[LS1 -Volvo]

I'm finishing up a 79 El Camino for my son, and I'd like to make the interior a bit nicer without investing a great deal in it, for the time being. The plastic trim has been damaged by the sun - you can gouge it with a fingernail.

Rather than replace the trim at this time, I was curious if there's a way to coat and harden the pieces - fiberglass resin, perhaps. Then sand them smooth and paint them nicely. I'm not looking for a long term solution - just something to make it look nicer until he's out of high school.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Jerry

[OneMoreTime]

Take a look at what some of the guys have done with using fleece and resin to glass something..do a test area some where hidden to see that the resin does not eat the vinyl..

Sam

[tbirdscott]

You can sand down to 'solid' plastic then hit it with some SEM vinyl paint and it will look fine, not perfect but not like *** either.

I type a-z-z and it gets starred!? now I remember why I only come here every month or so... can you say overmoderated????

See ya

[LS1 -Volvo]

I'll check out the technique using fleece as a cover; unfortunately, if I try to sand it down to 'good' plastic, there may be nothing left *LOL*.

Thanks for the info.

[roddinron]

I've never tried this it's just a thought I had, but couldn't you spray it with a few coats of something like spray on bedliner, then if the interior's not black, paint it with vinyl dye or even krylon fusion. seems like it would work. I used it to fix some badly worn Jeep fender flairs, spray a few thick coats over the bad spots to fill them in first, then coat the whole thing. It gives a nice texture and hides a lot of the bad stuff.

[strummin67]

I would try to find better pieces in the wrecking yards. Of course, as mentioned, you could try sanding and "refinishing" with a textured coating. But that may complicate things if the texture reacts with the paint you're using to match the interior. Good luck.

Strummin

[peveto]

i would smooth the panels and apply 3m rock guard then paint with interior paint.3m makes a rock guard or rocker panel texture spray in a can. apply as much as you want for the texture you want. it's a paintable product.

[yekoms]

Hey Jerry,
Try maliburacing .com it's a real good forum like this one. The forum is about all aspects of G-Body cars not just racing as the name says. Have fun,Smokey

[SinistrV6]

You might try Gatorback www.gatorbackcoatings.com . GM is actually using this to repair the cladding on Avalanches that have faded or streaked. If the color's not right you could paint it afterward.

[LS1 -Volvo]

I appreciate all the replies - there have been some great ideas. I'm going to the shop tomorrow, and I'll try a couple of the methods, and see which works the best.

[grouch]

Originally Posted by OneMoreTime

Take a look at what some of the guys have done with using fleece and resin to glass something..do a test area some where hidden to see that the resin does not eat the vinyl..

Sam

If you use epoxy with the fleece or muslin or tee shirt, it shouldn't react at all with the vinyl. Polyester and vinyl ester resins might eat it, like you warn, or even the MEK catalyst. I haven't found anything yet that epoxy resin damages.

[colormecrazy]

Sorry to change the subject, but that has got to be the best way to make a Volvo worth a ****!
Great idea!
Now, back to the subject, I'd like you to let us know how it works out. maybe some pics or something.

Thanks!

[gothrod87]

Another aproach if your wanting to go alil custom with it is to sand the messed up panels down smooth and use bondo in a couple of diffrent layors making sure to sand them smooth and build it up smoothed out and paint it to match your interior..seems alot easier then trying to recreate the texture and will hold up if you clear it pretty good..thats what i did in my old dodge and it is still as fresh as the day I redid them.as long as you try and keep the layers thin it wont be to heavy and it will last you the duration of the car as long as you take your time and pay attention to getting it built without high and low spots in the bondo.hope it helps,
GOTHROD

[Cruzin90]

I'm a LINE-X dealer. Sure, LINE-X would work fine. And, at least at my shop, we can use Dupont Nason for no fading and we can color match anything.

[Hippie]

Went through the same thing with a '76 Monte with a white interior, the A post covers literally disintegrated and if I found a set they wanted $$$ for them. I believe they do repop those for the '78 and up but not for my '76. Find an old wrecking yard with lots of trees and look for a G-body of the same vintage with a black interior preferably in the shade. The trim in it will probably be faded at worst, just do the fingernail test to make sure it hasn't started to break down. It seems the black holds up to UV rays a lot better than white or other colors. Then just paint with vinyl paint the color you want. I grabbed 2 pair and an arm load of other interior trim at a local yard for $6, I handed the guy a 10 and told him to keep the change.