Articles » Painting your interior panels


Ok here's what you need, and what you need to do:

First off, remove the part you want to paint, don't try and do it while still in the car. You will need the follwing supplies (some may be omitted depending on application) You can get most, if not all, at a specialized paint supply store.

  • Several Clean Terrycloth Rags
  • Several Latex Exam Gloves
  • 400 Grit Sandpaper
  • 1 roll masking tape
  • 1 can SEM Plastic Prep ($9)
  • 1 can Bulldog Adhesion Promoter ($6)
  • 2-4 cans DuPont Custom Vinyl Paint ($15/can)
    (if you want a shiny surface, go with a gloss finish, for a duller, OEM look, go with semi-gloss)

    Sand down any mold lines, but not too hard. Spray down the ENTIRE part with the SEM Plastic Prep (USE LATEX GLOVES, that shit is nasty, and have PLENTY of ventilation) Wipe down part with terry cloth rag, wiping in one direction (like your ass). Next, apply masking tape to any portion of the part that you DO NOT want painted, mask it good, because paint mist tends to slip through any gaps in the mask. Make sure the edges are pressed down hard. Next, LIGHTLY spray the Bulldog over the entire part from a good distance of 12" or so, just letting it mist down onto the part. Repeat several times untill it has a good even layer. After letting that completely dry (an hour or so) you can start to apply the paint. For the first coat, you want to hold the can a good 6-10" away, and applying just enough paint to make the part speckly (this will allow the paint to adhere to the Bulldog) After that dries (25-30 minutes) apply a second, heavier coat. At this point you might notice several spots that have not completely stuck to the part (little "bubbly" spots. If that happens, make sure the paint is dry, the sand the spot down, wipe with terry cloth to make sure there is no dust on the area, apply another coat of Bulldog, and reapply the paint. After your final coat of paint is on, let it set for a few hours to dry more, then go back over it one more time to cover up and spots that might show through. Let it cure overnight and wipe a healthy dose of Armorall onto the entire part. Then it's ready for reinstallation. I hope this helps anyone who is interested in painting their interiors.......if anyone has questions, just post them here.

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    Author: JeffsSi
    Date: Nov 05, 2001
    Views: 5,972

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