I've got a 1997 Z28 Camaro that is red with dark gray leather interior, and I am thinking that I want to spice the interior up a bit. What is the best way to paint the plastic panels: the ones I am thinking of are the power window/door lock panels (both driver and passenger), the stereo overlay trim, the vent trim, the trim around the speedomoter, and the speaker covers.

I know there is a special clear primer to use first, but what is it called and which one will make it hold up the longest. I plan on keeping the car forever and i DON'T want to have to go back and repaint some of the stuff later on down the road.

Thanks in advance...

 

I did mine on my own and all i can tell u is if you can get it pro done that do that. i did mine and it look aweful i'm in the process of getting done professionally now. And it looks SOOOO much better. Just my 2 cents.

 

What did you do then, just remove the panels and bring it to them??? Or did you just take your car in and tell them to have at it???

What kinda pricetag are they putting on something like that???

Thanks

 

I did mine myself, it's not hard at all. First, lightly sand the parts so the paint can stick easier. Then clean them really well. I used some Dawn dish soap. Then spray on some primer. Spray it on in REALLY light coats. Once you're satisfied with the amount of primer, move to paint, then clear coat.

I probably did about 5 very light coats of primer, 7 of paint about about 5 of clear coat. See pics in my sig.

-Eric H

 

hey eric how did you get those blue light in your dash they look great. i was looking to do something like that.

 

This is from when I did mine. It was very easy. Just sand, primer and finish! It got old really quick for me, though, so I went back to stock! Good luck..

http://www.bfranker.badz28.com/appea...ro/redint4.jpg

 

If you notice, the dash lights are a greenish color. I replaced the stock bulbs, but I didn't like the way the green of the blinker notification arrows clashed with the guage lights. So I hooked up a couple blue led's to function as the blinker lights instead.

-Eric H

 

Hey Jack that interior looks really nice! How long did it take you to do it, and what kind of paint/primer/clearcoat did you use?

 

You don't need to sand or prime them. I didn't. This is what you do. Take the parts out of the car and clean them with acetone a couple of times. Go to the auto store and buy Duplicolor paint made for vinyl. Use very light coats, this may take about 4-5 coats to complete. The paint dries really fast. I waited about 5-7 minutes between coats.

By not sanding I kept the original finish.

Check out my site for the pictures.

www.sps1.com/camaro.htm

 

I wish I had the 97 setup

 

Looks good blackdog, so you say I dont need to prime at all right? I was looking at the Vinyl spray colors and none of them are really a nice color, but mabey they look better in person. Im stuck with the odd color Monterrey Maroon color for my car and I find it impossible to find any other color that looks good with it. So anybody out there with a car this color that has done some interior painting let me see it because I could use some ideas, but Im pretty sure im SOL on this.

 

Ok, heres my experience (i have pictures of the process if needed) It was very easy to do the interior, just very time consuming. You don't need to sand at all but...if you do not like the textured look I suggest that you do B]WET[/B]sand down with a light grit paper. I personally found that duplicolor didnt work well, so i went out and bought actual vinyl spray paint from the autobody shop locally. it was like $8 a can but won't crack or peel overtime or in the heat. I used 80 grit, 100 grit paper, then 120 grit sand paper. Wiped them off with acetone wiped that off with soapy water, then with regular water so there wasnt residue. Now the paint. 5 primer coats (very light), 6 base coats (if its gloss paint), 8 clear coats (very light also). It may seem very drastic, but its flawless finish will make you appreciate it later on. Im not done painting for now, just need more paint =P. 2 cans of each will do nicely for the dash bezel, door trim, all 5 speaker covers, radio surround, defrost vents, shifter console, glove box surround (the plastic around the latch), and the door slides. Its been on my car for about 6 months, and looks like it did the day I finished it. I would suggest you do all the parts with primer let it dry for the day, then the base let it dry for the day....an so on. its very time consuming but worth it. pics @ my sig but they aren't all new. Hope that helps. (Wow that was long)