Hot Rod Forum banner

Painting instead of Reupholsering?

1K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Miststlkr 
#1 ·
I was looking in my local auto-repiar place (DiscountAuto in this case) and say "fabric paint" and vinyl dye, both by plastikote. Has anyone used them?

I plan to redo the interior a different color and don't have the money to do it right at this point (re-upholster everything) so i thought I may give them a shot.

Am I just wasting my time or do those work fairly well? I'm not looking to be winning any shows, but I would like to get a car I can drive around in and look half-way decent in until i can afford to have that kind of thing done professionally.
 
#2 ·
They work pretty good, they can change the entire interior color from light to dark or vise versa, allthough it may take a few cans fr the dark to light but I redyed my first T/A's interior black after years of fading as well as change the color of some of the replacment plastic from tan to black. They work pretty well for dyeing, but still won't fix the little tears and burn holes ;)

HK
 
#3 ·
Hey HK: How do they work on a surface that has been armor alled to *ell? (mostly silicone) If they don't adhere well then what would be the best way to prep the surface (easiest)? :)
 
#5 ·
Vinyle or leather you could use dawn dish detergent, that stuff is a oil fighters best buddy. I've used dawn or carpet/interior cleaner. Laquer thinner and other solvents are a bit harsh and may dry and crack old vinyl or leave a nasty faded spot, it works, but its risky on old vinyl and leathers.

HK
 
#6 ·
Thanks a ton HK, i may very well be getting i touch with you. I have a light blue interior now and I plan on making it black and covering/replacing all of the current fake woodgrain stuff with nice, modern-looking brushed aluminum. i think that would add a real nice look and bring the car into the modern era without looking rediculous... I hope...

one question.. when I dye the vinyl dash, how do I take it out of the car, I can't seem to find the bolts for it and it is my daily driver so I can't just tiker with it till I get them all. I bought a Haynes manual (can't find Chiltons anywhere around here for some reason) but they never touch anywhere near that.

I have a little work I want to do that would be a LOT easier with that out of the way too so I would like to do that wile the dye dries or something so this would be very nice to do after work friday and work all weekend or something...

EDIT -- The ca in question is a 78 Omega (same as the Nova)

[ September 28, 2002: Message edited by: Miststlkr ]</p>
 
#7 ·
The brushed aluminum idea is usually the way I go for muscle cars. I myself use 1/8" T-6 aluminum stock and after I remove the original bash ppanels I make a pattern to cut the aluminum from. 1/16 can also be used as well as stainless steel. T-6 aluminum is very nice for polishing and any surface finishes. You could also do the same with carbon fiber. If you can work with fiberglass cloth, carbon fiber isn't to much different, but a little more exspensive. you could cover your exsisting fake wood with a layer or two without much work.

Taking out the dash isn't an easy job in almost any car. Theres wiring, gauges, AC/heater just a whole mess of stuff you have to fight with so make sure you got the time to do it. A long weekend, vacation, spare car that kind of thing. I'm not real sure, but in the late '70's GM was fond of screws on the side of the dash. I don't know off hand, but I'll see what I can find out. Ask some of these nova fans, they should be able to tell you exactly where they are. If you need any more help let me know.

You should also try looking on net for a chiltons manual or stock omega manual, actually this sites search engine has a nice manual search :D

HK
 
#8 ·
as usual, thanks for the great help and advice. i hadn't thought to check this site's search yet. i'll get to that in a few.

do you think the carbon fiber would look too "high-tech" ? i want to try to "update" the car's look, but I think that at some point it would contrast too much with the exterior and start to clash. I do like the idea though.

sounds like the dash isn't going to be happening for a LONG time then. oh well, i can take my time on that console then :p

i don't have any experience with fiberglas work yet, i'm going to start playing with it and the console will be my first project with it, but i think i'm going to build a few simplistic things first until i get the hang of it. I've heard it isn't hard to figure out and fairly easy to do once you get it, but who knows?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top