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Painting Interior pieces?


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you dont have a repair manual for your car? they are only 25 dollars and can save your bacon more often than not!

i realize youve read the painting instructions from other people, but i havent seen one person tell you about how important it is to have the surface properly prepped to make the paint stick. some people did mention about sanding but it seemed they were more sanding to get a smooth finish. the surface needs to be rough enough for the paint to stick otherwise it will come off in big nasty flakes!!! whether its a smooth or textured panel, scotchbrite pads are a must!!

my car didnt come with a manual... and i dont eat bacon =p

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will someone please tell me how to get these pieces off??

you need a GA owners help.

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Guest GA_Girl2002

i would just have someone do it, ive had other people take mine off because i know people who have cracked all those pieces sticking something in between to get them loose & then take em off... your call though.

as for paint-i'd go silver, not purple..

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if you dont want to spend the 25 dollars, just go to the auto parts store and find the manual for your car thats ALREADY OUT OF THE PLASTIC. if there isnt one already open, if you ask real nice, usually the guy behind the counter will remove the plastic for you if you want to look in the book. if he doesnt want to remove the plastic, use this EXACT line:

"i want a repair manual for my car, but haynes manuals sometimes leave out important sections and claim they should only be repaired by the dealer. before i buy it i want to make sure it covers all of the info i need"

then go to the body section in the book. and memorize how to remove all the panels. put the book back on the shelf and walk out the door more knowledgeable about your car :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

yeah i have never even taken them off..im thinking about just saying screw it with the whole project..

Emily,

Kaymo and notallthere have great instructions. They are correct about the importance of prepping the surfaces to promote good paint adhesion.

To answer your question about how to take the panels off, you need to get a shop manual for your car. It has step-by-step instructions on how to properly remove and install door and dash panels. Sometimes they also provide a list of tools you will need to do the job. These manuals are also highly illustrated. Hayne/Chilton are excellent. I prefer a genuine GM/Pontiac shop manual myself but that is a choice, nothing against Haynes or Chilton.

You will need a portable trouble light or flashlight, some hand tools and perhaps a couple of specialty tools. Hand tools usually consist of Phillips and flat head screw drivers, a small set of sockets with SAE & metric sizes, and perhaps a Torx head socket set too. Specialty tools might include a small J-hooked tool to pull the retaining ‘C’-shaped clip off your window cranks (if you have manual cranks). A special door panel tool helps slide in between the door frame and the door panel to pry or pop out the plastic retaining pins that hold the panel to the door frame. You can do this after you’ve removed everything else from the door (like the power window/lock switches, disconnect any electrical connections, the arm rest, and/or window crank). Again, an illustration works wonders here.

Your dash panel is a bit different. Depending on what you are removing, some pieces may simply come off by pulling on it, or is it secured with retaining screws. These screws maybe Phillips headed, normal screwdriver slotted, or a true nut (which might be metric or SAE sized nuts). I have seen one dash have the gauge cluster held in with a Torx head screws. There is definitely a proper removal procedure in the manual. It must be followed or you will not get it off, or you might break it in the process. Obviously we don’t want that to happen.

The flashlight or trouble light is used to see under the dash or provide better lighting for what you are working on.

OK – let’s assume you have all your panels off, and you have your desired interior paint, dye, and prep materials. Prepping the surface is key. As notallthere points out, you have to thoroughly, thoroughly clean your parts. You need to remove all dirt and silicon containments (Armor All looks great but it has a certain amount of silicon – silicon repels water) or the paint won’t stick long term. I have experience with SEM interior dyes and paints but not Fusion. You use paint on hard plastic and metal surfaces. You use dyes on soft materials like leather, nagahide, vinyl, or cloth. SEM has a plastic prep spray that acts as a sort of a primer that promotes paint adhesion for plastic parts.

Assuming we are dealing with metal or plastic parts, then you must rough up the surface slight to promote good paint adhesion – in the paint business this is called “tooth”. Hence the use of Scotch Brite pads (I use red Scotch Brites when I prep a panel for airbrushing). Don’t go crazy; just make sure the surface is dull, not shiny. You don’t need to make gouges in the surface either. Apply a primer to make everything a consistent base color. You might want or have to sand the primer down to a smooth texture. Once the primer is complete, then you can apply the paint. Use several light coats with some time in between coats. Build the color gradually. You don’t want to glob it on, that will cause runs, orange peel, or perhaps fish eyes. Once the color is applied (and depending on the color manufacturer) you will have to apply a clear coat which acts as a sealer against the colored paint. Then you will have to cut and buff out the clear coat to get everything smooth and shiny.

If you are painting your seats or cloth/vinyl door panels, then you must use a dye instead. Here too, prep is key. You must thoroughly clean all the dirt off these materials too. Carpet or fabric cleaner must be used on fabric surfaces. Again, avoid cleaners with silicon in them. Once the material is thoroughly clean and dry, then you can apply the dye. Again, build the color up in layers. Dye is often thinner than paint, so it may take several more coats to completely cover the material. Dyes typically don’t require a clear coat. However, read the instructions on the dye for proper final sealing. If you are dealing with fabric seats, you will want to apply something like a Scotch Guard water and stain repellent once the dye is dry.

Now I know this sounds like a ton of work. It is, but don’t let that scare you. You can do it, over a weekend or two. Just work on one piece at a time. You will learn that taking the interior apart is not that hard – it is just time consuming. Just be sure to bag and label all your parts and hardware as you remove them. Taking pictures of things as you disassemble them also helps with re-assembly.

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  • 2 weeks later...

@ emily

there is only one way to learn these things and thats to jump in

doing interiors requires you to be real delicate and patient

i know here in ontario its an extremely common site to see people with gutted interiors who are slowly putting them back together

the best advice we can really offer you is to get yourself a haynes repair manual for your car

after that if you have question concerns or need advice post some pictures!

it makes it a lot easier for us to understand what it is you are aiming for!

but dont give up frutration and a sense of humor are a must for these things!

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thank you all for your help..this may be a summer mod for me but not right now have to much other things i need to do..

possibly tinting the tails sometime this week and then painting the calipers on saturday..maybe

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