cleaner (#38343),or this is actually a good application for Bleche White. Then when you are absolutely sure everything is clean, rinsed and dried apply a light coat of 38363 Sand Free primer. For hard plastic apply another medium/wet coat and before it dries spray on a medium coat of your color. For hard plastic make sure the primer doesn't dry before the first coat of color. Soft vinyl doesn't even require any primer, just make sure it's clean and dry. I have painted a lot of vinyl and plastic with the SEM products and had excellent results and it adheres and lasts well. Wish I could say I've had good results with other product........but I can't. The good thing with the SEM products is you can have an exact match of color on hard plastic and soft vinyl.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for all the input. I am goin to look into the SEM stuff. I got most the interior from Legendary Auto and it lookks great, so now I am anxious to get stated. I was going to have the metal painted by a professional, but you guys me thinking I might try it myself. Worse case, I screw it up and have a professional fix it for. It is already covered over from blue to red. Just got to get the two coats off first.
 
I went to Finshmasters and bought the stuff to do it. Everything in this interior except the seats and carpet but INCLUDING the dash pad were colored.

6interior_f.jpg
 
they also make plastic prep paint that preps the plastic so you can use a variety of paints on top. sem is one of the best to use. i think it is called plastic adhesion promoter.

Yep. The adhesion promoter stuff I used was called Bulldog. Great stuff. It goes on clear too. I used it for my door panels and my convertible rear panels, armrest, etc with a custom factory looking color I got mixed at Carquest.

SEM is really good for fabric. Used to change my carpet color from gold to black on my dad's chevelle

Fantastic 68 Sedan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Thanks:-D I should add there are actually 3 different paints used in that interior. First, there is the paint for all the plastic and dash pad. Then there is the "suede" paint on the metal part of the dash and the column. And there is a third used on all the other metal parts, such as the hinge covers and roof trim. I shot all of it myself except the dash pad and console. A friend who has worked in the paint dept at the GM Arlington plant for 30 years shot them. An HVLP gun was used on all of it.
 
Just ordered some SEM Paint and cleaner. I can get the seats done and start thinking about what I want to do on the rest of the interior as I go. Sure would be cheaper if just did it myself.

thanks again for all the great input.
 
If you want true correct Mopar interior finishes and colors, contact Mopaint @ 732-846-1044. The are in Highland Park, NJ. This is what they specialize in. They are not cheap but nor is a quality restoration. A pint of velvet texture interior paint for a 1970 Super Bee was $145 shipped but it leaves a finish that cannot be correctly duplicated with an other product. We have also used their spray can dyes on a blue 71 CUDA that looks very similar to the e-body above. The key is the prep.
Mopaints turned me on to the Bulldog products as the best cleaner, adhesion promoter on the market and their products work on rubber/plastic bumpers (later model cars) and as a flex agent. Their adhesion promoter can also be simply sprayed on for jambing/edging new panels without scuffing/sanding all the hard to get to edges. Check out the Bulldog products at www.bulldogsticks.com.
They can be purchased at www.autobodytoolmart.com out of Elgin, IL as well as other places. Good luck.
 
If there is any doubt about the color match (which may well be better than factory) the seat covers in my Challenger were the ORIGINALS

7interior_r.jpg
 
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