Interior Restoration Help-Please

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packin3deuces

packin3deuces

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In addition to my '73 Dart, I have a '70 'Cuda that's in desperate need of an interior makeover. All of the original plastic interior pieces (door panels, kick panels, rear quarter panels, console, window trim, etc.) were painted/dyed by the previous owner. Unfortunately, the work was poorly done and the paint is peeling off in many places, most likely due to poor prep work. All panels are in excellent shape (good grain, no cracks) except for the peeling paint. How do I remove the old paint from the panels without damaging them? Also, any recommendations on proper preparation and a quality interior paint would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help. :help:
 
Whatever you try, test it on the back of the panels first to make sure it doesn't eat away at the plastic. I'd try laquer thinner first.
 
Your plan is to paint them again, correct? If so, I would try a brass bristle brush or brass wire wheel to take the existing paint off. Clean and dry them and use a plastic paint prep ahead of most any paint you want. I have had good luck with SEM rattle can paints.
C
 
Get MOPAINT that is factory Mopar Colors in a rattle Can. I have used it with great success. PM me if you cannot find it.
 
Sem is really good stuff. They have vinyl prep and good plastic paints and many other products. Mineral spirets works well at removing paints/dyes. It works slow but won't harm the plastic.

Dave
 
dave273dart said:
Sem is really good stuff. They have vinyl prep and good plastic paints and many other products. Mineral spirets works well at removing paints/dyes. It works slow but won't harm the plastic.

Dave
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Good idea with the mineral spirits. Your local auto paint supply store should have a few non-material harming chemicals to try, too. You can always try blowing it off with compressed air also, as this won't harm the texture of the plastic, unless you let go and it launches across the driveway...lol.
What are you going for on the color choices? If something straight up like black, white, or some of the factory choices, then, as has been suggested to you SEM is great choice in a spray bomb. But if you want something a little more custom Bulldog adhesion promoter will help just about any paint stick to 'em after the proper prep work.
 
Thanks for all of your great replies.
1967DartGT said:
Whatever you try, test it on the back of the panels first to make sure it doesn't eat away at the plastic. I'd try laquer thinner first.
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Lacquer thinner scares me. I am afraid it will eat away at the plastic. What's the best way to neutralize it if it does?
clhyer said:
Your plan is to paint them again, correct? If so, I would try a brass bristle brush or brass wire wheel to take the existing paint off. Clean and dry them and use a plastic paint prep ahead of most any paint you want. I have had good luck with SEM rattle can paints.
C
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I do plan on repainting them. I will try the brass brush and/or wire wheel. Thanks for the info.
67ragtop said:
Get MOPAINT that is factory Mopar Colors in a rattle Can. I have used it with great success. PM me if you cannot find it.
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I will try my local paint shops. Will PM you if I can't find it.
ramenth said:
Good idea with the mineral spirits. Your local auto paint supply store should have a few non-material harming chemicals to try, too. You can always try blowing it off with compressed air also, as this won't harm the texture of the plastic, unless you let go and it launches across the driveway...lol.
What are you going for on the color choices? If something straight up like black, white, or some of the factory choices, then, as has been suggested to you SEM is great choice in a spray bomb. But if you want something a little more custom Bulldog adhesion promoter will help just about any paint stick to 'em after the proper prep work.
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Panels were originally red. Previous owner painted them black. I am going back to the original red. After using mineral spirits or another chemical, what is best to use to clean the panels prior to applying new paint?
 
If I remeber correctly the e-body door panels are molded plastic with a texture on them that would scrub off , especially around the handles where jewelry rubbed it. If this is correct to your car then any hard bristle brush is a bad plan.
I have used thinner and rags to lift the paint off of vynil several times without doing any harm. Most recent was early A steel seat backs covered in vynil. I use Wesleys bleach-white in a soak tank to strip plastics.
 
Ok, so ya want to change the color of some parts you have, or change the interior color all together or just make it look better. SEM as many of you know makes plastic dyes and vinyl dyes. Here are some basic guide lines for you to follow so that you can obtain good results and save some money paying someone else to do it. You should know this work is pretty easy to do if you can wield a rattle can somewhat well. The dyes are very forgiving, more so than paints. So this winter, take on this project, you CAN DO IT.

First you need to know that vinyl and plastics are slightly different. SEM makes a prep spray for plastic, and another for vinyl. Now, with that being said, I've used plastic prep for vinyl and had good results, but to play it safe, get the right prep spray for the job.

You will need the following materials.

1. SEM plastic prep.* ( or vinyl prep if your doing vinyl parts)
2. SEM Dye* in the color you choose. ( some paint houses can custom mix your colors )
3. A bunch of CLEAN rags. and several white ones for the final cleaning.
4. A soft tooth brush.
5. A soft bristle brush. ( this is used for doing door panels, seats, or kick panels, textured surfaces etc. )
6. Tac cloth, you can get this at any auto paint place.
*** depending on how much your doing will determine how many cans you will need. One can should do a complete set of door panels front and rear. Just make sure you have enough. too much is a good thing on this job.

Remove the part from the car you wish to dye and clean it up.

I can't stress enough about how much to clean the part. Use the prep spray well. It dries fairly quick, so figure that into your work pattern.

You should spray the part with the prep spray and scrubbing with the CLEAN rag and don't miss any thing at all. Use the tooth brush for hard to get to spots, and if doing vinyl, use it for the welting edges and threads in the seats. Use the brush for larger areas. Change rags often so your not just smearing stuff around and wasting the prep spray. Don't miss ANY spots at all and if your not sure, do it again. Do the entire part several times and with a WHITE cloth, do it again. If you see ANYTHING on the white rag. Do it again until the white rag is clean after you wipe it off. This is VERY IMPORTANT.

Let the part dry totally, if doing seats with thread or welting, let stand till the thread is try and use a rag along the welts to ensure it's dry and DID I MENTION CLEAN!

Once you have your part TOTALLY clean. Use the tac cloth to remove any fuzzies from the rags.

Now, as normal, shake the crap out of the dye as stated in the instructions.

If your doing something like an "A" pillar piece, spray a light coat ( tac coat ) on the piece. The dye dries pretty quick, and when dry apply another coat. Continue this until it's color is solid and not missing anything.

If your doing a seat part with welting, start off your tac coat by shooting the left and right sides of the welting so that you know the dye is getting down in there where the welting is near the seat. Do the welting ribs a couple of times lightly and then after dry, it will be time to do the whole seat.

Normally when I do seats or door panels I'll start by spraying across the sewn or pressed lines in the part. Next pass is with them, next is diagonally, and then repeat the steps again. Ending with a pattern that matches the lines on the part. Light coats work well and a good coat on the final run at it. Do allow the dye to dry between coats as the dye needs to be able to de gas.

If possible, try to do this on a warm day, or a heated area. It helps your work time greatly, but can be done in a dry area. As I said, this stuff is pretty forgiving. You will notice that after it totally dries, the textured surface will show again even if you got a little heavy on the spray in most cases. The stuff is great!


Once done, let stand for awhile till totally dry and install your part again and admire your fine work.

I've done carpets, headliners, door panels, kick panels, dash pads, A pillars, consoles, the works! You should be able to re do your complete interior of your car in a day or two.

Now, I'll say it again, don't scrimp on using the cleaner or fresh rags!

There is no need for a primer or any adhesion agent when using SEM dyes. Figure it this way, an adhesion agent or primer are what your putting on the part to stick to first, so there is no way the DYE can DYE the part if your doing that. The Dye will do exactly what it is billed to do if these instructions are followed and you CLEAN THE PART WELL. You will enjoy it for years to come.
Should there come a time where somehow you damage it, you can clean the area and blend in the color of dye again and repair it. Unless you have white, then normally the part must then be done all over.

As for doing seat belts, I've had mixed results for some reason there. So do those if you choose. I did a set of seat belts from blue to black and in the sun, they still had a gun metal look to them. I even tried boiling them in Rit dye with very limited results.

SEM has some proceedures onthier website also but I was unable to pull it up here at work. You may want to try contacting them for some useful information on this. Those panels can be pretty delicate.
www.semproducts.com
 
You probably already know this, dry nothing in the direct sun or out side on hot days. It will warp the plastic/vinyl. Let it dry slowly. You will be much happier with the results. A friend of mine did not take good advice from a few of us and was in a big hurry, as a result the plastic parts became very bent and just plain screwed up.

Dave
 
Thank you Toplscuda. Your post is extremely detailed and helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to enlighten me. You have given me the knowledge and confidence I needed to get the project going. :thumbup:
 
dave273dart said:
You probably already know this, dry nothing in the direct sun or out side on hot days. It will warp the plastic/vinyl. Let it dry slowly. You will be much happier with the results. A friend of mine did not take good advice from a few of us and was in a big hurry, as a result the plastic parts became very bent and just plain screwed up.

Dave
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Thanks for the heads up. The FL sun can do alot of damage in a short time.:sunny:
 
Since it is already loose & peeling, hit it with a garden hose with a high pressure nozzle.

No panel damage from water. ;-)
 
Be very cautious, those molded plastic door panels will disintgrate into grit.
 
I used a pretty stiff nylon brush and mineral spirits to clean all my plastic parts. Over the years these plastics may become hardened and will crack so exercise caution. I soaked all my dash parts in bleach. It removers the pastic chrome and will not hurt the plastic. You will do fine.

Dave
 
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