i have a 73 coupe that came with med. saddle interior. the previous owner painted the car red. i love the color but not with med. saddle interior. so i want to change over to black interior. how much of pain is this going to be. should i do it myself or take it to a shop too be done. any info thanks scott

 

Just my 2 cents...

Having lived in Florida over 45 years, I have found black interiors very nice to look at but very unpleasant to live with.

My choice? Keep the saddle!

 

i only drive the car once in agreat while. i have not driven it in at least 6 months. just a week end drive. but yes i understand black interior in florida can make you pay.

 

I completely changed out the interior on a '95 vette and have changed most of the interior of my '72. All off the shelf parts from a dozen or more dealers. Most of it will be the seats and carpets, although you will have to either replace the dash pad and pillar post mouldings, or paint them, which I did.

The biggest problems for your change out is removing the top dash pad (difficult but not impossible) and the pad around the guage cluster. as I remember, everything else is a walk in the park.

Denny

 

This really sounds familiar. Last July I bought a red 73 with med. saddle int. I considered going black but thought it would be too much work hiding the original color. I stuck with the med. saddle and am glad I did. New carpet, door panels, seat covers, and it looks great.

Would I prefer black with red, yeah sure but I may someday go back to the original green the car is supposed to be.

 

The dash pad on my '81 was a real pain to remove. It pissed me off so much that I yanked a little to hard and broke it. It really was no big deal though because I had a new one waiting.

 

I redye my dash without removing it and did a good job.

 

Re-coloring interior pieces with vinyl dye is a pretty simple process. Removing the pieces is best, but you can dye them "in place" by masking well (if you must). I would not recommend using some of the aftermarket spray can dyes [from what the Forum members have said in the past]. I use SEM dyes and have had zero problems with it. Two light covering coats is all it takes...regardless of the color change. Good luck, whichever way you go.

 

can anyone tell me why the dash is so hard to remove??? mine is cracked around the speakers so i would like to replace. other problem i have is the steering colum, i guess i will have to paint that. scott

 

I went from saddle to red guts..........

 

now that's what i am talking about, awsome interior looks great. is that a new steering colum or replacement parts.

 

All I did was mask off and spray with rattle can. Took off the steering wheel. That column has not been out of the car. It was dropped down for the job, however.

Dan

 

Before you go to the trouble of replacing your upper dash pad, do a thorough and unbiased assessment of just what is wrong with it. If the pad is generally intact...but just has some small cracks in it, you will likely be able to repair it in place. If the pad is all broken up with large gaps and curled up torn vinyl edges, you should probably replace it or install a dash "cap" over it. For small separations/cracks in the vinyl, just treat it like you would fixing drywall; fill the cracks and re-texture the surface. Use something like a plastic based body putty. Put blue painter's tape along the outside of the edges of the tape [so you don't have a mess on your hands afterwards], mix up a little body putty...just enough to do one crack {for practicing your technique}, fill the crack and wipe off the excess, let it start to harden and then use a plastic toothpick or other small pointed tool to "etch" in some graining. Some folks have found an old piece of vinyl with similar grain patterning to press into the semi-hard putty to re-do the graining. Once it hardens, check it out and modify your process if it needs to be improved. When the cracks are filled, mask off the entire dash pad [I recommend leaving it in place, as it can be damaged more by trying to remove it] and spray a couple of light, covering coats of your vinyl dye..about 20 minutes apart. Let dry overnight, and...voila'....a "new" dash pad. P.S. If you don't have spray equipment, I would recommend you buy a Preval gas-charged cannister/bottle sprayer at the auto paint store where you buy your SEM vinyl dye (mixed to your GM interior code or matched to an interior piece you bring in to them). If doing your entire interior, buy one sprayer kit and about 2-3 additional gas units. They do a GREAT job of mist-spaying the vinyl dye. Ask the paint folks exactly how to use them and clean them between uses. You MUST detergent wash and thoroughly clean/dry your interior panels if you want the dye to "take" properly...spend lots of time getting all the old Armor-all off those panels. Afterwards NEVER use another petroleum protectant on those interior panels again!!! Good luck. I'm sure it will turn out great.

 

7T1Vette - What's wrong with Armour-All (besides not being able to paint/dye over it)?

I've used it for years!

...Alan K.

 

The problem with Armor-all [and all petroleum based "protectants"] is that vinyl is made from petroleum too. The combination of that stuff and sunlight is the gradual breakdown of the vinyl. It will cause early deterioration and cracking of thin vinyl sections, like door panels (at armrests) and dash pads. There are lots of new polymer-based coatings which do a better job [IMO] than Armor-all and oil based items without the risk of long-term damage. I happen to like Nu-Vinyl because it is easy to use, lasts a long time, doesn't yellow or peel, and you can re-apply it as much as you want...not to mention that it make the vinyl surface look like, well, new vinyl.

 

I've thought about changing my 'camel' interior. Instead I bought new pieces and am very happy with it! My paint is 'torch red'.

 

Red exterior with camel interior is "classy". Red with black interior is "sexy".